Entry - #253250 - MULIBREY NANISM; MUL - OMIM
# 253250

MULIBREY NANISM; MUL


Alternative titles; symbols

MUSCLE-LIVER-BRAIN-EYE NANISM
PERICARDIAL CONSTRICTION AND GROWTH FAILURE
PERHEENTUPA SYNDROME


Phenotype-Gene Relationships

Location Phenotype Phenotype
MIM number
Inheritance Phenotype
mapping key
Gene/Locus Gene/Locus
MIM number
17q22 Mulibrey nanism 253250 AR 3 TRIM37 605073
Clinical Synopsis
 

INHERITANCE
- Autosomal recessive
GROWTH
Height
- Short stature, prenatal onset
- Adult male height 136-161 cm
- Adult female height 126-151 cm
- Birth length 1.5-2 S.D. below mean
Weight
- Birth weight 1.5-2 S.D. below mean
HEAD & NECK
Head
- Dolichocephaly
Face
- Triangular face
- Frontal bossing
Eyes
- Mild hypertelorism
- Yellowish dots in fundi
- Decreased retinal pigmentation with dispersion
- Hypoplasia of choroid
- Astigmatism
- Strabismus
Nose
- Deep, broad nasal bridge
Mouth
- Relatively small tongue
Teeth
- Dental crowding
- Hypodontia of second bicuspid
CARDIOVASCULAR
Heart
- Pericardial constriction
- Globular shaped heart on x-ray
- Congestive heart failure
- Myocardial fibrosis
Vascular
- Elevated venous pressure
ABDOMEN
Liver
- Hepatomegaly
SKELETAL
- Normal bone age
Skull
- J-shaped sella turcica
- Absent or small frontal sinus
- Absent or small sphenoidal sinus
Limbs
- Fibrous dysplasia (especially tibia)
SKIN, NAILS, & HAIR
Skin
- Cutaneous nevi flammei (limbs)
MUSCLE, SOFT TISSUES
- Muscular hypotonia
NEUROLOGIC
Central Nervous System
- Large cerebral ventricles and cisternae
- Normal intelligence
- Dysarthria
VOICE
- Weak, high-pitched voice
NEOPLASIA
- Wilms tumor
MISCELLANEOUS
- Mulibrey is an acronym (MUscle, LIver, BRain, and EYes)
- Most patients are from Finland
MOLECULAR BASIS
- Caused by mutation in the tripartite motif-containing 37 gene (TRIM37, 605073.0001)

TEXT

A number sign (#) is used with this entry because mulibrey (MUscle, LIver, BRain, and EYes) nanism ('dwarfism') (MUL) is caused by homozygous or compound heterozygous mutation in the TRIM37 gene (605073), which encodes a peroxisomal protein, on chromosome 17q22.


Description

Mulibrey nanism (MUL) is a rare autosomal recessive growth disorder with prenatal onset, including occasional progressive cardiomyopathy, characteristic facial features, failure of sexual maturation, insulin resistance with type 2 diabetes, and an increased risk for Wilms tumor (summary by Hamalainen et al., 2006).


Clinical Features

Perheentupa et al. (1973) first described and named this disorder in 23 patients in Finland, including 3 pairs of affected sibs born of consanguineous parents. Growth failure was evident at birth and was progressive. The patients had a characteristic triangular face often with hydrocephaloid skull, gracility and muscular hypotonia, peculiar voice, enlarged liver, raised venous pressure due to pericardial constriction, and yellowish dots and pigment dispersion in the ocular fundi. Two-thirds of the patients had cutaneous nevi flammei and one-third had cystic dysplasia of the tibia. The geographic accumulation of cases in a sparsely settled region of Finland and the observation of parental consanguinity in some cases supported autosomal recessive inheritance.

