Analysis of ARX gene variant in a child with X-linked lissencephaly with abnormal genitalia

Abstract

To explore the clinical characteristics and genetic basis for a child with X-linked lissencephaly with abnormal genitalia (XLAG). A child with XLAG who had presented at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University in May 2021 was selected as the study subject. Peripheral blood samples of the child and his parents were collected and subjected to high-throughput sequencing. Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), the result was analyzed by using bioinformatic software. The child was found to have harbored a hemizygous c.945_948del variant in exon 2 of the ARX gene, which as a frameshifting variant has resulted in a truncated protein. His mother was found to be heterozygous for the variant, whilst his father was of wild type. The variant was unreported previously. The hemizygous c.945_948del variant of the ARX gene probably underlay the XLAG in this patient. Above finding has provided a basis for the diagnosis and genetic counseling for this family.