Background: The p.R4810K founder mutation in the RNF213 gene confers susceptibility to moyamoya disease (MMD) and non-MMD intracranial artery disease. However, penetrance is incomplete, and the underlying molecular mechanism remains unknown. Methods and Results: Transcriptome analysis of peripheral blood was conducted with 9 MMD patients and 5 unaffected mutation carriers from 4 familial MMD pedigrees. Bayesian network analysis identified upregulated gene modules associated with lipid metabolism and leukocyte development (including GATA2 and SLC45A3 ), and EGFR signaling ( UBTD1 ). It also identified downregulated gene modules related to mitochondrial ribosomal proteins ( RPS3A and RPL26 ), and cytotoxic T cell immunity ( GZMA and TRGC1 ). The GATA2 network was replicated through WGCNA analysis and further examined in a case-control study, comprising 43 MMD patients, 16 non-MMD patients, 19 unaffected carriers, and 35 healthy controls. GATA2 exhibited a significant linear correlation with SLC45A3 and was significantly higher in MMD patients compared to age- and sex-matched unaffected carriers or wild-type controls. Among patients with the p.R4810K mutation, higher GATA2 expression was associated with an earlier age of onset, bilateral involvement, and symptomatic disease onset. Conclusions: Peripheral blood GATA2 expression was associated with increased penetrance of the RNF213 mutation and more severe clinical manifestations in MMD.
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