Erythromelalgia caused by the missense mutation p.Arg220Pro in an alternatively spliced exon of SCN9A (NaV1.7).

Human molecular genetics
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Abstract

Erythromelalgia (EM), is a familial pain syndrome characterized by episodic "burning" pain, warmth, and erythema. EM is caused by monoallelic variants in SCN9A, which encodes the voltage-gated sodium channel (NaV) NaV1.7. Over 25 different SCN9A mutations attributed to EM have been described to date, all identified in the SCN9A transcript utilizing exon 6 N. Here we report a novel SCN9A missense variant identified in seven related individuals with stereotypic episodes of bilateral lower limb pain presenting in childhood. The variant, XM_011511617.3:c.659G > C;p.(Arg220Pro), resides in the exon 6A of SCN9A, an exon previously shown to be selectively incorporated by developmentally regulated alternative splicing. The mutation is located in the voltage-sensing S4 segment of domain I, which is important for regulating channel activation. Functional analysis showed the p.Arg220Pro mutation altered voltage-dependent activation and delayed channel inactivation, consistent with a NaV1.7 gain-of-function molecular phenotype. These results demonstrate that alternatively spliced isoforms of SCN9A should be included in all genomic testing of EM.

Year of Publication
2023
Journal
Human molecular genetics
Date Published
09/2023
ISSN
1460-2083
DOI
10.1093/hmg/ddad152
PubMed ID
37721535
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