The genetic basis of undiagnosed muscular dystrophies and myopathies: Results from 504 patients. (5th July 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Savarese, Marco; Di Fruscio, Giuseppina; Torella, Annalaura; Fiorillo, Chiara; Magri, Francesca; Fanin, Marina; Ruggiero, Lucia; Ricci, Giulia; Astrea, Guja; Passamano, Luigia; Ruggieri, Alessandra; Ronchi, Dario; Tasca, Giorgio; D'Amico, Adele; Janssens, Sandra; Farina, Olimpia; Mutarelli, Margherita; Marwah, Veer Singh; Garofalo, Arcomaria; Giugliano, Teresa; Sanpaolo, Simone; Del Vecchio Blanco, Francesca; Esposito, Gaia; Piluso, Giulio; D'Ambrosio, Paola; Petillo, Roberta; Musumeci, Olimpia; Rodolico, Carmelo; Messina, Sonia; Evilä, Anni; Hackman, Peter; Filosto, Massimiliano; Di Iorio, Giuseppe; Siciliano, Gabriele; Mora, Marina; Maggi, Lorenzo; Minetti, Carlo; Sacconi, Sabrina; Santoro, Lucio; Claes, Kathleen; Vercelli, Liliana; Mongini, Tiziana; Ricci, Enzo; Gualandi, Francesca; Tupler, Rossella; De Bleecker, Jan; Udd, Bjarne; Toscano, Antonio; Moggio, Maurizio; Pegoraro, Elena; Bertini, Enrico; Mercuri, Eugenio; Angelini, Corrado; Santorelli, Filippo Maria; Politano, Luisa; Bruno, Claudio; Comi, Giacomo Pietro; Nigro, Vincenzo;
• Is Part Of: Neurology. Volume 87:Number 1(2016)
• Publication Date: 2016-07-05
• Subjects: Neurology -- Periodicals; Neurology -- Periodicals; Neurologie -- Périodiques; 616.8
• DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000002800
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0028-3878

Abstract

Abstract : Objective: To apply next-generation sequencing (NGS) for the investigation of the genetic basis of undiagnosed muscular dystrophies and myopathies in a very large cohort of patients. Methods: We applied an NGS-based platform named MotorPlex to our diagnostic workflow to test muscle disease genes with a high sensitivity and specificity for small DNA variants. We analyzed 504 undiagnosed patients mostly referred as being affected by limb-girdle muscular dystrophy or congenital myopathy. Results: MotorPlex provided a complete molecular diagnosis in 218 cases (43.3%). A further 160 patients (31.7%) showed as yet unproven candidate variants. Pathogenic variants were found in 47 of 93 genes, and in more than 30% of cases, the phenotype was nonconventional, broadening the spectrum of disease presentation in at least 10 genes. Conclusions: Our large DNA study of patients with undiagnosed myopathy is an example of the ongoing revolution in molecular diagnostics, highlighting the advantages in using NGS as a first-tier approach for heterogeneous genetic conditions.