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40 years!
Last updated:
July 09, 2020
Years published: 1992, 2004, 2017, 2020
NORD gratefully acknowledges Zacory Kobylarz, NORD Editorial Intern from the University of Notre Dame, and Stephen Robertson, FRACP, DPhil, Curekids Professor of Pediatric Genetics, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, New Zealand, for assistance in the preparation of this report.
Otopalatodigital syndromes type I and II are rare X-linked genetic disorders in which complete expression of the disease occurs only in males. Females may be affected with some of the symptoms. OPD type I is the milder form of the disease and is characterized by cleft palate, hearing loss and skeletal abnormalities in the skull and limbs. OPD type II includes these abnormalities as well as growth deficiency and, in a minority, abnormalities of the brain and is frequently not compatible with life.
Individuals with OPD type I typically have short stature, an incomplete closure of the roof of the mouth (cleft palate), a downward slant of the opening between the upper and lower eyelids, hearing loss due to a defect of the middle ear (conductive hearing loss), and abnormal shortness of the fingers and toes. Symptoms that are sometimes seen in OPD type I are: short, broad thumbs and great toes; wide spaces between the toes; one or more fingers bent to the side; two or more digits united (syndactyly); short fingernails; dislocation of the head of the radius (one of the bones of the forearm); a broad bridge of the nose; underdeveloped bones of the face; and/or slow speech development. Females with the disorder may have an overhanging brow, a depressed nasal bridge, a wide space between the eyes, and a flat midface. The symptoms expressed in females vary and are fewer. Females do not have the full expression of this disorder.
Individuals with OPD type II are more severely affected. Major characteristics in males with this disorder may be a small head, broad forehead, flat bridge of the nose, wide space between the eyes, small mouth, cleft palate, downward slant of the opening between the upper and lower eyelids, small mouth, small jaw, fingers that are bent and overlap, short fingers and toes, curved long bones of the forearms and legs, and small chest, heart defects and occasionally intellectual disability. Less common symptoms may include split tongue-tip, clouded eyes, and Dandy-Walker malformation (a brain malformation). OPD type II typically results in stillbirth or early infant death in males. Females do not have the full expression of OPD type II and may have mild symptoms such as an arched palate in the mouth, broad face, low-set ears, split uvula (the fleshy lobe in the middle of the back border of the soft palate), hearing loss, fingers bent to the side, short stature, and a downward slant of the opening between the upper and lower eyelids.
OPD type I and II are caused by mutations in the FLNA gene on the X chromosome which is responsible for production of the filamin (FLNA) protein. Different mutations in the FLNA gene are responsible for the two syndromes. The filamin protein is normally responsible for helping with the formation and function of the cell’s cytoskeleton, and the mutations appear to give filamin a new function (referred to as a “gain-of-function” mutation) that leads to OPD type I and II.
OPD type I and II are inherited in an X-linked pattern with variable expression in carrier females.
Chromosomes, which are present in the nucleus of human cells, carry the genetic information for each individual. Human body cells normally have 46 chromosomes. Pairs of human chromosomes are numbered from 1 through 22 and the sex chromosomes are designated X and Y. Males have one X and one Y chromosome and females have two X chromosomes.
Genetic diseases are determined by the combination of genes for a particular trait that are on the chromosomes received from the father and the mother.
X-linked genetic disorders are conditions caused by an abnormal gene on the X chromosome and manifest mostly in males. Females that have an altered gene present on one of their X chromosomes are carriers for that disorder. Carrier females usually do not display prominent symptoms because females have two X chromosomes and only one carries the altered gene. Males have one X chromosome that is inherited from their mother and if a male inherits an X chromosome that contains an altered gene he will develop the disease.
Female carriers of an X-linked disorder have a 25% chance with each pregnancy to have a carrier daughter like themselves, a 25% chance to have a non-carrier daughter, a 25% chance to have a son affected with the disease and a 25% chance to have an unaffected son.
If a male with an X-linked disorder is able to reproduce, he will pass the altered gene to all of his daughters who will be carriers. A male cannot pass an X-linked gene to his sons because males always pass their Y chromosome instead of their X chromosome to male offspring.
OPD type 1 and II are rare disorders affecting less than 1 in every 100,000 individuals. The specific incidence for these conditions is unknown.
The diagnosis of OPD type I or II is based on physical features and X-ray findings. Clinical molecular genetic testing for mutations in the FLNA gene is available to confirm the diagnosis. Skeletal abnormalities associated with these conditions can sometimes be seen on a prenatal ultrasound exam.
Treatment
Treatment for OPD type I and II is symptomatic. Infants may have difficulty breathing and require long-term respiratory care. Orthopedic and surgical procedures may be used to correct skeletal deformities. Treatment of hearing loss may be limited due to the severity of deformities within the ear.
Genetic counseling is recommended for patients and their family members.
