Genetic factors have been implicated in the pathogenesis of blepharospasm (BSP), a dystonia characterized by excessive blinking and involuntary eyelid closure. Previous research identified a co-segregating deleterious TOR2A variant (GRCh38/hg38, NC_000009.12: g.127733410G>A, NM_001085347.3:c.568C>T, p. Arg190Cys) in three subjects with BSP and three carriers within a multi-generation pedigree. Other TOR2A variants have been reported in patients with dystonia. Sanger sequencing was used to screen a cohort of 307 subjects with isolated BSP or BSP-plus dystonia affecting additional anatomical segments (BSP+). We also utilized computational tools to uniformly assess the deleteriousness and potential pathogenicity of previously reported TOR2A variants. There were no highly deleterious TOR2A variants in the coding or contiguous splice site regions of TOR2A within our cohort of 307 subjects. Highly deleterious variants in TOR2A are rare in patients with BSP/BSP+ phenotypes. Over 300 patients with BSP were screened for variants in TOR2A, a TOR1A (DYT1) homologue. No highly deleterious variants were identified in our cohort. The role of TOR2A in BSP and other forms of dystonia remains indeterminant. Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s).
Samira Saeirad, Mark S LeDoux. TOR2A Variants in Blepharospasm. Tremor and other hyperkinetic movements (New York, N.Y.). 2023;13:44
PMID: 38076033
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