Whole exome sequencing unravels genetic architecture and its clinical implications in pediatric pulmonary arterial hypertension

Abstract

Background

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a severe disease with significant genetic predisposition. While genetic architecture and clinical implications in pediatric PAH remain unclear.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed clinical and genetic data from 218 pediatric PAH patients including 115 idiopathic/heritable PAH (IPAH/HPAH) and 103 PAH associated with congenital heart disease (PAH-CHD) admitted to our center between 2011 and 2023.

Results

50.0 % of the cohort carried genetic variations, with BMPR2 being the most prevalent (16.5 % in whole and 27.8 % in IPAH/HPAH). Compared to IPAH/HPAH, PAH-CHD showed a distinct mutation profile. Five hotspot mutation sites in 4 PAH-causing genes (BMPR2, ACVRL1, SOX17, KCNK3) were identified, resulting in altered charged amino acid residues or protein truncations. Patients with pathogenic or likely pathogenic (P/LP) mutations in definitive PAH-causing genes (affected mutation carriers) had a higher proportion of high-risk profile, more severe right ventricular enlargement and lower TAPSE, while patients with P/LP mutations in PAH-associated genes showed similar clinical features. Affected mutation carriers also had a poorer prognosis compared to non-carriers and received more aggressive therapeutic interventions. BMPR2 mutation carriers were older at diagnosis and had lower cardiac index compared to other mutation carriers.

Conclusion

This study unveiled a different genetic landscape of pediatric PAH in China, and underscored the importance of genetic screening for early risk stratification. A distinct mutation profile in PAH-CHD from IPAH/HPAH patients was found, which warrants further investigation on the identification of predisposing genes for each subpopulation, thus providing new insights into pathogenesis and therapeutic approaches of PAH.