Pseudohypoparathyroidism Type 1A with Normocalcaemia, due to the Novel C.389A>G Variant of Exon 5 of the Guanine Nucleotide-Binding Protein, α-Stimulating Gene

Pseudohypoparathyroidism type 1A (PHP1A) is a rare disease caused by molecular defects in the maternally-inherited allele of the guanine nucleotide-binding protein, α-stimulating (GNAS) gene. The GNAS gene encodes the stimulatory G-protein α-subunit that regulates production of the second messenger cyclic adenosine monophosphate. Heterozygous inactivating mutations in these specific loci are responsible for a spectrum of phenotypic characteristics of the disease, including clinical features of the Albright's hereditary osteodystrophy, due to resistance to parathyroid hormone (PTH). We report a case of PHP1A and explore the underlying novel point mutation of the GNAS gene that leads to an atypical PHP1A phenotype. A male patient with a round face, short stature, and brachydactyly accompanied by normocalcaemia and mild PTH resistance consulted at our center. The GNAS encoding region from the patient and both of his parents were amplified and sequenced directly in a sample of peripheral blood leukocytes. A novel c.389A>G point mutation in exon 5 of the GNAS gene, resulting in a p.Tyr130Cys peptidic chain change of the Gsα protein, detected in the proband, in heterozygous state. Sequencing of the GNAS gene from his parents did not reveal the c.389A>G mutation, confirming a de novo proband genotype. The maternal origin of the affected GNAS allele, along with mild PTH resistance, confirmed the PHP1A diagnosis. PHP1A, caused by inactivating GNAS mutations, presents a range of complex clinical phenotypes. The novel c.389A>G GNAS mutation presented in this case expands the spectrum of known PHP1A molecular defects and describes the associated phenotype.