Thoren (1973) described an Egyptian patient. Cumming et al. (1976) reported affected sibs living in Canada. Voorhess et al. (1976) reported the first affected child from the United States whose parents were second cousins. In a review of published cases, the authors identified other clinical features, including fibrous dysplasia of the tibia in 7 of 25, hypoplasia of the choroid in 11 of 11, yellowish dots and pigment dispersion in the ocular fundi in 23 of 25, long shallow sella turcica in 25 of 26, muscular hypotonia in 20 of 25, small voice and triangular face in all, and low birth weight and length in most.

Haraldsson et al. (1993) found both immunoglobulin deficiency and isolated growth hormone (GH1; 139250) deficiency in a 6.7-year-old girl with constrictive pericarditis, pigmentary retinopathy, and other features of mulibrey nanism. Therapy with human growth hormone resulted in increased growth velocity but did not improve humoral immune functions. Lapunzina et al. (1995) reported 2 affected sibs from Argentina and another patient from Spain. All 3 had growth failure, short stature, abnormal pigmentary retinal changes, and a J-shaped sella turcica. Two had pericardial constriction. Pericardiectomy was performed in 1 patient at the age of 23 months with good results. The authors also reviewed the findings in 39 reported patients and grouped the anomalies into the very frequent (present in more than 66%), frequent (in at least 25%), and not frequent. Balg et al. (1995) reported a boy who had typical manifestations as well as hypoplastic corpus callosum and a localized intraretinal fibrosis of the left eye. He also had hepatomegaly; constrictive pericarditis was discovered only after mulibrey nanism was diagnosed.

Jagiello et al. (2003) reported a Turkish family in Germany in which 3 sibs, a boy and 2 girls, had mulibrey nanism. The parents were said not to be related but originated from small neighboring villages in Turkey. A 12-year-old girl was mentally retarded and had a high-pitched voice. She had obvious craniofacial dysmorphism, including a large skull with broad forehead, hypertelorism with broad nasal bridge, high palate, microgenia, and deep set ears. She had proportionate growth reduction and hypotonia of the trunk. Other symptoms included moderate adiposity, acanthosis nigricans, various hemangiomas, insulin-resistant diabetes mellitus, hepatosplenomegaly, liver cirrhosis, fibrosis of the lung, and cardiomyopathy. The 21-year-old affected brother had disproportionate growth reduction, mental retardation, moderate adiposity, acanthosis nigricans, signs of 'diabetic metabolism,' hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, and isolated fibroma of the tibia. The 17-year-old sister displayed similar symptoms as her sibs, but had no signs of mental retardation, indicating a milder phenotype. None of the sibs showed pronounced muscular hypotonia.

Karlberg et al. (2004) reviewed the clinical characteristics of the 85 known Finnish patients with mulibrey nanism, most of whom were homozygous for the major Finnish TRIM37 mutation (605073.0001), and proposed revised diagnostic criteria for the disorder. The authors suggested that the diagnosis should be considered in infants born small for gestational age who have poor weight gain postnatally, hepatomegaly, and characteristic craniofacial features.

Karlberg et al. (2004) stated that approximately 110 patients with mulibrey nanism had been described worldwide, of whom 85 were Finnish. They reviewed the hospital and autopsy reports of the 22 Finnish female postpubertal patients with the disorder; they found an association between the disorder and both premature ovarian failure and fibrothecomas (ovarian stromal tumors). Their study indicated that hypergonadotropic premature ovarian failure with spontaneous puberty, incomplete breast development, and early irregularity of menstrual periods with subsequent ovarian failure and infertility ultimately develops in female patients with mulibrey nanism. Furthermore, such patients are at a very high risk for ovarian fibrothecoma. Karlberg et al. (2004) concluded that TRIM37 is a putative tumor suppressor gene for ovarian stromal cells.

Hamalainen et al. (2006) reported an Australian girl with mulibrey nanism. She first presented at age 10 months with short stature and facial dysmorphism, including dolichocephaly, high broad forehead, low depressed nasal bridge, and small pointed chin. Skeletal survey showed slender long bones with overtubulation and J-shaped sella turcica. Developmental milestones were age-appropriate. Initial diagnostic considerations included 3M syndrome (273750) and Silver-Russell syndrome (SRS; 180860). At age 18 months, she presented with abdominal distention and a large Wilms tumor, which led to the diagnosis of mulibrey nanism.

