Case Report: Novel compound heterozygous variants in CHRNA1 gene leading to lethal multiple pterygium syndrome: A case report

Abstract

Background: Lethal multiple pterygium syndrome (LMPS) is a rare autosomal recessive inherited disorder typically characterized by intrauterine growth retardation, multiple pterygia, and flexion contractures. Case presentation: We herein report a Chinese case with a history of three adverse pregnancies demonstrating the same ultrasonic phenotypes, including increased nuchal translucency, edema, fetal neck cystoma, reduced movement, joint contractures, and other congenital features. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) revealed novel compound heterozygous variants in the CHRNA1 gene NM_000079.4: c.[1128delG (p.Pro377LeufsTer10)]; [505T>C (p.Trp169Arg)] in the recruited individual, and subsequent familial segregation showed that both parents transmitted their respective mutation. Conclusion: For the first time, we identified an association between the CHRNA1 gene and the recurrent lethal multiple pterygium syndrome (LMPS) in a Chinese family. This finding may also enrich the mutation spectrum of the CHRNA1 gene and promote the applications of WES technology in etiologic diagnosis of ultrasound anomalies in prenatal examination.

Keywords: CHRNA1; chromosomal microarray analysis; lethal multiple pterygium syndrome; stillbirth; whole-exome sequencing.