Novel DCX pathogenic variant in a girl with subcortical band heterotopia (original) (raw)

Novel DCX mutation-caused lissencephaly in a boy and very mild heterotopia in his mother

Pediatrics international : official journal of the Japan Pediatric Society, 2015

We describe a novel mutation in DCX in a family in which a proband boy had classical lissencephaly and his mother had extremely mild subcortical band heterotopia. No factors that would make the mother's symptoms milder, such as somatic mosaicism or skewed X chromosome inactivation, were observed. From this family, we conclude that a DCX mutation causes a pleiotropic phenotype in the female even if X chromosome inactivation pattern is not skewed, and the novel missense mutation in DCX produced relatively mild dysfunction of the doublecortin protein.

The location of DCX mutations predicts malformation severity in X-linked lissencephaly

Neurogenetics, 2008

Lissencephaly spectrum (LIS) is one of the most severe neuronal migration disorders that ranges from agyria/pachygyria to subcortical band heterotopia. Approximately 80% of patients with the LIS spectrum carry mutations in either the LIS1 or DCX (doublecortin) genes which have an opposite gradient of severity. The aim of the study was to evaluate in detail the phenotype of DCXassociated lissencephaly and to look for genotype-pheno

Diffuse subcortical band heterotopia, periodic limb movements during sleep and a novel “de novo” mutation in the DCX gene

Brain and Development, 2010

Mutations of the DCX gene (Xp22.3) cause X-linked lissencephaly in males and double cortex syndrome (DCS) or subcortical band heterotopia (SBH) in females. SBH is characterized by bilateral bands of grey matter interposed in the white matter between the cortex and the lateral ventricles. The main clinical manifestation in patients with SBH is epilepsy, which may be partial or generalized and is intractable in approximately 65% of the patients. An association of periodic limb movements (PLMs) and SBH has not been documented previously. We describe a 2-year-old girl affected by SBH with epilepsy and periodic limb movements (PLMs), in whom a novel ''de novo" missense substitution, Met1Val (M1V), was identified in the DCX gene. Physiopathological links between PLMs and SBH are discussed.

New insights into genotype-phenotype correlations for the doublecortin-related lissencephaly spectrum

Brain, 2013

X-linked isolated lissencephaly sequence and subcortical band heterotopia are allelic human disorders associated with mutations of doublecortin (DCX), giving both familial and sporadic forms. DCX encodes a microtubule-associated protein involved in neuronal migration during brain development. Structural data show that mutations can fall either in surface residues, likely to impair partner interactions, or in buried residues, likely to impair protein stability. Despite the progress in understanding the molecular basis of these disorders, the prognosis value of the location and impact of individual DCX mutations has largely remained unclear. To clarify this point, we investigated a cohort of 180 patients who were referred with the agyria-pachygyria subcortical band heterotopia spectrum. DCX mutations were identified in 136 individuals. Analysis of the parents' DNA revealed the de novo occurrence of DCX mutations in 76 cases [62 of 70 females screened (88.5%) and 14 of 60 males screened (23%)], whereas in the remaining cases, mutations were inherited from asymptomatic (n = 14) or symptomatic mothers (n = 11). This represents 100% of families screened. Female patients with DCX mutation demonstrated three degrees of clinical-radiological severity: a severe form with a thick band (n = 54), a milder form (n = 24) with either an anterior thin or an intermediate thickness band and asymptomatic carrier females (n = 14) with normal magnetic resonance imaging results. A higher proportion of

Dcx reexpression reduces subcortical band heterotopia and seizure threshold in an animal model of neuronal migration disorder

Nature Medicine, 2009

Disorders of neuronal migration can lead to malformations of the cerebral neocortex that greatly increase the risk of seizures. It remains untested whether malformations caused by disorders in neuronal migration can be reduced by reactivating cellular migration and whether such repair can decrease seizure risk. Here we show, in a rat model of subcortical band heterotopia (SBH) generated by in utero RNA interference of the Dcx gene, that aberrantly positioned neurons can be stimulated to migrate by reexpressing Dcx after birth. Restarting migration in this way both reduces neocortical malformations and restores neuronal patterning. We further find that the capacity to reduce SBH continues into early postnatal development. Moreover, intervention after birth reduces the convulsant-induced seizure threshold to a level similar to that in malformation-free controls. These results suggest that disorders of neuronal migration may be eventually treatable by reengaging developmental programs both to reduce the size of cortical malformations and to reduce seizure risk.