Bruzzaniti et al. (2020) reported an 11-year-old boy with intrauterine growth retardation, facial dysmorphisms, relative macrocephaly, and severe postnatal growth retardation. An echocardiogram at 8 years of age showed an atrial septal defect, atrial dilation, and constrictive pericarditis. He also developed severe spleen and liver enlargement with steatosis and cystic lesions. Laboratory studies showed elevated liver enzymes and GGT. Brain MRI showed hypoplasia of the adenohypophysis, mega cisterna magna, arachnoid cyst of the right temporal lobe, and syringomelia. At 8.5 years of age he developed interstitial lung disease. The patient had a selective reduction in CD4+ T cells, which were unable to proliferate in response to T-cell receptor stimulation but were more sensitive to homeostatic stimuli. Both CD4+ and CD8+ cells from the patient showed a terminally differentiated phenotype compared to controls.


Mapping

By linkage analysis in affected Finnish families, Avela et al. (1997) identified a 7-cM candidate region on chromosome 17q flanked by D17S1799 and D17S948 (maximum multipoint lod score of 5.01). Linkage disequilibrium analysis narrowed the critical disease region within approximately 250 kb of marker D17S1853. Because patients with mulibrey nanism commonly have hypoplasia of various endocrine glands and hormone deficiencies, Avela et al. (1997) analyzed a microsatellite-repeat polymorphism at the growth hormone locus (GH1; 139250). Recombination in 1 family excluded it as a candidate gene. Likewise, the homeobox B cluster was excluded by the absence of linkage disequilibrium with a microsatellite-repeat marker at HOX2B (142961). Avela et al. (1997) concluded that the most likely physical location of the markers linked to the MUL locus was 17q21-q24.

Paavola et al. (1999) studied the location of the genes for Meckel syndrome (MKS1; 249000) and mulibrey nanism, which had been mapped to the same region, 17q21-q24. They constructed a bacterial clone contig over the critical region for both disorders. Several novel CA-repeat markers were isolated from these clones, which allowed refined mapping of the MKS and MUL loci using haplotype and linkage disequilibrium analysis. The localization of the MKS locus was narrowed and the entire MKS region was found to fall within the MUL region. However, in the common critical region, the conserved haplotypes were different in Meckel syndrome and mulibrey nanism patients. A transcript map was constructed by assigning ESTs and genes, derived from the human gene map, to the bacterial clone contig. Altogether, 4 genes and a total of 20 ESTs were precisely localized.


Inheritance

The transmission pattern of MUL in the families reported by Avela et al. (2000) was consistent with autosomal recessive inheritance.


Molecular Genetics

By positional cloning, Avela et al. (2000) identified the TRIM37 gene and found 4 independent mulibrey nanism-associated mutations (605073.0001-605073.0004). A 5-bp deletion (605073.0001) was found to be the major Finnish mutation.

In a Turkish family studied in Germany, Jagiello et al. (2003) found that mulibrey nanism cosegregated with a mutation in the TRIM37 gene (605073.0005).

In an Australian girl with MUL, Hamalainen et al. (2006) identified compound heterozygosity for 2 mutations in the TRIM37 gene (605073.0006 and 605073.0007).

In an 11-year-old boy with MUL, Bruzzaniti et al. (2020) identified a splice mutation in the TRIM37 gene inherited from the father (605073.0008) and a 17q22 deletion involving a region including the TRIM37 gene inherited from the mother.


