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Updated: May 29, 2025

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Published on: August 24, 2013
Chimeric CYP21A1P/CYP21A2 Genes in 21-Hydroxylase Deficiency Detected by Long-Read Sequencing and Phenotypes
Xiaoxia Zhang1, Yinjie Gao1, Lin Lu1
1Department of Endocrinology, National Health Commission (NHC) Key Laboratory of Endocrinology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100730, China.
Context:
21-Hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD) is caused by pathogenic variants in CYP21A2. High homology between CYP21A2 and its pseudogene CYP21A1P causes mismatches, leading to deletions and CYP21A1P/CYP21A2 chimeras.
Objective:
To detect chimeric CYP21A1P/CYP21A2 in 21-OHD patients using long-read sequencing (LRS) and analyze genotype-phenotype correlations.
Methods:
From 2015 to 2023, 869 21-OHD patients were enrolled at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, with 113 identified harboring CYP21A2 large deletion. Long-range PCR and LRS were used to identify the types of CYP21A1P/CYP21A2 chimeric. Haplotype analysis explored founder effects, and in vitro assays assessed the functional impact of novel mutations. Clinical data were retrospectively collected and patients were classified into 4 groups based on genotypes and residual enzyme activity to study genotype-phenotype correlations.
Results:
Ten types of chimeric CYP21A1P/CYP21A2 genes were identified across 119 alleles, including a novel type, CH-10. The most common, CH-1, accounted for 50.4% of all types. Haplotype analysis of 24 SNPs within CYP21A1P/CYP21A2 CH-1 revealed 25 haplotypes, with haplotype 11 being the most prevalent. Variants p.L100P and p.L301V of CYP21A2 showed enzyme activities of 1.36 ± 0.44% or 1.63 ± 0.19% for 17-hydroxyprogesterone to 11-deoxycortisol, and 1.36 ± 0.58% or 3.99 ± 1.09% for progesterone to 11-deoxycorticosterone, respectively, linked to the simple virilizing type. Genotype-phenotype consistency rates were 78.6% to 84% across the 4 groups.
Conclusion:
LRS is a comprehensive genetic testing method for 21-OHD patients, effectively detecting both CYP21A2 gene variants and CYP21A1P/CYP21A2 chimeric gene types. This study expands the CYP21A2 variant spectrum by identifying a novel chimera. Haplotype analysis revealed diverse haplotypes for each chimeric gene type, suggesting the absence of a common founder effect. The strong genotype-phenotype correlation aids genetic counseling and supports personalized treatment.
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