Case Report: Infantile Cerebellar-Retinal Degeneration With Compound Heterozygous Variants in ACO2 Gene—Long-Term Follow-Up of a Sibling

Abstract

Infantile cerebellar-retinal degeneration (ICRD) is an extremely rare, infantile-onset neuro-degenerative disease, characterized by autosomal recessive inherited, global developmental delay (GDD), progressive cerebellar and cortical atrophy, and retinal degeneration. In 2012, a biallelic pathogenic variant in ACO2 gene (NM_001098.3) was found to be causative of this disease. To date, approximately 44 variants displaying various clinical features have been reported. Here, we report a case of two siblings with compound heterozygous variants in the ACO2 gene. Two siblings without perinatal problems were born to healthy non-consanguineous Korean parents. They showed GDD and seizures since infancy. Their first brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), electroencephalography, and metabolic workup revealed no abnormal findings. As they grew, they developed symptoms including ataxia, dysmetria, poor sitting balance, and myopia. Follow-up brain MRI findings revealed atrophy of the cerebellum and optic nerve. Through exome sequencing of both siblings and their parents, we identified the following compound heterozygous variants in the ACO2: c.85C > T (p.Arg29Trp) and c.2303C > A (p.Ala768Asp). These two variants were categorized as likely pathogenic based on ACMG/AMP guidelines. In conclusion, this case help to broaden the genetic and clinical spectrum of the ACO2 variants associated with ICRD. We have also documented the long-term clinical course and serial brain MRI findings for two patients with this extremely rare disease.