Abstract
BACKGROUND: The relationship between observed clinical phenotypes and underlying genotypes is blended or skewed in multiple molecular diagnoses, complicating a comprehensive molecular genetic diagnosis. AIM: We report two families with dual diagnoses, using the deafness-associated gene, COL4A6, to exemplify its contribution to blended, complex clinical presentations. DESIGN: This is an observational study within a large, ethnically diverse rare disease cohort, focusing on families with hearing loss and suspected dual diagnoses, followed by functional and structural studies of novel variants. METHODS: Families were identified through a large rare disease sequencing initiative. Exome or genome sequencing was performed, with follow-up RNA studies for a synonymous COL4A6 variant. Spatial and temporal expression analysis in zebrafish traced col4a6 expression in the otic vesicle and ear from 1 to 5 days post-fertilization. Structural modeling was used to estimate variant impact on protein structure. RESULTS: We identified two families affected by multiple genetic disorders. The first family presented a missense COL4A6 variant (NM_033641.4: c.1480G>A p.(Gly494Arg)), accounting for hearing loss, while a likely pathogenic HEXA variant (NM_000520.6: c.902T>G p.(Met301Arg)) explained Tay-Sachs disease features. The second family exhibited a synonymous COL4A6 variant (NM_033641.4: c.1767G>A p.(Pro589=)), leading to partial exon skipping and hearing loss, along with a pathogenic splice-site variant in DYM (NM_001353214.3: c.1125 + 1G>T p.?), causing the Dyggve-Melchior-Clausen disease. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the importance of recognizing dual molecular diagnoses to untangle blended phenotypes, as well as the diagnostic relevance of synonymous variants with predicted splicing effects.