Just Expect It: Compound Heterozygous Variants of POMT1 in a Consanguineous Family-The Role of Next Generation Sequencing in Neuromuscular Disorders

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Maja Von Der Hagen - , Department of Paediatrics, Division of Neuropediatrics, TUD Dresden University of Technology (Author)
  • Lena Luise Becker - , Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Author)
  • Thomas F. Wienker - , Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics (Author)
  • Martin Smitka - , Department of Paediatrics, TUD Dresden University of Technology (Author)
  • Luciana Musante - , Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics (Author)
  • Hans Hilger Ropers - , Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics (Author)
  • Angela Huebner - , Department of Paediatrics, TUD Dresden University of Technology (Author)
  • Hao Hu - , Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center (Author)
  • Angela M. Kaindl - , Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Author)

Abstract

Muscular dystrophy-dystroglycanopathies (MDDG) are a group of genetically heterogeneous autosomal recessive disorders characterized by hypoglycosylation of α-dystroglycan. Here, we report on two female patients from a consanguineous Lebanese family that presented in early infancy with generalized muscle hypotonia and primary microcephaly. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed different degrees of hypoplasia of the cerebellar vermis and hypoplasia of corpus callosum. Muscle biopsy analyses revealed a muscular dystrophy with reduced expression of α-dystroglycan and merosin in immunoblot analyses. Homozygosity mapping failed to elucidate the causal mutation due to the accepted notion that, in consanguineous families, homozygote mutations cause disease. However, by applying whole exome sequencing, we identified a novel compound heterozygous POMT1 mutation that segregates with the phenotype and is in line with the clinical presentation. This underscores that a less expected compound heterozygous instead of homozygous mutation in a consanguineous marriage results in a recessive disorder and highlights the growing role of next generation sequencing in neuromuscular disorder diagnostics.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)72-75
Number of pages4
JournalNeuropediatrics
Volume51
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 2020
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 31627234

Keywords

Keywords

  • compound heterozygosity, congenital muscular dystrophy dystrogylcanopathies, consanguineous, developmental delay, microcephaly, POMT1