@article {918, title = {De novo variants in SNAP25 cause an early-onset developmental and epileptic encephalopathy.}, journal = {Genet Med}, volume = {23}, year = {2021}, month = {2021 04}, pages = {653-660}, abstract = {

PURPOSE: This study aims to provide a comprehensive description of the phenotypic and genotypic spectrum of SNAP25 developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (SNAP25-DEE) by reviewing newly identified and previously reported individuals.

METHODS: Individuals harboring heterozygous missense or loss-of-function variants in SNAP25 were assembled through collaboration with international colleagues, matchmaking platforms, and literature review. For each individual, detailed phenotyping, classification, and structural modeling of the identified variant were performed.

RESULTS: The cohort comprises 23 individuals with pathogenic or likely pathogenic de novo variants in SNAP25. Intellectual disability and early-onset epilepsy were identified as the core symptoms of SNAP25-DEE, with recurrent findings of movement disorders, cerebral visual impairment, and brain atrophy. Structural modeling for all variants predicted possible functional defects concerning SNAP25 or impaired interaction with other components of the SNARE complex.

CONCLUSION: We provide a comprehensive description of SNAP25-DEE with intellectual disability and early-onset epilepsy mostly occurring before the age of two years. These core symptoms and additional recurrent phenotypes show an overlap to genes encoding other components or associated proteins of the SNARE complex such as STX1B, STXBP1, or VAMP2. Thus, these findings advance the concept of a group of neurodevelopmental disorders that may be termed "SNAREopathies."

}, keywords = {Brain Diseases, Child, Preschool, Epilepsy, Humans, Intellectual Disability, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Phenotype, Synaptosomal-Associated Protein 25}, issn = {1530-0366}, doi = {10.1038/s41436-020-01020-w}, author = {Kl{\"o}ckner, Chiara and Sticht, Heinrich and Zacher, Pia and Popp, Bernt and Babcock, Holly E and Bakker, Dewi P and Barwick, Katy and Bonfert, Michaela V and B{\"o}nnemann, Carsten G and Brilstra, Eva H and Chung, Wendy K and Clarke, Angus J and Devine, Patrick and Donkervoort, Sandra and Fraser, Jamie L and Friedman, Jennifer and Gates, Alyssa and Ghoumid, Jamal and Hobson, Emma and Horvath, Gabriella and Keller-Ramey, Jennifer and Keren, Boris and Kurian, Manju A and Lee, Virgina and Leppig, Kathleen A and Lundgren, Johan and McDonald, Marie T and McLaughlin, Heather M and McTague, Amy and Mefford, Heather C and Mignot, Cyril and Mikati, Mohamad A and Nava, Caroline and Raymond, F Lucy and Sampson, Julian R and Sanchis-Juan, Alba and Shashi, Vandana and Shieh, Joseph T C and Shinawi, Marwan and Slavotinek, Anne and St{\"o}dberg, Tommy and Stong, Nicholas and Sullivan, Jennifer A and Taylor, Ashley C and Toler, Tomi L and van den Boogaard, Marie-Jos{\'e} and van der Crabben, Saskia N and van Gassen, Koen L I and van Jaarsveld, Richard H and Van Ziffle, Jessica and Wadley, Alexandrea F and Wagner, Matias and Wigby, Kristen and Wortmann, Saskia B and Zarate, Yuri A and M{\o}ller, Rikke S and Lemke, Johannes R and Platzer, Konrad} } @article {1000, title = {A DNA repair disorder caused by de novo monoallelic DDB1 variants is associated with a neurodevelopmental syndrome.}, journal = {Am J Hum Genet}, volume = {108}, year = {2021}, month = {2021 04 01}, pages = {749-756}, abstract = {

