THOC6 is a part of the THO complex, which is involved in coordinating mRNA processing with export. The THO complex interacts with additional components to form the larger TREX complex (transcription export complex). Previously, a homozygous missense mutation in THOC6 in the Hutterite population was reported in association with syndromic intellectual disability. Using exome sequencing, we identified three unrelated patients with bi-allelic mutations in THOC6 associated with intellectual disability and additional clinical features. Two of the patients were compound heterozygous for a stop and a missense mutation, and the third was homozygous for a missense mutation; the missense mutations were predicted to be pathogenic by in silico analysis and modeling. Clinical features of the three newly identified patients and those previously reported are reviewed; intellectual disability is moderate to severe, and malformations are variable including renal and heart defects, cleft palate, microcephaly, and corpus callosum dysgenesis. Facial features are variable and include tall forehead, short upslanting palpebral fissures +/- deep set eyes, and a long nose with overhanging columella. These subtle facial features render the diagnosis difficult to make in isolation with certainty. Our results expand the mutational and clinical spectrum of this rare disease, confirm that THOC6 is an intellectual disability causing gene, while providing insight into the importance of the THO complex in neurodevelopment.

It can be concluded that both enzyme-inducing AEDs and non enzyme-inducing AEDs decrease bone mineral density (BMD). Also alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is affected in ambulatory epileptic children on enzyme-inducing AEDs. Nevertheless, valproic acid (a non-enzyme-inducing agent) does not have the mentioned side effects.

The results suggest that variants in RYR3 may cause a recessive muscle disease with pathological features including nemaline bodies. We characterize the expression pattern of RYR3 in human skeletal muscle and brain, and the subcellular localization of RYR1 and RYR3 in human skeletal muscle.

Mutations in both PANK2 and C19orf12 contributed significantly to NBIA in the Iranian patients. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first genetic analysis reported on a cohort of NBIA patients from the Middle East.

Hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) is a heterogeneous condition characterized by progressive spasticity and weakness in the lower limbs. It is divided into two major groups, complicated and uncomplicated, based on the presence of additional features such as intellectual disability, ataxia, seizures, peripheral neuropathy and visual problems. SPG56 is an autosomal recessive form of HSP with complicated and uncomplicated manifestations, complicated being more common. CYP2U1 gene mutations have been identified as responsible for SPG56. Intellectual disability, dystonia, subclinical sensory motor neuropathy, pigmentary degenerative maculopathy, thin corpus callosum and periventricular white-matter hyperintensities were additional features noted in previous cases of SPG56. Here we identified two novel mutations in CYP2U1 in two unrelated patients by whole exome sequencing. Both patients had complicated HSP with activity-induced dystonia, suggesting dystonia as an additional finding in SPG56. Two out of 14 previously reported patients had dystonia, and the addition of our patients suggests dystonia in a quarter of SPG56 patients. Developmental regression has not been reported in SPG56 patients so far but both of our patients developed motor regression in infancy.