A de novo 3-bp deletion (179-181delGTG) was identified at exon 3 of the PTPN11 gene in a female infant with severe Noonan phenotype including hydrops fetalis and juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia. Since the 3-bp deletion is predicted to result in loss of the 60th glycine in the N-SH2 domain that is directly involved in the intramolecular interaction between the N-SH2 and the PTP domains of the PTPN11 protein, this mutation would disrupt the N-SH2/PTP binding in the absence of a phosphopeptide, leading to an excessive phosphatase activity. The results expand the spectrum of PTPN11 mutations in Noonan syndrome (NS), and suggest that a PTPN11 mutation leads to a wide range of clinical features of Noonan syndrome.
Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.