The DNA damage-binding protein 1 (DDB1) is part of the CUL4-DDB1 ubiquitin E3 ligase complex (CRL4), which is essential for DNA repair, chromatin remodeling, DNA replication, and signal transduction. Loss-of-function variants in genes encoding the complex components CUL4 and PHIP have been reported to cause syndromic intellectual disability with hypotonia and obesity, but no phenotype has been reported in association with DDB1 variants. Here, we report eight unrelated individuals, identified through Matchmaker Exchange, with de novo monoallelic variants in DDB1, including one recurrent variant in four individuals. The affected individuals have a consistent phenotype of hypotonia, mild to moderate intellectual disability, and similar facies, including horizontal or slightly bowed eyebrows, deep-set eyes, full cheeks, a short nose, and large, fleshy and forward-facing earlobes, demonstrated in the composite face generated from the cohort. Digital anomalies, including brachydactyly and syndactyly, were common. Three older individuals have obesity. We show that cells derived from affected individuals have altered DDB1 function resulting in abnormal DNA damage signatures and histone methylation following UV-induced DNA damage. Overall, our study adds to the growing family of neurodevelopmental phenotypes mediated by disruption of the CRL4 ubiquitin ligase pathway and begins to delineate the phenotypic and molecular effects of DDB1 misregulation.

}, keywords = {Adolescent, Alleles, Child, Child, Preschool, DNA Repair, DNA-Binding Proteins, Female, Humans, Male, Mutation, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Phenotype, Syndrome}, issn = {1537-6605}, doi = {10.1016/j.ajhg.2021.03.007}, author = {White, Susan M and Bhoj, Elizabeth and Nellaker, Christoffer and Lachmeijer, Augusta M A and Marshall, Aren E and Boycott, Kym M and Li, Dong and Smith, Wendy and Hartley, Taila and McBride, Arran and Ernst, Michelle E and May, Alison S and Wieczorek, Dagmar and Abou Jamra, Rami and Koch-Hogrebe, Margarete and {\~O}unap, Katrin and Pajusalu, Sander and van Gassen, K L I and Sadedin, Simon and Ellingwood, Sara and Tan, Tiong Yang and Christodoulou, John and Barea, Jaime and Lockhart, Paul J and Nezarati, Marjan M and Kernohan, Kristin D} } @article {1013, title = {Novel variants in TUBA1A cause congenital fibrosis of the extraocular muscles with or without malformations of cortical brain development.}, journal = {Eur J Hum Genet}, volume = {29}, year = {2021}, month = {2021 May}, pages = {816-826}, abstract = {

Variants in multiple tubulin genes have been implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders, including malformations of cortical development (MCD) and congenital fibrosis of the extraocular muscles (CFEOM). Distinct missense variants in the beta-tubulin encoding genes TUBB3 and TUBB2B cause MCD, CFEOM, or both, suggesting substitution-specific mechanisms. Variants in the alpha tubulin-encoding gene TUBA1A have been associated with MCD, but not with CFEOM. Using exome sequencing (ES) and genome sequencing (GS), we identified 3 unrelated probands with CFEOM who harbored novel heterozygous TUBA1A missense variants c.1216C>G, p.(His406Asp); c.467G>A, p.(Arg156His); and c.1193T>G, p.(Met398Arg). MRI revealed small oculomotor-innervated muscles and asymmetrical caudate heads and lateral ventricles with or without corpus callosal thinning. Two of the three probands had MCD. Mutated amino acid residues localize either to the longitudinal interface at which α and β tubulins heterodimerize (Met398, His406) or to the lateral interface at which tubulin protofilaments interact (Arg156), and His406 interacts with the motor domain of kinesin-1. This series of individuals supports TUBA1A variants as a cause of CFEOM and expands our knowledge of tubulinopathies.

}, issn = {1476-5438}, doi = {10.1038/s41431-020-00804-7}, author = {Jurgens, Julie A and Barry, Brenda J and Lemire, Gabrielle and Chan, Wai-Man and Whitman, Mary C and Shaaban, Sherin and Robson, Caroline D and MacKinnon, Sarah and England, Eleina M and McMillan, Hugh J and Kelly, Christopher and Pratt, Brandon M and O{\textquoteright}Donnell-Luria, Anne and MacArthur, Daniel G and Boycott, Kym M and Hunter, David G and Engle, Elizabeth C} } @article {686, title = {MSTO1 mutations cause mtDNA depletion, manifesting as muscular dystrophy with cerebellar involvement.}, journal = {Acta Neuropathol}, volume = {138}, year = {2019}, month = {2019 Dec}, pages = {1013-1031}, abstract = {

