De novo EEF1A2 mutations in patients with characteristic facial features, intellectual disability, autistic behaviors and epilepsy

Clin Genet. 2015 Apr;87(4):356-61. doi: 10.1111/cge.12394. Epub 2014 Apr 29.

Abstract

Eukaryotic elongation factor 1, alpha-2 (eEF1A2) protein is involved in protein synthesis, suppression of apoptosis, and regulation of actin function and cytoskeletal structure. EEF1A2 gene is highly expressed in the central nervous system and Eef1a2 knockout mice show the neuronal degeneration. Until now, only one missense mutation (c.208G > A, p.Gly70Ser) in EEF1A2 has been reported in two independent patients with neurological disease. In this report, we described two patients with de novo mutations (c.754G > C, p.Asp252His and c.364G > A, p.Glu122Lys) in EEF1A2 found by whole-exome sequencing. Common clinical features are shared by all four individuals: severe intellectual disability, autistic behavior, absent speech, neonatal hypotonia, epilepsy and progressive microcephaly. Furthermore, the two patients share the similar characteristic facial features including a depressed nasal bridge, tented upper lip, everted lower lip and downturned corners of the mouth. These data strongly indicate that a new recognizable disorder is caused by EEF1A2 mutations.

Keywords: EEF1A2; autistic disorder; epilepsy; facial dysmorphism; intellectual disability; speech delay; whole-exome sequencing.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Autistic Disorder / genetics*
  • Base Sequence
  • DNA Copy Number Variations
  • Epilepsy / genetics*
  • Face / abnormalities*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Intellectual Disability / genetics*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutation, Missense / genetics
  • Pedigree
  • Peptide Elongation Factor 1 / genetics*
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Syndrome

Substances

  • EEF1A2 protein, human
  • Peptide Elongation Factor 1