Cloning and characterization of the inversion breakpoint at chromosome 2q35 in a patient with Waardenburg syndrome type I.

We described cloning and characterization of an inversion breakpoint of chromosome 2 inv(2)(q35q37.3) observed in a patient with Waardenburg syndrome type I (WSI). Genomic cosmid clones containing the HuP2 gene, which was considered as a candidate for WSI, were isolated from a library constructed from the patient DNA. One of the clones contained the inversion breakpoint and revealed signals at both 2q35 and 2q37 by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), indicating disruption of the HuP2 gene by the inversion. Our result further supports that the HuP2 gene is a candidate for Waardenburg syndrome type I and is located at q35.