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Early neurological symptoms and epilepsy outcomes in individuals with the recurrent GABRG2 p.(Ala106Thr) gain-of-function variant: Structural and phenotypic insights
European Reference Network EpiCARE, Denmark; Univ Southern Denmark, Denmark; Inst Roosevelt, Colombia.
European Reference Network EpiCARE, Denmark; Univ Genoa, Italy; IRCCS Ist Giannina Gaslini, Italy.
Univ Copenhagen, Denmark; Univ Sydney, Australia.
Linköping University, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, The Division of Cell and Neurobiology. Linköping University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.
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2026 (English)In: Epilepsia, ISSN 0013-9580, E-ISSN 1528-1167, Vol. 67, no 3, p. 1371-1385Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Objective Variants in GABRG2, encoding the gamma 2 subunit of the gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor, are linked to epilepsy phenotypes of varying severity, with gain-of-function (GoF) variants associated with the more severe phenotypes than loss-of-function variants. Here, we provide a comprehensive analysis of the early clinical features, motor, language, and eating abilities, and structural consequences of the recurrent GABRG2 p.(Ala106Thr) GoF variant, aiming to refine genotype-phenotype correlations and deepen the understanding of GoF-associated GABRG2 disorders.Methods Individuals were recruited through international collaborations, literature review, and patient advocacy groups. Clinical data were collected via standardized interviews and physician reports. Functional effects were assessed using electrophysiological recordings. Structural modeling was performed using homology-based approaches to evaluate conformational changes.Results We collected 23 unrelated individuals harboring the GABRG2 p.(Ala106Thr) variant. Symptoms began with early dysphagia (median onset age = 1 month), hypotonia, seizures (median onset age = 2 months), and hyperkinetic movement disorders (median onset age = 3 months). Epilepsy was present in 91% of the individuals, 71% featuring a developmental and epileptic encephalopathy; 33% of the individuals with epilepsy achieved seizure freedom during the follow-up. All individuals exhibited moderate to severe cognitive/neurodevelopmental impairment, with profound deficits in motor, language, and other domains. Functional analysis confirmed a GoF effect of the p.(Ala106Thr) variant. By contrast, another variant affecting the same residue, p.(Ala106Pro), which is observed in population databases, was functionally characterized as neutral. Structural modeling indicated that the p.(Ala106Thr) variant may enhance receptor gating by facilitating a hydrogen bond between the extracellular and transmembrane domains, a mechanism not observed with the p.(Ala106Pro) variant.Significance Although some individuals exhibited severe developmental impairment without epilepsy, our findings demonstrate that the recurrent GABRG2 p.(Ala106Thr) GoF variant is consistently associated with a severe neurodevelopmental phenotype. Despite its profound clinical impact, in silico tools consistently predict this variant as benign, highlighting a critical gap in current predictive models.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
WILEY , 2026. Vol. 67, no 3, p. 1371-1385
Keywords [en]
early onset symptoms; functional analysis; GABAA receptor; genotype-phenotype correlation
National Category
Neurology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-220020DOI: 10.1111/epi.70045ISI: 001631366800001PubMedID: 41351427Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105024222994OAI: oai:DiVA.org:liu-220020DiVA, id: diva2:2022149
Note

Funding Agencies|Lundbeck Foundation [R383-2022-276]

Available from: 2025-12-16 Created: 2025-12-16 Last updated: 2026-05-12

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