ClinVar Genomic variation as it relates to human health

This variant was observed in the ICSL laboratory as part of a predisposition screen in an ostensibly healthy population. It had not been previously curated by ICSL or reported in the Human Gene Mutation Database (HGMD: prior to June 1st, 2018), and was therefore a candidate for classification through an automated scoring system. Utilizing variant allele frequency, disease prevalence and penetrance estimates, and inheritance mode, an automated score was calculated to assess if this variant is too frequent to cause the disease. Based on the score and internal cut-off values, a variant classified as benign is not then subjected to further curation. The score for this variant resulted in a classification of benign for this disease.

In silico analysis, which includes protein predictors and evolutionary conservation, supports a deleterious effect; Reported in published literature in the heterozygous state, identified via direct sequencing of COL6A3 in a 63 year old individual with focal dystonia (Zech et al., 2015); This variant is associated with the following publications: (PMID: 30564623, 29970176, 30467950, 26004199)

Our patients have a gait disorder in the form of a toe walking gait, so they show similar symptoms. When we genetically test them with our toe walking panel, we find that around 90 per cent of them have a genetic variant that explains their toe walking. These can be assigned, for example, to the area of myopathies (such as variants of the COL6A3 gene). Myopathy patients (children to the age of 14) typically suffer from hypotrophic muscles and a stress tremor but no pes cavus (Pomarino et al. 2024). Myopathy refers to diseases that affect skeletal Muscles. These diseases attack muscle fibers, making muscles weak. Inherited myopathies are often caused by inheriting an abnormal gene mutation from a parent that causes the disease. Symptoms of congenital myopathies usually start at birth or in early childhood, but may not appear until the teen years or even later in adulthood. Congenital myopathies are somewhat unique compared with other inherited myopathies, as weakness typically affects all muscles and is often not progressive. Symptoms are: Muscle weakness, most commonly of upper arms and shoulders and thighs, muscle cramps, stiffness and spasms, fatigue with exertion and lack of energy. Our patients all walk on tiptoe, so they show similar symptoms. When we genetically test them with our toe walking panel, we find that around 90 per cent of them have a genetic variant that explains their toe walking. These can be assigned, for example, to the area of myopathies (such as variants of the COL6A3 gene), the area of hereditary neuropathies (such as variants of the KMT2C gene) or the area of metabolic diseases (such as variants of the PYGM gene). In a smaller group of patients with almost identical symptoms, no abnormality is found in the genes of our panel, but spastic paraplegia can be detected. In another small group of our toe walkers, no abnormalities can be detected in the genes analysed in our toe walking panel, nor do they suffer from spastic paraplegia, as is also the case with healthy children. In contrast to these, however, they show a tiptoe gait. These patients suffer from infantile cerebral palsy, in which toe walking can also be observed.