Article (Scientific journals)
Recessive TMEM167A variants cause neonatal diabetes, microcephaly, and epilepsy syndrome.
Virgilio, Enrico; Tielens, Sylvia; Bonfield, Georgia et al.
2025In Journal of Clinical Investigation, 135 (22)
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Keywords :
Beta cells; Cell biology; Endocrinology; Genetic diseases; Genetics; Neurodevelopment; Membrane Proteins; Humans; Female; Infant, Newborn; Male; Insulin-Secreting Cells/metabolism; Insulin-Secreting Cells/pathology; Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells/metabolism; Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells/pathology; Infant; Golgi Apparatus/metabolism; Golgi Apparatus/genetics; Endoplasmic Reticulum/metabolism; Endoplasmic Reticulum/genetics; Amino Acid Substitution; Microcephaly/genetics; Microcephaly/metabolism; Microcephaly/pathology; Epilepsy/genetics; Epilepsy/metabolism; Epilepsy/pathology; Diabetes Mellitus/genetics; Diabetes Mellitus/metabolism; Diabetes Mellitus/pathology; Membrane Proteins/genetics; Membrane Proteins/metabolism; Epileptic Syndromes/genetics; Epileptic Syndromes/metabolism; Epileptic Syndromes/pathology; Infant, Newborn, Diseases/genetics; Infant, Newborn, Diseases/metabolism; Mutation, Missense; Diabetes Mellitus; Endoplasmic Reticulum; Epilepsy; Epileptic Syndromes; Golgi Apparatus; Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells; Infant, Newborn, Diseases; Insulin-Secreting Cells; Microcephaly; Medicine (all)
Abstract :
[en] Understanding the genetic causes of diseases that affect pancreatic β cells and neurons can give insights into pathways essential for both cell types. Microcephaly, epilepsy, and diabetes syndrome (MEDS) is a congenital disorder with two known etiological genes, IER3IP1 and YIPF5. Both genes encode proteins involved in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to Golgi trafficking. We used genome sequencing to identify 6 individuals with MEDS caused by biallelic variants in the potentially novel disease gene TMEM167A. All had neonatal diabetes (diagnosed at <6 months) and severe microcephaly, and 5 also had epilepsy. TMEM167A is highly expressed in developing and adult human pancreas and brain. To gain insights into the mechanisms leading to diabetes, we silenced TMEM167A in EndoC-βH1 cells and knocked-in one patient's variant, p.Val59Glu, in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Both TMEM167A depletion in EndoC-βH1 cells and the p.Val59Glu variant in iPSC-derived β cells sensitized β cells to ER stress. The p.Val59Glu variant impaired proinsulin trafficking to the Golgi and induced iPSC-β cell dysfunction. The discovery of TMEM167A variants as a genetic cause of MEDS highlights a critical role of TMEM167A in the ER to Golgi pathway in β cells and neurons.
Disciplines :
Neurology
Author, co-author :
Virgilio, Enrico;  ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
Tielens, Sylvia  ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences biomédicales et précliniques
Bonfield, Georgia;  Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
Nian, Fang-Shin ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences biomédicales et précliniques
Sawatani, Toshiaki;  ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
Vinci, Chiara;  ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
Govier, Molly;  Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
Montaser, Hossam;  Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
Lartigue, Romane;  University of Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, Chemistry & Biology of Membranes & Nano-objects, UMR 5248, Pessac, France
Arunagiri, Anoop ;  Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology & Diabetes, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
Liboz, Alexandrine;  ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
Da Silva, Flavia Natividade;  ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
Lytrivi, Maria ;  ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium ; Division of Endocrinology, ULB Erasmus Hospital, Brussels University Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
Papadopoulou, Theodora;  ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
Wakeling, Matthew N;  Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
Russ-Silsby, James;  Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
Bowman, Pamela;  Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
Johnson, Matthew B ;  Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
Laver, Thomas W ;  Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
Piron, Anthony;  ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
Yi, Xiaoyan;  ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
Fantuzzi, Federica;  ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
Hendrickx, Sirine;  ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
Igoillo-Esteve, Mariana ;  ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
Santacreu, Bruno J;  ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
Suntharesan, Jananie;  Sirimavo Bandaranayake Specialized Children's Hospital, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
Ghildiyal, Radha;  Department of Pediatrics, Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College and Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, Mumbai, India
Hegde, Darshan;  Department of Pediatrics, Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College and Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, Mumbai, India
Shah, Nikhil;  Department of Pediatrics, Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College and Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, Mumbai, India
Acar, Sezer;  Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Dr. Behçet Uz Children's Education and Research Hospital, Izmir, Turkey
Dönmez, Beyhan Özkaya;  Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Dr. Behçet Uz Children's Education and Research Hospital, Izmir, Turkey
Özkan, Behzat;  Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Dr. Behçet Uz Children's Education and Research Hospital, Izmir, Turkey
Mohsin, Fauzia;  Department of Paediatrics, BIRDEM General Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Talaat, Iman M;  Pediatric Department and
Abbas, Mohamed Tarek;  Internal medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
Abbas, Omar Tarek;  Internal medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
Alghamdi, Hamed Ali;  Northern Area Armed Forces Hospital, King Khalid Military City, Saudi Arabia
Kandemir, Nurgun;  Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatric Endocrinology, Ankara, Turkey
Flanagan, Sarah E ;  Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
Scharfmann, Raphael ;  Université Paris Cité, Institut Cochin, INSERM, Paris, France
Arvan, Peter ;  Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology & Diabetes, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
Raoux, Matthieu;  University of Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, Chemistry & Biology of Membranes & Nano-objects, UMR 5248, Pessac, France
Nguyen, Laurent  ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences biomédicales et précliniques ; WEL Research Institute, Wavre, Belgium
Hattersley, Andrew T ;  Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
Cnop, Miriam;  ULB Center for Diabetes Research, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium ; Division of Endocrinology, ULB Erasmus Hospital, Brussels University Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium ; WEL Research Institute, Wavre, Belgium
De Franco, Elisa;  Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
More authors (36 more) Less
Language :
English
Title :
Recessive TMEM167A variants cause neonatal diabetes, microcephaly, and epilepsy syndrome.
Publication date :
17 November 2025
Journal title :
Journal of Clinical Investigation
ISSN :
0021-9738
eISSN :
1558-8238
Publisher :
American Society for Clinical Investigation, United States
Volume :
135
Issue :
22
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Funders :
Wellcome Trust
EFSD - European Foundation for the Study of Diabetes
NNF - Novo Nordisk Fonden
FWO - Research Foundation Flanders
Walloon region
F.R.S.-FNRS - Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique
EU - European Union
SFD - Société Francophone du Diabète
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