Background: Blepharophimosis, ptosis and epicanthus inversus syndrome (BPES) is a rare autosomal dominant congenital disorder. Mutations in FOXL2, a gene located at 3q23, have been shown to cause the syndrome. We report a girl with BPES with a "de novo" apparently balanced translocation between chromosomes 3 and 15: t(3;15)(q23;q25).
Material and methods: Conventional cytogenetic and CGH array were performed.
Results: The karyotype showed an apparently balanced translocation. Molecular studies by array-CGH did not show deletions in the FOXL2 gene; however, a novel 63.2 kb deletion involving a non-protein-coding gene (PISRT1) was found.
Conclusions: The novel deletion found could be involved in FOXL2 regulation and constitutes the smallest deletion described in a female with BPES. In cases of "de novo" apparently balanced translocation, only a 5-6% risk of phenotype alteration is described. Molecular studies can help to discover these alterations and provide insight for genetic counseling.