DNA sequence and annotation of the entire human chromosome 7, encompassing nearly 158 million nucleotides of DNA and 1917 gene structures, are presented. To generate a higher order description, additional structural features such as imprinted genes, fragile sites, and segmental duplications were integrated at the level of the DNA sequence with medical genetic data, including 440 chromosome rearrangement breakpoints associated with disease. This approach enabled the discovery of candidate genes for developmental diseases including autism.

We report detailed clinical, cytogenetic, and molecular findings in a girl with a deletion of chromosome 7q31-q32. This child has a severe communication disorder with evidence of oromotor dyspraxia, dysmorphic features, and mild developmental delay. She is unable to cough, sneeze, or laugh spontaneously. Her deletion is on the paternally inherited chromosome and includes the FOXP2 gene, which has recently been associated with speech and language impairment and a similar form of oromotor dyspraxia in at least three other published cases. We hypothesize that our patient's communication disorder and oromotor deficiency are due to haploinsufficiency for FOXP2 and that her dysmorphism and developmental delay are a consequence of the absence of the other genes involved in the microdeletion. We propose that this patient, together with others reported in the literature, may define a new contiguous gene deletion syndrome encompassing the 7q31-FOXP2 region. Cytogenetic and molecular analysis of this region should be considered for other individuals displaying similar characteristics.