REFERENCES

  1. Avela, K., Lipsanen-Nyman, M., Idanheimo, N., Seemanova, E., Rosengren, S., Makela, T. P., Perheentupa, J., de la Chapelle, A., Lehesjoki, A.-E. Gene encoding a new RING-B-box-coiled-coil protein is mutated in mulibrey nanism. Nature Genet. 25: 298-301, 2000. [PubMed: 10888877, related citations] [Full Text]

  2. Avela, K., Lipsanen-Nyman, M., Perheentupa, J., Wallgren-Pettersson, C., Marchand, S., Faure, S., Sistonen, P., de la Chapelle, A., Lehesjoki, A.-E. Assignment of the mulibrey nanism gene to 17q by linkage and linkage-disequilibrium analysis. Am. J. Hum. Genet. 60: 896-902, 1997. [PubMed: 9106536, related citations]

  3. Balg, S., Stengel-Rutkowski, S., Dohlemann, C., Boergen, K. Mulibrey nanism. Clin. Dysmorph. 4: 63-69, 1995. [PubMed: 7735507, related citations]

  4. Bruzzaniti, S., Cirillo, E., Prencipe, R., Giardino, G., Lepore, M. T., Garziano, F., Perna, F., Procaccini, C., Mascolo, L., Pagano, C., Fattorusso, V., Mozzillo, E., Bifulco, M., Matarese, G., Franzese, A., Pignata, C., Galgani, M. CD4+ T cell defects in a mulibrey patient with specific TRIM37 mutations. Front. Immun. 11: 1742, 2020. [PubMed: 33042106, images, related citations] [Full Text]

  5. Cumming, G. R., Kerr, D., Ferguson, C. C. Constrictive pericarditis with dwarfism in two siblings (mulibrey nanism). J. Pediat. 88: 569-572, 1976. [PubMed: 1255313, related citations] [Full Text]

  6. Hamalainen, R. H., Mowat, D., Gabbett, M. T., O'Brien, T. A., Kallijarvi, J., Lehesjoki, A.-E. Wilms' tumor and novel TRIM37 mutations in an Australian patient with mulibrey nanism. Clin. Genet. 70: 473-479, 2006. [PubMed: 17100991, related citations] [Full Text]

  7. Haraldsson, A., van der Burgt, C. J. A. M., Weemaes, C. M. R., Otten, B., Bakkeren, J. A. J. M., Stoelinga, G. B. A. Antibody deficiency and isolated growth hormone deficiency in a girl with mulibrey nanism. Europ. J. Pediat. 152: 509-512, 1993. [PubMed: 8335020, related citations] [Full Text]

  8. Jagiello, P., Hammans, C., Wieczorek, S., Arning, L., Stefanski, A., Strehl, H., Epplen, J. T., Gencik, M. A novel splice site mutation in the TRIM37 gene causes mulibrey nanism in a Turkish family with phenotypic heterogeneity. Hum. Mutat. 21: 630-635, 2003. [PubMed: 12754710, related citations] [Full Text]

  9. Karlberg, N., Jalanko, H., Perheentupa, J., Lipsanen-Nyman, M. Mulibrey nanism: clinical features and diagnostic criteria. J. Med. Genet. 41: 92-98, 2004. [PubMed: 14757854, related citations] [Full Text]

  10. Karlberg, S., Tiitinen, A., Lipsanen-Nyman, M. Failure of sexual maturation in mulibrey nanism. (Letter) New Eng. J. Med. 351: 2559-2560, 2004. [PubMed: 15590968, related citations] [Full Text]

  11. Lapunzina, P., Rodriguez, J. I., de Matteo, E., Gracia, R., Moreno, F. Mulibrey nanism: three additional patients and a review of 39 patients. Am. J. Med. Genet. 55: 349-355, 1995. [PubMed: 7726235, related citations] [Full Text]

  12. Myllarniemi, S., Koski, K., Perheentupa, J. Craniofacial and dental study of mulibrey nanism. Cleft Palate J. 15: 369-377, 1978. [PubMed: 281281, related citations]

  13. Paavola, P., Avela, K., Horelli-Kuitunen, N., Barlund, M., Kallioniemi, A., Idanheimo, N., Kyttala, M., de la Chapelle, A., Palotie, A., Lehesjoki, A.-E., Peltonen, L. High-resolution physical and genetic mapping of the critical region for Meckel syndrome and mulibrey nanism on chromosome 17q22-q23. Genome Res. 9: 267-276, 1999. [PubMed: 10077533, images, related citations]

