Abstract
Whole exome sequencing has provided significant opportunities to discover novel candidate genes for intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorders. Variants in the spectrin genes
SPTAN1, SPTBN1, SPTBN2
, and
SPTBN4
have been associated with neurological disorders; however,
SPTBN5
gene-variants have not been associated with any human disorder. This is the first report that associates
SPTBN5
gene variants (ENSG00000137877: c.266A>C; p.His89Pro, c.9784G>A; p.Glu3262Lys, c.933C>G; p.Tyr311Ter, and c.8809A>T; p.Asn2937Tyr) causing neurodevelopmental phenotypes in four different families. The
SPTBN5
-associated clinical traits in our patients include intellectual disability (mild to severe), aggressive tendencies, accompanied by variable features such as craniofacial and physical dysmorphisms, autistic behavior, and gastroesophageal reflux. We also provide a review of the existing literature related to other spectrin genes, which highlights clinical features partially overlapping with
SPTBN5
.