A high frequency of the PAX6 gene 3'-cis-regulatory region deletions in Russian aniridia patients

Abstract

Aniridia (OMIM 106210) is an autosomal dominant congenital disorder caused by heterozygous PAX6 intragenic mutations or chromosome 11p13 rearrangements. Molecular genetic study aimed to determine PAX6 damage spectrum peculiarities in Russian cohort. 152 unrelated families with congenital aniridia (184 patients) underwent ophthalmic examination and DNA testing. 17 patients from 12 unrelated families (4 familial and 8 sporadic probands) shared likely the same 11p13 0.3-1.5 Mb deletion affecting PAX6 downstream regulatory regions. The frequency of these deletions, 8% (12/152), was higher than PAX6 hotspot c.718C>T rate (8/152, 6%). A high rate of the deletions suggests a common underlying mechanism of its formation and points to 11p13 genomic region instability.