Prenatal-Onset Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease: Clinical Spectrum and Genetic Complexity of a

Margarita Sharova1, Marina Shumikchina2, Larisa Prikhodina3

  • 1Research Centre for Medical Genetics, Moscow, Russia.

Prenatal Diagnosis
|November 29, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Rare prenatal Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) cases reveal novel PKD1 variants. Prenatal diagnosis doesn't always predict rapid progression, offering new prognostic insights for severe ADPKD.

Area of Science:

  • Genetics
  • Nephrology
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Renal cystic dysplasia involves primary cilia dysfunction.
  • Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) typically presents in adulthood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate rare prenatal-onset ADPKD cases.
  • Understand the genetic basis and clinical implications of early-onset ADPKD.
  • Identify novel genetic variants in prenatal ADPKD.

Main Methods:

  • Whole-genome sequencing in trios.
  • Long-read sequencing for haplotype resolution.
  • Variant interpretation using ACMG guidelines, focusing on hypomorphic alleles.

Main Results:

  • Identified three novel hypomorphic PKD1 variants.
  • Observed biallelic inheritance patterns in four families.
  • Prenatal ultrasound findings were severe, but neonatal dialysis was rare; no oligohydramnios or end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) at diagnosis in most cases.

Conclusions:

  • Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is crucial for diagnosing ADPKD, especially for hypomorphic variants.
  • Prenatal ADPKD detection does not necessarily predict rapid disease progression.
  • Findings provide prognostic insights and a framework for interpreting early-onset ADPKD, emphasizing the need for functional studies.
Abstract

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