Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review

Legius Syndrome

In: GeneReviews® [Internet]. Seattle (WA): University of Washington, Seattle; 1993.
[updated ].
Affiliations
Free Books & Documents
Review

Legius Syndrome

Eric Legius et al.
Free Books & Documents

Excerpt

Clinical characteristics: Legius syndrome is characterized by multiple café au lait macules without neurofibromas or other tumor manifestations of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Additional clinical manifestations reported commonly include intertriginous freckling, lipomas, macrocephaly, and learning disabilities / attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) / developmental delays. Current knowledge of the natural history of Legius syndrome is based on the clinical manifestations of fewer than 300 individuals with a molecularly confirmed diagnosis; better delineation of the clinical manifestations and natural history of Legius syndrome will likely occur as more affected individuals are identified.

Diagnosis/testing: The diagnosis of Legius syndrome is established in a proband with suggestive findings and a heterozygous pathogenic variant in SPRED1 identified by molecular genetic testing.

Management: Treatment of manifestations: Consideration of behavioral modification and/or pharmacologic therapy for those with ADHD; physical, speech, and occupational therapy for those with identified developmental delays; and individualized education plans for those with learning disorders.

Surveillance: Routine screening for developmental delays and behavioral and learning problems.

Genetic counseling: Legius syndrome is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner. Many affected individuals have an affected parent. Each child of an individual with Legius syndrome has a 50% chance of inheriting the pathogenic variant and developing clinical features of the disorder. Preimplantation genetic testing or prenatal testing for pregnancies at increased risk is possible if the SPRED1 pathogenic variant has been identified in an affected family member.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Ablain J, Xu M, Rothschild H, Jordan RC, Mito JK, Daniels BH, Bell CF, Joseph NM, Wu H, Bastian BC, Zon LI, Yeh I. Human tumor genomics and zebrafish modeling identify SPRED1 loss as a driver of mucosal melanoma. Science. 2018;362:1055–60. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Benelli E, Bruno I, Belcaro C, Ventura A, Berti I. Legius syndrome: case report and review of literature. Ital J Pediatr. 2015;41:8. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brems H, Chmara M, Sahbatou M, Denayer E, Taniguchi K, Kato R, Somers R, Messiaen L, De Schepper S, Fryns JP, Cools J, Marynen P, Thomas G, Yoshimura A, Legius E. Germline loss-of-function mutations in SPRED1 cause a neurofibromatosis 1-like phenotype. Nat Genet. 2007;39:1120–6. - PubMed
    1. Brems H, Pasmant E, Van Minkelen R, Wimmer K, Upadhyaya M, Legius E, Messiaen L. Review and update of SPRED1 mutations causing Legius syndrome. Hum Mutat. 2012;33:1538–46. - PubMed
    1. Castellanos E, Rosas I, Negro A, Gel B, Alibés A, Baena N, Pineda M, Pi G, Pintos G, Salvador H, Lázaro C, Blanco I, Vilageliu L, Brems H, Grinberg D, Legius E, Serra E. Mutational spectrum by phenotype: panel-based NGS testing of patients with clinical suspicion of RASopathy and children with multiple café-au-lait macules. Clin Genet. 2020;97:264–75. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources