Genetics of ataxia telangiectasia in a highly consanguineous population.

Ataxia telangiectasia (AT) is a rare autosomal recessive multisystemic disorder. It usually presents in toddler years with progressive ataxia and oculomotor apraxia, or less commonly, in the late-first or early-second decade of life with mixed movement disorders. Biallelic mutations in ataxia telangiectasia mutated gene (ATM) cause AT phenotype, a disease not well documented in Saudi Arabia, a highly consanguineous society.

Genetic basis of pulmonary arterial hypertension: a prospective study from a highly inbred population.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), whether idiopathic PAH (IPAH), heritable PAH, or associated with other conditions, is a rare and potentially lethal disease characterized by progressive vascular changes. To date, there is limited data on the genetic basis of PAH in the Arab region, and none from Saudi Arabian patients. This study aims to identify genetic variations and to evaluate the frequency of risk genes associated to PAH, in Saudi Arabian patients.

SLC25A42-associated mitochondrial encephalomyopathy: Report of additional founder cases and functional characterization of a novel deletion.

SLC25A42 is the main transporter of coenzyme A (CoA) into mitochondria. To date, 15 individuals have been reported to have one of two bi-allelic homozygous missense variants in the as the cause of mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, of which 14 of them were of Saudi origin and share the same founder variant, c.871A > G:p.

A homozygous loss-of-function mutation in GP1BB causing variable clinical phenotypes in a family with Bernard-Soulier syndrome.

Bernard-Soulier syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive bleeding disorder and has a low incidence. Bernard-Soulier syndrome is caused by the deficiency of glycoprotein GPIb-V-IX complex, a receptor for von Willebrand factor and is characterized by thrombocytopenia, giant platelets and bleeding tendency. We are reporting three members of a same family with variable phenotypic clinical presentation.

Hematological findings associated with tubulin-folding cofactors D-related encephalopathy: Expanding the phenotype.

The dysfunction of microtubules (α/β-tubulin polymers) underlies a wide range of nervous system genetic abnormalities. Defects in TBCD, a tubulin-folding cofactor, cause diseases highlighted with early-onset encephalopathy with or without neurodegeneration, intellectual disability, seizures, microcephaly and tetraparaperesis. Utilizing various molecular methods, we describe nine patients from four unrelated families with two novel exon 18 variants in TBCD exhibiting the typical neurological phenotype of the disease.

Pyrostigmine therapy in a patient with VAMP1-related congenital myasthenic syndrome.

Congenital myasthenic syndrome comprises several genetic disorders that impair neuromuscular junction transmission. Causative mutations occur in at least 30 genes, approximately 6-8% of which are presynaptic. One such gene, VAMP1, encodes vesicle-associated membrane protein-1, which is crucial in the formation and fusion of synaptic vesicles with the presynaptic membrane at the neuromuscular junction.

Rett Syndrome, a Neurodevelopmental Disorder, Whole-Transcriptome, and Mitochondrial Genome Multiomics Analyses Identify Novel Variations and Disease Pathways.

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder reported worldwide in diverse populations. RTT is diagnosed primarily in females, with clinical findings manifesting early in life. Despite the variable rates across populations, RTT has an estimated prevalence of ∼1 in 10,000 live female births.

Identification of novel genomic imbalances in Saudi patients with congenital heart disease.

Background: Quick genetic diagnosis of a patient with congenital heart disease (CHD) is quite important for proper health care and management. Copy number variations (CNV), chromosomal imbalances and rearrangements have been frequently associated with CHD. Previously, due to limitations of microscope based standard karyotyping techniques copious CNVs and submicroscopic imbalances could not be detected in numerous CHD patients.