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Recessive inheritance and variable penetrance of slow-channel congenital myasthenic syndromes

From the Neurosciences Group (Drs. Croxen, Vincent, and Beeson, M. Brydson, and J. Newsom-Davis), Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford; Department of Pharmacology (Dr. Hatton, C. Shelley, and D. Colquhoun), University College London, United Kingdom; Hôpital Neurologique et Universite Claude Bernard (Dr. Chauplannaz), Lyon, France; and Department of Neurology (Dr. Oosterhuis), Academic Hospital, Groningen, the Netherlands.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. David Beeson, Neurosciences Group, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, The John Radcliffe, Headington, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK; e-mail: dbeeson{at}hammer.imm.ox.ac.uk

Background: Slow-channel congenital myasthenic syndromes (SCCMS) typically show dominant inheritance. They are caused by missense mutations within the subunits of muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChR) that result in prolonged ion channel activations. SCCMS mutations within the AChR subunit are located in various functional domains, whereas fully described mutations in AChR non- subunits have, thus far, been located only in the M2 channel-lining domain. The authors identified and characterized two -subunit mutations, located outside M2, that underlie SCCMS in three kinships. In two of the three kinships, the syndrome showed an atypical inheritance pattern.

Methods: These methods included clinical diagnosis, mutation detection, haplotype analysis, and functional expression studies using single-channel recordings of mutant AChR transiently transfected into HEK293 cells.

Results: The authors identified two SCCMS mutations in the AChR subunit, L78P and L221F. Both mutations prolonged ACh-induced ion channel activations. L78P is present in a consanguineous family and appears to be pathogenic only when present on both alleles, and L221F shows variable penetrance in one of the two families that were identified harboring this mutation.

Conclusion: SCCMS mutations may show a recessive inheritance pattern and variable penetrance. A diagnosis of SCCMS should not be ruled out in cases of CMS with an apparent recessive inheritance pattern.

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