Defining New Human Immunodeficiency and Immunodysregulation Disorders

National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

Besides unique patients with immunodeficiency and immunodysregulation disorders lacking known diagnoses, our intake includes patients with combined immunodeficiency, common variable immunodeficiency (CVID), variants of hyper-IgE syndrome or autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS), Evans syndrome, caspase-8-deficiency state (CEDS), B cell expansion with NF-kB and T cell anergy (BENTA) disease, X-linked Magnesium defect with EBV infection and Neoplasia (XMEN), PASLI (p110 delta activation mutation causing senescent T cells, lymphadenopathy, and immunodeficiency) disease, and CHAI (CTLA4 haploinsufficiency with autoimmune infiltration) disease. Patients with susceptibility to EBV, rhinovirus, influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, and other respiratory viruses are also being investigated. Our evaluation includes functional screening and gene sequencing, and a subset of patients is also being intensively studied using biochemical analyses, gene expression microarrays, flow cytometric analyses, in vitro functional tests, and other technologies. These experiments have provided leads for sequencing of new candidate genes not previously associated with disease. Additionally, we are using comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) arrays, whole exome sequencing, whole genome sequencing, and other technologies to determine genetic causes of new immunological diseases in an unbiased manner. In FY2022, we continued our work on investigating the molecular pathogenesis of several as yet undescribed immunodeficiency-immunodysregulation disorders, as well as the natural history and optimal treatment of previously reported rare immunological disorders. We completed work on a new immunodysregulation disorder that has been submitted for publication. We contributed to work on human IFIH1(MDA5) deficiency to extend phenotype beyond susceptibility to respiratory viruses to now include enterovirus rhombencephalitis. We also contributed to several other studies that were published in FY2022, namely further characterization of molecular effects in PASLI disease, and the results of a clinical trial of magnesium supplementation in XMEN disease.