Background: The oligophrenin 1 gene (OPHN1) is an Rho-GTPase-activating protein involved in the regulation of the G-protein cycle required for dendritic spine morphogenesis. Mutations in this gene are implicated in X-linked mental retardation (XLMR).
Methods: We report a deletion spanning exons 21 and 22 of the OPHN1 gene identified by a tiling path X-chromosome array comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification, confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), in a family with four males with intellectual disabilities.
Results: Patients harbouring mutations in this gene share the same clinical manifestations reinforcing the idea of a syndromic XLMR. The most important neurological findings are cerebellar hypoplasia and ventriculomegaly.
Conclusions: We recommend screening of the OPHN1 gene in male patients with XLMR and cerebellar anomalies. This case highlights the value of high-resolution techniques as Multiplex Ligation Probe Amplification (MLPA) and CGH array for a better characterization of copy number changes and suggests that MLPA technology may be very useful for an initial screening of small deletions and duplications in XLMR patients.