Novel and heteroplasmic mutations in mitochondrial tRNA genes in Brugada syndrome.

BACKGROUND

Brugada syndrome (BrS) is a rare cardiac arrhythmia characterized by sudden death associated with electrocardiogram patterns characterized by incomplete right bundle-branch block and ST-segment elevations in the anterior precordial leads. This syndrome predominantly is seen in younger males with structurally normal hearts. Mitochondrial variants particularly mt-tRNA mutations, are hot spots that lead to cardiological disorders. Previous studies have shown that mutations in mitochondrial tRNA genes play an important causal or modifying role in BrS. The present study aims to evaluate the involvement of mitochondrial tRNA genes in arrhythmogenic BrS.

METHODS

In this study, 40 Iranian patients were investigated for the presence of the mutations in 6 mitochondrial tRNA genes (tRNA Ile, Met, Gln, Asn, Ala and Trp) by PCR-SSCP analysis.

RESULTS

There were 4 mutations in tRNA genes, that for first time, were found in BrS patients and these mutations were not in controls. Three of them were heteroplasmic and located in tRNAGln (T4377A) and tRNAMet (G4407A and C4456T) which were assessed as pathogenic mutations. A homo-plasmic variant (5580T > C) in tRNATrp gene was located within the junction region between tRNATrp and tRNAAla genes. This mutation may disturb the processing of mt-tRNATrp.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study suggest that mutations in mitochondrial tRNA genes might lead to deficiencies in translational process of critical proteins of the respiratory chain and potentially lead to BrS in Iranian subjects. (Cardiol J 2018; 25, 1: 113-119).