The OMIM epileptic encephalopathy genes – a 2014 review

EIEE1-19. Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is one of the most frequently accessed online databases for information on genetic disorders. Genes for epileptic encephalopathies are organized within a phenotypic series entitled Early Infantile Epileptic Encephalopathy (EIEE). The EIEE phenotypic series currently lists 19 genes (EIEE1-19). Let’s review the evidence for these genes as of 2014. Continue reading

Gephyrin, the inhibitory synapse and pathogenic microdeletions

GABA, postsynaptic. The molecular structure of the postsynapse has long been a mystery. Why do receptors cluster at a particular site and don’t simply float around all over the plasma membrane? The identification of postsynaptic scaffolding proteins answered some of these questions. However, it also became clear that inhibitory synapses are completely different from excitatory synapses. Now, a recent paper in Human Molecular Genetics finds that exonic deletions in gephyrin, the main structural protein of the inhibitory synapse, predispose to various neurodevelopmental disorders. Continue reading