Primary familial brain calcifications linked with a novel SLC20A2 gene mutation in a Chinese family

Abstract

It has been recently reported that mutations in SLC20A2 gene are a major cause of primary familial brain calcifications, a rare neurodegenerative disorder characterized by symmetrical and bilateral intracranial calcification. We conducted a pedigree study by performing next Generation Sequencing in a Chinese family with three generations. Three members in this family developed Parkinsonism in their sixth decade, also, the proband presented with schizophrenia for 40 years. Next Generation Sequencing identified a novel nonsense heterozygous substitution c.1158C > A (p.Thr 386*) of SLC20A2 gene, introducing a stop codon in exon 10. The mutation was present in symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals with intracranial calcification, but absent in the individual without calcification, suggesting the mutation segregates with brain calcification. mRNA expression was decreased by 35% in the proband. We are the first to demonstrate a novel c.1158C > A mutation of SLC20A2 gene in a Chinese family with primary familial brain calcifications.