Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome

Inspired by a patient

Wang J, Zhang Q, Bao X, Chen Y, Yu S. [Clinical and genetic features of five patients with Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome]. Zhonghua Yi Xue Yi Chuan Xue Za Zhi. 2018 Aug 10;35(4):484-488. Chinese

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To delineate the clinical and genetic characteristics of patients with Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome (AHDS).

METHODS:

Genetic testing was carried out by next generation sequencing on 117 patients featuring intellectual disability and developmental delay. Clinical information including clinical manifestation, brain magnetic resonance imaging(MRI）, thyroid hormone levels, and electrocardiogram was collected for those with SLC16A2 mutations.

RESULTS:

Five male patients with SLC16A2 gene mutations were identified, including 2 affected brothers and 3 sporadic cases. The ages of the patients ranged from 8 months to 8 years. All patients presented with severe intellectual disability and developmental delay including poor head control, inability to sit independently, no speech, and poor response to external stimuli. All patients presented with hypotonia, dystonia, and positive pyramidal signs. Three patients had sinus tachycardia. All patients had abnormal thyroid hormone levels with elevated free triiodothyronine (FT3), decreased free tetraiodothyronine(FT4), and normal thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). Brain MRI on 3 patients showed delayed myelination. Among the 3 sporadic patients, 2 carried de novo mutations including c.61G to T(p.E21X) and c.695_699delATGGT(p.N232SfsX7), respectively, 1 carried a c.42delC(p.W15GfsX69)mutation, which was inherited from his heterozygous mother. A nonsense mutation (c.916C to T, p.Q306X) was discovered in the two brothers, for which their mother was heterozygous.

CONCLUSION:

AHDS is characterized by severe psychomotor developmental delay as well as congenital hypotonia, dystonia and positive pyramidal signs. Affected males may present with distinctive thyroid hormone abnormalities including increased FT3 and low FT4 accompanied by normal TSH. Delayed meylination of white matter is common. It is an X-linked mental retardation caused by SLC16A2 gene mutations.

Novara F, Groeneweg S, Freri E, Estienne M, Reho P, Matricardi S, Castellotti B, Visser WE, Zuffardi O, Visser TJ. Clinical and Molecular Characteristics of SLC16A2 (MCT8) Mutations in Three Families with the Allan-Herndon-Dudley Syndrome. Hum Mutat. 2017 Mar;38(3):260-264.

Abstract

Mutations in the thyroid hormone transporter SLC16A2 (MCT8) cause the Allan-Herndon-Dudley Syndrome (AHDS), characterized by severe psychomotor retardation and peripheral thyrotoxicosis. Here, we report three newly identified AHDS patients. Previously documented mutations were identified in probands 1 (p.R271H) and 2 (p.G564R), resulting in a severe clinical phenotype. A novel mutation (p.G564E) was identified in proband 3, affecting the same Gly564 residue, but resulting in a relatively mild clinical phenotype. Functional analysis in transiently transfected COS-1 and JEG-3 cells showed a near-complete inactivation of TH transport for p.G564R, whereas considerable cell-type-dependent residual transport activity was observed for p.G564E. Both mutants showed a strong decrease in protein expression levels, but differentially affected Vmax and Km values of T3 transport. Our findings illustrate that different mutations affecting the same residue may have a differential impact on SLC16A2 transporter function, which translates into differences in severity of the clinical phenotype.

Shimojima K, Maruyama K, Kikuchi M, Imai A, Inoue K, Yamamoto T. Novel SLC16A2 mutations in patients with Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome. Intractable Rare Dis Res. 2016 Aug;5(3):214-7.

Abstract

Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome (AHDS) is an X-linked disorder caused by impaired thyroid hormone transporter. Patients with AHDS usually exhibit severe motor developmental delay, delayed myelination of the brain white matter, and elevated T3 levels in thyroid tests. Neurological examination of two patients with neurodevelopmental delay revealed generalized hypotonia, and not paresis, as the main neurological finding. Nystagmus and dyskinesia were not observed. Brain magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated delayed myelination in early childhood in both patients. Nevertheless, matured myelination was observed at 6 years of age in one patient. Although the key finding for AHDS is elevated free T3, one of the patients showed a normal T3 level in childhood, misleading the diagnosis of AHDS. Genetic analysis revealed two novel SLC16A2 mutations, p.(Gly122Val) and p.(Gly221Ser), confirming the AHDS diagnosis. These results indicate that AHDS diagnosis is sometimes challenging owing to clinical variability among patients.