A rare cause of microcephaly, thin corpus callosum and refractory epilepsy due to a novel SLC1A4 gene mutation

Abstract

L-serine is an important amino acid that ensures neuronal differentiation and development. The SLC1A4 gene encodes proteins that transport amino acids such as serine, alanine, threonine and glutamate into neurons. Pathogenic variants in SLC1A4 gene interneuron transport of L-serine impaired and a severe global developmental delay occurs, characterized by microcephaly and refractory seizures. In this article, we would like to describe the demographic, clinical, electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of a patient with a novel pathogenic variant in the 6th exon of the SLC1A4 gene (p.Gly374Arg) detected by whole-exome sequencing, which is extremely rare (there have been twenty patients reported in the literature). It is emphasized that SLC1A4 gene variants should be kept in mind if the patients have microcephaly, global developmental delay, refractory seizures, and there are no abnormalities in basal metabolic investigations, and the thin corpus callosum and myelination delay is seen on the MRI.

Keywords: Developmental delay; Microcephaly; SLC1A4; Serine; Transport.