Late-onset Ornithine Transcarbamylase Deficiency Research Articles

A preliminary retrospective evaluation of screening and diagnosis of ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency in high-risk patients at a referral center in Vietnam

IntroductionTo date, newborn screening (NBS) for proximal urea cycle disorders, including Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency (OTCD), was not recommended due to the lack of appropriate tests and insufficient evidence of the benefits. This study aimed to investigate the potential of tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) for OTCD screening and its value in guiding further investigation to obtain a final diagnosis in high-risk patients. MethodsThe study included patients with OTCD referred to the National Children's Hospital between April 2020 and November 2023. A retrospective evaluation of amino acid concentrations measured by MS/MS and their ratios in patients with early-onset and late-onset OTCD was conducted. ResultsWhile all ten early-onset cases had glutamine concentrations above the upper limit, only five of them had citrulline concentrations below the lower limit of the reference interval. Only two late-onset cases had elevated glutamine levels, while all had citrulline within reference intervals. The Cit/Phe ratio was decreased, and the Gln/Cit and Met/Cit ratios were increased in all early-onset OTCD cases, while they were abnormal in only one late-onset case. ConclusionsThe preliminary results suggest that hyperglutaminemia, in combination with low or normal citrulline concentrations and specific ratios (Gln/Cit, Met/Cit, and Cit/Phe), can serve as reliable markers for screening early-onset OTCD in high-risk patients. However, these markers proved less sensitive for detecting the late-onset form, even in symptomatic patients.

Design of a Phase 3 study of AAV-mediated gene transfer of ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) in patients with late-onset OTC deficiency

Design of a Phase 3 study of AAV-mediated gene transfer of ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) in patients with late-onset OTC deficiency

Long-term safety and efficacy of DTX301 in adults with late-onset ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency: A Phase 1/2 trial

Long-term safety and efficacy of DTX301 in adults with late-onset ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency: A Phase 1/2 trial

Father-to-daughter transmission in late-onset OTC deficiency: an underestimated mechanism of inheritance of an X-linked disease.

Ornithine Transcarbamylase Deficiency (OTCD) is an X-linked urea cycle disorder characterized by acute hyperammonemic episodes. Hemizygous males are usually affected by a severe/fatal neonatal-onset form or, less frequently, by a late-onset form with milder disease course, depending on the residual enzymatic activity. Hyperammonemia can occur any time during life and patients could remain non- or mis-diagnosed due to unspecific symptoms. In heterozygous females, clinical presentation varies based on the extent of X chromosome inactivation. Maternal transmission in X-linked disease is the rule, but in late-onset OTCD, due to the milder phenotype of affected males, paternal transmission to the females is possible. So far, father-to-daughter transmission of OTCD has been reported only in 4 Japanese families. We identified in 2 Caucasian families, paternal transmission of late-onset OTCD with severe/fatal outcome in affected males and 1 heterozygous female. Furthermore, we have reassessed the pedigrees of other published reports in 7 additional families with evidence of father-to-daughter inheritance of OTCD, identifying and listing the family members for which this transmission occurred. Our study highlights how the diagnosis and pedigree analysis of late-onset OTCD may represent a real challenge for clinicians. Therefore, the occurrence of paternal transmission in OTCD should not be underestimated, due to the relevant implications for disease inheritance and risk of recurrence.

Diagnostic and Management Issues in Patients with Late-Onset Ornithine Transcarbamylase Deficiency.

Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency (OTCD) is the most common inherited disorder of the urea cycle and, in general, is transmitted as an X-linked recessive trait. Defects in the OTC gene cause an impairment in ureagenesis, resulting in hyperammonemia, which is a direct cause of brain damage and death. Patients with late-onset OTCD can develop symptoms from infancy to later childhood, adolescence or adulthood. Clinical manifestations of adults with OTCD vary in acuity. Clinical symptoms can be aggravated by metabolic stressors or the presence of a catabolic state, or due to increased demands upon the urea. A prompt diagnosis and relevant biochemical and genetic investigations allow the rapid introduction of the right treatment and prevent long-term complications and mortality. This narrative review outlines challenges in diagnosing and managing patients with late-onset OTCD.

