Phelan McDermid syndrome

Synonyms

2

Overview

The Phelan-McDermid Syndrome  (PMS) , is a genetic condition which meant a piece on chromosome 22, long arm (q), region 1, band three, sub-band three did not exist or had been compromised. The original name for PMS was 22q13 deletion syndrome. Today there are about four hundred individuals in the world with this chromosome deletion. The condition is named for Dr. Katy Phelan and Dr. Heather McDermid who first identified the condition. Dr. Katy Phelan brought the original first fifteen families together into what is now the Phelan-McDermid Syndrome Foundation.

Symptoms

Defects of the SHANK3 gene are highly associated with autism. Individuals with Phelan-McDermid Syndrome often have autism or autism spectrum disorders.

There is a wide range of severity of symptoms observed in people with Phelan-McDermid Syndrome. Like other autism-related syndromes, PMS is associated with intellectual disabilities, sleep disorders and seizures. Most children with PMS have moderate to severe delays and often do not develop functional language. Infants with medium to large chromosomal deletions may have very low muscle tone, poor motor control, and problems with eating and sleeping. Other symptoms may include poor thermoregulation and dysplastic finger nails or toenails. Behavioral issues may stem from autism (e.g., repetitive behaviors), from poor communications skills, or unknown origin. For unknown reasons, toilet training is often difficult in this population. In spite of these issues, infants with PMS tend to be easily to amuse and adults often have a sweet disposition.

Causes

Phelan-McDermid Syndromeis a genetic syndrome caused by disruption of the SHANK3/ProSAP2 gene on the terminal end of chromosome 22. The most common form of PMS is caused by a de novo chromosomal deletion. For this reason the original name for PMS was 22q13 deletion syndrome.

The SHANK3 gene, which codes for the shank3 protein, is found in the brain, heart, kidney and other organs. Its most important role is in the brain. It supports the structure of excitatory synapses and is involved in processes crucial for learning and memory. It also has an important, if not fully understood, role in proper brain development.

Thus far relatively few cases of PMS have been identified. Most identified cases are small children because testing is usually done early in life and reliable testing did not start until 1998. New genomic testing methods have not only made clinical testing more widely available, but have also led to significant new insights about the role of SHANK3 in PMS, autism, and schizophrenia, and the possible impact of other missing genes in cases of PMS.

Diagnosis

The chromosome deletion is often difficult to see by routine chromosome studies, therefore, a special test called FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization) is often used. In FISH studies, a DNA probe that is specific for the tip of the long arm of Chromosome 22 is used to see if the 22q13 segment is present or absent. If your child has Phelan-McDermid Syndrome, the 22q13 region will be present on the normal chromosome but absent on the deleted chromosome. A more recently developed technique, micro-array comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), is also used to identify the loss or gain of chromosome material. It is more sensitive than FISH in detecting loss of very small regions of the chromosome and can examine all of the chromosomes at once, rather than targeting only chromosome 22. The deletion can also be detected in cells from skin or in cells obtained for prenatal diagnostic testing.

Resources

PMSF - The Phelan-McDermid Syndrome Foundation