A forkhead-domain gene is mutated in a severe speech and language disorder

Nature. 2001 Oct 4;413(6855):519-23. doi: 10.1038/35097076.

Abstract

Individuals affected with developmental disorders of speech and language have substantial difficulty acquiring expressive and/or receptive language in the absence of any profound sensory or neurological impairment and despite adequate intelligence and opportunity. Although studies of twins consistently indicate that a significant genetic component is involved, most families segregating speech and language deficits show complex patterns of inheritance, and a gene that predisposes individuals to such disorders has not been identified. We have studied a unique three-generation pedigree, KE, in which a severe speech and language disorder is transmitted as an autosomal-dominant monogenic trait. Our previous work mapped the locus responsible, SPCH1, to a 5.6-cM interval of region 7q31 on chromosome 7 (ref. 5). We also identified an unrelated individual, CS, in whom speech and language impairment is associated with a chromosomal translocation involving the SPCH1 interval. Here we show that the gene FOXP2, which encodes a putative transcription factor containing a polyglutamine tract and a forkhead DNA-binding domain, is directly disrupted by the translocation breakpoint in CS. In addition, we identify a point mutation in affected members of the KE family that alters an invariant amino-acid residue in the forkhead domain. Our findings suggest that FOXP2 is involved in the developmental process that culminates in speech and language.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Chromosome Mapping
  • Chromosomes, Human, Pair 7
  • Female
  • Forkhead Transcription Factors
  • Humans
  • Language Disorders / genetics*
  • Male
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Pedigree
  • Point Mutation
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Repressor Proteins / chemistry
  • Repressor Proteins / genetics*
  • Repressor Proteins / physiology
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Speech Disorders / genetics*
  • Transcription Factors*
  • Translocation, Genetic

Substances

  • FOXP2 protein, human
  • Forkhead Transcription Factors
  • Repressor Proteins
  • Transcription Factors