Abstract

Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a rare genetically heterogeneous ciliopathy which accompanies retinitis pigmentosa (RP). However, the BBS5 mutation remains unclear in Iranians with BBS. The purpose of study is to evaluate genetic analyses of a BBS Iranian family using targetted exome sequencing (TES). A male 11-year-old proband and three related family members were recruited. Biochemical tests, electrocardiography and visual acuity testing, such as funduscopic, fundus photography (FP), optical coherence tomography (OCT), and standard electroretinography, were conducted. Molecular analysis and high-throughput DNA sequence analysis were performed. The proband was diagnosed with possible BBS based on the presence of three primary features and two secondary features. The TES analysis of the proband with BBS resulted in the identification of a novel, homozygous splicing variant c. 208+ 2T>Cof the BBS5 gene (NM 152384.2) in this Iranian BBS family. This variant was confirmed and was completely co-segregated with the disease in this family by Sanger sequencing. Thus, we report a novel, homozygous splicing site variant c. 208+ 2T>C in the BBS5 gene for the first time in the Iranian family.