Atelosteogenesis, type II

Infants born with this condition have very short arms and legs, a narrow chest, and a prominent, rounded abdomen. This disorder is also characterized by an opening in the roof of the mouth (cleft palate), distinctive facial features, an inward- and downward-turning foot (clubfoot), and unusually positioned thumbs (hitchhiker thumbs).^{[citation needed]}

The signs and symptoms of atelosteogenesis, type 2, are similar to those of another skeletal disorder called diastrophic dysplasia. Atelosteogenesis, type 2 tends to be more severe, however.^{[citation needed]}

Atelosteogenesis, type 2 is one of a spectrum of skeletal disorders caused by mutations in the SLC26A2 gene. The protein made by this gene is essential for the normal development of cartilage and for its conversion to bone. Mutations in the SLC26A2 gene disrupt the structure of developing cartilage, preventing bones from forming properly and resulting in the skeletal problems characteristic of atelosteogenesis, type 2.^{[citation needed]}

This condition is an autosomal recessive disorder, which means the defective gene is located on an autosome, and two copies of the gene—one from each parent—must be inherited for a child to be born with the disorder. The parents of a child with an autosomal recessive disorder are not affected by disorder, but are carriers of one copy of the altered gene.^{[citation needed]}

This article incorporates public domain text from The U.S. National Library of Medicine

• GeneReviews/NCBI/NIH/UW entry on Atelosteogenesis Type 2, McAlister Dysplasia, de la Chapelle Dysplasia
• OMIM entries on Atelosteogenesis Type 2