Background
Numerous studies have demonstrated increased load of de novo copy number variants (CNVs) or single nucleotide variants (SNVs) in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders, including epileptic encephalopathies, intellectual disability and autism.
Methods
We searched for de novo mutations in a family quartet with a sporadic case of epileptic encephalopathy with no known etiology to determine the underlying cause using high coverage whole exome sequencing (WES) and lower coverage whole genome sequencing (WGS). Mutations in additional patients were identified by WES. The effect of mutations on protein function was assessed in a heterologous expression system.
Results
We identified a de novo missense mutation in KCNB1 that encodes the KV2.1 voltage-gated potassium channel. Functional studies demonstrated a deleterious effect of the mutation on KV2.1 function leading to a loss of ion selectivity and gain of a depolarizing inward cation conductance. Subsequently, we identified two additional patients with epileptic encephalopathy and de novo KCNB1 missense mutations that cause a similar pattern of KV2.1 dysfunction.
Interpretation
Our genetic and functional evidence demonstrate that KCNB1 mutation can result in early onset epileptic encephalopathy. This expands the locus heterogeneity associated with epileptic encephalopathies and suggests that clinical WES may be useful for diagnosis of epileptic encephalopathies of unknown etiology.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.