''Nestor-Guillermo progeria syndrome'' is an extremely rare novel

genetic disorder A genetic disorder is a health problem caused by one or more abnormalities in the genome. It can be caused by a mutation in a single gene (monogenic) or multiple genes (polygenic) or by a chromosomal abnormality. Although polygenic disorders ...

that is part of a group of syndromes called

progeria Progeria is a specific type of progeroid syndrome, also known as Hutchinson–Gilford syndrome. A single gene mutation is responsible for progeria. The gene, known as lamin A (LMNA), makes a protein necessary for holding the Nucleus of the cell ...

. This disorder is characterized by the same symptoms of other progeria syndromes, which are premature aging with accompanying aged physical appearance, osteolysis,

osteoporosis Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disorder characterized by low bone mass, micro-architectural deterioration of bone tissue leading to bone fragility, and consequent increase in fracture risk. It is the most common reason for a broken bone ...

scoliosis Scoliosis is a condition in which a person's spine has a sideways curve. The curve is usually "S"- or "C"-shaped over three dimensions. In some, the degree of curve is stable, while in others, it increases over time. Mild scoliosis does not t ...

and

lipoatrophy Lipoatrophy is the term describing the localized loss of fat tissue. This may occur as a result of subcutaneous injections of insulin in the treatment of diabetes, from the use of human growth hormone or from subcutaneous injections of copaxone use ...

, however, what makes this disorder unique from other progeroid syndromes is the absence of any atherosclerotic, cardiovascular, and metabolic symptoms/complications, this makes the life-span of a person with NGPS somewhat longer than the average life-span of someone with progeria itself, although in place of the complications mentioned above, there's also additional symptoms, such as joint stiffness, growth retardation, facial dysmorphisms, wide cranial sutures, micrognathia, atrophic skin and a high risk of developing severe skeletal abnormalities This syndrome is caused by mutations in the

BANF1 Barrier-to-autointegration factor is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''BANF1'' gene. It is a member of the barrier-to-autointegration factor family of proteins. Function The protein encoded by this gene was identified by its ability ...

gene, in chromosome 11q13.1, and is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern

Discovery

This rare disorder was discovered when 2 seemingly healthy twin boys named Nestor and Guillermo were born in Spain, starting at the age of 2, they rapidly started aging, when they were 10 years old, they had lost their hair, their skin started wrinkling, their bones started weaking and their stature barely increased, it was clear they had progeria; however, their doctors couldn't find what type of progeria they had, since they didn't present cardiovascular abnormalities and they didn't have the known genetic mutations of the mentioned progeroid syndromes, that's when their shared genetic mutations (BANF1) were discovered, and with that discovery came the revelation of a novel progeroid syndrome, by 2011, they were already 20–30 years old.

References

{{reflist Progeroid syndromes