A new pathogenic POLG variant

Abstract

POLG gene mutations are the most common causes of inherited mitochondrial disorders. The enzyme produced by this gene is responsible for the replication and repair of mitochondrial DNA. To date, around 300 pathogenic variants have been described in this gene. The resulting clinical outcomes of POLG mutations are widely variable in both phenotype and severity. There is considerable overlap in the phenotype of the so-called POLG syndromes with no clear genotype-phenotype correlation. Here we describe a newly discovered pathogenic variant in the POLG gene in a 7-year-old male that died of uncontrollable refractory status epilepticus. Genetic epilepsy panel sequencing identified two variants in the POLG gene, the common p.A467T pathological mutation and a novel p.S809R POLG variant found in trans with the p.A467T POLG that accompanied a severely reduced mitochondrial DNA level in the patient's tissues.

Keywords

• Mitochondria
• Mitochondrial depletion
• Alpers-Huttenlocher syndrome
• DNA polymerase gamma
• POLG syndrome