Clinical and genetic heterogeneity in Omenn syndrome and severe combined immune deficiency

A Homozygous RAG1 Gene Mutation in a Case of Combined Immunodeficiency: Clinical, Molecular, and Computational Analysis

BACKGROUND

The recombination-activating gene 1 and 2 (RAG1/RAG2) proteins are essential to initiate the V(D)J recombination process, the result is a diverse repertoire of antigen receptor genes and the establishment of the adaptive immunity. RAG1 mutations can lead to multiple forms of combined immunodeficiency.

METHODS

In this report, whole exome sequencing was performed in a Moroccan child suffering from combined immunodeficiency, with T and B lymphopenia, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, and cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection.

RESULTS

After filtering data and Sanger sequencing validation, one homozygous mutation c.2446G>A (p.Gly816Arg) was identified in the RAG1 gene.

CONCLUSION

This finding expands the spectrum of immunological and genetic profiles linked to RAG1 mutation, it also illustrates the necessity to consider RAG1 immunodeficiency in the presence of autoimmune hemolytic anemia and CMV infection, even assuming the immunological phenotype appears more or less normal.

Primary Immunodeficiency in the NICU

Primary immunodeficiency disorders (PIDs) are genetic diseases that lead to increased susceptibility to infection. Hundreds of PIDs have now been described, but a select subset commonly presents in the neonatal period. Neonates, especially premature newborns, have relative immune immaturity that makes it challenging to differentiate PIDs from intrinsic immaturity. Nonetheless, early identification and appropriate management of PIDs are critical, and the neonatal clinician should be familiar with a range of PIDs and their presentations. The neonatal clinician should also be aware of the importance of consulting with an immunologist when a PID is suspected. The role of newborn screening for severe combined immunodeficiency, as well as the initial steps of laboratory evaluation for a PID should be familiar to those caring for neonates. Finally, it is important for providers to be familiar with the initial management steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of infection in affected patients.

Omenn Syndrome Identified by Newborn Screening

Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) encompasses a group of genetic defects. T cell development is universally affected and has alteration of B and/or NK cells. We present the case of a 5-day-old boy with combined heterozygous frame shift (c.256_257del, p.(Lys86Valfs*33)) and missense (c.1186C>T, p.(Arg396Cys)) variations in the RAG1 gene. He was admitted to our institution because of 0 TREC on Newborn Screen and worsening rash. Initially thought to have Omenn syndrome versus maternal engraftment with graft versus host disease, DNA analysis identified the noted mutations and he subsequently received a bone marrow transplant from a matched sibling.

Newborn Screening for Primary Immunodeficiencies: The Gaps, Challenges, and Outlook for Developing Countries

Primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs) are genetically inherited diseases characterized by an increased susceptibility to infections, autoimmunity, lymphoproliferation, and malignancies. PIDs are under-diagnosed and the registered cases and reported prevalence are far below the estimated numbers especially in countries with large population and high consanguinity rates. Delays in diagnosis yield major morbidities and mortalities with resultant increased economic burden. Newborn screening using TRECs and KRECs, currently being implemented in some countries, is aimed through early diagnosis, to overcome the delays in the diagnosis and hence the poor outcome of some of the severe PIDs. However, the limited resources in developing countries challenges the implementation of newborn PID screening programs. There are considerable gaps in our knowledge that must be bridged. Setting the norms of TRECs and KRECs for each country is needed. Furthermore, some PIDs that might present in the neonatal period could not be detected by the current screening programs, and their diagnosis requires clinical expertise. Not to mention, local guidelines for the management of patients diagnosed by NBS should be set forth. Also, in the absence of NBS, clinicians should be aware of the early manifestations of PID. All these mandate conducting studies genuine to each country, developing programs for raising public awareness and clinical training of physicians to attain the required immunological skills.

Predicting the Occurrence of Variants in RAG1 and RAG2

While widespread genome sequencing ushers in a new era of preventive medicine, the tools for predictive genomics are still lacking. Time and resource limitations mean that human diseases remain uncharacterized because of an inability to predict clinically relevant genetic variants. A strategy of targeting highly conserved protein regions is used commonly in functional studies. However, this benefit is lost for rare diseases where the attributable genes are mostly conserved. An immunological disorder exemplifying this challenge occurs through damaging mutations in RAG1 and RAG2 which presents at an early age with a distinct phenotype of life-threatening immunodeficiency or autoimmunity. Many tools exist for variant pathogenicity prediction, but these cannot account for the probability of variant occurrence. Here, we present a method that predicts the likelihood of mutation for every amino acid residue in the RAG1 and RAG2 proteins. Population genetics data from approximately 146,000 individuals was used for rare variant analysis. Forty-four known pathogenic variants reported in patients and recombination activity measurements from 110 RAG1/2 mutants were used to validate calculated scores. Probabilities were compared with 98 currently known human cases of disease. A genome sequence dataset of 558 patients who have primary immunodeficiency but that are negative for RAG deficiency were also used as validation controls. We compared the difference between mutation likelihood and pathogenicity prediction. Our method builds a map of most probable mutations allowing pre-emptive functional analysis. This method may be applied to other diseases with hopes of improving preparedness for clinical diagnosis.

