title: Compound heterozygous PNPLA6 mutations cause Boucher-Neuhäuser syndrome with late-onset ataxia.
abstract: PNPLA6 mutations, known to be associated with the development of motor neuron phenotypes, have recently been identified in families with Boucher-Neuhäuser syndrome. Boucher-Neuhäuser is a rare autosomal recessive syndrome characterized by the co-occurrence of cerebellar ataxia, hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, and chorioretinal dystrophy. Gait ataxia in Boucher-Neuhäuser usually manifests before early adulthood, although onset in the third or fourth decade has also been reported. However, given the recent identification of PNPLA6 mutations as the cause of this condition, the determining factors of age of symptom onset still need to be established. Here, we have identified a sporadic Boucher-Neuhäuser case with late-onset gait ataxia and relatively milder retinal changes due to compound heterozygous PNPLA6 mutations. Compound heterozygosity was confirmed by cloning and sequencing the patient's genomic DNA from coding exons 26-29. Furthermore, both mutations (one novel and one known) fell in the phospholipase esterase domain, where most pathogenic mutations seem to cluster. Taken together, we herein confirm PNPLA6 mutations as the leading cause of Boucher-Neuhäuser syndrome and suggest inquiring about a history of hypogonadism or visual changes in patients presenting with late-onset gait ataxia. We also advocate for neuroophthalmologic evaluation in suspected cases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center, University of Pennsylvania, 330 S. 9th Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Deik
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Johannes
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Rucker
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Brodie
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Deegan
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Landy
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kajiwara
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Scelsa
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Saunders-Pullman
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Paisán-Ruiz
mesh_terms: D017668:Age of Onset; D001259:Ataxia / Q000235:genetics*; D005091:Exons; D005260:Female; D006579:Heterozygote; D006801:Humans; D007006:Hypogonadism / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009154:Mutation; D010740:Phospholipases / Q000235:genetics*; D012162:Retinal Degeneration / Q000235:genetics; D058499:Retinal Dystrophies / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D020754:Spinocerebellar Ataxias / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D000217:Acyltransferases
chemical_list: D010740:Phospholipases; C586915:PNPLA6 protein, human; D000217:Acyltransferases