  14. Perheentupa, J., Autio, S., Leisti, S., Raitta, C., Tuuteri, L. Mulibrey nanism, an autosomal recessive syndrome with pericardial constriction. Lancet 302: 351-355, 1973. Note: Originally Volume 2. [PubMed: 4124529, related citations] [Full Text]

  15. Perheentupa, J. Mulibrey nanism.In: Eriksson, A. W.; Forsius, H. R.; Nevanlinna, H. R.; Workman, P. L.; Norio, R. K. : Population Structure and Genetic Disorders. New York: Academic Press (pub.) 1980. Pp. 641-646.

  16. Simila, S., Timonen, M., Heikkinen, E. A case of mulibrey nanism with associated Wilms's tumor. Clin. Genet. 17: 29-30, 1980. [PubMed: 6248277, related citations] [Full Text]

  17. Thoren, C. So-called mulibrey nanism with pericardial constriction (Letter) Lancet 302: 731 only, 1973. Note: Originally Volume 2. [PubMed: 4125809, related citations] [Full Text]

  18. Tuuteri, L., Perheentupa, J., Rapola, J. The cardiopathy of mulibrey nanism, a new inherited syndrome. Chest 65: 628-631, 1974. [PubMed: 4275521, related citations] [Full Text]

  19. Voorhess, M. L., Husson, G. S., Blackman, M. S. Growth failure with pericardial constriction: the syndrome of mulibrey nanism. Am. J. Dis. Child. 130: 1146-1148, 1976. [PubMed: 135512, related citations] [Full Text]


Hilary J. Vernon - updated : 05/14/2021
Cassandra L. Kniffin - updated : 5/7/2007
Victor A. McKusick - updated : 12/29/2004
Marla J. F. O'Neill - updated : 9/20/2004
Victor A. McKusick - updated : 7/16/2003
Victor A. McKusick - updated : 6/23/2000
Victor A. McKusick - updated : 4/28/1999
Victor A. McKusick - updated : 6/12/1997
Iosif W. Lurie - updated : 9/19/1996
Creation Date:
Victor A. McKusick : 6/4/1986
carol : 02/02/2024
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carol : 05/17/2021
carol : 05/14/2021
carol : 04/29/2021
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wwang : 4/16/2009
terry : 4/9/2009
wwang : 5/29/2007
ckniffin : 5/7/2007
ckniffin : 5/7/2007
tkritzer : 1/11/2005
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carol : 11/27/2001
mcapotos : 7/20/2001
alopez : 6/23/2000
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terry : 4/28/1999
jenny : 7/9/1997
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carol : 9/19/1996
mimman : 2/8/1996
mark : 12/6/1995
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carol : 7/15/1993
supermim : 3/17/1992
supermim : 3/20/1990
ddp : 10/26/1989
marie : 3/25/1988

# 253250

MULIBREY NANISM; MUL


Alternative titles; symbols

MUSCLE-LIVER-BRAIN-EYE NANISM
PERICARDIAL CONSTRICTION AND GROWTH FAILURE
PERHEENTUPA SYNDROME


SNOMEDCT: 81604003;   ORPHA: 2576;   DO: 0050436;  


Phenotype-Gene Relationships

Location Phenotype Phenotype
MIM number
Inheritance Phenotype
mapping key
Gene/Locus Gene/Locus
MIM number
17q22 Mulibrey nanism 253250 Autosomal recessive 3 TRIM37 605073

TEXT

A number sign (#) is used with this entry because mulibrey (MUscle, LIver, BRain, and EYes) nanism ('dwarfism') (MUL) is caused by homozygous or compound heterozygous mutation in the TRIM37 gene (605073), which encodes a peroxisomal protein, on chromosome 17q22.


Description

Mulibrey nanism (MUL) is a rare autosomal recessive growth disorder with prenatal onset, including occasional progressive cardiomyopathy, characteristic facial features, failure of sexual maturation, insulin resistance with type 2 diabetes, and an increased risk for Wilms tumor (summary by Hamalainen et al., 2006).


