Novel KIF7 missense substitutions in two patients presenting with multiple malformations and features of acrocallosal
Sanjin Tunovic1, Kristin W Barañano2, James A Barkovich3
1Division of Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, California.
Insights
Two children with Kinesin Family Member 7 (KIF7) gene mutations showed severe developmental delays and atypical features, suggesting a broader spectrum of KIF7-associated disorders and abnormal hedgehog signaling.
Area of Science:
- Genetics
- Developmental Biology
- Molecular Medicine
Background:
- Kinesin Family Member 7 (KIF7) is crucial for ciliogenesis and sonic hedgehog signaling.
- Mutations in KIF7 are associated with acrocallosal syndrome and other developmental disorders.
- The full spectrum of KIF7-associated phenotypes is not yet fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report novel KIF7 gene mutations in two children with severe developmental abnormalities.
- To expand the phenotypic spectrum associated with KIF7 mutations.
- To investigate the potential role of KIF7 variants in developmental disorders.
Main Methods:
- Genetic sequencing to identify mutations in the KIF7 gene.
- Clinical evaluation of two pediatric patients with severe developmental delays and congenital anomalies.
- Comparison of patient phenotypes with previously reported KIF7-associated disorders.
Main Results:
- Two unrelated female patients presented with compound heterozygous missense mutations in KIF7.
- Patient 1 exhibited severe developmental delays, growth retardation, infantile spasms, imperforate anus, and syndactyly.
- Patient 2 displayed severe developmental delays, epilepsy, hydrocephalus, pachygyria, and polydactyly.
Conclusions:
- The identified KIF7 missense mutations are likely pathogenic and contribute to the observed severe phenotypes.
- The spectrum of KIF7-associated disorders includes atypical features not previously reported, such as imperforate anus and infantile spasms.
- These findings highlight the complex role of KIF7 in human development and suggest potential links to abnormal hedgehog signaling.
Abstract:
We present two children who both had two missense mutations in the Kinesin Family Member 7 (KIF7) gene. A seven year old female with severe developmental delays, failure to thrive and growth retardation, infantile spasms, a cardiac vascular ring and right-sided aortic arch, imperforate anus, hydronephrosis with a right renal cyst, syndactyly and abnormal white matter was a compound heterozygote for c.3365C > G, predicting p.(Ser1122Trp) that was maternally inherited and c.2482G > A, predicting p.(Val828Met) that was paternally inherited. An eight year old female with severe developmental delays, epilepsy, left postaxial polydactyly of the hand and abnormalities of brain development including hydrocephalus, pachygyria and absence of the body and splenium of the corpus callous was a compound heterozygote for c.461G > A, predicting p.(Arg154Gln) and c.2959 G > A, predicting p.(Glu987Lys) that was maternally inherited and her father was unavailable for testing. The presentations in these children include features of acrocallosal syndrome, such as hypoplasia of the corpus callosum, enlarged ventricles, facial dysmorphism with a prominent forehead and broad halluces in the first child, but included atypical findings for individuals previously reported to have truncating mutations in KIF7, including imperforate anus, infantile spasms and severe growth retardation. We conclude that these phenotypes may result from the KIF7 sequence variants and abnormal hedgehog signaling, but that the full spectrum of KIF7-associated features remains to be determined.
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