Novel Germline KIT Variants in Families With Severe Piebaldism: Case Series and Literature Review

Introduction

Piebaldism is a rare autosomal dominant disorder characterized by congenital white forelock and depigmented patches, which is most commonly caused by deleterious variants in the KIT gene.

Methods

Four KIT variants were identified in a piebaldism case series by whole-exome sequencing. Functional experiments, including in vitro minigene reporter assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, were carried out to elucidate the pathogenicity of the variants. The genotype–phenotype correlation was summarized through extensive literature reviewing.

Results

All the four cases had severe piebaldism presented with typical white forelock and diffuse depigmentation on the ventral trunk and limbs. Four germline variants at the tyrosine kinase (TK) domains of the KIT gene were identified: two novel variants c.1990+1G>A (p.Pro627_Gly664delinsArg) and c.2716T>C (p.Cys906Arg), and two known variants c.1879+1G>A (p.Gly592_Pro627delinsAla) and c.1747G>A (p.Glu583Lys). Both splicing variants caused exon skipping and inframe deletions in the TK1 domain. The missense variants resided at the TK1 and TK2 domains respectively impairing PI3K/AKT and MAPK/ERK signaling pathways, the downstream of KIT. All severe cases were associated with variants in the TK domains, eliciting a major dominant-negative mechanism of the disease.

Conclusion

Our data expand the mutation spectrum of KIT, emphasized by a dominant-negative effect of variants in the critical TK domains in severe cases. We also share the experience of prenatal diagnosis and informed reproductive choices for the affected families.