Immunodeficiencies Associated with Abnormal Newborn Screening for T Cell and B Cell Lymphopenia

Newborn screening for SCID has revealed the association of low T cells with a number of unexpected syndromes associated with low T cells, some of which were not appreciated to have this feature. This review will discuss diagnostic approaches and the features of some of the syndromes likely to be encountered following newborn screening for immune deficiencies.

Evaluation of RAG1 mutations in an adult with combined immunodeficiency and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy

Here we describe novel mutations in recombination activation gene 1 (RAG1) in a compound heterozygous male patient with combined T and B cell immunodeficiency (CID). Clinical manifestations besides antibody deficiency included airway infections, granulomatosis and autoimmune features. He died at the age of 37 due to PML caused by JC virus infection. By targeted next-generation sequencing we detected post mortem in this patient three mutations in RAG1. One allele harbored two novel mutations (c.1123C>G, p.H375D and c.1430delC, p.F478Sfs*14), namely a missense variant and a frameshift deletion, of which the latter leads to a truncated RAG1 protein. The other allele revealed a previously described missense mutation (c.1420C>T, p.R474C, rs199474678). Functional analysis of the p.R474C variant in an in vitro V(D)J recombination assay exhibited reduced recombination activity compared to a wild-type control. Our findings suggest that mutations in RAG1, specifically the p.R474C variant, can be associated with relatively mild clinical symptoms or delayed occurrence of T cell and B cell deficiencies but may predispose to PML.

Atopic Dermatitis and Allergic Urticaria: Cutaneous Manifestations of Immunodeficiency

Atopic dermatitis and allergic urticaria are common conditions of the skin that can also be the presenting symptoms of uncommon diseases. Defects leading to immunodeficiency may be associated with atopic dermatitis or allergic urticaria. Unusually severe or otherwise atypical presentations of atopic dermatitis or allergic urticaria may lead to clinical suspicion of an underlying immunodeficiency.

Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Disorders

Severe combined immunodeficiency disorders represent pediatric emergencies due to absence of adaptive immune responses to infections. The conditions result from either intrinsic defects in T-cell development (ie, severe combined immunodeficiency disease [SCID]) or congenital athymia (eg, complete DiGeorge anomaly). Hematopoietic stem cell transplant provides the only clinically approved cure for SCID, although gene therapy research trials are showing significant promise. For greatest survival, patients should undergo transplant before 3.5 months of age and before the onset of infections. Newborn screening programs have yielded successful early identification and treatment of infants with SCID and congenital athymia in the United States.

A hypomorphic recombination-activating gene 1 (RAG1) mutation resulting in a phenotype resembling common variable immunodeficiency

BACKGROUND

Recombination-activating gene 1 (RAG1) deficiency presents with a varied spectrum of combined immunodeficiency, ranging from a T(-)B(-)NK(+) type of disease to a T(+)B(+)NK(+) phenotype.

OBJECTIVE

We sought to assess the genetic background of patients with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID).

METHODS

A patient given a diagnosis of CVID, who was born to a consanguineous family and thus would be expected to show an autosomal recessive inheritance, was subjected to clinical evaluation, immunologic assays, homozygosity gene mapping, exome sequencing, Sanger sequencing, and functional analysis.

RESULTS

The 14-year-old patient, who had liver granuloma, extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma, and autoimmune neutropenia, presented with a clinical picture resembling CVID. Genetic analysis of this patient showed a homozygous hypomorphic RAG1 mutation (c.1073 G>A, p.C358Y) with a residual functional capacity of 48% of wild-type protein.

CONCLUSION

Our finding broadens the range of disorders associated with RAG1 mutations and might have important therapeutic implications.

Newborn screening for severe combined immunodeficiency and T-cell lymphopenia in California: results of the first 2 years

BACKGROUND

Assay of T-cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) in dried blood spots obtained at birth permits population-based newborn screening (NBS) for severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID).

OBJECTIVE

We sought to report the first 2 years of TREC NBS in California.

METHODS

Since August 2010, California has conducted SCID NBS. A high-throughput TREC quantitative PCR assay with DNA isolated from routine dried blood spots was developed. Samples with initial low TREC numbers had repeat DNA isolation with quantitative PCR for TRECs and a genomic control, and immunophenotyping was performed within the screening program for infants with incomplete or abnormal results. Outcomes were tracked.

RESULTS

Of 993,724 infants screened, 50 (1/19,900 [0.005%]) had significant T-cell lymphopenia. Fifteen (1/66,250) required hematopoietic cell or thymus transplantation or gene therapy; these infants had typical SCID (n = 11), leaky SCID or Omenn syndrome (n = 3), or complete DiGeorge syndrome (n = 1). Survival to date in this group is 93%. Other T-cell lymphopenic infants had variant SCID or combined immunodeficiency (n = 6), genetic syndromes associated with T-cell impairment (n = 12), secondary T-cell lymphopenia (n = 9), or preterm birth (n = 8). All T-cell lymphopenic infants avoided live vaccines and received appropriate interventions to prevent infections. TREC test specificity was excellent: only 0.08% of infants required a second test, and 0.016% required lymphocyte phenotyping by using flow cytometry.

