- Mutation of ALMS1, a large gene with a tandem repeat encoding 47 amino acids, causes Alström syndrome. Hearn, T., Renforth, G.L., Spalluto, C., Hanley, N.A., Piper, K., Brickwood, S., White, C., Connolly, V., Taylor, J.F., Russell-Eggitt, I., Bonneau, D., Walker, M., Wilson, D.I. Nat. Genet. (2002)