Diagnosing Childhood-onset Inborn Errors of Metabolism by Next Generation Sequencing

BACKGROUND : Inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs) underlie a substantial proportion of paediatric disease burden but their genetic diagnosis can be challenging using the traditional approaches. METHODS : We designed and validated a Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) panel of 226 IEM genes, created six overlapping phenotype-based sub-panels and tested 102 individuals, who presented clinically with suspected childhood-onset IEMs. RESULTS : In 51/102 individuals, NGS fully or partially established the molecular cause or identified other actionable diagnoses. Causal mutations were identified significantly more frequently when the biochemical phenotype suggested a specific IEM or a group of IEMs (p<0·0001), demonstrating the pivotal role of prior biochemical testing in guiding NGS analysis. The NGS panel helped to avoid further invasive, hazardous, lengthy or expensive investigations in 69% individuals (p<0·0001). Additional functional testing due to novel or unexpected findings had to be undertaken in only 3% of subjects, demonstrating that use of NGS does not significantly increase the burden of subsequent follow-up testing. Even where a molecular diagnosis could not be achieved, NGS-based approach assisted in the management and counselling by reducing the likelihood of a high-penetrant genetic cause. CONCLUSIONS : NGS has significant clinical utility for the diagnosis of IEMs. Biochemical testing and NGS analysis play complementary roles in the diagnosis of IEMs. Incorporating NGS into the diagnostic algorithm of IEMs can improve the accuracy of diagnosis.The Manchester Biomedical Research Centre, the British Inherited Metabolic Disease Group 2015 Studentship scheme and the Central Manchester NHS Foundation Trust Newly Appointed Consultants Leadership Programme 2014.http://adc.bmj.comhb2017Paediatrics and Child Healt

Further delineation of the KAT6B molecular and phenotypic spectrum.

KAT6B sequence variants have been identified previously in both patients with the Say-Barber-Biesecker type of blepharophimosis mental retardation syndromes (SBBS) and in the more severe genitopatellar syndrome (GPS). We report on the findings in a previously unreported group of 57 individuals with suggestive features of SBBS or GPS. Likely causative variants have been identified in 34/57 patients and were commonly located in the terminal exons of KAT6B. Of those where parental samples could be tested, all occurred de novo. Thirty out of thirty-four had truncating variants, one had a missense variant and the remaining three had the same synonymous change predicted to affect splicing. Variants in GPS tended to occur more proximally to those in SBBS patients, and genotype/phenotype analysis demonstrated significant clinical overlap between SBBS and GPS. The de novo synonymous change seen in three patients with features of SBBS occurred more proximally in exon 16. Statistical analysis of clinical features demonstrated that KAT6B variant-positive patients were more likely to display hypotonia, feeding difficulties, long thumbs/great toes and dental, thyroid and patella abnormalities than KAT6B variant-negative patients. The few reported patients with KAT6B haploinsufficiency had a much milder phenotype, though with some features overlapping those of SBBS. We report the findings in a previously unreported patient with a deletion of the KAT6B gene to further delineate the haploinsufficiency phenotype. The molecular mechanisms giving rise to the SBBS and GPS phenotypes are discussed