HACE1

Spastic Paraplegia with Psychomotor Retardation and Seizures

Clinical Characteristics
Ocular Features: 

The eyes are usually deeply set.  Nothing is known regarding visual acuity.  Strabismus is a common feature.  Retinal dystrophy (not further described) has been reported in 4 of 8 patients described.  The ERG in one individual was read as consistent with cone-rod dystrophy.

Systemic Features: 

Newborns are hypotonic and severe psychomotor retardation is evident a few months later.  Truncal ataxia and progressive lower limb spasticity are seen later.  Mobility is significantly impaired and many individuals are confined to bed or a wheelchair and never walk.  Dysarthria is frequently present and some individuals have a neurosensory hearing loss.  Myoclonic seizures may be evident.  Kyphoscoliosis, macrocephaly, and various foot deformities have been described.

CT scans of the brain may show generalized cerebral atrophy and a hypoplastic corpus callosum.  The ventricles may be enlarged and the EEG confirms the occurrence of myoclonic as well as tonic-clonic and focal epilepsy.

Genetics

This is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations in the HACE1 gene (6q16).

Pedigree: 
Autosomal recessive
Treatment
Treatment Options: 

No treatment has been reported for this condition but physical therapy and assistive devices such as hearing and visual aids may be helpful.

References
Article Title: 

DDD study. Discovery of four recessive developmental disorders using probabilistic genotype and phenotype matching among 4,125 families

Akawi N, McRae J, Ansari M, Balasubramanian M, Blyth M, Brady AF, Clayton S, Cole T, Deshpande C, Fitzgerald TW, Foulds N, Francis R, Gabriel G, Gerety SS, Goodship J, Hobson E, Jones WD, Joss S, King D, Klena N, Kumar A, Lees M, Lelliott C, Lord J, McMullan D, O'Regan M, Osio D, Piombo V, Prigmore E, Rajan D, Rosser E, Sifrim A, Smith A, Swaminathan GJ, Turnpenny P, Whitworth J, Wright CF, Firth HV, Barrett JC, Lo CW, FitzPatrick DR, Hurles ME; DDD study. Discovery of four recessive developmental disorders using probabilistic genotype and phenotype matching among 4,125 families. Nat Genet. 2015 Nov;47(11):1363-9.

PubMed ID: 
26437029

HACE1 deficiency causes an autosomal recessive neurodevelopmental syndrome

Hollstein R, Parry DA, Nalbach L, Logan CV, Strom TM, Hartill VL, Carr IM, Korenke GC, Uppal S, Ahmed M, Wieland T, Markham AF, Bennett CP, Gillessen-Kaesbach G, Sheridan EG, Kaiser FJ, Bonthron DT. HACE1 deficiency causes an autosomal recessive neurodevelopmental syndrome. J Med Genet. 2015 Dec;52(12):797-803.

PubMed ID: 
26424145
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