A case with late-onset Ornithine Transcarbamylase Deficiency as a possible cause of osteoporosis

Searchable abstracts of presentations at key conferences in endocrinology ISSN 1470-3947 (print) | ISSN 1479-6848 (online)

Benefits of tailored disease management in improving tremor, white matter hyperintensities, and liver enzymes in a child with heterozygous X-linked ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency

We report the case of a 19-month-old girl with late-onset ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency initially referred to gastroenterology for intermittent vomiting lasting a year and abnormal liver enzymes (AST 730 U/L [reference range 26–55 U/L]; ALT 1213 U/L [reference range 11–30 U/L]) without hepatomegaly. While the patient was hospitalized for liver biopsy, intermittent tremors of the upper extremities with varying severity were noted. The patient was presumed to have hyperammonemia secondary to acute liver failure and was discharged after 5 days; follow-up monitoring led to readmission 7 days later. A brain MRI showed nonspecific bilateral pericallosal and bifrontal white matter FLAIR hyperintensities. These findings raised suspicion for a metabolic disease and prompted a genetics consultation. After inconclusive biochemical testing and worsening clinical status, rapid whole genome sequencing results were obtained identifying a novel, de novo, likely pathogenic, variant c.608C > T (p.Ser203Phe) in the OTC gene. The patient was promptly started on an oral nitrogen scavenger, citrulline supplementation, and protein restriction. Ammonia and glutamine levels normalized within 1 month of treatment and have stayed within the goal ranges with continued tailoring of treatment. Her parents noted resolution of vomiting and improved mood stability. Liver enzymes normalized after 2 months of treatment. The tremor, identified as asterixis, improved and a repeat brain MRI 3 months after the initial imaging showed near-complete resolution of previous white matter hyperintensities.

Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency: A diagnostic odyssey

Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency: A diagnostic odyssey

A promoter variant in the OTC gene associated with late and variable age of onset hyperammonemia.

Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency (OTCD) is an X-linked inborn error caused by loss of function variants in the OTC gene typically associated with severe neonatal hyperammonemia. Rare examples of late-onset OTCD have also been described. Here, we describe an OTC promoter variant, c.-106C>A, in a conserved HNF4a binding site, identified in two male siblings in Family 1 whose first and only recognized episodes of severe hyperammonemia occurred at ages 14 and 39 years, respectively. We identified the same OTC variant segregating in a large family with late-onset OTCD with variable expressivity (Family 2). We show that this OTC promoter variant reduces expression >5-fold in a dual-luciferase assay that tests promoter function. Addition of an upstream OTC enhancer increases expression of both the wild type and the c.-106C>A variant promoter constructs >5-fold with the mutant promoter still about fourfold lower than the wild type. Thus, in both contexts, the promoter variant results in substantially lower OTC expression. Under normal demand on urea cycle function, OTC expression in hemizygous males, although reduced, is sufficient to meet the demand for waste nitrogen excretion. However, in response to severe metabolic stress with attendant increased requirements on urea cycle function, the impaired promoter function results in inadequate OTC expression with resultant hyperammonemia. In the absence of precipitating events, hemizygotes with this allele are asymptomatic, explaining the late age of onset of hyperammonemia in affected individuals and the incomplete penetrance observed in some individuals in Family 2.

Long‐term outcome of urea cycle disorders: Report from a nationwide study in Japan

Urea cycle disorders (UCDs) are inherited metabolic disorders with impaired nitrogen detoxification caused by defects in urea cycle enzymes. They often manifest with hyperammonemic attacks resulting in significant morbidity or death. We performed a nationwide questionnaire-based study between January 2000 and March 2018 to document all UCDs in Japan, including diagnoses, treatments, and outcomes. A total of 229 patients with UCDs were enrolled in this study: 73 males and 53 females with ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency (OTCD), 33 patients with carbamoylphosphate synthetase 1 deficiency, 48 with argininosuccinate synthetase deficiency, 14 with argininosuccinate lyase deficiency, and 8 with arginase deficiency. Survival rates at 20 years of age of male and female patients with late-onset OTCD were 100% and 97.7%, respectively. Blood ammonia levels and time of onset had a significant impact on the neurodevelopmental outcome (P < .001 and P = .028, respectively). Hemodialysis and liver transplantation did not prevent poor neurodevelopmental outcomes. While treatment including medication, hemodialysis, and liver transplantation may aid in decreasing blood ammonia and/or preventing severe hyperammonemia, a blood ammonia level ≥ 360 μmol/L was found to be a significant indicator for a poor neurodevelopmental outcome. In conclusion, although current therapy for UCDs has advanced and helped saving lives, patients with blood ammonia levels ≥ 360 μmol/L at onset often have impaired neurodevelopmental outcomes. Novel neuroprotective measures should therefore be developed to achieve better neurodevelopmental outcomes in these patients.

