[PDF][PDF] Dominant-negative mutations in α-II spectrin cause West syndrome with severe cerebral hypomyelination, spastic quadriplegia, and developmental delay

H Saitsu, J Tohyama, T Kumada, K Egawa… - The American Journal of …, 2010 - cell.com
H Saitsu, J Tohyama, T Kumada, K Egawa, K Hamada, I Okada, T Mizuguchi, H Osaka…
The American Journal of Human Genetics, 2010cell.com
A de novo 9q33. 3-q34. 11 microdeletion involving STXBP1 has been found in one of four
individuals (group A) with early-onset West syndrome, severe hypomyelination, poor visual
attention, and developmental delay. Although haploinsufficiency of STXBP1 was involved in
early infantile epileptic encephalopathy in a previous different cohort study (group B), no
mutations of STXBP1 were found in two of the remaining three subjects of group A (one was
unavailable). We assumed that another gene within the deletion might contribute to the …
A de novo 9q33.3-q34.11 microdeletion involving STXBP1 has been found in one of four individuals (group A) with early-onset West syndrome, severe hypomyelination, poor visual attention, and developmental delay. Although haploinsufficiency of STXBP1 was involved in early infantile epileptic encephalopathy in a previous different cohort study (group B), no mutations of STXBP1 were found in two of the remaining three subjects of group A (one was unavailable). We assumed that another gene within the deletion might contribute to the phenotype of group A. SPTAN1 encoding α-II spectrin, which is essential for proper myelination in zebrafish, turned out to be deleted. In two subjects, an in-frame 3 bp deletion and a 6 bp duplication in SPTAN1 were found at the initial nucleation site of the α/β spectrin heterodimer. SPTAN1 was further screened in six unrelated individuals with WS and hypomyelination, but no mutations were found. Recombinant mutant (mut) and wild-type (WT) α-II spectrin could assemble heterodimers with β-II spectrin, but α-II (mut)/β-II spectrin heterodimers were thermolabile compared with the α-II (WT)/β-II heterodimers. Transient expression in mouse cortical neurons revealed aggregation of α-II (mut)/β-II and α-II (mut)/β-III spectrin heterodimers, which was also observed in lymphoblastoid cells from two subjects with in-frame mutations. Clustering of ankyrinG and voltage-gated sodium channels at axon initial segment (AIS) was disturbed in relation to the aggregates, together with an elevated action potential threshold. These findings suggest that pathological aggregation of α/β spectrin heterodimers and abnormal AIS integrity resulting from SPTAN1 mutations were involved in pathogenesis of infantile epilepsy.
cell.com