CONCLUSIONS

TREC NBS in California has achieved early diagnosis of SCID and other conditions with T-cell lymphopenia, facilitating management and optimizing outcomes. Furthermore, NBS has revealed the incidence, causes, and follow-up of T-cell lymphopenia in a large diverse population.

Placental transfer of maternally-derived IgA precludes the use of guthrie card eluates as a screening tool for primary immunodeficiency diseases

There is a need for neonatal screening tools to improve the long-term clinical outcome of patients with primary immunodeficiency diseases (PID). Recently, a PCR-based screening method for both TRECs and KRECs using Guthrie card samples has been developed. However, the applicability of these excision circle assays is limited to patients with severe T or B cell lymphopenia (SCID, XLA and A-T), whereas the most common forms of PID are not detected. Absence of serum IgA is seen in a major fraction of patients with immunological defects. As serum IgA in newborns is considered to be of fetal origin, eluates from routinely collected dried blood spot samples might thus be suitable for identification of children with PID. To assess the applicability of such screening assays, stored Guthrie card samples were obtained from 47 patients with various forms of primary immunodeficiency diseases (SCID, XLA, A-T, HIGM and IgAD), 20 individuals with normal serum IgA levels born to IgA-deficient mothers and 51 matched healthy newborns. Surprisingly, normal serum IgA levels were found in all SCID, XLA, A-T and HIGM patients and, additionally, in all those IgAD patients born to IgA-sufficient mothers. Conversely, no serum IgA was found in any of the 16 IgAD patients born by IgA-deficient mothers. Moreover, half of the IgA-sufficient individuals born by IgA-deficient mothers also lacked IgA at birth whereas no IgA-deficient individuals were found among the controls. IgA in neonatal dried blood samples thus appears to be of both maternal and fetal origin and precludes its use as a reliable marker for neonatal screening of primary immunodeficiency diseases.

Novel mutatıons and diverse clinical phenotypes in recombinase-activating gene 1 deficiency

Background

Severe combined immunodeficiency is within a heterogeneous group of inherited defects throughout the development of T- and/or B-lymphocytes. Mutations in recombinase-activating genes 1 or 2 (RAG1/2) represent approximately 10% of all SCID cases. RAG1/2 are essential for V(D)J rearrangement of the B- and T-cell receptors.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to review clinical, immunological and molecular findings of Turkish SCID patients with RAG1 defects and to draw attention to novel mutations, genotype-phenotype correlations and the high rate of BCG infections within this group.

Methods

Eleven patients (F/M: 6/5) were included. Molecular, immunological and clinical data were evaluated.

Results

Five patients were classified as T-B-NK + SCID, four patients as T + B-NK + SCID (two of these patients were diagnosed as classical Omenn syndrome) and two patients as T + B + NK + SCID with respect to clinical presentations and immunological data. Mean age of the whole study group, mean age at onset of symptoms and mean age at diagnosis were: 33.0 ± 42.8, 3.1 ± 3.3 and 10.4 ± 13.5 months, respectively. Consanguinity rate was 54%. Some novel mutations were found in RAG1 gene in addition to previously reported mutations. Genotype-phenotype correlation was not significantly apparent in most of the cases. BCG infection was observed in 36.4% of patients (two BCG-osis and two BCG-itis).

Conclusion

Epigenetic factors such as compound genetic defects, enviromental factors, and exposure to recurrent infections may modify phenotypical characteristics of RAG deficiencies. Inoculation of live vaccines such as BCG should be postponed until primary immunodeficiency disease is excluded with appropriate screening tests in suspected cases.

Genetics of SCID

Human SCID (Severe Combined Immunodeficiency) is a prenatal disorder of T lymphocyte development, that depends on the expression of numerous genes. The knowledge of the genetic basis of SCID is essential for diagnosis (e.g., clinical phenotype, lymphocyte profile) and treatment (e.g., use and type of pre-hematopoietic stem cell transplant conditioning).Over the last years novel genetic defects causing SCID have been discovered, and the molecular and immunological mechanisms of SCID have been better characterized. Distinct forms of SCID show both common and peculiar (e.g., absence or presence of nonimmunological features) aspects, and they are currently classified into six groups according to prevalent pathophysiological mechanisms: impaired cytokine-mediated signaling; pre-T cell receptor defects; increased lymphocyte apoptosis; defects in thymus embryogenesis; impaired calcium flux; other mechanisms.This review is the updated, extended and largely modified translation of the article "Cossu F: Le basi genetiche delle SCID", originally published in Italian language in the journal "Prospettive in Pediatria" 2009, 156:228-238.