Multisystem disorders, severe developmental delay and seizures in two affected siblings, expanding the phenotype of PIGC deficiency

Abstract

PIGC (OMIM 601730) encodes the PIGC protein, which is part of an enzyme complex involved in the biosynthesis of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol protein anchor. The other proteins in the complex include PIGA, PIGH, PIGQ, PIGY, PIGP and DPM2. Homozygous and compound heterozygous mutations in PIGC have recently been described to cause severe global developmental delay, intellectual disability, and seizures in two unrelated families, without indication of another system involvement or dysmorphism. Here we describe two siblings, born to second cousin parents, displaying severe psychomotor delay, seizures, organomegaly, cardiopulmonary anomalies, and similar facial dysmorphism. Exome sequencing in the boy revealed a homozygous variant in PIGC gene, c.12_13insTTGTGACTAACA leading to a premature stop codon p.(Gln4_Pro5insLeu*). His affected sister was also found to be homozygous, and their parents were found to be heterozygous. This is the first detailed clinical description of two related patients suggesting that PIGC deficiency can cause a severe recognisable phenotype including multisystem disorders, in association to previously reported severe developmental delay and seizures.