Mosaic DCX deletion causes subcortical band heterotopia in males

neurogenetics, 2012

Subcortical band heterotopia (SBH) is a neuronal migration disorder usually described in females carrying heterozygous mutations in the X-linked doublecortin (DCX) gene. Hemizygous DCX mutations in males result in lissencephaly. Recently, exonic deletions of DCX resulting in a severer form of agyria have been reported. Nevertheless, rare male patients with SBH have been described with somatic mosaicism of point mutations. Here, we identified a somatic mosaicism for a deletion of exon 4 in the DCX gene in a male patient with SBH detected prenatally. This finding points to the possible implication of mosaic deletions in the DCX gene in unexplained forms of SBH and may allow for detection of SBH prenatally. Chloé Quélin and Yoann Saillour are equal contributors. The authors have read the journal's position on issues involved in ethical publication and affirm that their report is consistent with those guidelines.

X-linked malformations of neuronal migration

Neurology, 1996

Malformations of neuronal migration such as lissencephaly (agyria-pachygyria spectrum) are wellknown causes of mental retardation and epilepsy that are often genetic. For example, isolated lissencephaly sequence and Miller-Dieker syndrome are caused by deletions involving a lissencephaly gene in chromosome 17~13.3, while many other malformation syndromes have autosomal recessive inheritance. In this paper, we review evidence supporting the existence of two distinct X-linked malformations of neuronal migration. X-linked lissencephaly and subcortical band heterotopia (XLIS) presents with sporadic or familial mental retardation and epilepsy. The brain malformation varies from classical lissencephaly, which is observed in males, to subcortical band heterotopia, which is observed primarily in females. The XLIS gene is located in chromosome Xq22.3 based on the breakpoint of an X-autosomal translocation. Bilateral periventricular nodular heterotopia (BPNH) usually presents with sporadic or familial epilepsy with normal intelligence, primarily in females, although we have evaluated two boys with BPNH and severe mental retardation. The gene for BPNH has been mapped to chromosome Xq28 based on linkage studies in multiplex families and observation of a subtle structural abnormality in one of the boys with BPNH and severe mental retardation.

Linkage and physical mapping of X-linked lissencephaly/SBH (XLIS): a gene causing neuronal migration defects in human brain

Human Molecular Genetics, 1997

While disorders of neuronal migration are associated with as much as 25% of recurrent childhood seizures, few of the genes required to establish neuronal position in cerebral cortex are known. Subcortical band heterotopia (SBH) and lissencephaly (LIS), two distinct neuronal migration disorders producing epilepsy and variable cognitive impairment, can be inherited alone or together in a single pedigree. Here we report a new genetic locus, XLIS, mapped by linkage analysis of five families and physical mapping of a balanced X;2 translocation in a girl with LIS. Linkage places the critical region in Xq21-q24, containing the breakpoint that maps to Xq22.3-q23 by high-resolution chromosome analysis. Markers used for somatic cell hybrid and fluorescence in situ hybridization analyses place the XLIS region within a 1 cM interval. These data suggest that SBH and X-linked lissencephaly are caused by mutation of a single gene, XLIS, that the milder SBH phenotype in females results from random X-inactivation (Lyonization), and that cloning of genes from the breakpoint region on X will yield XLIS.

X-linked Lissencephaly: a Smooth Brain and a Rough Journey for a 15- Year-Old-Patient

Medicina Moderna - Modern Medicine

Lissencephaly ("smooth brain") is a malformation of cortical development associated with defi cient neuronal migration and abnormal formation of cerebral convolutions or gyri. Although once thought to be rare, malformations of the cerebral cortex are increasingly involved as a major cause of recurrent seizures in children and adults. We described the case of 15-year-old female patient diagnosed with lissencephaly, mental retardation and focal seizures. At 6 months old, the patient developed focal motor seizures. Despite the fact that a CT was performed short after the occurrence of the fi rst seizures, its quality did not allow the identifi cation of cerebral anomalies like subcortical band heterotopia. Genetic testing through multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplifi cation (MLPA) did not reveal any deletion or duplication in genes relevant to the subcortical band heterotopia diagnostic. Thus, in these cases, MRI assessment represents an useful tool to establish the diagnosis.