- Cohen syndrome is caused by mutations in a novel gene, COH1, encoding a transmembrane protein with a presumed role in vesicle-mediated sorting and intracellular protein transport. Kolehmainen, J., Black, G.C., Saarinen, A., Chandler, K., Clayton-Smith, J., Träskelin, A.L., Perveen, R., Kivitie-Kallio, S., Norio, R., Warburg, M., Fryns, J.P., de la Chapelle, A., Lehesjoki, A.E. Am. J. Hum. Genet. (2003)