De novo missense mutation in pure hereditary spastic paraplegia.

Alterations in proteins that regulate endoplasmic reticulum morphology are common causes of hereditary spastic paraplegia (SPG1-78, plus others). Mutations in the gene that encodes an endoplasmic reticulum-shaping protein are well-known causes of SPG31, a common autosomal dominant spastic paraplegia. A closely-related gene, is mutated in SPG72, with both autosomal and recessive inheritances. Here, we report a patient with a pure hereditary spastic paraplegia due to a de novo missense mutation (c.119T > G, p.Met40Arg) in at a highly-conserved residue very close to another known pathogenic missense change. This represents only the second autosomal dominant SPG72 missense mutation reported.