Clinical Features

Perheentupa et al. (1973) first described and named this disorder in 23 patients in Finland, including 3 pairs of affected sibs born of consanguineous parents. Growth failure was evident at birth and was progressive. The patients had a characteristic triangular face often with hydrocephaloid skull, gracility and muscular hypotonia, peculiar voice, enlarged liver, raised venous pressure due to pericardial constriction, and yellowish dots and pigment dispersion in the ocular fundi. Two-thirds of the patients had cutaneous nevi flammei and one-third had cystic dysplasia of the tibia. The geographic accumulation of cases in a sparsely settled region of Finland and the observation of parental consanguinity in some cases supported autosomal recessive inheritance.

Thoren (1973) described an Egyptian patient. Cumming et al. (1976) reported affected sibs living in Canada. Voorhess et al. (1976) reported the first affected child from the United States whose parents were second cousins. In a review of published cases, the authors identified other clinical features, including fibrous dysplasia of the tibia in 7 of 25, hypoplasia of the choroid in 11 of 11, yellowish dots and pigment dispersion in the ocular fundi in 23 of 25, long shallow sella turcica in 25 of 26, muscular hypotonia in 20 of 25, small voice and triangular face in all, and low birth weight and length in most.

Haraldsson et al. (1993) found both immunoglobulin deficiency and isolated growth hormone (GH1; 139250) deficiency in a 6.7-year-old girl with constrictive pericarditis, pigmentary retinopathy, and other features of mulibrey nanism. Therapy with human growth hormone resulted in increased growth velocity but did not improve humoral immune functions. Lapunzina et al. (1995) reported 2 affected sibs from Argentina and another patient from Spain. All 3 had growth failure, short stature, abnormal pigmentary retinal changes, and a J-shaped sella turcica. Two had pericardial constriction. Pericardiectomy was performed in 1 patient at the age of 23 months with good results. The authors also reviewed the findings in 39 reported patients and grouped the anomalies into the very frequent (present in more than 66%), frequent (in at least 25%), and not frequent. Balg et al. (1995) reported a boy who had typical manifestations as well as hypoplastic corpus callosum and a localized intraretinal fibrosis of the left eye. He also had hepatomegaly; constrictive pericarditis was discovered only after mulibrey nanism was diagnosed.

Jagiello et al. (2003) reported a Turkish family in Germany in which 3 sibs, a boy and 2 girls, had mulibrey nanism. The parents were said not to be related but originated from small neighboring villages in Turkey. A 12-year-old girl was mentally retarded and had a high-pitched voice. She had obvious craniofacial dysmorphism, including a large skull with broad forehead, hypertelorism with broad nasal bridge, high palate, microgenia, and deep set ears. She had proportionate growth reduction and hypotonia of the trunk. Other symptoms included moderate adiposity, acanthosis nigricans, various hemangiomas, insulin-resistant diabetes mellitus, hepatosplenomegaly, liver cirrhosis, fibrosis of the lung, and cardiomyopathy. The 21-year-old affected brother had disproportionate growth reduction, mental retardation, moderate adiposity, acanthosis nigricans, signs of 'diabetic metabolism,' hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, and isolated fibroma of the tibia. The 17-year-old sister displayed similar symptoms as her sibs, but had no signs of mental retardation, indicating a milder phenotype. None of the sibs showed pronounced muscular hypotonia.

Karlberg et al. (2004) reviewed the clinical characteristics of the 85 known Finnish patients with mulibrey nanism, most of whom were homozygous for the major Finnish TRIM37 mutation (605073.0001), and proposed revised diagnostic criteria for the disorder. The authors suggested that the diagnosis should be considered in infants born small for gestational age who have poor weight gain postnatally, hepatomegaly, and characteristic craniofacial features.

