Species: human
Mutation name:
type: naturally occurring
fertility: subfertile
Comment: Clinical manifestations in a cohort of 41 Rothmund-Thomson syndrome patients. Wang LL et al. (2001) Rothmund-Thomson syndrome (RTS) is a rare autosomal recessive genodermatosis characterized by a poikilodermatous rash starting in infancy, small stature, skeletal abnormalities, juvenile cataracts, and predisposition to specific cancers. We have identified a contemporary cohort of 41 patients to better define the clinical profile, diagnostic criteria, and management of patients with RTS. Patients with the diagnosis of RTS were ascertained by referrals from dermatology, ophthalmology, genetics, and oncology or from direct contact with the patient's family. Medical information was obtained from interviews with physicians, patients, and their parents and a review of medical records. The age range at ascertainment was 9 months to 42 years (28 males and 13 females; M:F, 2:1). All subjects displayed a characteristic rash. Thirteen subjects had osteosarcoma (OS) (32%), eight had radial defects (20%), seven had gastrointestinal findings (17%), two had cataracts (6%), and one had skin cancer (2%). Twenty-two of 28 patients without OS were less than 15 years old and thus remain at significant risk for this tumor. This case-series study reveals a clinical profile of RTS that includes a higher prevalence of OS and fewer cataracts, compared with historical reports. These differences may reflect either allelic or genetic heterogeneity. This study documents the frequency of clinical anomalies in a contemporary cohort of RTS patients and revises guidelines for diagnosis and management of RTS.//////////////////

Species: human
Mutation name:
type: naturally occurring
fertility: subfertile
Comment: The mutation spectrum in RECQL4 diseases. Siitonen HA et al. (2009) Mutations in the RECQL4 gene can lead to three clinical phenotypes with overlapping features. All these syndromes, Rothmund-Thomson (RTS), RAPADILINO and Baller-Gerold (BGS), are characterized by growth retardation and radial defects, but RAPADILINO syndrome lacks the main dermal manifestation, poikiloderma that is a hallmark feature in both RTS and BGS. It has been previously shown that RTS patients with RECQL4 mutations are at increased risk of osteosarcoma, but the precise incidence of cancer in RAPADILINO and BGS has not been determined. Here, we report that RAPADILINO patients identified as carriers of the c.1390+2delT mutation (p.Ala420_Ala463del) are at increased risk to develop lymphoma or osteosarcoma (6 out of 15 patients). We also summarize all the published RECQL4 mutations and their associated cancer cases and provide an update of 14 novel RECQL4 mutations with accompanying clinical data.//////////////////

Species: mouse
Mutation name:
type: null mutation
fertility: unknown
Comment: Defective sister-chromatid cohesion, aneuploidy and cancer predisposition in a mouse model of type II Rothmund-Thomson syndrome. Mann MB et al. (2005) Type II Rothmund-Thomson syndrome (Type II RTS) is a rare autosomal recessive genetic disorder characterized by a congenital skin rash, birth defects of the skeleton, genomic instability and cancer predisposition. It is caused by mutations in the RECQL4 gene and thus represents one of the three cancer-prone genetic diseases that are caused by mutations in a RecQ helicase-encoding gene. Genomic instability has been suspected as a major underlying cause of this disease, and analyses of Type II RTS patient-derived cells demonstrate unusually high frequencies of chromosomal aberrations, suggesting the involvement of chromosomal instability. However, the nature of the instability induced by RECQL4 mutations has not been clearly defined. We created a viable Recql4 mutant mouse model. These mice exhibit a distinctive skin abnormality, birth defects of the skeletal system, genomic instability and increased cancer susceptibility in a sensitized genetic background. Thus, they provide a useful model for studying Type II RTS. In addition, we demonstrate that cells from these mutant mice have high frequencies of premature centromere separation and aneuploidy. Thus, our observations provide evidence for a previously unsuspected role for Recql4 in sister-chromatid cohesion, and suggest that the chromosomal instability may be the underlying cause of cancer predisposition and birth defects in these mutant mice.//////////////////