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Early onset or syndromic epilepsy

Gene: NR4A2

Green List (high evidence)

NR4A2 (nuclear receptor subfamily 4 group A member 2)
EnsemblGeneIds (GRCh38): ENSG00000153234
EnsemblGeneIds (GRCh37): ENSG00000153234
OMIM: 601828, Gene2Phenotype
NR4A2 is in 7 panels

3 reviews

Sarah Leigh (Genomics England Curator)

The rating of this gene has been updated following NHS Genomic Medicine Service approval.
Created: 3 Mar 2022, 5:34 p.m. | Last Modified: 3 Mar 2022, 5:34 p.m.
Panel Version: 2.491

Arina Puzriakova (Genomics England Curator)

Comment on list classification: There is sufficient evidence to rate this gene Green at the next GMS panel update.

At least 6 unrelated cases presenting epilepsy in association with different NR4A2 variants, including tonic clonic, generalised, absence, and focal seizures.
Created: 5 Oct 2020, 1:20 p.m. | Last Modified: 5 Oct 2020, 1:26 p.m.
Panel Version: 2.157

Konstantinos Varvagiannis (Other)

Green List (high evidence)

Seizures have been reported in at least 6 unrelated individuals with NR4A2 variants (not including cases with contiguous gene deletions spanning also this gene). Please consider inclusion with amber or green rating.
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Singh et al (2020 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41436-020-0815-4) provide details on the phenotype of 9 unrelated individuals with NR4A2 pathogenic variants (in almost all cases de novo).

Features included hypotonia (in 6/9), DD (9/9), varying levels of ID (mild to severe in 8/8 for whom this information was available), seizures (6/9 - variable epilepsy phenotypes), behavioral problems (5/9 - with autism reported for one). Less frequent features incl. hypermobility (in 3), ataxia/movement disorder (in 3).

8 total pLoF and missense variants were identified as de novo events following trio exome sequencing with Sanger validation (7/8 variants). For 1(/8) individual with a stopgain variant, a single parental sample was available. A 9th individual was found to harbor a ~3.7 Mb 2q deletion spanning also other genes (which might also contribute to his phenotype of epilepsy).

Only the effect of a variant affecting the splice-acceptor site was studied (c.865-1_865delGCinsAAAAAGGAGT - NM_006186.3) with RT-PCR demonstrating an out-of-frame skipping of exon 4. Another variant (NM_006186.3:c.325dup) found in a subject with DD, ID and epilepsy had also previously been reported in another individual with similar phenotype of epilepsy and ID (Ramos et al - PMID: 31428396 - the variant was de novo with other causes for his phenotype excluded).

As discussed by Singh et al, NR4A2 encodes a steroid-thyroid-retinoid receptor which acts as a nuclear receptor transcription factor. The authors summarize previous reports on NR4A2 haploinsufficiency (NR4A2 has a pLI of 1 and HI score of 1.28% - Z-score is 2.24).

The authors comment on mouse models suggesting a role of NR4A2 for dopaminergic neurons, and provide plausible explanations for the phenotype of ID/seizures.

Previous reviews for the ID panel:
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In a study of 457 autism families (Feliciano et al. - doi.org/10.1101/516625) the authors provide phenotypic information on a further individual with ASD and ID. This subject (SP0041645 - SPARK cohort) harbored a de novo frameshift variant (p.G231fs using ENST00000409572.1 as reference). Table 2 includes also the individual previously reported by Iossifov et al. who also presented with ASD and ID (11172.p1 - SSC cohort - PMID and details discussed below).
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Recent publications provide several lines of evidence that pathogenic NR4A2 variants cause DD/ID and/or autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Lévy et al. (PMID: 29770430) summarize the phenotype of 2q24.1 microdeletions spanning either only NR4A2 [2 new patients as well as an individual reported by Reuter et al (PMID: 28544326)] or both NR4A2 and GPD2 (1 patient from this study as well as 2 further from Leppa et al. (PMID: 27569545) and Barge-Schaapveld et al. (PMID: 23554088)]. All these CNVs had occurred as de novo events. Common features included - among others - language impairment (6/6), ID (6/6), ASD (3/4) or abnormal behaviour (4/4).

As the authors note, NR4A2 belongs to a subfamily of highly conserved transcription factors. The gene is involved in several developmental processes, among others in neuronal development. Previous studies have also shown high expression in human fetal brain as well as a role in the development of language-related brain regions.

The absence of CNVs in general population encompassing NR4A2 (and presence of such CNVs spanning GDP2) as well as the minimal deletions confined to NR4A2 suggest that happloinsufficiency of NR4A2 is responsible for the DD/ID/ASD phenotypes. This is also supported by the HI index of 1.28 as well as pLI of 0.99.

