What are the genetic changes related to X-linked intellectual disability, Siderius type ?
X-linked intellectual disability, Siderius type is caused by mutations in the PHF8 gene. This gene provides instructions for making a protein that is found in the nucleus of cells, particularly in brain cells before and just after birth. The PHF8 protein attaches (binds) to complexes called chromatin to regulate the activity (expression) of other genes. Chromatin is the network of DNA and protein that packages DNA into chromosomes. Binding with the PHF8 protein is part of the process that changes the structure of chromatin (chromatin remodeling) to alter how tightly regions of DNA are packaged. Chromatin remodeling is one way gene expression is regulated; when DNA is tightly packed, gene expression is often lower than when DNA is loosely packed.  Most PHF8 gene mutations lead to an abnormally short protein that gets transported out of the cell's nucleus. Outside of the nucleus, the PHF8 protein cannot interact with chromatin to regulate gene expression. While the exact disease mechanism is unknown, it is likely that a lack of PHF8 protein in the nucleus of brain cells before birth prevents chromatin remodeling, altering the normal expression of genes involved in intellectual function and formation of structures along the midline of the skull. This altered gene expression leads to intellectual disability, cleft lip and palate, and the other features of X-linked intellectual disability, Siderius type.