Neuropediatrics 2004; 35(4): 224-229
DOI: 10.1055/s-2004-821084
Original Article

Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Congenital Muscular Dystrophy with Short Stature, Proximal Contractures and Distal Laxity

E. Mercuri1 , 2 , A. Lampe3 , V. Straub4 , Y. Yuva1 , C. Longman1 , M. Wright3 , S. Brown1 , C. Sewry1 , C. Bonnemann5 , M. Kinali1 , M. Brockington1 , I. Hausser6 , D. Hilton Jones7 , T. Voit4 , K. Bushby3 , F. Muntoni1
  • 1Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre, Department of Paediatrics, Imperial College, London, UK
  • 2Department of Child Neurology, Catholic University Hospital, Rome, Italy
  • 3Institute of Human Genetics, International Centre for Life, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
  • 4Department of Paediatrics, University of Essen, Essen, Germany
  • 5Division of Neurology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, USA
  • 6Electron Microscopic Laboratory, Dept. of Dermatology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
  • 7Department of Neurology, The Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, UK
Further Information

Publication History

Received: October 9, 2003

Accepted after Revision: May 15, 2004

Publication Date:
14 July 2004 (online)

Abstract

We report 5 cases (2 familial and 3 sporadic) who share a diagnosis of congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD) in association with short stature, proximal contractures, rigidity of the spine and distal joint laxity as well as early respiratory failure and mild to moderate mental retardation. The expression of collagen VI was confirmed to be normal on muscle biopsies of all 5 patients and in the informative family linkage to any of the three COL6 A loci was excluded. These findings extend the phenotypes within the CMD classification.

References

  • 1 Bonnemann C G, Hausser I, Christen H F, Lamprecht I A, Hanefeld F. Congenital myopathies/muscular dystrophies with joint hypermobility and alterations of the skin complement [abstract].  Neuromusc Disord. 2000;  10 351
  • 2 Demir E, Sabatelli P, Allaman V, Ferreiro A, Moghadaszadeh B, Makrelouf M, Topaloglu H, Echenne B, Merlini L, Guicheney P. Mutations in COL6A3 cause severe and mild phenotypes of Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy.  Am J Hum Genet. 2002;  70 1446-1458
  • 3 Ferreiro A, Quijano-Roy S, Pichereau C, Moghadaszadeh B, Goemans N, Bonnemann C, Jungbluth H, Straub V, Villanova M, Leroy J P, Romero N B, Martin J J, Muntoni F, Voit T, Estournet B, Richard P, Fardeau M, Guicheney P. Mutations of the selenoprotein N gene, which is implicated in rigid spine muscular dystrophy, cause the classical phenotype of multiminicore disease.  Am J Hum Genet. 2002;  71 739-749
  • 4 Furukawa T, Toyokura Y. Congenital, hypotonic-sclerotic muscular dystrophy.  J Med Genet. 1977;  14 426-429
  • 5 Hernandez A, Aguirre-Negrete M G, Gonzalez-Flores S, Reynoso-Luna M C, Fragoso R, Nazara Z, Tapia-Arizmendi G, Cantu J M. Ehlers-Danlos features with progeroid faces and mild mental retardation. Further delineation of the syndrome.  Clin Genet. 1986;  30 456-461
  • 6 Hernandez A, Aguirre-Negrete M G, Ramirez-Soltero S, Gonzalez-Mendoza A, Martinez Y, Martinez R, Velazquez-Cabrera A, Cantu J M. A distinct variant of the Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.  Clin Genet. 1979;  16 335-339
  • 7 Higuchi I, Shiraishi T, Hashiguchi T, Suehara M, Niiyama T, Nakagawa M, Arimura K, Maruyama I, Maruyama I, Osame M. Frameshift mutation in the collagen VI gene causes Ullrich's Disease.  Ann Neurol. 2001;  50 261-265
  • 8 Lindenbaum Y, Dickson D, Rosenbaum P, Kraemer K, Robbins I, Rapin I. Xeroderma pigmentosum/Cockayne syndrome complex: first neuropathological study and review of eight other cases.  Eur J Paed Neurol. 2001;  5 225-242
  • 9 Mercuri E, Sewry C, Brown S, Muntoni F. Congenital muscular dystrophies.  Semin Pediatr Neurol. 2002;  9 120-131
  • 10 Mercuri E, Talim B, Moghadaszadeh B, Petit N, Brockington M, Counsell S, Guicheney P, Muntoni F, Merlini L. Clinical and imaging findings in six cases of congenital muscular dystrophy with rigid spine syndrome linked to chromosome 1p (RSMD1).  Neuromusc Disord. 2002;  12 631-638
  • 11 Mercuri E, Yuva Y, Brown S C, Brockington M, Kinali M, Jungbluth H, Feng L, Sewry C A, Muntoni F. Collagen VI involvement in Ullrich syndrome: a clinical, genetic, and immunohistochemical study.  Neurology. 2002;  58 1354-1359
  • 12 Moghadaszadeh B, Petit N, Jaillard C, Brockington M, Roy S Q, Merlini L, Romero N, Estournet B, Desguerre I, Chaigne D, Muntoni F, Topaloglu H, Guicheney P. Mutations in SEPN1 cause congenital muscular dystrophy with spinal rigidity and restrictive respiratory syndrome.  Nat Genet. 2001;  29 17-18
  • 13 Pan T C, Zhang R Z, Sudano D G, Marie S K, Bonneman C G, Chu M-L. New molecular mechanism for Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy: a heterozygous in-frame deletion in the COL6A1 gene causes a severe phenotype.  Am J Hum Gen. 2003;  73 355-369
  • 14 Ullrich O. Kongenitale, atonisch-sklerotische Muskeldystrophie.  Monatsschr Kinderheilkd. 1930;  47 502-510
  • 15 Vanegas O C, Bertini E, Zhang R Z, Petrini S, Minosse C, Sabatelli P, Giusti B, Chu M L, Pepe G. Ullrich scleroatonic muscular dystrophy is caused by recessive mutations in collagen type VI.  PNAS. 2001;  98 7516-7521
  • 16 Voit T. Congenital muscular dystrophies: 1997 update.  Brain Dev. 1998;  20 65-74
  • 17 Voit T, Parano E, Straub V, Schroder J M, Schaper J, Pavone P, Falsaperla R, Herrmann R. Congenital muscular dystrophy with adducted thumbs, ptosis, external ophthalmoplegia, mental retardation and cerebellar hypoplasia: a CMD.  Neuromusc Disord. 2002;  12 623-630

Eugenio Mercuri

Department of Paediatrics & Neonatal Medicine, Imperial College, Hammersmith Hospital

Du Cane Road

London W12 0NN

United Kingdom

Email: e.mercuri@ic.ac.uk

    >