COX deficiency and leukoencephalopathy due to a novel homozygous APOPT1/COA8 mutation

To describe the long-term follow-up and pathogenesis in a child with leukoencephalopathy and cytochrome c oxidase (COX) deficiency due to a novel homozygous nonsense mutation in APOPT1/COA8.

The patient was clinically investigated at 3, 5, 9, and 25 years of age. Brain MRI, repeat muscle biopsies with biochemical, morphologic, and protein expression analyses were performed, and whole-genome sequencing was used for genetic analysis.

Clinical investigation revealed dysarthria, dysphagia, and muscle weakness following pneumonia at age 3 years. There was clinical regression leading to severe loss of ambulation, speech, swallowing, hearing, and vision. The clinical course stabilized after 2.5 years and improved over time. The MRI pattern in the patient demonstrated cavitating leukoencephalopathy, and muscle mitochondrial investigations showed COX deficiency with loss of complex IV subunits and ultrastructural abnormalities. Genetic analysis revealed a novel homozygous mutation in the APOPT1/COA8 gene, c.310T>C; p.(Gln104*).

We describe a novel nonsense mutation in APOPT1/COA8 and provide additional experimental evidence for a COX assembly defect in human muscle causing the complex IV deficiency. The long-term outcome of the disease seems in general to be favorable, and the characteristic MRI pattern with cavitating leukoencephalopathy in combination with COX deficiency should prompt for testing of the APOPT1/COA8 gene.