SHORT REPORT

Homozygosity mapping of a gene for arterial tortuosity syndrome to chromosome 20q13

P J Coucke¹, M W Wessels², P Van Acker¹, R Gardella³, S Barlati³, P J Willems⁴, M Colombi³, A De Paepe¹

¹ Center for Medical Genetics, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
² Department of Clinical Genetics and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
³ Division of Biology and Genetics, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
⁴ Synergene, Antwerp, Belgium

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Paul Coucke
Ghent University Hospital, Department of Medical Genetics, De Pintelaan 185, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; paul.coucke{at}rug.ac.be

Background: Arterial tortuosity syndrome (ATS) is an uncommon connective tissue disorder of unknown aetiology. The most prominent feature is tortuosity of the large arteries, but lengthening, stenosis, and aneurysm formation are also frequent.

Methods: We performed a genomewide screen by homozygosity mapping of three consanguineous multiplex families, two from Morocco, and one from Italy, which included 11 ATS patients. The two families from Morocco may possibly have a common ancestor.

Results: We mapped the ATS gene to chromosome 20q13. Recombinations within an extended haplotype of 11 microsatellite markers localised the ATS gene between markers D20S836 and D20S109, an interval of 9.5 cM.

Conclusions: Cloning and completing functional and structural analysis of the ATS gene may provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms of elastogenesis.

Keywords: tortuosity; connective tissue; homozygosity mapping

Abbreviations: ATS, arterial tortuosity syndrome; EDS, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome

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