Molecular and phenotypical findings of a novel de novo SYNGAP1 gene variant in an 11-year-old Iranian boy with intellectual disability

Abstract

Objective: Intellectual developmental disorder (IDD) type 5 is an autosomal dominant (AD) disorder and is characterized by intellectual disability (ID), psychomotor developmental delay, variable autism phenotypes, microcephaly, and seizure. IDD can be caused by mutations in the SYNGAP1 gene, which encodes a Ras GTPase-activating protein. This study revealed a novel de novo nonsense variant in SYNGAP1. The identification of such variants is essential for genetic counseling in patients and their families.

Methods: Exome sequencing implicated the causative variant. Sanger sequencing and cosegregation analyses were used to confirm the variant. Multiple in silico analysis tools were applied to interpret the variant using the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics and the Association for Molecular Pathology guidelines.

Results: The de novo NM_006772.3(SYNGAP1):c.3685C>T variant was identified in an 11-year-old boy with severe intellectual disability, neurodevelopmental delay, speech disorder, ataxia, specific dysmorphic facial features, and aggressive behavior.

Conclusion: The current study findings expand the existing knowledge of variants in SYNGAP1 that have been previously associated with nonsyndromic intellectual disability and autism, extending the spectrum of phenotypes associated with this gene. The data have implications for genetic diagnosis and counseling in similar phenotypic presentations.

Keywords: IDD; Iran; MRD; SYNGAP1; ataxia; de novo; developmental delay; intellectual disability.