Abstract
Bardet–Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a model disease for ciliopathy in humans. The remarkable genetic heterogeneity that characterizes this disease is consistent with accumulating data on the interaction between the proteins encoded by the 14
BBS
genes identified to date. Previous reports suggested that such interaction may also extend to instances of oligogenic inheritance in the form of triallelism which defies the long held view of BBS as an autosomal recessive disease. In order to investigate the magnitude of triallelism in BBS, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of all 14
BBS
genes as well as the
CCDC28B
-modifier gene in a cohort of 29 BBS families, most of which are multiplex. Two in trans mutations in a
BBS
gene were identified in each of these families for a total of 20 mutations including 12 that are novel. In no instance did we observe two mutations in unaffected members of a given family, or observe the presence of a third allele that convincingly acted as a modifier of penetrance and supported the triallelic model of BBS. In addition to presenting a comprehensive genotype/phenotype overview of a large set of
BBS
mutations, including the occurrence of nonsyndromic retinitis pigmentosa in a family with a novel
BBS9
mutation, our study argues in favor of straightforward autosomal recessive BBS in most cases.