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. 2024 Aug;32(8):928-937.
doi: 10.1038/s41431-024-01610-1. Epub 2024 Apr 27.

Expanded phenotypic spectrum of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorder Bryant-Li-Bhoj syndrome with 38 additional individuals

Dana E Layo-Carris #  1 Emily E Lubin #  1   2 Annabel K Sangree #  1   2 Kelly J Clark  1   2 Emily L Durham  1 Elizabeth M Gonzalez  1   2 Sarina Smith  1 Rajesh Angireddy  1 Xiao Min Wang  1 Erin Weiss  1 Annick Toutain  3   4 Roberto Mendoza-Londono  5 Lucie Dupuis  5 Nadirah Damseh  5 Danita Velasco  6 Irene Valenzuela  7   8 Marta Codina-Solà  7   8 Catherine Ziats  9 Jaclyn Have  9 Katie Clarkson  10 Dora Steel  11 Manju Kurian  11 Katy Barwick  11 Diana Carrasco  12 Aditi I Dagli  13 M J M Nowaczyk  14 Miroslava Hančárová  15 Šárka Bendová  15 Darina Prchalova  15 Zdeněk Sedláček  15 Alica Baxová  16 Catherine Bearce Nowak  17 Jessica Douglas  18 Wendy K Chung  18   19 Nicola Longo  20 Konrad Platzer  21 Chiara Klöckner  21 Luisa Averdunk  22 Dagmar Wieczorek  22 Ilona Krey  21 Christiane Zweier  23   24 Andre Reis  23 Tugce Balci  25 Marleen Simon  26 Hester Y Kroes  26 Antje Wiesener  26 Georgia Vasileiou  26 Nikolaos M Marinakis  27 Danai Veltra  27 Christalena Sofocleous  27 Konstantina Kosma  27 Joanne Traeger Synodinos  27 Konstantinos A Voudris  28 Marie-Laure Vuillaume  3   4   29 Paul Gueguen  3   4   29 Nicolas Derive  29 Estelle Colin  30 Clarisse Battault  30 Billie Au  31 Martin Delatycki  32   33 Mathew Wallis  34   35 Lyndon Gallacher  32   33 Fatma Majdoub  36   37   38 Noor Smal  36   37 Sarah Weckhuysen  36   37   39   40   41 An-Sofie Schoonjans  39   42 R Frank Kooy  43 Marije Meuwissen  42   43 Benjamin T Cocanougher  42 Kathryn Taylor  44 Carolyn E Pizoli  44 Marie T McDonald  45 Philip James  46 Elizabeth R Roeder  47 Rebecca Littlejohn  47 Nicholas A Borja  48 Willa Thorson  48 Kristine King  49 Radka Stoeva  50 Manon Suerink  51 Esther Nibbeling  51 Stephanie Baskin  47   52 Gwenaël L E Guyader  53 Julie Kaplan  54 Candace Muss  54 Deanna Alexis Carere  55 Elizabeth J K Bhoj  56   57 Laura M Bryant  1   58
Affiliations

Expanded phenotypic spectrum of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorder Bryant-Li-Bhoj syndrome with 38 additional individuals

Dana E Layo-Carris et al. Eur J Hum Genet. 2024 Aug.

Erratum in

  • Correction: Expanded phenotypic spectrum of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorder Bryant-Li-Bhoj syndrome with 38 additional individuals.
    Layo-Carris DE, Lubin EE, Sangree AK, Clark KJ, Durham EL, Gonzalez EM, Smith S, Angireddy R, Wang XM, Weiss E, Toutain A, Mendoza-Londono R, Dupuis L, Damseh N, Velasco D, Valenzuela I, Codina-Solà M, Ziats C, Have J, Clarkson K, Steel D, Kurian M, Barwick K, Carrasco D, Dagli AI, Nowaczyk MJM, Hančárová M, Bendová Š, Prchalova D, Sedláček Z, Baxová A, Nowak CB, Douglas J, Chung WK, Longo N, Platzer K, Klöckner C, Averdunk L, Wieczorek D, Krey I, Zweier C, Reis A, Balci T, Simon M, Kroes HY, Wiesener A, Vasileiou G, Marinakis NM, Veltra D, Sofocleous C, Kosma K, Synodinos JT, Voudris KA, Vuillaume ML, Gueguen P, Derive N, Colin E, Battault C, Au B, Delatycki M, Wallis M, Gallacher L, Majdoub F, Smal N, Weckhuysen S, Schoonjans AS, Kooy RF, Meuwissen M, Cocanougher BT, Taylor K, Pizoli CE, McDonald MT, James P, Roeder ER, Littlejohn R, Borja NA, Thorson W, King K, Stoeva R, Suerink M, Nibbeling E, Baskin S, Guyader GLE, Kaplan J, Muss C, Carere DA, Bhoj EJK, Bryant LM. Layo-Carris DE, et al. Eur J Hum Genet. 2024 Aug;32(8):1032. doi: 10.1038/s41431-024-01659-y. Eur J Hum Genet. 2024. PMID: 39060653 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

