A jumping Robertsonian translocation; a molecular and cytogenetic study

Lejeune et al. were the first to use the term {open_quotes}translocation sauteuse{close_quotes} or jumping translocation to describe mosaicism due to the presence of multiple structural rearrangements. In this study, we report the cytogenetic and molecular analyses of a patient with mosaicism for two different Robertsonian translocations, both involving chromosome 21. The proband`s karyotype based on lymphocyte cultures is 45,XX,t(21q22q)/46,XX,-21,+i(21q21q) (98%/2%). Chromosome analysis of skin fibroblasts showed 100% of cells with a 45,XX,t(21q22q) complement. A high level of mosaicism was seen in an ovarian biopsy, where 1/3 of cells exhibited the unbalanced cell line with the 21/21 rearrangement. The proband`s pregnancy history is consistent with the high proportion of the 21/21 rearrangement in her ovary. She has had spontaneous abortions and two livebirths, both of whom are affected with Down syndrome [46,XX,-21,+i(21q21q) and 46,XY,-21,+i(21q21q)]. Analysis of cord blood cultures showed that the second child exhibits low level mosaicism for a normal cell line, which further suggests instability of the 21/21 rearrangement. FISH with alphoid probes showed that the 21/21 and 21/22 rearrangements are dicentric and that each long arm segment retains its appropriate centromere. Segregation studies using microsatellite polymorphisms indicated that the 21/21 rearrangement is an isochromosome. The same technique wasmore » used to establish that the proband`s rearrangements formed de novo from her mother`s chromosome 21. An uncommon chromosome 22p polymorphism is maternally derived and is present in the proband`s unbalanced cell line. However, this 22 is absent in the balanced 45,XX,t(21q22q) cell line of the proband because it is involved in the translocation. Therefore, we propose a model in which the i(21q) was the progenitor rearrangement and participated in subsequent nonreciprocal rearrangements characteristic of a jumping translocation.« less