November 15th – International 15q Day
Together with Angelman Syndrome Foundation and the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research, we are raising awareness of the similarities between Dup15q Syndrome, Angelman and Prader-Willi Syndromes.
Prader-Willi, Angelman and Dup15q Syndromes are all distinct neurodevelopmental disorders that are caused by changes within the specific q11 to q13 region of the long arm of chromosome 15 (called 15q). This region contains genes like SNRPN and UBE3A and others, which are very important for brain development. Unlike most other genes in the body, these genes behave differently depending on whether they are on the copy from the mom (maternal) or from the dad (paternal); this is a biological mechanism called ‘genomic imprinting.’