Identification and characterization of four novel large deletions in the human neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) gene

We studied 20 unrelated NF1 patients by Southern blots with seven cDNA probes and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) analysis with four intragenic microsatellites (IVS26-2.3, IVS27AC28.4, IVS27AC33.1, and IVS38GT53.0). Four novel large deletions (178, 184, 236, and 237) have been identified and characterized. The breakpoint of deletion 178 was located in between exons 23-2 and 27b and the sequences downstream of the breakpoint were deleted. For deletion 184, the breakpoint was in between exons 27b and 29, and the region upstream of the breakpoint was deleted. With deletion 236, the breakpoint was in between exons 14 and 18 and the region downstream of the breakpoint was deleted. The breakpoint of deletion 237 was in between exons 38 and 45 and the sequences upstream of the breakpoint were deleted. These deletions were distributed randomly across the NF1 gene and no deletion hot spot was found. Our study suggests that the combination of analyses of loss of heterozygosity, southern blotting and southern blot densitometry can be used as a powerful method to detect large deletions, especially when family record is not available or the patient is a sporadic case.