Case report of a novel PCDH19 frameshift mutation in a girl with epilepsy and mental retardation limited to females.

RATIONALE

Epilepsy with mental retardation limited to females (EFMR) is a rare type of X-linked epilepsy disorder, affecting heterozygous females disproportionately. The pathogenesis of EFMR has been identified as mutations in the protocadherin 19 (PCDH19) gene. To data, more than 60 different mutations in PCDH19 have been identified. Most of them are located at exon 1, but we describe a novel deletion mutation c.2468delT at exon 3 of PCDH19.

PATIENT CONCERNS

The patient was an 11-year-old girl with onset of seizures at the age of 18 months and followed by progressive intellectual disability (ID) later.

DIAGNOSIS

The girl was diagnosed as EFMR when a novel deletion mutation c.2468delT at exon 3 of PCDH19 was found. The deletion mutation c.2468delT was predicted to have caused a frameshift mutation of amino acid at position 823 (p.L823fs). There was no family history of seizures or ID. Her father was asymptomatic, but the mutation screening shows that he had a hemizygous mutation c.2468delT at the same site of PCDH19. The secondary structure of PCDH19 (wide type) showed that the sequences undergoing frameshift mutations were located in the cytoplasm and contain 9 phosphorylation sites. The p.L823fs mutation caused a totally different amino sequence after position of 823, thereby resulting in the disappearance of phosphorylation sites. The frameshift mutation of amino acid at position 823 might affect its binding capability with GABAA receptor and results in migration and morphological maturation of hippocampal neurons.

INTERVENTIONS

The patient has received antiepileptic treatments, including sodium valproate, carbamazepine, levetiracetam, topiramate and clonazepam et al. OUTCOMES:: The antiepileptic treatment effects were limited.

LESSONS

This case report describes a novel PCDH19 gene mutation (c.2468delT) at exon 3 in a girl suffering from EFMR. The deletion mutation was predicted to cause a frameshift mutation-p.L823fs, which is highly conserved across different species.