Molecular Diagnostics of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease and Related Peripheral Neuropathies
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
17_Lupski 3/30/06 1:47 PM Page 243 NeuroMolecular Medicine Copyright © 2006 Humana Press Inc. All rights of any nature whatsoever reserved. ISSN0895-8696/06/08:243–254/$30.00 doi: 10.1385/NMM:8:1:243 REVIEW ARTICLE Molecular Diagnostics of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease and Related Peripheral Neuropathies Kinga Szigeti,1 Eva Nelis,2,3 and James R. Lupski*,1,4 1Departments of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX; 2Molecular Genetics, Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology, Institute Born-Bunge, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium; 3Laboratory of Neurogenetics, Institute Born-Borge, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium; and 4Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, and Texas Children Hospital, Houston, TX 77030 Received January 10, 2006; Revised January 13, 2006; Accepted January 13, 2006 Abstract DNAdiagnostics plays an important role in the characterization and management of patients manifesting inherited peripheral neuropathies. We describe the clinical integration of molecular diagnostics with medical history, physical examination, and electrophysiological studies. Mole- cular testing can help establish a secure diagnosis, enable genetic counseling regarding recurrence risk, potentially provide prognostic information, and in the near future may be important for the choice of therapies. doi: 10.1385/NMM:8:1:243 Index Entries:Molecular diagnostics; Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease; CMT; hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsies; HNPP; Dejerine-Sottas neuropathy; DSN; congenital hypomyelinating neuropathy; CHN; CMT1A duplication; HNPP deletion. Introduction genetic testing, one needs to be familiar with the diagnostic tests available, choose the appropriate Molecular genetic diagnosis has become an inte- patients for testing, and utilize the diagnostic tools gral part of the evaluation of patients with hered- in a logical fashion to optimize the use of resources. itary neuropathies. During the last decade, more This chapter summarizes the various methods used than two dozen genes have been identified in which in clinical diagnosis and reviews an evidence-based mutations cause Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease testing scheme for molecular testing derived from and related neuropathies. When considering population data. *Author to whom all correspondence and reprint requests should be addressed. E-mail: [email protected] NeuroMolecular Medicine 243 Volume 8, 2006 17_Lupski 3/30/06 1:47 PM Page 244 244 Szigeti et al. Epidemiology Phenotype CMT disease and related peripheral neuropathies, The clinical picture is a combination of lower or hereditary motor and sensory neuropathies, motor neuron-type motor deficits and sensory signs represent a heterogeneous group of disorders and symptoms. The lower motor neuron lesion man- affecting the peripheral nervous system with an ifests as the triad of flaccid paresis, atrophy, and estimated frequency of 1 in 2500 individuals (Skre, reduced or absent reflexes. The severity of the dis- 1974). Epidemiological data from adult neuropathy ease ranges over a broad spectrum. CMT is included clinics suggest that after the common causes of in the differential diagnosis from a floppy infant to peripheral neuropathy associated with systemic an elderly patient with slowly progressive periph- illness, such as diabetes, uremia and nutritional eral neuropathy. Depending on the age of onset, deficiencies, hereditary polyneuropathy is more electrophysiological findings, and nerve pathology, common than inflammatory or paraneoplastic several clinical phenotypes were classically defined polyneuropathy (Barohn, 1998; Dyck et al., 1981), (Lupski and Garcia, 2001). Features of specific clin- and its prevalence might be as high as 29% (Barohn, ical entities are reviewed later. 1998). Although it represents a relatively large group of patients manifesting neuropathy, inherited disease Adult-Onset Disease might not be readily apparent in recessive families or patients with de novo mutations. In fact, the high Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease Type 1 frequency of de novo duplication/deletion (37–90%) Most patients develop symptoms in the first or (Hoogendijk et al., 1992; Nelis et al., 1996) and point second decade. Patients have difficulties with motor mutations (Boerkoel et al., 2002a) in sporadic neuro- function, including tripping on rough surfaces, pathy patients necessitates one having an index inability to heel-walk, difficulty opening jars, difficulty of suspicion for genetic disease even in the absence buttoning. Secondary symptoms may develop, such of a family history. as leg cramps and lumbar pain