Identification of previously unreported mutations in CHRNA1, CHRNE and RAPSN genes in three unrelated Italian patients with congenital myasthenic syndromes

Congenital myasthenic syndromes are rare genetic disorders compromising neuromuscular transmission. The defects are mainly mutations in the muscle acetylcholine receptor, or associated proteins rapsyn and Dok-7. We analyzed three unrelated Italian patients with typical clinical features of congenital myasthenic syndrome, who all benefitted from cholinesterase inhibitors. We found five mutations: a previously unreported homozygous αG378D mutation in the CHRNA1 gene, a previously unreported heterozygous εY8X mutation associated with a known heterozygous εM292del deletion in the CHRNE gene, and the common heterozygous N88K mutation associated with a previously unreported heterozygous IVS1 + 2T > G splice site mutation in the RAPSN gene. All three patients had two mutant alleles; parents or offspring with a single mutated allele were asymptomatic, thus all mutations exerted their effects recessively. The previously unreported mutations are likely to reduce the number of AChRs at the motor endplate, although the αG378D mutation might produce a mild fast channel syndrome. The αG378D mutation was recessive, but recessive CHRNA1 mutations have rarely been reported previously, so studies on the effect of this mutation at the cellular level would be of interest.