Compound heterozygous mutations of NDUFV1 identified in a child with mitochondrial complex I deficiency

Background: Mitochondrial complex I deficiency (MCID) is the most common biochemical defect identified in childhood with mitochondrial diseases, mainly including Leigh syndrome, encephalopathy, macrocephaly with progressive leukodystrophy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and myopathy.

Objective: To identify genetic cause in a patient with early onset autosomal recessive MCID.

Methods: Trio whole-exome sequencing was performed and phenotype-related data analyses were conducted. All candidate mutations were confirmed by Sanger sequencing.

Results: Here we report a child of Leigh syndrome presented with global developmental delay, progressive muscular hypotonia and myocardial damage. A missense mutation c.118C > T (p.Arg40Trp) and a previously reported mutation c.1157G > A (p.Arg386His) in NDUFV1 have been identified as compound heterozygous in the patient. The mutation p.Arg386His is closely associated with the impairment of 4Fe-4S domain and this mutation has been reported pathogenic. The c.118C > T mutation has not been reported in ClinVar and HGMD database. In silico protein analyses showed that p.Arg40 is highly conserved in a wide range of species, and the amino acid substitution p.Trp40 largely decreases the stability of NDUFV1. In addition, the mutation has not been detected in the Asian populations and it was predicted to be deleterious by numerous prediction tools.

Conclusion: This research expands the mutation spectrum of NDUFV1 and substantially provides an early and accurate diagnosis basis of MCID, which would benefit subsequently effective genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis for future reproduction of the family.