Whole exome sequencing make a definitive diagnosis of a Vietnamese patient with a late onset urea cycle disorder

Our report describes a female presenting with vomiting, fever, coma and right hemiplegia at 26 months of age. Biochemical tests revealed hyperammonemia, hyperlactatemia, elevated glutamine level, elevated transaminase and disorder of prothrombin time. She was priory diagnosed with urea cycle disorders (UCDs). UCDs are caused by mutations in eight genes that regulate the synthesis of enzymes and cofactors involved in urea metabolism. Singleton whole exome sequencing was applied to screen causative variants in these genes in the patient at 6 years of age. The result showed one heterozygous stop loss mutation c.1065A&gt;G in the OTC gene as a potential disease causing in the patient. The mutation c.1065A&gt;G leads to alternation of stop codon to tryptophan, resulting in elongation of fourteen amino acids in ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) protein (p.Ter355TrpextTer14). Sanger sequencing in the family revealed the mutation c.1065A&gt;G was not present in healthy parents and brother. Therefore, this mutation is considered as a de novo mutation in the patient. The mutation c.1065A&gt;G was conferred to pathogenic according to the standards and guidelines of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics and the Association for Molecular Pathology with 1 strong (PS2), 3 moderate (PM2, PM4 and PM5) and 1 support criteria (PP2). Although OTC deficiency is an X-linked recessive inheritance, approximately 15% of females carrying heterozygous variants showed the late onset OTC deficiency. Therefore, in combination of clinical presentations, laboratory findings and molecular genetic analyses, we made a definitive diagnosis of the patient with late onset OTC deficiency, a disorder of UCDs.

Retrospective evaluations revealed pre-symptomatic citrulline concentrations measured by newborn screening were significantly low in late-onset ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency patients

IntroductionOrnithine transcarbamylase deficiency (OTCD) is the most common urea cycle disorder. Late-onset OTCD manifests after the neonatal period; therefore, if pre-symptomatic diagnosis and treatment are performed, it can improve the prognosis by preventing hyperammonemia. However, pre-symptomatic diagnosis is unreliable as the specific screening marker of OTCD has not been established yet. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the pre-symptomatic blood citrulline levels in patients with late-onset OTCD. MethodsPatients with late-onset OTCD who were born after the newborn screening based on tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS-NBS) was started and were referred to Hyogo College of Medicine Hospital between 2014 and 2018 were included. Pre-symptomatic blood citrulline levels measured by MS/MS-NBS were retrospectively evaluated. ResultsFour patients were included in this study. The pre-symptomatic blood citrulline levels were 2.02, 4.50, 4.97, and 3.75 µmol/l, respectively. Compared with the citrulline levels in all newborns in Hyogo prefecture, these values were significantly low. ConclusionsThese results suggest the possibility that hypocitrullinemia detected by the MS/MS-NBS can be used as a screening marker for some patients with late-onset OTCD. Further retrospective evaluation of pre-symptomatic citrulline levels in patients with late-onset OTCD, as well as prospective monitoring of hypocitrullinemia on the MS/MS-NBS should be conducted.

A mutation-independent CRISPR-Cas9-mediated gene targeting approach to treat a murine model of ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency.

Ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency is an X-linked urea cycle disorder associated with high mortality. Although a promising treatment for late-onset OTC deficiency, adeno-associated virus (AAV) neonatal gene therapy would only provide short-term therapeutic effects as the non-integrated genome gets lost during hepatocyte proliferation. CRISPR-Cas9-mediated homology-directed repair can correct a G-to-A mutation in 10% of OTC alleles in the livers of newborn OTC spfash mice. However, an editing vector able to correct one mutation would not be applicable for patients carrying different OTC mutations, plus expression would not be fast enough to treat a hyperammonemia crisis. Here, we describe a dual-AAV vector system that accomplishes rapid short-term expression from a non-integrated minigene and long-term expression from the site-specific integration of this minigene without any selective growth advantage for OTC-positive cells in newborns. This CRISPR-Cas9 gene-targeting approach may be applicable to all patients with OTC deficiency, irrespective of mutation and/or clinical state.

