Fanconi anemia (FA;MIM# 227650) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder appearing at a frequency of one in 100.000 and affecting approximately 2000 families in the United States. FA is characterized by catastrophic bone marrow failure, often by five years of age, and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In addition to hematopoietic features, Fanconi Anemia is often accompanied by characteristic congenital abnormalities including slow growth, short stature, microcephaly, and microphthalmia [1]. The most common congenital anomaly in FA is an abnormal or missing thumb and radius, but kidney and reproductive organs are also frequently affected [2], although abnormal blood cell development is the main cause of morbidity and mortality [3, 4]. A gap in our knowledge is the mechanism by which FA leads to developmental anomalies in blood, skeleton, eyes, and other organs.
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