Background
We report the first case of a family with co‐occurrence of Wilson disease (WD), an autosomal recessive disorder of copper metabolism, and X‐linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA), a primary immunodeficiency disorder (PIDD) that features marked reduction in circulating B lymphocytes and serum immunoglobulins.
Methods and Results
Through utilization of a multiplexed biomarker peptide quantification method known as the immuno‐SRM assay, we were able to simultaneously and independently identify which family members are affected with WD and which are affected with XLA using dried blood spots (DBS).
Conclusion
Being able to delineate multiple diagnoses using proteolytic analysis from a single DBS provides support for implementation of this methodology for clinical diagnostic use as well as large‐scale population screening, such as newborn screening (NBS). This could allow for early identification and treatment of affected individuals with WD or XLA, which have been shown to reduce morbidity and decrease mortality in these two populations.
Background
Wilson disease (WD) is an autosomal recessive disorder of copper transport caused by inherited defects in the
ATP7B
gene and results in toxic accumulation of copper in various organs. We previously reported a family with three consecutive generations affected by WD that carries the variant, p.P1379S, which was classified at the time as likely pathogenic. However, recent investigations of the p.P1379S variant indicate a possible conflict of interpretations regarding its pathogenicity. This led us to explore the quantification of ATP7B in dried blood spots (DBS) using a surrogate peptide to study the effects of the p.P1379S variant on ATP7B concentrations in two unrelated families with the common p.P1379S variant.
Methods and results
ATP7B was quantified using the peptide immunoaffinity enrichment coupled with selected reaction monitoring mass spectrometry (immuno‐SRM) method which utilizes antibody‐mediated peptide capture from DBS. Two patients affected with WD had undetectable ATP7B level while four compound heterozygous children with one known pathogenic variant and the p.P1379S had significantly reduced ATP7B levels. Of note, all four children remain asymptomatic without abnormal laboratory consequences despite being untreated for WD.
Conclusion
These two families demonstrated that p.P1379S, when compounded with two known pathogenic variants, resulted in significantly reduced protein levels but retained enough function to maintain normal copper homeostasis. This implies that p.P1379S is benign in nature. A better understanding of the nature and consequences of variants in WD will help in informing patient care and avoiding unnecessary treatments.
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