Stuttering associated with a pathogenic variant in the chaperone protein cyclophilin 40.

Stuttering is a common speech disorder that interrupts speech fluency and tends to cluster in families. Typically, stuttering is characterized by speech sounds, words or syllables which may be repeated or prolonged and speech that may be further interrupted by hesitations or 'blocks'. Rare variants in a small number of genes encoding lysosomal pathway proteins have been linked to stuttering. We studied a large four-generation family in which persistent stuttering was inherited in an autosomal dominant manner with disruption of the cortico-basal-ganglia-thalamo-cortical network found on imaging. Exome sequencing of three affected family members revealed the PPID c.808C>T (p.Pro270Ser) variant that segregated with stuttering in the family. We generated a Ppid p.Pro270Ser knock-in mouse model and performed ex vivo imaging to assess for brain changes. Diffusion-weighted MRI in the mouse revealed significant microstructural changes in the left corticospinal tract, as previously implicated in stuttering. Quantitative susceptibility mapping also detected changes in cortico-striatal-thalamo-cortical loop tissue composition, consistent with findings in affected family members. This is the first report to implicate a chaperone protein in the pathogenesis of stuttering. The humanized Ppid murine model recapitulates network findings observed in affected family members.

Severe childhood speech disorder: Gene discovery highlights transcriptional dysregulation.

OBJECTIVE: Determining the genetic basis of speech disorders provides insight into the neurobiology of human communication. Despite intensive investigation over the past 2 decades, the etiology of most speech disorders in children remains unexplained. To test the hypothesis that speech disorders have a genetic etiology, we performed genetic analysis of children with severe speech disorder, specifically childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). METHODS: Precise phenotyping together with research genome or exome analysis were performed on children referred with a primary diagnosis of CAS. Gene coexpression and gene set enrichment analyses were conducted on high-confidence gene candidates. RESULTS: Thirty-four probands ascertained for CAS were studied. In 11/34 (32%) probands, we identified highly plausible pathogenic single nucleotide (n = 10; CDK13, EBF3, GNAO1, GNB1, DDX3X, MEIS2, POGZ, SETBP1, UPF2, ZNF142) or copy number (n = 1; 5q14.3q21.1 locus) variants in novel genes or loci for CAS. Testing of parental DNA was available for 9 probands and confirmed that the variants had arisen de novo. Eight genes encode proteins critical for regulation of gene transcription, and analyses of transcriptomic data found CAS-implicated genes were highly coexpressed in the developing human brain. CONCLUSION: We identify the likely genetic etiology in 11 patients with CAS and implicate 9 genes for the first time. We find that CAS is often a sporadic monogenic disorder, and highly genetically heterogeneous. Highly penetrant variants implicate shared pathways in broad transcriptional regulation, highlighting the key role of transcriptional regulation in normal speech development. CAS is a distinctive, socially debilitating clinical disorder, and understanding its molecular basis is the first step towards identifying precision medicine approaches.

Recessive variants in ZNF142 cause a complex neurodevelopmental disorder with intellectual disability, speech impairment, seizures, and dystonia.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to expand the genetic architecture of neurodevelopmental disorders, and to characterize the clinical features of a novel cohort of affected individuals with variants in ZNF142, a C2H2 domain-containing transcription factor. METHODS: Four independent research centers used exome sequencing to elucidate the genetic basis of neurodevelopmental phenotypes in four unrelated families. Following bioinformatic filtering, query of control data sets, and secondary variant confirmation, we aggregated findings using an online data sharing platform. We performed in-depth clinical phenotyping in all affected individuals. RESULTS: We identified seven affected females in four pedigrees with likely pathogenic variants in ZNF142 that segregate with recessive disease. Affected cases in three families harbor either nonsense or frameshifting likely pathogenic variants predicted to undergo nonsense mediated decay. One additional trio bears ultrarare missense variants in conserved regions of ZNF142 that are predicted to be damaging to protein function. We performed clinical comparisons across our cohort and noted consistent presence of intellectual disability and speech impairment, with variable manifestation of seizures, tremor, and dystonia. CONCLUSION: Our aggregate data support a role for ZNF142 in nervous system development and add to the emergent list of zinc finger proteins that contribute to neurocognitive disorders.

Is FGF13 a major contributor to genetic epilepsy with febrile seizures plus?

Mutation of fibroblast growth factor 13 (FGF13) has recently been implicated in genetic epilepsy with febrile seizures plus (GEFS+) in a single family segregating a balanced translocation with a breakpoint in this X chromosome gene, predicting a partial knockout involving 3 of 5 known FGF13 isoforms. Investigation of a mouse model of complete Fgf13 knock-out revealed increased susceptibility to hyperthermia-induced seizures and epilepsy. Here we investigated whether mutation of FGF13 would explain other cases of GEFS+ compatible with X-linked inheritance. We screened the coding and splice site regions of the FGF13 gene in a sample of 45 unrelated probands where GEFS+ segregated in an X-linked pattern. We subsequently identified a de novo FGF13 missense variant in an additional patient with febrile seizures and facial edema. Our data suggests FGF13 is not a common cause of GEFS+.