Infantile striatonigral degeneration is caused by a homozygous variant of the nuclear-pore complex (NPC) gene NUP62, involved in nucleo-cytoplasmic trafficking. By querying sequencing-datasets of patients with dystonia and/or Leigh(-like) syndromes, we identified three unrelated individuals with biallelic variants in NUP54. All variants clustered in the C-terminal protein region that interacts with NUP62. Associated phenotypes were similar to those of NUP62-related disease, including early-onset dystonia with dysphagia, choreoathetosis, and T2-hyperintense lesions in striatum. In-silico and protein-biochemical studies gave further evidence for the argument that the variants were pathogenic. We expand the spectrum of NPC component-associated dystonic conditions with localized basal-ganglia abnormalities.
GrantsHelmholtz Zentrum Munchen Technische Universität München Else Kroner-Fresenius-Stiftung Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development