after long walks. Signs of chronic peripheral neuropathy such as tight heel cords, steppage gait, atrophic lower leg (peroneal Diagnosis of CMT atrophy), pes cavus (high arched feet), and hammertoes develop. The deep tendon reflexes are diminished The diagnostic process for evaluating a patient with or absent, weakness in distal muscle groups and suspected CMT starts with history and physical exam- mild sensory loss to pain develop. Neurophysio- ination, which leads to the definition of the pheno- logical testing shows uniform slowing of motor type. Concomitantly, the inheritance pattern is nerve conduction velocity (NCV) in all nerves determined from the pedigree. Further characteriza- examined. Aconduction velocity less than 38 m/s tion of the neuropathy requires electrophysiology, is proposedas a cut-off value to distinguish between which determines whether the neuropathy is pri- CMT types 1 (CMT1) and 2 (CMT2). A prospective marily axonal, demyelinating, or the intermediate study of patients with documented CMT1A dupli- form. In clearly hereditary neuropathy with a known cation showed median NCV slowing to less than mutation in the family, the electrophysiology may be 43 m/s (Kaku et al., 1993). Sural nerve biopsy shows deemed unnecessary. Occasionally, sural nerve biopsy signs of demyelination and remyelination, charac- might be necessary, especially in cases in which there terized by onion bulb formation. is no family history and clinical features raise the Roussy and Levy have described a combination possibility of acquired neuropathy. Finally, other diag- of the demyelinating CMT phenotype with sensory nostic tools are under evaluation, such as noninva- ataxia and tremor, the Roussy–Levy syndrome sive magnetic resonance imaging of the peripheral (RLS). Molecular studies suggest that it might not nerve or skin biopsy for examining for small fiber be a distinct entity, rather the RLS phenotype is part neuropathy. Molecular testing is guided by the of the CMT1 spectrum, as the same mutations may phenotype, inheritance pattern, electrophysiological cause CMT1 or RLS in the same family (Harding data, and frequency data obtained in population- and Thomas, 1980; Thomas et al., 1997; Auer-Grum- based studies (Szigeti et al., 2006). bach et al., 1998; Garcia, 1999; Senderek et al., 1999). NeuroMolecular Medicine Volume 8, 2006 17_Lupski 3/30/06 1:47 PM Page 245 Molecular Diagnostics of CMT Disease 245 The original family described by Roussy and Levy to differentiate from DSN on clinical grounds only. segregated an MPZ mutation (Planté-Bordeneuve The distinction between DSN and CHN requires et al., 1999). pathological evaluation, and is based on the pres- ence or absence of onion bulbs associated with thin Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease Type 2 or absent myelin sheaths, respectively. CHN may Clinical symptoms begin later than in CMT1, most present as arthrogryposis multiplex congenita commonly in the second decade of life, but often (Boylan et al., 1992) suggesting prenatal onset. are delayed to middle age. The clinical features closely resemble those of CMT1, but foot deformi- ties and upper limb involvement are less frequent. Extended Phenotype On clinical examination, it is often difficult to dis- tinguish CMT1 from CMT2. Electrophysiology Classically, CMT and related neuropathies are dis- reveals normal or mildly reduced motor NCV with orders of the peripheral nervous system. If a patient reduced sensory nerve action potentials. Nerve exhibits symptoms and signs of central nervous biopsy shows preferential loss of large myelinated system or systemic involvement, CMT is not likely. fibers without signs of demyelination. However, genotype–phenotype correlations have shown that other neurological and extraneurological Hereditary Neuropathy With Liability signs can be part of the clinical phenotype with muta- to Pressure Palsies tions in CMT genes. These include tremor, ataxia, Patients present with recurrent episodes of iso- glaucoma, cranial nerve involvement, scoliosis, and lated mononeuropathies after relatively minor perhaps neutropenia. These findings do not preclude trauma, traction, or compression. The most fre- molecular testing for CMT. Furthermore, such fea- quently affected nerves in descending order are the tures may point to the involvement of a specific gene common peroneal, ulnar, radial, and median nerves. and thus help direct molecular diagnostic testing. Electrophysiological findings include nearly normal Tremor is part of the RLS (Planté-Bordeneuve NCV with focal slowing in the ulnar nerve across et al., 1999) and can be associated with mutations the elbow and the peroneal nerve around the fibu- in MPZ, GJB1, and the CMT1Aduplication (Harding lar head (Li et al., 2004). Concomitant with the palsies and Thomas, 1980; Thomas et al., 1997; Auer- conduction blocks are found contributing to confu- Grumbach et al., 1998; Garcia, 1999; Senderek