Hearing loss and ovarian dysfunction are key features of Perrault syndrome (PRLTS) but the clinical and pathophysiological features of hearing impairment in PRLTS individuals have not been addressed. Mutations in one of five different genes HSD17B4, HARS2, LARS2, CLPP or TWNK (previous symbol C10orf2) cause the autosomal recessive disorder but they are found only in about half of the patients. We report on two siblings with a clinical picture resembling a severe, neurological type of PRLTS. For an exhaustive characterisation of the phenotype neuroimaging with volumetric measurements and objective measures of cochlear hair cell and auditory nerve function (otoacustic emissions and auditory brainstem responses) were used. Whole exome sequencing was applied to identify the genetic cause of the disorder. Co-segregation of the detected mutations with the phenotype was confirmed by Sanger sequencing. In silico analysis including 3D protein structure modelling was used to predict the deleterious effects of the detected variants on protein function. We found two rare biallelic mutations in TWNK, encoding Twinkle, an essential mitochondrial helicase. Mutation c.1196A>G (p.Asn399Ser) recurred for the first time in a patient with PRLTS and the second mutation c.1802G>A (p.Arg601Gln) was novel for the disorder. In both patients neuroimaging studies showed diminished cervical enlargement of the spinal cord and for the first time in PRLTS partial atrophy of the vestibulocochlear nerves and decreased grey and increased white matter volumes of the cerebellum. Morphological changes in the auditory nerves, their desynchronized activity and partial cochlear dysfunction underlay the complex mechanism of hearing impairment in the patients. Our study unveils novel features on the phenotypic landscape of PRLTS and provides further evidence that the newly identified for PRLTS TWNK gene is involved in its pathogenesis.

RMND1 (required for meiotic nuclear division 1 homolog) pathogenic variants are known to cause combined oxidative phosphorylation deficiency (COXPD11), a severe multisystem disorder. In one patient, a homozygous RMND1 pathogenic variant, with an established role in COXPD11, was associated with a Perrault-like syndrome. We performed a thorough clinical investigation and applied a targeted multigene hearing loss panel to reveal the cause of hearing loss, ovarian dysfunction (two cardinal features of Perrault syndrome) and chronic kidney disease in two adult female siblings. Two compound heterozygous missense variants, c.583G>A (p.Gly195Arg) and c.818A>C (p.Tyr273Ser), not previously associated with disease, were identified in RMND1 in both patients, and their segregation with disease was confirmed in family members. The patients have no neurological or intellectual impairment, and nephrological evaluation predicts a benign course of kidney disease. Our study presents the mildest, so far reported, RMND1-related phenotype and delivers the first independent confirmation that RMND1 is causally involved in the development of Perrault syndrome with renal involvement. This highlights the importance of including RMND1 to the list of Perrault syndrome causative factors and provides new insight into the clinical manifestation of RMND1 deficiency.

Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD) is a common corneal endotheliopathy with a complex and heterogeneous genetic background. Different variants in theTCF4gene have been strongly associated with the development of FECD.TCF4encodes the E2-2 transcription factor but the link between the strong susceptibility locus and disease mechanism remains elusive. Here, we confirm a strong positive association betweenTCF4single nucleotide polymorphism rs613872 and FECD in Polish patients (OR = 12.95, 95% CI: 8.63–19.42,χ2=189.5,p<0.0001). We show thatTCF4expression at the mRNA level in corneal endothelium (n=63) does not differ significantly between individuals with a particularTCF4genotype. It is also not altered in FECD patients as compared to control samples. The data suggest that changes in the transcript level containing constitutiveTCF4exon encoding the amino-terminal part of the protein seem not to contribute to disease pathogenesis. However, considering the strong association ofTCF4allelic variants with FECD, genotyping ofTCF4risk alleles may be important in the clinical practice.

The most frequently observed congenital inner ear malformation is enlarged vestibular aqueduct (EVA). It is often accompanied with incomplete partition type 2 (IP2) of the cochlea and a dilated vestibule, which together constitute Mondini malformation. Pathogenic SLC26A4 variants are considered the major cause of inner ear malformation but the genetics still needs clarification. The aim of this study was to identify the cause of EVA in patients with hearing loss (HL). Genomic DNA was isolated from HL patients with radiologically confirmed bilateral EVA (n = 23) and analyzed by next generation sequencing using a custom HL gene panel encompassing 237 HL-related genes or a clinical exome. The presence and segregation of selected variants and the CEVA haplotype (in the 5′ region of SLC26A4) was verified by Sanger sequencing. Minigene assay was used to evaluate the impact of novel synonymous variant on splicing. Genetic testing identified the cause of EVA in 17/23 individuals (74%). Two pathogenic variants in the SLC26A4 gene were identified as the cause of EVA in 8 of them (35%), and a CEVA haplotype was regarded as the cause of EVA in 6 of 7 patients (86%) who carried only one SLC26A4 genetic variant. In two individuals with a phenotype matching branchio-oto-renal (BOR) spectrum disorder, cochlear hypoplasia resulted from EYA1 pathogenic variants. In one patient, a novel variant in CHD7 was detected. Our study shows that SLC26A4, together with the CEVA haplotype, accounts for more than half of EVA cases. Syndromic forms of HL should also be considered in patients with EVA. We conclude that to better understand inner ear development and the pathogenesis of its malformations, there is a need to look for pathogenic variants in noncoding regions of known HL genes or to link them with novel candidate HL genes.

Background: Biallelic PTPRQ pathogenic variants have been previously reported as causative for autosomal recessive non-syndromic hearing loss. In 2018 the first heterozygous PTPRQ variant has been implicated in the development of autosomal dominant non-syndromic hearing loss (ADNSHL) in a German family. The study presented the only, so far known, PTPRQ pathogenic variant (c.6881G>A) in ADNSHL. It is located in the last PTPRQ coding exon and introduces a premature stop codon (p.Trp2294*). Methods: A five-generation Polish family with ADNSHL was recruited for the study (n = 14). Thorough audiological, neurotological and imaging studies were carried out to precisely define the phenotype. Genomic DNA was isolated from peripheral blood samples or buccal swabs of available family members. Clinical exome sequencing was conducted for the proband. Family segregation analysis of the identified variants was performed using Sanger sequencing. Single nucleotide polymorphism array on DNA samples from the Polish and the original German family was used for genome-wide linkage analysis. Results: Combining clinical exome sequencing and family segregation analysis, we have identified the same (NM_001145026.2:c.6881G>A, NP_001138498.1:p.Trp2294*) PTPRQ alteration in the Polish ADNSHL family. Using genome-wide linkage analysis, we found that the studied family and the original German family derive from a common ancestor. Deep phenotyping of the affected individuals showed that in contrast to the recessive form, the PTPRQ-related ADNSHL is not associated with vestibular dysfunction. In both families ADNSHL was progressive, affected mainly high frequencies and had a variable age of onset. Conclusion: Our data provide the first confirmation of PTPRQ involvement in ADNSHL. The finding strongly reinforces the inclusion of PTPRQ to the small set of genes leading to both autosomal recessive and dominant hearing loss.