Information on current clinical trials is posted on the Internet at www.clinicaltrials.gov. All studies receiving U.S. government funding, and some supported by private industry, are posted on this government web site.
For information about clinical trials being conducted at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD, contact the NIH Patient Recruitment Office:
Toll-free: (800) 411-1222
TTY: (866) 411-1010
Email: prpl@cc.nih.gov
Some current clinical trials also are posted on the following page on the NORD website:
https://rarediseases.org/living-with-a-rare-disease/find-clinical-trials/
For information about clinical trials sponsored by private sources, in the main, contact:
www.centerwatch.com
For more information about clinical trials conducted in Europe, contact: https://www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu/
TEXTBOOKS
Hennekam RCM, Allanson J, Krantz I Otopalatodigital syndrome. in Gorlin’s Syndromes of the Head and Neck Fifth Edition 2010. Oxford University Press.
JOURNAL ARTICLES
Wade EM, Halliday BJ, Jenkins ZA, O’Neill AC, Robertson SP. The X-linked filaminopathies: Synergistic insights from clinical and molecular analysis. Hum Mutat. 2020 May;41(5):865-883. doi: 10.1002/humu.24002. Epub 2020 Mar 11. PMID: 32108395.
Moutton S, Fergelot P, Naudion S, Cordier MP, Solé G, Guerineau E, Hubert C, Rooryck C, Vuillaume ML, Houcinat N, Deforges J, Bouron J, Devès S, Le Merrer M, David A, Geneviève D, Giuliano F, Journel H, Megarbane A, Faivre L, Chassaing N, Francannet C, Sarrazin E, Stattin EL, Vigneron J, Leclair D, Abadie C, Sarda P, Baumann C, Delrue MA, Arveiler B, Lacombe D, Goizet C, Coupry I. Otopalatodigital spectrum disorders: refinement of the phenotypic and mutational spectrum. J Hum Genet. 2016;61:693–9.
Murphy-Ryan M, Babovic-Vuksanovic D, Lindor N. Bifid tongue, corneal clouding, and Dandy–Walker malformation in a male infant with otopalatodigital syndrome type 2. Am J Med Genet 2011;155:855–859.
Clark AR, Sawyer GM, Robertson SP, Sutherland-Smith AJ. Skeletal dysplasias due to filamin A mutations result from a gain-of-function mechanism distinct from allelic neurological disorders. Hum Mol Genet 2009;18:4791-4800.
Robertson SP, Twigg SR, Sutherland-Smith AJ, Biancalana V, Gorlin RJ, Horn D, Kenwrick SJ, Kim CA, Morava E, Newbury-Ecob R, Orstavik KH, Quarrell OW, Schwartz CE, Shears DJ, Suri M, Kendrick-Jones J, Wilkie AO; OPD-spectrum Disorders Clinical Collaborative Group. Localized mutations in the gene encoding the cytoskeletal protein filamin A cause diverse malformations in humans. Nat Genet. 2003 Apr;33(4):487-91. doi: 10.1038/ng1119. Epub 2003 Mar 3. PMID: 12612583.
Robertson SP, Walsh S, and Oldridge M, et al. Linkage of otopalatodigital syndrome type 2 (OPD2) to distal Xq28: evidence for allelism with OPD1. Am J Hum Genet 2001;69:223-227.
Fitch N, Jequier S, and Papageorgiou A. A familial syndrome of cranial, facial, oral and limb abnormalities. Clin Genet 1977;10:226-231.
INTERNET
Robertson S. X-Linked Otopalatodigital Spectrum Disorders. 2005 Nov 30 [Updated 2019 Oct 3]. In: Adam MP, Ardinger HH, Pagon RA, et al., editors. GeneReviews® [Internet]. Seattle (WA): University of Washington, Seattle; 1993-2020. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK1393/ Accessed July 9, 2020.
McKusick VA, ed. Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM). Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University; Entry No. 311300; Available at: https://www.omim.org/entry/311300?search=311300&highlight=311300 Last Update: 10/27/2016; Entry No. 304120; Available at https://www.omim.org/entry/304120?search=304120&highlight=304120 Last Update; 10/26/2016. Accessed July 9, 2020.
NORD strives to open new assistance programs as funding allows. If we don’t have a program for you now, please continue to check back with us.
NORD and MedicAlert Foundation have teamed up on a new program to provide protection to rare disease patients in emergency situations.
Learn more https://rarediseases.org/patient-assistance-programs/medicalert-assistance-program/Ensuring that patients and caregivers are armed with the tools they need to live their best lives while managing their rare condition is a vital part of NORD’s mission.
Learn more https://rarediseases.org/patient-assistance-programs/rare-disease-educational-support/This first-of-its-kind assistance program is designed for caregivers of a child or adult diagnosed with a rare disorder.
Learn more https://rarediseases.org/patient-assistance-programs/caregiver-respite/