Undiagnosed Late-onset Ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) Deficiency Presenting With Psychiatric Symptoms (P4.6-067)

Undiagnosed Late-onset Ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) Deficiency Presenting With Psychiatric Symptoms (P4.6-067)

Variable X-chromosome inactivation and enlargement of pericentral glutamine synthetase zones in the liver of heterozygous females with OTC deficiency.

Ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency is an X-linked disorder that causes recurrent and life-threatening episodes of hyperammonemia. The clinical picture in heterozygous females is highly diverse and derives from the genotype and the degree of inactivation of the mutated X chromosome in hepatocytes. Here, we describe molecular genetic, biochemical, and histopathological findings in the livers explanted from two female patients with late-onset OTC deficiency. Analysis of X-inactivation ratios by DNA methylation-based assays showed remarkable intra-organ variation ranging from 46:54 to 82:18 (average 70:30, n = 37), in favor of the active X chromosome carrying the mutation c.583G>C (p.G195R), in the first patient and from 75:25 to 90:10 (average 82:18, n = 20) in favor of the active X chromosome carrying the splicing mutation c.663+1G>A in the second patient. The X-inactivation ratios in liver samples correlated highly with the proportions of OTC-positive hepatocytes calculated from high-resolution image analyses of the immunohistochemically detected OTC in frozen sections that was performed on total area > 5cm2. X-inactivation ratios in blood in both female patients corresponded to the lower limit of the liver values. Our data indicate that the proportion of about 20-30% of hepatocytes expressing the functional OTC protein is not sufficient to maintain metabolic stability. X-inactivation ratios assessed in liver biopsies taken from heterozygous females with X-linked disorders should not be considered representative of the whole liver.

Late-onset ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency associated with hyperammonemia

The urea cycle converts ammonia and produces urea. One form of urea cycle abnormality is ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency. This hereditary disorder is associated with hyperammonemia. OTC deficiency commonly appears during neonatal and early childhood life and is rare in adults. We report a 69-year-old man who presented at the local hospital with 3-day loss of appetite, early morning vomiting, and state of confusion. Blood ammonia was 293μg/dl. At 2-3h after admission, the patient went into a deep coma. He was intubated and admitted immediately to the intensive care unit. Treatment, including sustained hemodialysis, failed to lower blood ammonia level. His grandchild died of OTC deficiency at 6year of age. Computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and esophagogastroduodenoscopy showed no abnormalities. On admission to our hospital, he complained of vomiting and disturbance of consciousness, hyperammonemia, and normal anion gap. Genetic analysis showed A208T mutation. The deceased grandchild with OTC deficiency also had the same mutation. Long-term hemodialysis coupled with administration of L-arginine and lactulose resulted in improvement of blood ammonia level. Early diagnosis and treatment of adult-onset OTC deficiency are essential to avoid serious complications.

Improving long term outcomes in urea cycle disorders-report from the Urea Cycle Disorders Consortium.

The Urea Cycle Disorders Consortium (UCDC) has conducted, beginning in 2006, a longitudinal study (LS) of eight enzyme deficiencies/transporter defects associated with the urea cycle. These include N-acetylglutamate synthase deficiency (NAGSD); Carbamyl phosphate synthetase 1 deficiency (CPS1D); Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency (OTCD); Argininosuccinate synthetase deficiency (ASSD) (Citrullinemia); Argininosuccinate lyase deficiency (ASLD) (Argininosuccinic aciduria); Arginase deficiency (ARGD, Argininemia); Hyperornithinemia, hyperammonemia, homocitrullinuria (HHH) syndrome (or mitochondrial ornithine transporter 1 deficiency [ORNT1D]); and Citrullinemia type II (mitochondrial aspartate/glutamate carrier deficiency [CITRIN]). There were 678 UCD patients enrolled in 14 sites in the U.S., Canada, and Europe at the writing of this paper. This review summarizes findings of the consortium related to outcome, focusing primarily on neuroimaging findings and neurocognitive function. Neuroimaging studies in late onset OTCD offered evidence that brain injury caused by biochemical dysregulation may impact functional neuroanatomy serving working memory processes, an important component of executive function and regulation. Additionally, there were alteration in white mater microstructure and functional connectivity at rest. Intellectual deficits in OTCD and other urea cycle disorders (UCD) vary. However, when neuropsychological deficits occur, they tend to be more prominent in motor/performance areas on both intelligence tests and other measures. In some disorders, adults performed significantly less well than younger patients. Further longitudinal follow-up will reveal whether this is due to declines throughout life or to improvements in diagnostics (especially newborn screening) and treatments in the younger generation of patients.

