Encephalopathy, Progressive, with Amyotrophy and Optic Atrophy

Clinical Characteristics
Ocular Features: 

Optic atrophy is present.

Systemic Features: 

This is a progressive neurodegenerative condition in which hypotonia and delayed development are evident between birth and 14 months of age.  Developmental milestones, if attained, soon regress accompanied by distal amyotrophy, cognitive impairment that may be severe, ataxia, spastic tetraplegia, dysarthria, and scoliosis.  Seizures often occur.

Brain imaging reveals cerebellar and cerebral atrophy.  Iron accumulation may be seen in the pallidum and substantia nigra.  The corpus callosum appears abnormally thin.  Muscle biopsy shows evidence of denervation atrophy.

Genetics

Homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations in the TBCE gene (1q42.3) can cause this disorder.  

Biallelic mutations in the same gene also cause Kenny-Caffey syndrome type 1 (244460) and a hypoparathyroidism dysmorphism syndrome (241410).

Treatment
Treatment Options: 

No treatment has been reported.

References
Article Title: 

TBCE Mutations Cause Early-Onset Progressive Encephalopathy with Distal Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Sferra A, Baillat G, Rizza T, Barresi S, Flex E, Tasca G, D'Amico A, Bellacchio E, Ciolfi A, Caputo V, Cecchetti S, Torella A, Zanni G, Diodato D, Piermarini E, Niceta M, Coppola A, Tedeschi E, Martinelli D, Dionisi-Vici C, Nigro V, Dallapiccola B, Compagnucci C, Tartaglia M, Haase G, Bertini E. TBCE Mutations Cause Early-Onset Progressive Encephalopathy with Distal Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Am J Hum Genet. 2016 Oct 6;99(4):974-983.

PubMed ID: 
27666369

Biallelic Mutations in TBCD, Encoding the Tubulin Folding Cofactor D, Perturb Microtubule Dynamics and Cause Early-Onset Encephalopathy

Flex E, Niceta M, Cecchetti S, Thiffault I, Au MG, Capuano A, Piermarini E, Ivanova AA, Francis JW, Chillemi G, Chandramouli B, Carpentieri G, Haaxma CA, Ciolfi A, Pizzi S, Douglas GV, Levine K, Sferra A, Dentici ML, Pfundt RR, Le Pichon JB, Farrow E, Baas F, Piemonte F, Dallapiccola B, Graham JM Jr, Saunders CJ, Bertini E, Kahn RA, Koolen DA, Tartaglia M. Biallelic Mutations in TBCD, Encoding the Tubulin Folding Cofactor D, Perturb Microtubule Dynamics and Cause Early-Onset Encephalopathy. Am J Hum Genet. 2016 Oct 6;99(4):962-973.

PubMed ID: 
27666370

References

Sferra A, Baillat G, Rizza T, Barresi S, Flex E, Tasca G, D'Amico A, Bellacchio E, Ciolfi A, Caputo V, Cecchetti S, Torella A, Zanni G, Diodato D, Piermarini E, Niceta M, Coppola A, Tedeschi E, Martinelli D, Dionisi-Vici C, Nigro V, Dallapiccola B, Compagnucci C, Tartaglia M, Haase G, Bertini E. TBCE Mutations Cause Early-Onset Progressive Encephalopathy with Distal Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Am J Hum Genet. 2016 Oct 6;99(4):974-983.

PubMedID: 27666369

Flex E, Niceta M, Cecchetti S, Thiffault I, Au MG, Capuano A, Piermarini E, Ivanova AA, Francis JW, Chillemi G, Chandramouli B, Carpentieri G, Haaxma CA, Ciolfi A, Pizzi S, Douglas GV, Levine K, Sferra A, Dentici ML, Pfundt RR, Le Pichon JB, Farrow E, Baas F, Piemonte F, Dallapiccola B, Graham JM Jr, Saunders CJ, Bertini E, Kahn RA, Koolen DA, Tartaglia M. Biallelic Mutations in TBCD, Encoding the Tubulin Folding Cofactor D, Perturb Microtubule Dynamics and Cause Early-Onset Encephalopathy. Am J Hum Genet. 2016 Oct 6;99(4):962-973.

PubMedID: 27666370

Schaefer MK, Schmalbruch H, Buhler E, Lopez C, Martin N, Guenet JL, Haase G. Progressive motor neuronopathy: a critical role of the tubulin chaperone TBCE in axonal tubulin routing from the Golgi apparatus. J Neurosci. 2007 Aug 15;27(33):8779-89.

PubMedID: 17699660