DEPDC5 Variants Associated Malformations of Cortical Development and Focal Epilepsy With Febrile Seizure Plus/Febrile Seizures: The Role of Molecular Sub-Regional Effect

To explore the phenotype spectrum of DEPDC5 variants and the possible mechanisms underlying phenotypical variation, we performed targeted next-generation sequencing in 305 patients with focal epilepsies and 91 patients with generalized epilepsies. Protein modeling was performed to predict the effects of missense mutations. All previously reported epilepsy-related DEPDC5 variants were reviewed. The genotype–phenotype correlations with molecular sub-regional implications were analyzed. We identified a homozygous DEPDC5 mutation (p.Pro1031His) in a case with focal cortical dysplasia and eight heterozygous mutations in 11 families with mild focal epilepsies, including 13 patients in eight families with focal epilepsy with febrile seizures plus/febrile seizures (FEFS + /FS). The mutations included one termination codon mutation (p.Ser1601_Ter1604del_ext133), three truncating mutations (p.Val151Serfs ^∗27, p.Arg239 ^∗, and p.Arg838 ^∗), and four missense mutations (p.Tyr7Cys, p.Tyr836Cys, p.Pro1031His, and p.Gly1545Ser) that were predicted to affect hydrogen bonds and protein stability. Analysis on epilepsy-related DEPDC5 variants revealed that malformations of cortical development (MCDs) had a tendency of higher frequency of null mutations than those without MCD. MCD-associated heterozygous missense mutations were clustered in structural axis for binding arrangement (SABA) domain and close to the binding sites to NPRL2/NPRL3 complex, whereas those associated with FEFS + /FS were a distance away from the binding sites. Evidence from four aspects and one possible evidence from sub-regional implication suggested MCD and FEFS + /FS as phenotypes of DEPDC5 variants. This study suggested that the phenotypes of DEPDC5 variants vary from mild FEFS + /FS to severe MCD. Heterozygous DEPDC5 mutations are generally less pathogenic and commonly associated with mild phenotypes. Bi-allelic mutations and second hit of somatic mutations, together with the genotype–phenotype correlation and sub-regional implication of DEPDC5 variants, explain severe phenotypes.