Hyperammonemia: What Urea-lly Need to Know: Case Report of Severe Noncirrhotic Hyperammonemic Encephalopathy and Review of the Literature.

Purpose. A 66-year-old man who presented with coma was found to have isolated severe hyperammonemia and diagnosed with a late-onset urea-cycle disorder. He was treated successfully and had full recovery. Methods. We report a novel case of noncirrhotic hyperammonemia and review the literature on this topic. Selected literature for review included English-language articles concerning hyperammonemia using the search terms “hyperammonemic encephalopathy”, “non-cirrhotic encephalopathy”, “hepatic encephalopathy”, “urea-cycle disorders”, “ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency”, and “fulminant hepatic failure”. Results. A unique case of isolated hyperammonemia diagnosed as late-onset OTC deficiency is presented. Existing evidence about hyperammonemia is organized to address pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment. The case report is discussed in context of the reviewed literature. Conclusion. Late-onset OTC deficiency presenting with severe hyperammonemic encephalopathy and extensive imaging correlate can be fully reversible if recognized promptly and treated aggressively.

The phenotypic spectrum of organic acidurias and urea cycle disorders. Part 2: the evolving clinical phenotype.

The disease course and long-term outcome of patients with organic acidurias (OAD) and urea cycle disorders (UCD) are incompletely understood. To evaluate the complex clinical phenotype of OAD and UCD patients at different ages. Acquired microcephaly and movement disorders were common in OAD and UCD highlighting that the brain is the major organ involved in these diseases. Cardiomyopathy [methylmalonic (MMA) and propionic aciduria (PA)], prolonged QTc interval (PA), optic nerve atrophy [MMA, isovaleric aciduria (IVA)], pancytopenia (PA), and macrocephaly [glutaric aciduria type 1 (GA1)] were exclusively found in OAD patients, whereas hepatic involvement was more frequent in UCD patients, in particular in argininosuccinate lyase (ASL) deficiency. Chronic renal failure was often found in MMA, with highest frequency in mut(0) patients. Unexpectedly, chronic renal failure was also observed in adolescent and adult patients with GA1 and ASL deficiency. It had a similar frequency in patients with or without a movement disorder suggesting different pathophysiology. Thirteen patients (classic OAD: 3, UCD: 10) died during the study interval, ten of them during the initial metabolic crisis in the newborn period. Male patients with late-onset ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency were presumably overrepresented in the study population. Neurologic impairment is common in OAD and UCD, whereas the involvement of other organs (heart, liver, kidneys, eyes) follows a disease-specific pattern. The identification of unexpected chronic renal failure in GA1 and ASL deficiency emphasizes the importance of a systematic follow-up in patients with rare diseases.

Late onset ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency in a 61 year old male

Ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency is the most frequent innate urea cycle disorder (UCD) and is the only one with an X-linked inheritance. OTC deficiency leads to hyperammonemia and subsequent elevated cerebral pressure and brain damage. Most often, UCDs are described as acute onset hyperammonemia in the newborn; however, rare, it can present in adulthood. We present the case of a 61-year old Caucasian man with unexplained coma. He developed an acute hyperammonemic encephalopathy leading to mental problems, seizures and coma. Despite the classical treatment with hemodialysis and the administration of a combination of sodium phenylacetate and sodium benzoate, the patient unfortunately died of cerebral herniation. Postmortem, genetic analysis confirmed the presence of a c.662G > A (p.Ala208Thr) pathogenic mutation in the OTC gene in a hemizygous state. Synopsis: The association of neuropsychiatric symptoms or encephalopathy of unknown origin should lead, even in the absence of liver disease and even in late adulthood, to a high level of suspicion of hyperammonemia secondary to UCDs to ensure a timely diagnosis and life-saving treatment. UCD, an inborn error of metabolism, can present itself at an advanced age; attenuated phenotypes probably remain under-ascertained.