Co-occurrence of frameshift mutations in SMAD6 and TCF12 in a child with complex craniosynostosis

Non-syndromic craniosynostosis (CS) affects 1 in 2350 live births. Recent studies have shown that a significant fraction of cases are caused by de novo or rare transmitted mutations that promote premature osteoblast differentiation in cranial sutures. Rare heterozygous loss-of-function (LOF) mutations in SMAD6 and TCF12 are highly enriched in patients with non-syndromic sagittal and coronal CS, respectively. Interestingly, both mutations show striking incomplete penetrance, suggesting a role for modifying alleles; in the case of SMAD6, a common variant near BMP2 drastically increases penetrance of sagittal CS. Here, we report a proband presenting with both sagittal and coronal craniosynostosis with the highly unusual recurrence of CS within two months of initial surgery, requiring a second operation to re-establish suture patency at six months of age. Exome sequencing revealed a rare transmitted frameshift mutation in SMAD6 (p. 152 fs*27) inherited from an unaffected parent, absence of the common BMP2 risk variant, and a de novo frameshift mutation in TCF12 (p.E548fs*14). SMAD6 and TCF12 independently inhibit transcriptional targets of BMP signaling. The findings are consistent with epistasis of these mutations, increasing penetrance and severity of CS in this proband. They also add to the list of composite phenotypes resulting from two Mendelian mutations, and support the utility of exome sequencing in atypical CS cases.