MSTO1 encodes a cytosolic mitochondrial fusion protein, misato homolog 1 or MSTO1. While the full genotype-phenotype spectrum remains to be explored, pathogenic variants in MSTO1 have recently been reported in a small number of patients presenting with a phenotype of cerebellar ataxia, congenital muscle involvement with histologic findings ranging from myopathic to dystrophic and pigmentary retinopathy. The proposed underlying pathogenic mechanism of MSTO1-related disease is suggestive of impaired mitochondrial fusion secondary to a loss of function of MSTO1. Disorders of mitochondrial fusion and fission have been shown to also lead to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) depletion, linking them to the mtDNA depletion syndromes, a clinically and genetically diverse class of mitochondrial diseases characterized by a reduction of cellular mtDNA content. However, the consequences of pathogenic variants in MSTO1 on mtDNA maintenance remain poorly understood. We present extensive phenotypic and genetic data from 12 independent families, including 15 new patients harbouring a broad array of bi-allelic MSTO1 pathogenic variants, and we provide functional characterization from seven MSTO1-related disease patient fibroblasts. Bi-allelic loss-of-function variants in MSTO1 manifest clinically with a remarkably consistent phenotype of childhood-onset muscular dystrophy, corticospinal tract dysfunction and early-onset non-progressive cerebellar atrophy. MSTO1 protein was not detectable in the cultured fibroblasts of all seven patients evaluated, suggesting that pathogenic variants result in a loss of protein expression and/or affect protein stability. Consistent with impaired mitochondrial fusion, mitochondrial networks in fibroblasts were found to be fragmented. Furthermore, all fibroblasts were found to have depletion of mtDNA ranging from 30 to 70\% along with alterations to mtDNA nucleoids. Our data corroborate the role of MSTO1 as a mitochondrial fusion protein and highlight a previously unrecognized link to mtDNA regulation. As impaired mitochondrial fusion is a recognized cause of mtDNA depletion syndromes, this novel link to mtDNA depletion in patient fibroblasts suggests that MSTO1-deficiency should also be considered a mtDNA depletion syndrome. Thus, we provide mechanistic insight into the disease pathogenesis associated with MSTO1 mutations and further define the clinical spectrum and the natural history of MSTO1-related disease.

}, issn = {1432-0533}, doi = {10.1007/s00401-019-02059-z}, author = {Donkervoort, S and Sabouny, R and Yun, P and Gauquelin, L and Chao, K R and Hu, Y and Al Khatib, I and T{\"o}pf, A and Mohassel, P and Cummings, B B and Kaur, R and Saade, D and Moore, S A and Waddell, L B and Farrar, M A and Goodrich, J K and Uapinyoying, P and Chan, S H S and Javed, A and Leach, M E and Karachunski, P and Dalton, J and Medne, L and Harper, A and Thompson, C and Thiffault, I and Specht, S and Lamont, R E and Saunders, C and Racher, H and Bernier, F P and Mowat, D and Witting, N and Vissing, J and Hanson, R and Coffman, K A and Hainlen, M and Parboosingh, J S and Carnevale, A and Yoon, G and Schnur, R E and Boycott, K M and Mah, J K and Straub, V and Foley, A Reghan and Innes, A M and B{\"o}nnemann, C G and Shutt, T E} } @article {99, title = {Biallelic Mutations in UNC80 Cause Persistent Hypotonia, Encephalopathy, Growth Retardation, and Severe Intellectual Disability.}, journal = {Am J Hum Genet}, volume = {98}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 Jan 07}, pages = {202-9}, abstract = {

Ion channel proteins are required for both the establishment of resting membrane potentials and the generation of action potentials. Hundreds of mutations in genes encoding voltage-gated ion channels responsible for action potential generation have been found to cause severe neurological diseases. In contrast, the roles of voltage-independent "leak" channels, important for the establishment and maintenance of resting membrane potentials upon which action potentials are generated, are not well established in human disease. UNC80 is a large component of the NALCN sodium-leak channel complex that regulates the basal excitability of the nervous system. Loss-of-function mutations of NALCN cause infantile hypotonia with psychomotor retardation and characteristic facies (IHPRF). We report four individuals from three unrelated families who have homozygous missense or compound heterozygous truncating mutations in UNC80 and persistent hypotonia, encephalopathy, growth failure, and severe intellectual disability. Compared to control cells, HEK293T cells transfected with an expression plasmid containing the c.5098C>T (p.Pro1700Ser) UNC80 mutation found in one individual showed markedly decreased NALCN channel currents. Our findings demonstrate the fundamental significance of UNC80 and basal ionic conductance to human health.

