Breakpoint Mapping of Symptomatic Balanced Translocations Links the EPHA6, KLF13 and UBR3 Genes to Novel Disease Phenotype

De novo balanced chromosomal aberrations (BCAs), such as reciprocal translocations and inversions, are genomic aberrations that, in approximately 25% of cases, affect the human phenotype. Delineation of the exact structure of BCAs may provide a precise diagnosis and/or point to new disease loci. We report on six patients with de novo balanced chromosomal translocations (BCTs) and one patient with a de novo inversion, in whom we mapped breakpoints to a resolution of 1 bp, using shallow whole-genome mate pair sequencing. In all seven cases, a disruption of at least one gene was found. In two patients, the phenotypic impact of the disrupted genes is well known (NFIA, ATP7A). In five patients, the aberration damaged genes: PARD3, EPHA6, KLF13, STK24, UBR3, MLLT10 and TLE3, whose influence on the human phenotype is poorly understood. In particular, our results suggest novel candidate genes for retinal degeneration with anophthalmia (EPHA6), developmental delay with speech impairment (KLF13), and developmental delay with brain dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor (UBR3). In conclusion, identification of the exact structure of symptomatic BCTs using next generation sequencing is a viable method for both diagnosis and finding novel disease candidate genes in humans.