CHARGE syndrome (Coloboma of the eye, Heart defects, Atresia of the choanae, Retardation of growth and/or development, Genital and/or urinary anomalies, and Ear malformations, including deafness and vestibular disorders) is a genetic condition characterized by a specific and recognizable pattern of features. Heterozygous pathogenic variants in the chromodomain helicase DNA-binding protein 7 (CHD7) are the major cause of CHARGE syndrome, and have been identified in 70–90% of individuals fulfilling clinical diagnostic criteria. Since 2004, when CHD7 was discovered as the causative gene for CHARGE syndrome, the phenotypic spectrum associated with pathogenic CHD7 variants has expanded. Predicted pathogenic CHD7 variants have been identified in individuals with isolated features of CHARGE including autism and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Here we present genotype and phenotype data from a cohort of 28 patients who were considered for a diagnosis of CHARGE syndrome, including one patient with atypical presentations and a pathogenic CHD7 variant. We also summarize published literature on pathogenic CHD7 variant positive individuals who have atypical clinical presentations. Lastly, we propose a revision to current clinical diagnostic criteria, including broadening of the major features associated with CHARGE syndrome and addition of pathogenic CHD7 variant status as a major criterion.

TRAF7 is a multi-functional protein involved in diverse signaling pathways and cellular processes. The phenotypic consequence of germline TRAF7 variants remains unclear. Here we report missense variants in TRAF7 in seven unrelated individuals referred for clinical exome sequencing. The seven individuals share substantial phenotypic overlap, with developmental delay, congenital heart defects, limb and digital anomalies, and dysmorphic features emerging as key unifying features. The identified variants are de novo in six individuals and comprise four distinct missense changes, including a c.1964G>A (p.Arg655Gln) variant that is recurrent in four individuals. These variants affect evolutionarily conserved amino acids and are located in key functional domains. Gene-specific mutation rate analysis showed that the occurrence of the de novo variants in TRAF7 (p = 2.6 × 10) and the recurrent de novo c.1964G>A (p.Arg655Gln) variant (p = 1.9 × 10) in our exome cohort was unlikely to have occurred by chance. In vitro analyses of the observed TRAF7 mutations showed reduced ERK1/2 phosphorylation. Our findings suggest that missense mutations in TRAF7 are associated with a multisystem disorder and provide evidence of a role for TRAF7 in human development.

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