Clinical variability of type 1 neurofibromatosis: is there a neurofibromatosis-Noonan syndrome?

Detailed clinical, ophthalmological, and molecular studies were performed on a multigeneration family in which there were many subjects with type 1 neurofibromatosis, a common autosomal dominant disorder. Affected family members displayed a wide range of clinical findings including, in two subjects, features seen in Noonan syndrome (triangular facies, downward slanting palpebral fissures, micrognathia, short stature, and learning disability). Subjects have been described previously whose features have overlapped with neurofibromatosis and Noonan syndrome, and it has been suggested that these persons might represent a separate condition. DNA haplotype analysis showed linkage of the neurofibromatosis phenotype seen in this family to the proximal long arm of chromosome 17 in the region where the type 1 neurofibromatosis gene has been mapped. These results imply that the Noonan phenotype seen in some patients with type 1 neurofibromatosis might be the result of variable or variant expression of the neurofibromatosis gene on chromosome 17. The possible role of non-specific factors, such as fetal hypotonia, in producing the neurofibromatosis-Noonan phenotype needs further investigation. The availability of closely linked and intragenic molecular markers for neurofibromatosis could potentially be useful in the diagnosis and characterisation of patients and families with atypical forms of neurofibromatosis.