Cloning of the breakpoints of a de novo inversion of chromosome 8, inv (8)(p11.2q23.1) in a patient with Ambras syndrome

Ambras syndrome (AMS) is a unique form of universal congenital hypertrichosis. In patients with this syndrome, the whole body is covered with fine long hair, except for areas where normally no hair grows. There is accompanying facial dysmorphism and teeth abnormalities, including retarded first and second dentition and absence of teeth. In 1993, Baumeister et al. reported an isolated case of Ambras syndrome in association with a pericentric inversion of chromosome 8. Subsequently, another patient with congenital hypertrichosis and rearrangement of chromosome 8 was reported by Balducci et al. (1998). Both of these patients have a breakpoint in 8q22 in common suggesting that this region of chromosome 8 contains a gene involved in regulation of hair growth. In order to precisely determine the nature of the rearrangement in the case of Ambras syndrome, we have used fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis. We have cloned the inversion breakpoints in this patient and generated a detailed physical map of the inversion breakpoint interval. Analysis of the transcripts that map in the vicinity of the breakpoints revealed that the inversion does not disrupt a gene, and suggests that the phenotype is caused by a position effect.