Expanding the Phenotype of Biallelic <i>PIGG</i> Variants: Motor Neuropathy With Peripheral Nerve Hyperexcitability
Pathogenic variants in PIGG (phosphatidylinositol glycan anchor biosynthesis, class G) disrupt glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchoring of cell-surface proteins. Recently, biallelic PIGG variants have been linked to motor neuropathy with conduction block and temporal dispersion, suggesting a role for defective GPI anchoring in peripheral nerve function. We describe a 27-year-old woman carrying a homozygous nonsense variant in PIGG, c.1515G>A (p.Trp505*), presenting with continuous lower limb myokymia, gait ataxia, tremor and distal weakness since early adolescence. Electrophysiological evaluation revealed widespread myokymic discharges on electromyography, consistent with peripheral nerve hyperexcitability, and a pure motor polyneuropathy with temporal dispersion. This case report expands the clinical spectrum of PIGG-related disorders by identifying peripheral nerve hyperexcitability as a defining feature. The potential mechanistic link between defective GPI anchoring and neuronal hyperexcitability mediated through impaired function of GPI-anchored proteins such as contactin-1 and contactin-2 offers a compelling hypothesis connecting peripheral neuropathy, hyperexcitability, and cerebellar dysfunction.
Authors
- David Schlesinger
- Cristiane Araújo Martins Moreno (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5867-6359)
- Filipe Tupinamba Di Pace
- Clara Gontijo Camelo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2319-8027)
- Gabriella Corrêa Dousseau
- E. Zanoteli
- Pedro Henrique Marte de Arruda Sampaio
Institutions
- Mendelics (BR)
- Hospital Santa Marcelina (BR)
- Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (BR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A
- Published
- 2026-02-26
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/ajmg.a.70106
- Primary Topic
- Trypanosoma species research and implications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00