Preliminary phenotypic map of chromosome 4p16 based on 4p deletions.

We have collected and analyzed clinical information from 11 patients with chromosome 4p deletions or rearrangements characterized by various molecular techniques. Comparing the extent of these patients' deletions with their respective clinical presentations led to the proposal of a preliminary phenotypic map of chromosome 4p. This map consists of regions which, when deleted, are associated with specific clinical manifestations. Nonspecific changes such as mental and growth retardation are not localized, and probably result from the deletion of more than one gene or region. The region associated with most of the facial traits considered typical in Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome (WHS) patients coincides with the currently proposed WHS critical region (WHSCR), but some anomalies commonly seen in WHS appear to map outside of the WHSCR. The observation of clinodactyly in 2 patients with nonoverlapping deletions allows assignment of these defects to at least 2 separate regions in 4p16. These initial observations and attempts at genotype/phenotype correlation lay the groundwork for identifying the genetic basis of these malformations, a common objective of gene mapping efforts and chromosome deletion studies.