Compound Heterozygous Mutations in Severe Sodium Channelopathy With Brugada Syndrome: A Case Report

Brugada syndrome (BrS) is an inherited cardiac arrhythmia with an increased risk for sudden cardiac death (SCD). About 20% of BrS cases are explained by mutations in the gene, encoding the main cardiac sodium Na1.5 channel. Here we present a severe case of cardiac sodium channelopathy with BrS caused by compound heterozygous mutations. We performed a genetic analysis of in a male proband who collapsed during cycling at the age of 2 years. Because of atrial standstill, he received a pacemaker, and at the age of 3 years, he experienced a collapse anew with left-sided brain stroke. A later ECG taken during a fever unmasked a characteristic BrS type-1 pattern. The functional effect of the detected genetic variants was investigated. Next-generation sequencing allowed the detection of two variants in : c.4813+3_4813+6dupGGGT-a Belgian founder mutation-and c.4711 T>C, p.Phe1571Leu. A familial segregation analysis showed the presence of the founder mutation in the proband's affected father and paternal aunt and the occurrence of the p.Phe1571Leu. The functional effect of the founder mutation was previously described as a loss-of-function. We performed a functional analysis of the p.Phe571Leu variant in HEK293 cells alone or co-expressed with the β-subunit. Compared to the wild type, p.Phe1571Leu displayed a hyperpolarizing shift in the voltage dependence of inactivation (loss-of-function), while the activation parameters were unaffected. Using the peptide toxin nemertide α-1, the variant's loss-of-function effect could be restored due to a toxin-dependent reduction of channel inactivation. This is the first report providing support for the pathogenicity of the p.Phe1571Leu variant which, together with the c.4813+3_4813+6dupGGGT founder mutation, explains the severity of the phenotype of cardiac sodium channelopathy with BrS in the presented case.