Background: A clinical case is described of growth retardation, severe developmental delay, facial dysmorphic features with microcephaly, as well as congenital cataract, schizencephaly, periventricular calcifications, and epilepsy.
Methods: TORCH infection was suspected, but all tests for toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalovirus, and herpes simplex virus were negative for the child and her mother; however, an increased level of antibodies against parvovirus B19 was detected in the proband.
Results: Chromosomal analysis and array-CGH showed no aberration. Target capture sequencing for COL4A1 and COL4A2 revealed a de novo COL4A1 mutation (c.2123G>T [p.Gly708Val]). The mutation occurred at a highly conserved Gly residue in the Gly-X-Y repeat of the collagen triple helical domain, suggesting that these mutations may alter the collagen IV α1α1α2 heterotrimers. The mutation was predicted to be damaging.
Conclusion: We suggest that COL4A1 testing should be considered in patients with schizencephaly as well as with phenotype suggesting TORCH infection without any proven etiological factors.
Keywords: COL4A1; Schizencephaly; cataract; congenital infection; developmental delay; periventricular calcifications.
© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.