Association Between Invisible Basal Ganglia and ZNF335 Mutations: A Case Report

ZNF335 was first reported in 2012 as a causative gene for microcephaly. Because only 1 consanguineous pedigree has ever been reported, the key clinical features associated with ZNF335 mutations remain unknown. In this article, we describe another family harboring ZNF335 mutations. The female proband was the first child of nonconsanguineous Japanese parents. At birth, microcephaly was absent; her head circumference was 32.0 cm (-0.6 SD). At 3 months, microcephaly was noted, (head circumference, 34.0 cm [-4.6 SD]). Brain MRI showed invisible basal ganglia, cerebral atrophy, brainstem hypoplasia, and cerebellar atrophy. At 33 months, (head circumference, 41.0 cm [-5.1 SD]), she had severe psychomotor retardation. After obtaining informed consent from her parents, we performed exome sequencing in the proband and identified 1 novel and 1 known mutation in ZNF335, namely, c.1399T>C (p.C467R) and c.1505A>G (p.Y502C), respectively. The mutations were individually transmitted by her parents, indicating that the proband was compound heterozygous for the mutations. Her brain imaging findings, including invisible basal ganglia, were similar to those observed in the previous case with ZNF335 mutations. We speculate that invisible basal ganglia may be the key feature of ZNF335 mutations. For infants presenting with both microcephaly and invisible basal ganglia, ZNF335 mutations should be considered as a differential diagnosis.