Molecular diagnosis of thrombocytopenia-absent radius syndrome using next-generation sequencing

Introduction: Thrombocytopenia-absent radius (TAR) syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disease. Patients are compound heterozygotes for a loss-of-function allele, which in most cases is a large genomic deletion on chromosome 1q21.1 containing the RBM8A gene, and a noncoding variant located in the 5′UTR (rs139428292) or intronic (rs201779890) regions of RBM8A. As the molecular genetic testing in TAR requires multiple techniques for detection of copy-number variations (CNV) and nucleotide substitutions, we tested whether a next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach could identify both alterations. Methods: Two unrelated families were analyzed with Ion PGM sequencing using a target panel of genes responsible for different forms of inherited thrombocytopenia. A statistical quantitative evaluation of amplicon coverage was performed to detect CNV, in particular those on the RBM8A gene. Results: All the probands were apparently homozygous for the rare allele inherited by the father at the rs139428292 locus, suggesting the presence of a deletion on the maternal chromosome. The statistical analysis confirmed the hemizygous condition of RBM8A. Conclusion: We concluded that NGS approaches could be used as a cost-effective method for molecular investigation of TAR as they could simultaneously detect CNV and point mutations.