Guo et al. (PMID: 30504930) report on a patient with de novo frameshift variant (p.P201Rfs*82) and provide a summary of individuals with de novo missense variants (schematic overview in suppl. fig. S4) previously reported in larger DD/ID/ASD cohorts, namely :

- The DDD study (PMID: 28135719) : subjects DDD4K.00386 (R312Q - https://decipher.sanger.ac.uk/ddd/research-variant/1e7622c3a0ba1b506c5808ccea46e759#overview) and DDD4K.04161 (R289P - https://decipher.sanger.ac.uk/ddd/research-variant/673e8e570d28dd0c5797ddafb22e53eb#overview)

- By Lelieveld et al. (PMID: 27479843) : patient with ID and V307G

- By Iossifov et al. (PMID: 25363768) : subject with ASD and Y275H.

[All these appear to cluster in a region of missense constraint : https://decipher.sanger.ac.uk/gene/NR4A2#overview/protein-info].

NR4A2 is not associated with any phenotype in OMIM, nor in G2P.

The gene is included in gene panels for intellectual disability offered by diagnostic laboratories (incl. Radboudumc).

As a result, it could be considered for inclusion in this panel possibly as green (or amber).
Sources: Literature, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen
Sources: Literature
Created: 9 May 2020, 7:52 p.m.

Mode of inheritance
MONOALLELIC, autosomal or pseudoautosomal, imprinted status unknown

Phenotypes
Generalized hypotonia, Global developmental delay, Intellectual disability, Seizures, Behavioral abnormality, Abnormality of movement, Joint hypermobility

Publications

  • https://doi.org/10.1038/s41436-020-0815-4
  • 31428396

Details

Mode of Inheritance
MONOALLELIC, autosomal or pseudoautosomal, imprinted status unknown
Sources
  • Expert Review Green
Phenotypes
  • Intellectual developmental disorder with language impairment and early-onset DOPA-responsive dystonia-parkinsonism, OMIM:619911
OMIM
601828
Clinvar variants
Variants in NR4A2
Penetrance
unknown
Publications
Panels with this gene

History Filter Activity

30 Jun 2022, Gel status: 3

Set Phenotypes

Sarah Leigh (Genomics England Curator)

Phenotypes for gene: NR4A2 were changed from Generalized hypotonia, Global developmental delay, Intellectual disability, Seizures, Behavioral abnormality, Abnormality of movement, Joint hypermobility to Intellectual developmental disorder with language impairment and early-onset DOPA-responsive dystonia-parkinsonism, OMIM:619911

30 Jun 2022, Gel status: 3

Removed Tag

Sarah Leigh (Genomics England Curator)

Tag gene-checked was removed from gene: NR4A2.

10 May 2022, Gel status: 3

Added Tag

Arina Puzriakova (Genomics England Curator)

Tag gene-checked tag was added to gene: NR4A2.

3 Mar 2022, Gel status: 3

Removed Tag

Sarah Leigh (Genomics England Curator)

Tag for-review was removed from gene: NR4A2.

3 Mar 2022, Gel status: 3

Added New Source, Status Update

Sarah Leigh (Genomics England Curator)

Source Expert Review Green was added to NR4A2. Rating Changed from Amber List (moderate evidence) to Green List (high evidence)

5 Oct 2020, Gel status: 2

Entity classified by Genomics England curator

Arina Puzriakova (Genomics England Curator)

Gene: nr4a2 has been classified as Amber List (Moderate Evidence).

5 Oct 2020, Gel status: 0

Set publications

Arina Puzriakova (Genomics England Curator)

Publications for gene: NR4A2 were set to https://doi.org/10.1038/s41436-020-0815-4; 31428396

5 Oct 2020, Gel status: 0

Added Tag

Arina Puzriakova (Genomics England Curator)

Tag for-review tag was added to gene: NR4A2.

9 May 2020, Gel status: 0

Created, Added New Source, Set mode of inheritance, Set publications, Set Phenotypes, Set penetrance

Konstantinos Varvagiannis (Other)

gene: NR4A2 was added gene: NR4A2 was added to Genetic epilepsy syndromes. Sources: Literature Mode of inheritance for gene: NR4A2 was set to MONOALLELIC, autosomal or pseudoautosomal, imprinted status unknown Publications for gene: NR4A2 were set to https://doi.org/10.1038/s41436-020-0815-4; 31428396 Phenotypes for gene: NR4A2 were set to Generalized hypotonia, Global developmental delay, Intellectual disability, Seizures, Behavioral abnormality, Abnormality of movement, Joint hypermobility Penetrance for gene: NR4A2 were set to unknown Review for gene: NR4A2 was set to GREEN