The introduction of whole-exome sequencing into the Pediatric Genetics clinic has increased the identification of novel genes associated with neurodevelopmental disorders and congenital anomalies. This agnostic approach has shed light on multiple proteins and pathways not previously known to be associated with disease. Here we report eight subjects from six families with predicted loss of function variants in ZNF462, a zinc-finger protein of unknown function. These individuals have overlapping phenotypes that include ptosis, metopic ridging, craniosynostosis, dysgenesis of the corpus callosum, and developmental delay. We propose that ZNF462 plays an important role in embryonic development, and is associated with craniofacial and neurodevelopmental abnormalities.

Transcriptional mediators of cell stress pathways, including HIF1α, ATF4, and p53, are key to normal development and play critical roles in disease, including ischemia and cancer. Despite their importance, mechanisms by which pathways mediated by these transcription factors interact with one another are not fully understood. In addressing the controversial role of HIF1α in cardiomyocytes (CMs) during heart development, we discovered a mid-gestational requirement for HIF1α for proliferation of hypoxic CMs, involving metabolic switching and a complex interplay among HIF1α, ATF4, and p53. Loss of HIF1α resulted in activation of ATF4 and p53, the latter inhibiting CM proliferation. Bioinformatic and biochemical analyses revealed unexpected mechanisms by which HIF1α intersects with ATF4 and p53 pathways. Our results highlight previously undescribed roles of HIF1α and interactions among major cell stress pathways that could be targeted to enhance proliferation of CMs in ischemia and may have relevance to other diseases, including cancer.

De novo, heterozygous, loss-of-function variants were identified in Pou domain, class 4, transcription factor 1 (POU4F1) via whole-exome sequencing in four independent probands presenting with ataxia, intention tremor, and hypotonia. POU4F1 is expressed in the developing nervous system, and mice homozygous for null alleles of Pou4f1 exhibit uncoordinated movements with newborns being unable to successfully right themselves to feed. Head magnetic resonance imaging of the four probands was reviewed and multiple abnormalities were noted, including significant cerebellar vermian atrophy and hypertrophic olivary degeneration in one proband. Transcriptional activation of the POU4F1 p.Gln306Arg protein was noted to be decreased when compared with wild type. These findings suggest that heterozygous, loss-of-function variants in POU4F1 are causative of a novel ataxia syndrome.

Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is a heterotrimeric protein serine/threonine phosphatase and is involved in a broad range of cellular processes. PPP2R5D is a regulatory B subunit of PP2A and plays an important role in regulating key neuronal and developmental regulation processes such as PI3K/AKT and glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3β)-mediated cell growth, chromatin remodeling, and gene transcriptional regulation. Using whole-exome sequencing (WES), we identified four de novo variants in PPP2R5D in a total of seven unrelated individuals with intellectual disability (ID) and other shared clinical characteristics, including autism spectrum disorder, macrocephaly, hypotonia, seizures, and dysmorphic features. Among the four variants, two have been previously reported and two are novel. All four amino acids are highly conserved among the PP2A subunit family, and all change a negatively charged acidic glutamic acid (E) to a positively charged basic lysine (K) and are predicted to disrupt the PP2A subunit binding and impair the dephosphorylation capacity. Our data provides further support for PPP2R5D as a genetic cause of ID.

Polyglutamine expansions in the transcriptional co-repressor Atrophin-1, encoded by ATN1, cause the neurodegenerative condition dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA) via a proposed novel toxic gain of function. We present detailed phenotypic information on eight unrelated individuals who have de novo missense and insertion variants within a conserved 16-amino-acid "HX repeat" motif of ATN1. Each of the affected individuals has severe cognitive impairment and hypotonia, a recognizable facial gestalt, and variable congenital anomalies. However, they lack the progressive symptoms typical of DRPLA neurodegeneration. To distinguish this subset of affected individuals from the DRPLA diagnosis, we suggest using the term CHEDDA (congenital hypotonia, epilepsy, developmental delay, digit abnormalities) to classify the condition. CHEDDA-related variants alter the particular structural features of the HX repeat motif, suggesting that CHEDDA results from perturbation of the structural and functional integrity of the HX repeat. We found several non-homologous human genes containing similar motifs of eight to 10 HX repeat sequences, including RERE, where disruptive variants in this motif have also been linked to a separate condition that causes neurocognitive and congenital anomalies. These findings suggest that perturbation of the HX motif might explain other Mendelian human conditions.