Abstract

Bryant-Li-Bhoj syndrome (BLBS), which became OMIM-classified in 2022 (OMIM: 619720, 619721), is caused by germline variants in the two genes that encode histone H3.3 (H3-3A/H3F3A and H3-3B/H3F3B) [1-4]. This syndrome is characterized by developmental delay/intellectual disability, craniofacial anomalies, hyper/hypotonia, and abnormal neuroimaging [1, 5]. BLBS was initially categorized as a progressive neurodegenerative syndrome caused by de novo heterozygous variants in either H3-3A or H3-3B [1-4]. Here, we analyze the data of the 58 previously published individuals along 38 unpublished, unrelated individuals. In this larger cohort of 96 people, we identify causative missense, synonymous, and stop-loss variants. We also expand upon the phenotypic characterization by elaborating on the neurodevelopmental component of BLBS. Notably, phenotypic heterogeneity was present even amongst individuals harboring the same variant. To explore the complex phenotypic variation in this expanded cohort, the relationships between syndromic phenotypes with three variables of interest were interrogated: sex, gene containing the causative variant, and variant location in the H3.3 protein. While specific genotype-phenotype correlations have not been conclusively delineated, the results presented here suggest that the location of the variants within the H3.3 protein and the affected gene (H3-3A or H3-3B) contribute more to the severity of distinct phenotypes than sex. Since these variables do not account for all BLBS phenotypic variability, these findings suggest that additional factors may play a role in modifying the phenotypes of affected individuals. Histones are poised at the interface of genetics and epigenetics, highlighting the potential role for gene-environment interactions and the importance of future research.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. BLBS genotype and phenotype overview.
A 2D diagram of the genes that encode the histone H3.3 protein – H3-3A (top - ENST00000366815) and H3-3B (bottom – ENST00000254810). Green brackets and thicker boxes represent the coding sequence. Arrows represent the transcription start sites. B 2D diagram of histone H3.3 protein (green), including the location of the four alpha helices. Lollipops show the H3-3A derived (top) and the H3-3B derived (bottom) heterozygous germline variants. Length of lollipop corresponds to number of individuals who harbor a variant at that residue (e.g. H3-3A p.T45I represents four individuals with BLBS and H3-3A p.V46M represents one individual with BLBS). C 3D in silico structural model of the H3.3-containing nucleosome (PDB: 5X7X) with the two copies of H3.3 in green; other histones in gray; and DNA in black. The location of heterozygous germline variants in the crystallized histone core are highlighted in purple. D Circular boxplot visualizing BLBS phenotypes. Cyan = growth (height, weight and head circumference); blue = craniofacial anomalies; pink = abnormal neuroimaging findings and seizures; red = developmental milestones; yellow = tone anomalies and oculomotor features; green = review of systems.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Interrogating the relationship between BLBS phenotypes and sex, gene, and variant location in H3.3.
Phenotypic categories (rows) analyzed across all 96 individuals with BLBS include growth; craniofacial features; neuroimaging findings and seizures; attainment of developmental milestones; tone anomalies; and general review of systems. Phenotypic analyses were performed by stratifying the cohort of individuals (columns) based on their sex (reported as male or female) (column 1); on the localization of their causative variant to either H3-3A or H3-3B (column 2); or on the location of their causative variant to the histone tail or histone core (column 3). Each graph is representative of the percentages of individuals with BLBS for which this category was reported. The colored cells highlight stratifications emphasized in the text. The color-coding is based on the phenotypic overview in Fig. 1D, where cyan = growth (height, weight and head circumference); blue = dysmorphic craniofacial features; pink = neuroimaging findings and seizures; red = developmental milestones; yellow = tone anomalies and oculomotor features; green = review of systems.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3. BLBS-associated phenotypic heterogeneity amongst individuals with similar genotypes.
AC Representation of the phenotypic variation across individuals who (A) share the same missense variant in the same residue of the same gene, (B) the same missense variant in the same residue of different genes, or (C) different missense variants affecting the same residue of different genes. The color-coding in the key corresponds to the phenotypic overview in Fig. 1D and Fig. 2. A Representation of the phenotypic variation across the four individuals who share the H3-3A p.T45I variant. B Representation of phenotypic variation across the eight individuals who share the H3.3 p.Q125R variant. Five individuals harbor a nucleotide substitution in H3-3A while three individuals harbor a nucleotide substitution in H3-3B. C Representation of phenotypic variation across the eight individuals who harbor variants affecting the H3.3 p.P121 residue. Four individuals harbor a nucleotide substitution in H3-3A (leading to either p.P121L or p.P121R missense variants) while four individuals harbor a nucleotide substitution in H3-3B (leading to either p.P121L or p.P121R missense variants). D Phenotypic variation across individuals with BLBS-causing germline variants throughout the disordered histone tail region and histone core (top) compared to hotspot high grade glioma-causing somatic mutations (bottom). Black = amino acids with associated germline variants; magenta = amino acids with associated germline and somatic variants; blue = amino acids with associated somatic variants.

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