Genetic etiology of a Chinese ataxia cohort: Expanding the mutational spectrum of hereditary ataxias

Abstract

Introduction: Hereditary ataxias demonstrate a high degree of clinical and genetic heterogeneity. Understanding the genetic etiology of hereditary ataxias is crucial for genetic counseling and clinical management.

Methods: The clinical and genetic data of patients with familial or sporadic ataxias who referred to our tertiary medical center were retrospectively analyzed. Probands in this study underwent SCA repeat expansion panel firstly to screen for repeat expansion SCAs; those with negative results had NGS-targeted panels or WES testing to detect conventional mutations.

Results: A total of 223 patients were enrolled from 206 families. 5 kinds of coexisting SCA repeat expansions were observed (SCA3/SCA17, SCA3/SCA8, SCA2/SCA8, SCA3/SCA12 and SCA8/SCA12) in 12 patients from 8 families, among which SCA2/SCA8, SCA8/SCA12 and SCA3/SCA12 were reported for the first time. The coexistence of expanded SCA3 with SCA17 alleles was the most common in our study. NGS identified pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants in 12 ataxia causative genes in 13 probands. Spastic paraplegia ataxia was the most common diagnosis. Six novel mutations were detected in five ataxia-related genes.

Conclusion: Coexistence may not specific to a certain SCA subtype and the frequency might have been underestimated before. SCA repeat expansion panel should be considered in patients with overlapping SCA features. In addition, our study broadened the conventional mutation spectrum in ataxia-related genes. These results facilitate a better understanding of the genetic basis for hereditary ataxias.

Keywords: Ataxia; Coexisting SCA repeat expansions; Genetic diagnosis; Next generation sequencing; SCA repeat expansion panel.