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Biallelic NDUFA13 variants lead to a neurodevelopmental phenotype with gradual neurological impairment

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Kyle Thompson, Professor Bobby McFarlandORCiD, Professor Robert TaylorORCiD

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).


Abstract

© The Author(s) 2024.Biallelic variants in NADH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) + hydrogen (H))-ubiquinone oxidoreductase 1 alpha subcomplex 13 have been linked to mitochondrial complex I deficiency, nuclear type 28, based on three affected individuals from two families. With only two families reported, the clinical and molecular spectrum of NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase 1 alpha subcomplex 13–related diseases remains unclear. We report 10 additional affected individuals from nine independent families, identifying four missense variants (including recurrent c.170G > A) and three ultra-rare or novel predicted loss-of-function biallelic variants. Updated clinical–radiological data from previously reported families and a literature review compiling clinical features of all reported patients with isolated complex I deficiency caused by 43 genes encoding complex I subunits and assembly factors are also provided. Our cohort (mean age 7.8 ± 5.4 years; range 2.5–18) predominantly presented a moderate-to-severe neurodevelopmental syndrome with oculomotor abnormalities (84%), spasticity/hypertonia (83%), hypotonia (69%), cerebellar ataxia (66%), movement disorders (58%) and epilepsy (46%). Neuroimaging revealed bilateral symmetric T2 hyperintense substantia nigra lesions (91.6%) and optic nerve atrophy (66.6%). Protein modeling suggests missense variants destabilize a critical junction between the hydrophilic and membrane arms of complex I. Fibroblasts from two patients showed reduced complex I activity and compensatory complex IV activity increase. This study characterizes NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase 1 alpha subcomplex 13–related disease in 13 individuals, highlighting genotype–phenotype correlations.


Publication metadata

Author(s): Kaiyrzhanov R, Thompson K, Efthymiou S, Mukushev A, Zharylkassyn A, Prasad C, Karimiani EG, Alvi JR, Niyazov D, Alahmad A, Babaei M, Tajsharghi H, Albash B, Alaqeel A, Charif M, Hashemi N, Heidari M, Kalantar SM, Lenaers G, Mehrjardi MYV, Srinivasan VM, Gowda VK, Mirabutalebi SH, Carere DA, Movahedinia M, Murphy D, McFarland R, Abdel-Hamid MS, Elhossini RM, Alavi S, Napier M, Belanger-Quintana A, Prasad AN, Jakobczyk J, Roubertie A, Rupar T, Sultan T, Toosi MB, Sazanov L, Severino M, Houlden H, Taylor RW, Maroofian R

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Brain Communications

Year: 2025

Volume: 7

Issue: 1

Online publication date: 17/12/2024

Acceptance date: 12/12/2024

Date deposited: 03/02/2025

ISSN (electronic): 2632-1297

Publisher: Oxford University Press

URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcae453

DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcae453

Data Access Statement: The authors have not generated any codes for this work. As such, there are no datasets or code repositories associated with this study.


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Funding

Funder referenceFunder name
203105/Z/16/ZWellcome Trust
221951/Z/20/Z
Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s
Brain Research UK
G0601943
G0800674
Global Parkinson’s Genetics Program
King Baudouin Foundation
LifeArc
Lily Foundation
Medical Research Council
Michael J. Fox Foundation
Mito Foundation
Mitochondrial Disease Patient Cohort
MR/S005021/1Medical Research Council (MRC)
MR/S01165X/1
Multiple System Atrophy Trust
Muscular Dystrophy
National Institute for Health Research
Medical Research Council International Centre for Genomic Medicine in Neuromuscular Disease
MR/W019027/1
MRC ICGNMD
Muscular Dystrophy Association United States of America
NHS Highly Specialised Service for Rare Mitochondrial Disorders of Adults and Children
Pathological Society
Rosetree Trust
Sparks Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity
UK National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre for Ageing and Age-related disease
Wellcome Centre for Mitochondrial Research
Wellcome Trust

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