HOXA1 mutations are not a common cause of Möbius syndrome

Abstract

The HOXA1-related syndromes result from autosomal-recessive truncating mutations in the homeobox transcription factor, HOXA1. Limited horizontal gaze and sensorineural deafness are the most common features; affected individuals can also have facial weakness, mental retardation, autism, motor disabilities, central hypoventilation, carotid artery, and/or conotruncal heart defects. Möbius syndrome is also phenotypically heterogeneous, with minimal diagnostic criteria of nonprogressive facial weakness and impaired ocular abduction; mental retardation, autism, motor disabilities, additional eye movements restrictions, hearing loss, hypoventilation, and craniofacial, lingual, and limb abnormalities also occur. We asked, given the phenotypic overlap between these syndromes and the variable expressivity of both disorders, whether individuals with Möbius syndrome might harbor mutations in HOXA1. Our results suggest that HOXA1 mutations are not a common cause of sporadic Möbius syndrome in the general population.