Lee Byeonghyeon, Cho Seong Tae, Kim Ryul, Chung Ki Wha, Kwon Tae-Jun, Kim Un-Kyung, Kim Ye-Ri, Choi Byung-Ok, Park Jin-Sung
New Drug Development Center, Daegu-Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation Foundation (K-MEDI hub), Daegu, Republic of Korea.
Department of Biology, College of Natural Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
J Neuromuscul Dis. 2025 Jul 15:22143602251352989. doi: 10.1177/22143602251352989.
Background () mutations are associated with diverse neurological disorders, including distal hereditary motor neuropathy, Perry syndrome, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This study focused on a family with symptoms resembling spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy, showing severe vocal cord paralysis, to understand -related neurological disorders in Koreans.MethodClinical examinations revealed variable phenotypes, such as proximal limb weakness, chronic hypercapnia, and gynecomastia, alongside vocal cord paralysis. Whole-exome sequencing identified a missense mutation, c.1175G > A, in . Three more Korean families with the same mutation were analyzed to explore a potential founder effect. Microsatellite analysis indicated a shared haplotype, suggesting a common genetic origin.ResultThis study identified a missense mutation, c.1175G > A, in in the initial family with features resembling spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy. The mutation was also present in three other Korean families, indicating a potential founder effect. Microsatellite analysis confirmed a shared haplotype among these families. Meanwhile, the patients also manifested additional clinical features such as peripheral neuropathy and gynecomastia.ConclusionThis study highlights clinical heterogeneity in Korean patients with -associated neurological disorders and identifies a potential founder mutation, c.1175G > A, expanding the clinical spectrum of mutations with clinical features of spinal bulbar muscular atrophy. Understanding such genetic and clinical diversity is crucial for accurate diagnoses and management, with implications for future research and therapeutic strategies.