Bilateral frontoparietal polymicrogyria

Bilateral frontalparietal polymicrogyria
Classification and external resources
OMIM	606854
DiseasesDB	33974
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Bilateral frontoparietal polymicrogyria (BFPP) is a genetic disorder with autosomal recessive inheritance that causes a cortical malformation. Our brain has folds in the cortex to increase surface area called gyri and patients with polymicrogyri have an increase number of folds and smaller folds than usual. Polymicrogyria is defined as a cerebral malformation of cortical development in which the normal gyral pattern of the surface of the brain is replaced by an excessive number of small, fused gyri separated by shallow sulci and abnormal cortical lamination. From ongoing research, mutation in GPR56,a member of the adhesion G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) family, results in BFPP. These mutations are located in different regions of the protein without any evidence of a relationship between the position of the mutation and phenotypic severity. It is also found that GPR56 plays a role in cortical pattering.

The GPR56 is grouped in the B family of GPCRs. This GPCR group have long N termini characterized by an extracellular “cysteine box” and hydrophilic, potentially mucin-rich. The cysteine box contains four conserved cysteines and two tryptophans arranged in a specific fashion (C-x2-W-x6-16-W-x4-C-x10-22-C-x-C) just before the first transmembrane domain and serves as a cleavage site in some members of this group of G protein–coupled receptors. Although,the molecular and cellular mechanisms of how GPR56 regulates brain development remain largely unknown. These types of receptors play an essential role in biological processes including embryonic development, central nervous system (CNS), immune system, and tumorigenesis.

Diagnostic criteria for a BFPP patient entails a heterozygous genotype for a deletion of chromosome 16q12.1-q21 region, including GPR56 gene. To date the only gene known to be associated with polymicrogyria is GPR56. Testing for GPR56-related bilateral frontoparietal polymicrogyria is available clinically. Mutations in GPR56 hinders Collagen III, its specific ligand, to bind in a developing brain. To date, a total of fourteen BFPP-associated mutations have been identified, including one deletion, two splicing, and eleven missense mutations. Two mutations in the GPCR proteolytic site (GPS) domain, C346S and W349S, cause a brain malformation through trapping the mutated proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum.

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