Background: Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is an inherited cardiac disease, involving changes in ventricular myocardial tissue and leading to fatal arrhythmias. Mutations in desmosomal genes are thought to be the main cause of ARVC. However, the exact molecular genetic etiology of the disease still remains largely inconclusive, and this along with large variabilities in clinical manifestations complicate clinical diagnostics.
Case presentation: We report two families (n = 20) in which a desmoglein-2 (DSG2) missense variant c.1003A > G, p.(Thr335Ala) was discovered in the index patients using next-generation sequencing panels. The presence of this variant in probands' siblings and children was studied by Sanger sequencing. Five homozygotes and nine heterozygotes were found with the mutation. Participants were evaluated clinically where possible, and available medical records were obtained. All patients homozygous for the variant fulfilled the current diagnostic criteria for ARVC, whereas none of the heterozygous subjects had symptoms suggestive of ARVC or other cardiomyopathies.
Conclusions: The homozygous DSG2 variant c.1003A > G co-segregated with ARVC, indicating autosomal recessive inheritance and complete penetrance. More research is needed to establish a detailed understanding of the relevance of rare variants in ARVC associated genes, which is essential for informative genetic counseling and rational family member testing.
Keywords: Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy; Cardiomyopathies; Case series; DSG2; Desmosomes; Mutation.