1q21.1 deletion syndrome is a rare aberration of chromosome 1. A human cell has one pair of identical chromosomes on chromosome 1. With the 1q21.1 deletion syndrome, one chromosome of the pair is not complete, because a part of the sequence of the chromosome is missing. One chromosome has the normal length and the other is too short. In 1q21.1, the 1 stands for chromosome 1, the q stands for the long arm of the chromosome and 21.1 stands for the part of the long arm in which the deletion is situated. The syndrome is a form of the 1q21.1 copy number variations, and it is a deletion in the distal area of the 1q21.1 part. The CNV leads to a very variable phenotype, and the manifestations in individuals are quite variable. Some people who have the syndrome can function in a normal way, while others have symptoms of intellectual impairment and various physical anomalies.1q21.1 microdeletion is a very rare chromosomal condition. Only 46 individuals with this deletion have been reported in medical literature as of August 2011.
This part of 1q21.1 is involved in the development of the brain. It is assumed to be a dosage-sensitive gene. When this gene is not available in the 1q21.1 area, it leads to microcephaly. HYDIN2 is a recent duplication (found only in humans) of the HYDIN gene found on 16q22.2. Research on the genes CHD1L and PRKAB2 within lymphoblast cells  lead to the conclusion that anomalies appear with the 1q21.1-deletion syndrome:

CHD1L is an enzyme which is involved in untangling the chromatides and the DNA repair system. With 1q21.1 deletion syndrome a disturbance occurs, which leads to increased DNA breaks. The role of CHD1L is similar to that of helicase with the Werner syndrome
PRKAB2 is involved in maintaining the energy level of cells. With 1q21.1-deletion syndrome this function was attenuated.GJA5 has been identified as the gene that is responsible for the phenotypes observed with congenital heart diseases on the 1q21.1 location. In case of a duplication of GJA5 tetralogy of Fallot is more common. In case of a deletion other congenital heart diseases than tetralogy of Fallot are more common. References
Further reading
External links
DECIPHER database entry for 1q21.1 deletion syndrome
1q21.1 deletion, GeneReviews NCBI Bookshelf
Orpha.net