ABSTRACT:The MECP2 gene mutations cause Rett syndrome (RTT) (OMIM: 312750), an X-linked dominant disorder primarily affecting girls. Until RTT was considered lethal in males, although now approximately 60 cases have been reported. Males with MECP2 mutations present with a broad spectrum of phenotypes ranging from neonatal encephalopathy to nonsyndromic mental retardation (MR). Four boys (aged, 3-11 y) were evaluated for MR. Patient 1 had autistic features. Patients 2 and 3 were brothers both presenting with psychomotor delay. Patient 4 showed dysmorphic features and behavioral problems reminiscent of FXS. All patients had a normal 46, XY karyotype and three were tested for FXS with negative results. MECP2 gene analysis of exons 3 and 4 was performed using methods based on the PCR, including Enzymatic Cleavage Mismatched Analysis (ECMA) and direct sequencing. Patient 1 presented somatic mosaicism for the classic RTT p.R106W mutation and patient 4 carried the p.T203M polymorphism. Analysis of the mothers in both cases revealed normal DNA sequences. Patients 2 and 3 had a novel deletion (c.1140del86) inherited from their unaffected mother. MECP2 gene mutations may be considered a rare cause of MR in males although great phenotypic variation hinders genotype-phenotype correlation. (Pediatr Res 67: 551-556, 2010) R ett syndrome (RTT) (OMIM: 312750) is a severe Xlinked dominant neurodevelopmental disorder, typically affecting females. It is characterized by apparently normal psychomotor development during the first 6 months of life, followed by gradual loss of acquired skills, deceleration of head growth, initiation of stereotypic hand movements, and autistic behavior by the age of 3-4 y (1). During the course of the disease multiple clinical problems emerge such as seizures, scoliosis, breathing abnormalities, and severe mental retardation (MR) (1). The prevalence of RTT is 1:10 -15.000 live births per year and 99% of the cases are considered sporadic (1).Although the diagnosis of classic RTT is based on welldefined criteria, several atypical RTT forms also exist (2). In the majority of cases, the syndrome is caused by heterozygous mutations in the MECP2 gene, which is located on chromosome X (Xq28) and encodes a methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2). The protein is thought to selectively bind methyl-CpG islands in the mammalian genome, functioning as a regulator (mostly a repressor) of gene expression. Mutations of the MECP2 gene have been reported in a broad phenotypic spectrum of mentally retarded individuals (3). The first case was molecularly documented in 1999 after the discovery of the MECP2 gene. Generally, males were considered not to survive due to the X-linked mode of inheritance of the disease (4), but to date, more than 60 male patients with MECP2 mutations have been reported (5), suggesting that mutations in this gene may be included among the causes of MR in males. Recent data show that the frequency of MECP2 mutations among mentally retarded males is approximately 1.3 to 1.7% (5).The clinical phenotype...