Purpose: This study aimed to identify the genetic cause of a new multiple congenital anomalies syndrome observed in three individuals from two unrelated families. Methods: Clinical assessment was conducted prenatally and at different postnatal stages. Genetic studies included exome sequencing (ES) combined with single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array based homozygosity mapping and trio ES. Dermal fibroblasts were used for functional assays. Results: A clinically recognizable syndrome characterized by severe developmental delay, variable brain anomalies, congenital heart defects, dysmorphic facial features, and a distinctive type of synpolydactyly with an additional hypoplastic digit between the fourth and fifth digits of hands and/or feet was identified. Additional features included eye abnormalities, hearing impairment, and electroencephalogram anomalies. ES detected different homozygous truncating variants in MAPKAPK5 in both families. Patient-derived cells showed no expression of MAPKAPK5 protein isoforms and reduced levels of the MAPKAPK5-interacting protein ERK3. F-actin recovery after latrunculin B treatment was found to be less efficient in patient-derived fibroblasts than in control cells, supporting a role of MAPKAPK5 in F-actin polymerization. Conclusion: Our data indicate that loss-of-function variants in MAPKAPK5 result in a severe developmental disorder and reveal a major role of this gene in human brain, heart, and limb development.
CITATION STYLE
Horn, D., Fernández-Núñez, E., Gomez-Carmona, R., Rivera-Barahona, A., Nevado, J., Schwartzmann, S., … Ruiz-Perez, V. L. (2021). Biallelic truncating variants in MAPKAPK5 cause a new developmental disorder involving neurological, cardiac, and facial anomalies combined with synpolydactyly. Genetics in Medicine, 23(4), 679–688. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41436-020-01052-2
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