Karlberg et al. (2004) stated that approximately 110 patients with mulibrey nanism had been described worldwide, of whom 85 were Finnish. They reviewed the hospital and autopsy reports of the 22 Finnish female postpubertal patients with the disorder; they found an association between the disorder and both premature ovarian failure and fibrothecomas (ovarian stromal tumors). Their study indicated that hypergonadotropic premature ovarian failure with spontaneous puberty, incomplete breast development, and early irregularity of menstrual periods with subsequent ovarian failure and infertility ultimately develops in female patients with mulibrey nanism. Furthermore, such patients are at a very high risk for ovarian fibrothecoma. Karlberg et al. (2004) concluded that TRIM37 is a putative tumor suppressor gene for ovarian stromal cells.

Hamalainen et al. (2006) reported an Australian girl with mulibrey nanism. She first presented at age 10 months with short stature and facial dysmorphism, including dolichocephaly, high broad forehead, low depressed nasal bridge, and small pointed chin. Skeletal survey showed slender long bones with overtubulation and J-shaped sella turcica. Developmental milestones were age-appropriate. Initial diagnostic considerations included 3M syndrome (273750) and Silver-Russell syndrome (SRS; 180860). At age 18 months, she presented with abdominal distention and a large Wilms tumor, which led to the diagnosis of mulibrey nanism.

Bruzzaniti et al. (2020) reported an 11-year-old boy with intrauterine growth retardation, facial dysmorphisms, relative macrocephaly, and severe postnatal growth retardation. An echocardiogram at 8 years of age showed an atrial septal defect, atrial dilation, and constrictive pericarditis. He also developed severe spleen and liver enlargement with steatosis and cystic lesions. Laboratory studies showed elevated liver enzymes and GGT. Brain MRI showed hypoplasia of the adenohypophysis, mega cisterna magna, arachnoid cyst of the right temporal lobe, and syringomelia. At 8.5 years of age he developed interstitial lung disease. The patient had a selective reduction in CD4+ T cells, which were unable to proliferate in response to T-cell receptor stimulation but were more sensitive to homeostatic stimuli. Both CD4+ and CD8+ cells from the patient showed a terminally differentiated phenotype compared to controls.


Mapping

By linkage analysis in affected Finnish families, Avela et al. (1997) identified a 7-cM candidate region on chromosome 17q flanked by D17S1799 and D17S948 (maximum multipoint lod score of 5.01). Linkage disequilibrium analysis narrowed the critical disease region within approximately 250 kb of marker D17S1853. Because patients with mulibrey nanism commonly have hypoplasia of various endocrine glands and hormone deficiencies, Avela et al. (1997) analyzed a microsatellite-repeat polymorphism at the growth hormone locus (GH1; 139250). Recombination in 1 family excluded it as a candidate gene. Likewise, the homeobox B cluster was excluded by the absence of linkage disequilibrium with a microsatellite-repeat marker at HOX2B (142961). Avela et al. (1997) concluded that the most likely physical location of the markers linked to the MUL locus was 17q21-q24.

Paavola et al. (1999) studied the location of the genes for Meckel syndrome (MKS1; 249000) and mulibrey nanism, which had been mapped to the same region, 17q21-q24. They constructed a bacterial clone contig over the critical region for both disorders. Several novel CA-repeat markers were isolated from these clones, which allowed refined mapping of the MKS and MUL loci using haplotype and linkage disequilibrium analysis. The localization of the MKS locus was narrowed and the entire MKS region was found to fall within the MUL region. However, in the common critical region, the conserved haplotypes were different in Meckel syndrome and mulibrey nanism patients. A transcript map was constructed by assigning ESTs and genes, derived from the human gene map, to the bacterial clone contig. Altogether, 4 genes and a total of 20 ESTs were precisely localized.


Inheritance

The transmission pattern of MUL in the families reported by Avela et al. (2000) was consistent with autosomal recessive inheritance.


Molecular Genetics

By positional cloning, Avela et al. (2000) identified the TRIM37 gene and found 4 independent mulibrey nanism-associated mutations (605073.0001-605073.0004). A 5-bp deletion (605073.0001) was found to be the major Finnish mutation.

