Detection and Analysis of Gene Mutations in Patients with Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia

Background: Glanzmann thrombasthenia (GT) is a rare inherited disorder of bleeding, and it is characterized by the impaired or absent platelet aggregation to multiple physiologic agonists such as collagen, adenosine diphosphate (ADP), arachidonic acid(AA), but normal reaction to ristocetin. There is qualitative or quantitative defect in platelet integrin αIIbβ3(GPIIb/IIIa). Pathogenic variants of either αIIb or β3 unit could cause GT. The database of gene mutations is continuously updated on the Internet (http://www.hgmd.org); it totally lists 236 variants of ITGA2B gene and 170 variants of ITGB3 gene.

Aim: To characterize the clinical manifestation and molecular basis of GT patients in China, and update the pathogenic variants database.

Method: Clinical features are evaluated in 104 patients with GT. New generation sequencing was performed with a custom designed panel for the bleeding and platelet disease involving 76 genes, while ITGA2B and ITGB3 were enrolled.

Result: The initial bleeding occurred before 1 age in most patients. Incidence of consanguinity is 12.5%. Symptoms lessened with age in about 30% patients. Female patients suffered more severe bleeding than male patients. Fifty different mutations were detected, among which 15 were novel. Most patients were compound heterozygotes and most mutations detected were missense mutations. Among 15 novel mutations, there were 7 missense mutations, 2 nonsense mutations, 2 splicing mutations, 4 frameshift mutations. Pathogenicity of all novel mutations were evaluated according to the standards and guidelines of ACMG. All variants detected were pathogenic or likely pathogenic. Furthermore, c.1750C>T [p.R584X] and c.2333A>C [p.Q778P] in ITGA2B were detected in 10 and 16 unrelated families, strongly suggesting a founder effect.

Conclusion: Our study reports the largest cohort of GT in China, describing the clinical, laboratory and genetic characteristics of 104 patients. We found 15 novel pathogenic mutations in ITGA2B and ITGB3 causing GT. Theses novel findings expand the GT mutation spectrum.