Open AccessNovel FOXL 2 mutations cause blepharophimosis‐ptosis‐epicanthus inversus syndrome with premature ovarian insufficiency
Author(s) -
Yang XiaoWen,
He WenBin,
Gong Fei,
Li Wen,
Li XiuRong,
Zhong ChangGao,
Lu GuangXiu,
Lin Ge,
Du Juan,
Tan YueQiu
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
molecular genetics and genomic medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.765
H-Index - 29
ISSN - 2324-9269
DOI - 10.1002/mgg3.366
Subject(s) - blepharophimosis , sanger sequencing , genetics , mutation , biology , haploinsufficiency , ptosis , premature ovarian insufficiency , phenotype , premature ovarian failure , gene , bioinformatics , medicine , endocrinology , pharmacology
Background Blepharophimosis‐ptosis‐epicanthus inversus syndrome ( BPES ) is a malformation of the eyelids. Forkhead Box L2 ( FOXL 2 ) is the only gene known to be associated with BPES . Methods We identified two Han Chinese BPES families with premature ovarian insufficiency ( POI ). Sanger sequencing and in vitro functional analysis were performed to identify the genetic cause. Results Sanger sequencing identified two novel mutations (c.462_468del, c.988_989insG) in FOXL 2, one in each family. The in vitro functional analysis confirmed that both novel mutations were associated with impaired transactivation of downstream genes. Specifically, the single‐base insertion, c.988_989insG, led to subcellular mislocalization and aggregation of the encoded protein, which validated the hypothesis that the two novel FOXL 2 mutations are deleterious and associated with POI in the two BPES families. Conclusion The novel mutations identified in the present study will enhance the present knowledge of the mutation spectrum of FOXL 2 . The in vitro experiments provide further insights into the molecular mechanism by which the two new variants mediate disease pathogenesis and may contribute to elucidating the genotype‐phenotype correlation between the two novel FOXL 2 mutations and POI .