Mutations in several known or putative glycosyltransferases cause glycosylation defects in α-dystroglycan (α-DG), an integral component of the dystrophin glycoprotein complex. The hypoglycosylation reduces the ability of α-DG to bind laminin and other extracellular matrix ligands and is responsible for the pathogenesis of an inherited subset of muscular dystrophies known as the dystroglycanopathies. By exome and Sanger sequencing we identified two individuals affected by a dystroglycanopathy with mutations in β-1,3-N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase 2 (B3GALNT2). B3GALNT2 transfers N-acetyl galactosamine (GalNAc) in a β-1,3 linkage to N-acetyl glucosamine (GlcNAc). A subsequent study of a separate cohort of individuals identified recessive mutations in four additional cases that were all affected by dystroglycanopathy with structural brain involvement. We show that functional dystroglycan glycosylation was reduced in the fibroblasts and muscle (when available) of these individuals via flow cytometry, immunoblotting, and immunocytochemistry. B3GALNT2 localized to the endoplasmic reticulum, and this localization was perturbed by some of the missense mutations identified. Moreover, knockdown of b3galnt2 in zebrafish recapitulated the human congenital muscular dystrophy phenotype with reduced motility, brain abnormalities, and disordered muscle fibers with evidence of damage to both the myosepta and the sarcolemma. Functional dystroglycan glycosylation was also reduced in the b3galnt2 knockdown zebrafish embryos. Together these results demonstrate a role for B3GALNT2 in the glycosylation of α-DG and show that B3GALNT2 mutations can cause dystroglycanopathy with muscle and brain involvement.

Objective We sought to identify genetic causes of early onset epileptic encephalopathies with burst suppression (Ohtahara syndrome and early myoclonic encephalopathy) and evaluate genotype-phenotype correlations. Methods We enrolled 33 patients with a referral diagnosis of Ohtahara syndrome or early myoclonic encephalopathy without malformations of cortical development. We performed detailed phenotypic assessment including seizure presentation, EEG, and MRI. We confirmed burst suppression in 28 out of 33 patients. Research-based exome sequencing was performed for patients without a previously identified molecular diagnosis from clinical evaluation or research-based epilepsy gene panel. Results In 17/28 (61%) patients with confirmed early burst suppression, we identified variants predicted to be pathogenic in KCNQ2 (n=10), STXBP1 (n=2), SCN2A (n=2), PNPO (n=1), PIGA (n=1), and SEPSECS (n=1). In 3/5 (60%) patients without confirmed early burst suppression, we identified variants predicted to be pathogenic in STXBP1 (n=2) and SCN2A (n=1). The patient with the homozygous PNPO variant had a low CSF pyridoxal-5-phosphate level. Otherwise, no early laboratory or clinical features distinguished the cases associated with pathogenic variants in specific genes from each other or from those with no prior genetic cause identified. Interpretation We characterize the genetic landscape of epileptic encephalopathy with burst suppression, without brain malformations, and demonstrate feasibility of genetic diagnosis with clinically available testing in over 60% of our cohort with KCNQ2 implicated in one third. This electroclinical syndrome is associated with pathogenic variation in SEPSECS.

Objective: De novo SCN2A mutations have recently been associated with severe infantile-onset epilepsies. Herein, we define the phenotypic spectrum of SCN2A encephalopathy.Methods: Twelve patients with an SCN2A epileptic encephalopathy underwent electroclinical phenotyping.Results: Patients were aged 0.7 to 22 years; 3 were deceased. Seizures commenced on day 1-4 in 8, week 2-6 in 2, and after 1 year in 2. Characteristic features included clusters of brief focal seizures with multiple hourly (9 patients), multiple daily (2), or multiple weekly (1) seizures, peaking at maximal frequency within 3 months of onset. Multifocal interictal epileptiform discharges were seen in all. Three of 12 patients had infantile spasms. The epileptic syndrome at presentation was epilepsy of infancy with migrating focal seizures (EIMFS) in 7 and Ohtahara syndrome in 2. Nine patients had improved seizure control with sodium channel blockers including supratherapeutic or high therapeutic phenytoin levels in 5. Eight had severe to profound developmental impairment. Other features included movement disorders (10), axial hypotonia (11) with intermittent or persistent appendicular spasticity, early handedness, and severe gastrointestinal symptoms. Mutations arose de novo in 11 patients; paternal DNA was unavailable in one.Conclusions: Review of our 12 and 34 other reported cases of SCN2A encephalopathy suggests 3 phenotypes: neonatal-infantile-onset groups with severe and intermediate outcomes, and a childhood-onset group. Here, we show that SCN2A is the second most common cause of EIMFS and, importantly, does not always have a poor developmental outcome. Sodium channel blockers, particularly phenytoin, may improve seizure control. Neurology ® 2015;85:958-966 GLOSSARY BFNIS 5 benign familial neonatal infantile seizures; EE 5 epileptic encephalopathy; EIMFS 5 epilepsy of infancy with migrating focal seizures; MIP 5 molecular inversion probe; SUDEP 5 sudden unexpected death in epilepsy; WES 5 whole-exome sequencing.

Loss-of-function (LOF) mutations in CC2D1A cause a spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders, including intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, and seizures, identifying a critical role for this gene in cognitive and social development. CC2D1A regulates intracellular signaling processes that are critical for neuronal function, but previous attempts to model the human LOF phenotypes have been prevented by perinatal lethality in Cc2d1a-deficient mice. To overcome this challenge, we generated a floxed Cc2d1a allele for conditional removal of Cc2d1a in the brain using Cre recombinase. While removal of Cc2d1a in neuronal progenitors using Cre expressed from the Nestin promoter still causes death at birth, conditional postnatal removal of Cc2d1a in the forebrain via calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II-alpha (CamKIIa) promoter-driven Cre generates animals that are viable and fertile with grossly normal anatomy. Analysis of neuronal morphology identified abnormal cortical dendrite organization and a reduction in dendritic spine density. These animals display deficits in neuronal plasticity and in spatial learning and memory that are accompanied by reduced sociability, hyperactivity, anxiety, and excessive grooming. Cc2d1a conditional knockout mice therefore recapitulate features of both cognitive and social impairment caused by human CC2D1A mutation, and represent a model that could provide much needed insights into the developmental mechanisms underlying nonsyndromic neurodevelopmental disorders.