Authors
Asadollahi R, Ahmad A, Boonsawat P, Shahanoor Hinzen J, Lohse M, Bouazza-Arostegui B, Sun S, Utesch T, Sommer JD, Ilic D, Padmanarayana M, Fischermanns K, Ranjan M, Boll M, Ka C, Piton A, Mattioli F, Isidor B, Õunap K, Reinson K, Wojcik MH, Marshall CR, Mercimek-Andrews S, Matsumoto N, Miyake N, Stephan, BdO, Honjo RS, Bertola, DR, Kim, CA, Yusupov R, Mefford HC, Christodoulou J, Lee J, Heath O, Brown NJ, Baker N, Stark Z, Delatycki M, Lake NJ, Zeidler S, Zuurbier L, Maas SM, de Kruiff CC, Rajabi F, Rodan LH, Coury SA, Platzer K, Oppermann H, Abou Jamra R, Beblo S, Maxton C, Śmigiel R, Underhill H, Dubbs H, Rosen A, Helbig KL, Helbig I, Ruggiero SMK, Fitzgerald MP, Kraemer D, Prada CE, Tenney J, Jayakar P, Redon S, Lefranc J, Uguen K, Race S, Efthymiou S, Maroofian R, Houlden H, Coppens S, Deconinck N, Ashokkumar B, Varalakshmi P, Gowda K VR, Eghbal F, Ghayoor Karimiani E, Heidari M, Neidhardt J, Owczarek-Lipska M, Korenke GC, Bamshad MJ, Campeau PM, Lehman A, Hendon LG, Wentzensen IM, Monaghan KG, Chen Y, Szuto A, Cohn RD, Au PYB, Hübner C, Boschann F, Manickam K, Koboldt DC, Rad A, Oprea G, Bachman KK, Seeley AH, Agolini E, Terracciano A, Carmelo P, Bupp C, Grysko B, Rein-Rothschild A, Ben Zeev B, Margolin A, Morrison J, Dagli A, Stolerman E, Louie RJ, Washington C, Stevens SJC, Heijligers M, Alkuraya FS, Lisfeld J, Neu A, Paoli Monteiro F, Santos Pessoa AL, Camelo-Filho, AE, Kok F, Koeberl D, Riley K, Burglen L, Doummar D, Héron B, Mignot C, Keren B, Charles P, Nava C, Bernhard FP, Kühn AA, Thoms S, Morrie RD, Mekhoubad S, Green EM, Barmada SJ, Gitler AD, Jahn O, Rhee JS, Rosenmund C, Mitkovski M, Sticht H, Sun H, Le Gac G, Taschenberger H, Brose N, Dittman JS, Rauch A, Lipstein N
Journal
Nature Genetics
Citation
Nat Genet (2025).
Abstract
The UNC13A gene encodes a presynaptic protein that is crucial for setting the strength and dynamics of information transfer between neurons. Here we describe a neurodevelopmental syndrome caused by germline coding or splice-site variants in UNC13A. The syndrome presents with variable degrees of developmental delay and intellectual disability, seizures of different types, tremor and dyskinetic movements and, in some cases, death in early childhood. Using assays with expression of UNC13A variants in mouse hippocampal neurons and in Caenorhabditis elegans, we identify three mechanisms of pathogenicity, including reduction in synaptic strength caused by reduced UNC13A protein expression, increased neurotransmission caused by UNC13A gain-of-function and impaired regulation of neurotransmission by second messenger signalling. Based on a strong genotype–phenotype-functional correlation, we classify three UNC13A syndrome subtypes (types A–C). We conclude that the precise regulation of neurotransmitter release by UNC13A is critical for human nervous system function.
