TY - JOUR AB - In recent years, many genes have been associated with chromatinopathies classified as “Cornelia de Lange Syndrome‐like.” It is known that the phenotype of these patients becomes less recognizable, overlapping to features characteristic of other syndromes caused by genetic variants affecting different regulators of chromatin structure and function. Therefore, Cornelia de Lange syndrome diagnosis might be arduous due to the seldom discordance between unexpected molecular diagnosis and clinical evaluation. Here, we review the molecular features of Cornelia de Lange syndrome, supporting the hypothesis that “CdLS‐like syndromes” are part of a larger “rare disease family” sharing multiple clinical features and common disrupted molecular pathways. AU - Avagliano, Laura AU - Parenti, Ilaria AU - Grazioli, Paolo AU - Di Fede, Elisabetta AU - Parodi, Chiara AU - Mariani, Milena AU - Kaiser, Frank J. AU - Selicorni, Angelo AU - Gervasini, Cristina AU - Massa, Valentina ID - 7149 IS - 1 JF - Clinical Genetics SN - 0009-9163 TI - Chromatinopathies: A focus on Cornelia de Lange syndrome VL - 97 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Characteristic or classic phenotype of Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) is associated with a recognisable facial pattern. However, the heterogeneity in causal genes and the presence of overlapping syndromes have made it increasingly difficult to diagnose only by clinical features. DeepGestalt technology, and its app Face2Gene, is having a growing impact on the diagnosis and management of genetic diseases by analysing the features of affected individuals. Here, we performed a phenotypic study on a cohort of 49 individuals harbouring causative variants in known CdLS genes in order to evaluate Face2Gene utility and sensitivity in the clinical diagnosis of CdLS. Based on the profile images of patients, a diagnosis of CdLS was within the top five predicted syndromes for 97.9% of our cases and even listed as first prediction for 83.7%. The age of patients did not seem to affect the prediction accuracy, whereas our results indicate a correlation between the clinical score and affected genes. Furthermore, each gene presents a different pattern recognition that may be used to develop new neural networks with the goal of separating different genetic subtypes in CdLS. Overall, we conclude that computer-assisted image analysis based on deep learning could support the clinical diagnosis of CdLS. AU - Latorre-Pellicer, Ana AU - Ascaso, Ángela AU - Trujillano, Laura AU - Gil-Salvador, Marta AU - Arnedo, Maria AU - Lucia-Campos, Cristina AU - Antoñanzas-Pérez, Rebeca AU - Marcos-Alcalde, Iñigo AU - Parenti, Ilaria AU - Bueno-Lozano, Gloria AU - Musio, Antonio AU - Puisac, Beatriz AU - Kaiser, Frank J. AU - Ramos, Feliciano J. AU - Gómez-Puertas, Paulino AU - Pié, Juan ID - 7488 IS - 3 JF - International Journal of Molecular Sciences SN - 16616596 TI - Evaluating Face2Gene as a tool to identify Cornelia de Lange syndrome by facial phenotypes VL - 21 ER - TY - JOUR AB - The NIPBL/MAU2 heterodimer loads cohesin onto chromatin. Mutations inNIPBLaccount for most cases ofthe rare developmental disorder Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS). Here we report aMAU2 variant causing CdLS, a deletion of seven amino acids that impairs the interaction between MAU2 and the NIPBL N terminus.Investigating this interaction, we discovered that MAU2 and the NIPBL N terminus are largely dispensable fornormal cohesin and NIPBL function in cells with a NIPBL early truncating mutation. Despite a predicted fataloutcome of an out-of-frame single nucleotide duplication inNIPBL, engineered in two different cell lines,alternative translation initiation yields a form of NIPBL missing N-terminal residues. This form cannot interactwith MAU2, but binds DNA and mediates cohesin loading. Altogether, our work reveals that cohesin loading can occur independently of functional NIPBL/MAU2 complexes and highlights a novel mechanism protectiveagainst out-of-frame mutations that is potentially relevant for other genetic conditions. AU - Parenti, Ilaria AU - Diab, Farah AU - Gil, Sara Ruiz AU - Mulugeta, Eskeatnaf AU - Casa, Valentina AU - Berutti, Riccardo AU - Brouwer, Rutger W.W. AU - Dupé, Valerie AU - Eckhold, Juliane AU - Graf, Elisabeth AU - Puisac, Beatriz AU - Ramos, Feliciano AU - Schwarzmayr, Thomas AU - Gines, Macarena Moronta AU - Van Staveren, Thomas AU - Van Ijcken, Wilfred F.J. AU - Strom, Tim M. AU - Pié, Juan AU - Watrin, Erwan AU - Kaiser, Frank J. AU - Wendt, Kerstin S. ID - 7877 IS - 7 JF - Cell Reports TI - MAU2 and NIPBL variants impair the heterodimerization of the cohesin loader subunits and cause Cornelia de Lange syndrome VL - 31 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are a class of disorders affecting brain development and function and are characterized by wide genetic and clinical variability. In this review, we discuss the multiple factors that influence the clinical presentation of NDDs, with particular attention to gene vulnerability, mutational load, and the two-hit model. Despite the complex architecture of mutational events associated with NDDs, the various proteins involved appear to converge on common pathways, such as synaptic plasticity/function, chromatin remodelers and the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. A thorough understanding of the mechanisms behind these pathways will hopefully lead to the identification of candidates that could be targeted for treatment approaches. AU - Parenti, Ilaria AU - Garcia Rabaneda, Luis E AU - Schön, Hanna AU - Novarino, Gaia ID - 7957 IS - 8 JF - Trends in Neurosciences SN - 01662236 TI - Neurodevelopmental disorders: From genetics to functional pathways VL - 43 ER -