Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has been suggested to drive immune system activation, but the induction of interferon signaling by mtDNA has not been demonstrated in a Mendelian mitochondrial disease. We initially ascertained two patients, one with a purely neurological phenotype and one with features suggestive of systemic sclerosis in a syndromic context, and found them both to demonstrate enhanced interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) expression in blood. We determined each to harbor a previously described de novo dominant-negative heterozygous mutation in ATAD3A, encoding ATPase family AAA domain–containing protein 3A (ATAD3A). We identified five further patients with mutations in ATAD3A and recorded up-regulated ISG expression and interferon α protein in four of them. Knockdown of ATAD3A in THP-1 cells resulted in increased interferon signaling, mediated by cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) and stimulator of interferon genes (STING). Enhanced interferon signaling was abrogated in THP-1 cells and patient fibroblasts depleted of mtDNA. Thus, mutations in the mitochondrial membrane protein ATAD3A define a novel type I interferonopathy.

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is an inflammatory myeloid neoplasia with constitutive activation of the MAPKinase RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK cell signaling pathway. We analyzed 9 LCH cases without BRAF V600 and MAP2K1 mutations by whole exome sequencing. We identified a new somatic BRAF splicing mutation in 2 cases. Both cases were childhood single system (SS) LCH cases, with self-healing outcome of the bone lesions. This mutant consisted in a 9 base pair duplication (c.1511_1517 + 2 duplication), encoding for a predicted mutant protein with insertion of 3 amino acids (p.Arg506_Lys507insLeuLeuArg) in the N-terminal lobe of the kinase domain of BRAF. Transient expression of the c.1511_1517 + 2dup BRAF mutant in HEK293 cells enhanced MAPKinase pathway activation, and was not inhibited by vemurafenib but was inhibited by PLX8394, a second-generation BRAF inhibitor able to inhibit signaling of BRAF monomers and dimers. Future LCH molecular screening panel should include this new mutation to better define its prevalence in LCH and its restriction to autoregressive bone SS LCH.

Panniculitides form a heterogenous group of inflammatory diseases that involve the subcutaneous adipose tissue. These disorders are rare in children and have many aetiologies. As in adults, the panniculitis can be the primary process in a systemic disorder or a secondary process that results from infection, trauma or exposure to medication. Some types of panniculitis are seen more commonly or exclusively in children, and several new entities have been described in recent years. Most types of panniculitis have the same clinical presentation (regardless of the aetiology), with tender, erythematous subcutaneous nodules. Although the patient’s age and the lesion site provide information, a histopathological assessment is sometimes required for a definitive diagnosis and classification of the disorder. In children, most panniculitides are lobular. At present, autoimmune inflammatory diseases and primary immunodeficiencies have been better characterised; panniculitis can be the presenting symptom in some of these settings. Unexplained panniculitis in a young child should prompt a detailed screen for monogenic immune disorders because the latter usually manifest themselves early in life. Here, we review forms of panniculitis that occur primarily in children, with a focus on newly described entities.