Bedja-Iacona Léa, Forget Arthur, Boisseau Chloé, Marouillat Sylviane, Chudinova Aleksandra, Veyrat-Durebex Charlotte, Guissart Claire, Lumbroso Serge, Raoul Cédric, Andres Christian R, Blasco Hélène, Couratier Philippe, Corcia Philippe, Verschueren Annie, Mouzat Kevin, Vourc'h Patrick
Université de Tours, INSERM, Imaging Brain & Neuropsychiatry iBraiN U1253, 37032 Tours, France.
INM, Univ Montpellier, INSERM, 34000 Montpellier, France.
Int J Mol Sci. 2025 Aug 1;26(15):7414. doi: 10.3390/ijms26157414.
Genetic testing in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) often reveals variants of uncertain significance (VUS), which are frequently omitted from diagnostic reports or reported with limited clinical interpretation. To address this gap, we developed a rapid functional assessment pipeline in collaboration with FILSLAN, the French ALS care network, combining in vitro and in vivo neurogenetic assays. We illustrate this approach through the reclassification of the p.Val120Leu variant, identified in an ALS patient, as pathogenic. Functional studies demonstrated that this variant leads to cytoplasmic aggregation, reduced neurite outgrowth, and abnormal motor behavior in zebrafish. These results support the systematic use of functional assays to clarify the pathogenicity of uncertain variants, thereby improving diagnostic accuracy, preventing misdiagnosis, and enabling timely therapeutic interventions in ALS.
肌萎缩侧索硬化症(ALS)的基因检测常常会发现意义未明的变异(VUS),这些变异在诊断报告中常常被遗漏,或者在临床解读时受到限制。为了填补这一空白,我们与法国ALS护理网络FILSLAN合作,开发了一种快速功能评估流程,结合了体外和体内神经遗传学检测。我们通过将一名ALS患者中鉴定出的p.Val120Leu变异重新分类为致病性变异,来说明这种方法。功能研究表明,该变异导致细胞质聚集、神经突生长减少以及斑马鱼运动行为异常。这些结果支持系统地使用功能检测来阐明不确定变异的致病性,从而提高诊断准确性,防止误诊,并在ALS中实现及时的治疗干预。