}, keywords = {Adolescent, Alleles, Brain Diseases, Carrier Proteins, Child, Child, Preschool, Female, Growth Disorders, Humans, Intellectual Disability, Membrane Proteins, Muscle Hypotonia, Mutation, Severity of Illness Index}, issn = {1537-6605}, doi = {10.1016/j.ajhg.2015.11.004}, author = {Stray-Pedersen, Asbj{\o}rg and Cobben, Jan-Maarten and Prescott, Trine E and Lee, Sora and Cang, Chunlei and Aranda, Kimberly and Ahmed, Sohnee and Alders, Marielle and Gerstner, Thorsten and Aslaksen, Kathinka and T{\'e}treault, Martine and Qin, Wen and Hartley, Taila and Jhangiani, Shalini N and Muzny, Donna M and Tarailo-Graovac, Maja and van Karnebeek, Clara D M and Lupski, James R and Ren, Dejian and Yoon, Grace} } @article {74, title = {Mosaic Activating Mutations in FGFR1 Cause Encephalocraniocutaneous Lipomatosis.}, journal = {Am J Hum Genet}, volume = {98}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 Mar 03}, pages = {579-587}, abstract = {

Encephalocraniocutaneous lipomatosis (ECCL) is a sporadic condition characterized by ocular, cutaneous, and central nervous system anomalies. Key clinical features include a well-demarcated hairless fatty nevus on the scalp, benign ocular tumors, and central nervous system lipomas. Seizures, spasticity, and intellectual disability can be present, although affected individuals without seizures and with normal intellect have also been reported. Given the patchy and asymmetric nature of the malformations, ECCL has been hypothesized to be due to a post-zygotic, mosaic mutation. Despite phenotypic overlap with several other disorders associated with mutations in the RAS-MAPK and PI3K-AKT pathways, the molecular etiology of ECCL remains unknown. Using exome sequencing of DNA from multiple affected tissues from five unrelated individuals with ECCL, we identified two mosaic mutations, c.1638C>A (p.Asn546Lys) and c.1966A>G (p.Lys656Glu) within the tyrosine kinase domain of FGFR1, in two affected individuals each. These two residues are the most commonly mutated residues in FGFR1 in human cancers and are associated primarily with CNS tumors. Targeted resequencing of FGFR1 in multiple tissues from an independent cohort of individuals with ECCL identified one additional individual with a c.1638C>A (p.Asn546Lys) mutation in FGFR1. Functional studies of ECCL fibroblast cell lines show increased levels of phosphorylated FGFRs and phosphorylated FRS2, a direct substrate of FGFR1, as well as constitutive activation of RAS-MAPK signaling. In addition to identifying the molecular etiology of ECCL, our results support the emerging overlap between mosaic developmental disorders and tumorigenesis.

}, keywords = {Adolescent, Cell Line, Tumor, Central Nervous System Neoplasms, Child, Preschool, Exome, Eye, Eye Diseases, Female, Humans, Infant, Lipomatosis, Male, Mutation, Mutation, Missense, Neurocutaneous Syndromes, Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases, Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt, Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 1, Seizures, Sequence Analysis, DNA}, issn = {1537-6605}, doi = {10.1016/j.ajhg.2016.02.006}, author = {Bennett, James T and Tan, Tiong Yang and Alcantara, Diana and T{\'e}trault, Martine and Timms, Andrew E and Jensen, Dana and Collins, Sarah and Nowaczyk, Malgorzata J M and Lindhurst, Marjorie J and Christensen, Katherine M and Braddock, Stephen R and Brandling-Bennett, Heather and Hennekam, Raoul C M and Chung, Brian and Lehman, Anna and Su, John and Ng, SuYuen and Amor, David J and Majewski, Jacek and Biesecker, Les G and Boycott, Kym M and Dobyns, William B and O{\textquoteright}Driscoll, Mark and Moog, Ute and McDonell, Laura M} } @article {273, title = {Loss-of-function HDAC8 mutations cause a phenotypic spectrum of Cornelia de Lange syndrome-like features, ocular hypertelorism, large fontanelle and X-linked inheritance.}, journal = {Hum Mol Genet}, volume = {23}, year = {2014}, month = {2014 Jun 01}, pages = {2888-900}, abstract = {

Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) is a multisystem genetic disorder with distinct facies, growth failure, intellectual disability, distal limb anomalies, gastrointestinal and neurological disease. Mutations in NIPBL, encoding a cohesin regulatory protein, account for >80\% of cases with typical facies. Mutations in the core cohesin complex proteins, encoded by the SMC1A, SMC3 and RAD21 genes, together account for \~{}5\% of subjects, often with atypical CdLS features. Recently, we identified mutations in the X-linked gene HDAC8 as the cause of a small number of CdLS cases. Here, we report a cohort of 38 individuals with an emerging spectrum of features caused by HDAC8 mutations. For several individuals, the diagnosis of CdLS was not considered prior to genomic testing. Most mutations identified are missense and de novo. Many cases are heterozygous females, each with marked skewing of X-inactivation in peripheral blood DNA. We also identified eight hemizygous males who are more severely affected. The craniofacial appearance caused by HDAC8 mutations overlaps that of typical CdLS but often displays delayed anterior fontanelle closure, ocular hypertelorism, hooding of the eyelids, a broader nose and dental anomalies, which may be useful discriminating features. HDAC8 encodes the lysine deacetylase for the cohesin subunit SMC3 and analysis of the functional consequences of the missense mutations indicates that all cause a loss of enzymatic function. These data demonstrate that loss-of-function mutations in HDAC8 cause a range of overlapping human developmental phenotypes, including a phenotypically distinct subgroup of CdLS.

}, keywords = {Amino Acid Sequence, Child, Child, Preschool, Cohort Studies, Cranial Fontanelles, De Lange Syndrome, Eye Abnormalities, Female, Genes, X-Linked, Histone Deacetylases, Humans, Hypertelorism, Infant, Male, Molecular Sequence Data, Mutation, Missense, Phenotype, Repressor Proteins, Sequence Alignment}, issn = {1460-2083}, doi = {10.1093/hmg/ddu002}, author = {Kaiser, Frank J and Ansari, Morad and Braunholz, Diana and Concepci{\'o}n Gil-Rodr{\'\i}guez, Mar{\'\i}a and Decroos, Christophe and Wilde, Jonathan J and Fincher, Christopher T and Kaur, Maninder and Bando, Masashige and Amor, David J and Atwal, Paldeep S and Bahlo, Melanie and Bowman, Christine M and Bradley, Jacquelyn J and Brunner, Han G and Clark, Dinah and Del Campo, Miguel and Di Donato, Nataliya and Diakumis, Peter and Dubbs, Holly and Dyment, David A and Eckhold, Juliane and Ernst, Sarah and Ferreira, Jose C and Francey, Lauren J and Gehlken, Ulrike and Guill{\'e}n-Navarro, Encarna and Gyftodimou, Yolanda and Hall, Bryan D and Hennekam, Raoul and Hudgins, Louanne and Hullings, Melanie and Hunter, Jennifer M and Yntema, Helger and Innes, A Micheil and Kline, Antonie D and Krumina, Zita and Lee, Hane and Leppig, Kathleen and Lynch, Sally Ann and Mallozzi, Mark B and Mannini, Linda and McKee, Shane and Mehta, Sarju G and Micule, Ieva and Mohammed, Shehla and Moran, Ellen and Mortier, Geert R and Moser, Joe-Ann S and Noon, Sarah E and Nozaki, Naohito and Nunes, Luis and Pappas, John G and Penney, Lynette S and P{\'e}rez-Ayt{\'e}s, Antonio and Petersen, Michael B and Puisac, Beatriz and Revencu, Nicole and Roeder, Elizabeth and Saitta, Sulagna and Scheuerle, Angela E and Schindeler, Karen L and Siu, Victoria M and Stark, Zornitza and Strom, Samuel P and Thiese, Heidi and Vater, Inga and Willems, Patrick and Williamson, Kathleen and Wilson, Louise C and Hakonarson, Hakon and Quintero-Rivera, Fabiola and Wierzba, Jolanta and Musio, Antonio and Gillessen-Kaesbach, Gabriele and Ramos, Feliciano J and Jackson, Laird G and Shirahige, Katsuhiko and Pi{\'e}, Juan and Christianson, David W and Krantz, Ian D and FitzPatrick, David R and Deardorff, Matthew A} }