BHLHE22 monoallelic and biallelic variants cause a neurodevelopmental disorder with agenesis of the corpus callosum, intellectual disability, abnormal muscle tone and movement abnormalities.
TL;DR
The data establish BHLHE22 as a previously unrecognized neurodevelopmental disease gene that results in a distinct syndrome characterised by abnormalities in brain development, cognition, tone and movement.
Abstract
Background
BHLHE22 encodes a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor expressed exclusively in the retina and central nervous system and functions as an important regulator of neuronal differentiation. However, BHLHE22 has not yet been associated with a Mendelian neurodevelopmental or neurological disorder.
Methods
15 individuals from 13 unrelated families carrying BHLHE22 variants identified by exome sequencing were collected through an international collaboration.
Results
De novo missense variants located in the highly conserved helix-loop-helix domain of the protein were found in six individuals, and one recurrent homozygous frameshift variant, NP_689627.1:p.Gly74AlafsTer18, was found in nine individuals. Frequent clinical features include absent or limited speech (10/13), delayed or impaired motor abilities (11/13), intellectual disability (ID; 9/12), partial or complete agenesis of the corpus callosum (12/15), involuntary movements and/or stereotypies (11/13) and abnormal muscle tone (13/13), depending on data availability. Two individuals developed spastic paraplegia, without ID or callosal anomalies. One individual had moderate developmental delay and ID but without callosal anomalies.
Conclusion
Collectively, our data establish BHLHE22 as a previously unrecognized neurodevelopmental disease gene. Disruption of BHLHE22, through either dominant or recessive variants, results in a distinct syndrome characterised by abnormalities in brain development, cognition, tone and movement.