In a Turkish family studied in Germany, Jagiello et al. (2003) found that mulibrey nanism cosegregated with a mutation in the TRIM37 gene (605073.0005).

In an Australian girl with MUL, Hamalainen et al. (2006) identified compound heterozygosity for 2 mutations in the TRIM37 gene (605073.0006 and 605073.0007).

In an 11-year-old boy with MUL, Bruzzaniti et al. (2020) identified a splice mutation in the TRIM37 gene inherited from the father (605073.0008) and a 17q22 deletion involving a region including the TRIM37 gene inherited from the mother.


See Also:

Myllarniemi et al. (1978); Perheentupa (1980); Simila et al. (1980); Tuuteri et al. (1974)

REFERENCES

  1. Avela, K., Lipsanen-Nyman, M., Idanheimo, N., Seemanova, E., Rosengren, S., Makela, T. P., Perheentupa, J., de la Chapelle, A., Lehesjoki, A.-E. Gene encoding a new RING-B-box-coiled-coil protein is mutated in mulibrey nanism. Nature Genet. 25: 298-301, 2000. [PubMed: 10888877] [Full Text: https://doi.org/10.1038/77053]

  2. Avela, K., Lipsanen-Nyman, M., Perheentupa, J., Wallgren-Pettersson, C., Marchand, S., Faure, S., Sistonen, P., de la Chapelle, A., Lehesjoki, A.-E. Assignment of the mulibrey nanism gene to 17q by linkage and linkage-disequilibrium analysis. Am. J. Hum. Genet. 60: 896-902, 1997. [PubMed: 9106536]

  3. Balg, S., Stengel-Rutkowski, S., Dohlemann, C., Boergen, K. Mulibrey nanism. Clin. Dysmorph. 4: 63-69, 1995. [PubMed: 7735507]

  4. Bruzzaniti, S., Cirillo, E., Prencipe, R., Giardino, G., Lepore, M. T., Garziano, F., Perna, F., Procaccini, C., Mascolo, L., Pagano, C., Fattorusso, V., Mozzillo, E., Bifulco, M., Matarese, G., Franzese, A., Pignata, C., Galgani, M. CD4+ T cell defects in a mulibrey patient with specific TRIM37 mutations. Front. Immun. 11: 1742, 2020. [PubMed: 33042106] [Full Text: https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2020.01742]

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Contributors:
Hilary J. Vernon - updated : 05/14/2021
Cassandra L. Kniffin - updated : 5/7/2007
Victor A. McKusick - updated : 12/29/2004
Marla J. F. O'Neill - updated : 9/20/2004
Victor A. McKusick - updated : 7/16/2003
Victor A. McKusick - updated : 6/23/2000
Victor A. McKusick - updated : 4/28/1999
Victor A. McKusick - updated : 6/12/1997
Iosif W. Lurie - updated : 9/19/1996

Creation Date:
Victor A. McKusick : 6/4/1986

Edit History:
carol : 02/02/2024
carol : 01/31/2024
carol : 05/17/2021
carol : 05/14/2021
carol : 04/29/2021
carol : 12/30/2013
wwang : 4/16/2009
terry : 4/9/2009
wwang : 5/29/2007
ckniffin : 5/7/2007
ckniffin : 5/7/2007
tkritzer : 1/11/2005
terry : 12/29/2004
tkritzer : 9/20/2004
terry : 3/18/2004
cwells : 7/16/2003
carol : 11/27/2001
mcapotos : 7/20/2001
alopez : 6/23/2000
alopez : 6/23/2000
carol : 6/23/2000
alopez : 5/10/1999
terry : 4/28/1999
jenny : 7/9/1997
mark : 6/16/1997
terry : 6/12/1997
carol : 9/19/1996
mimman : 2/8/1996
mark : 12/6/1995
mark : 3/23/1995
carol : 7/15/1993
supermim : 3/17/1992
supermim : 3/20/1990
ddp : 10/26/1989
marie : 3/25/1988