Clinical Description
The phenotype of Lenz microphthalmia syndrome, microphthalmia with developmental delay and skeletal and urogenital anomalies associated with NAA10 (MCOPS1 locus) cannot easily be distinguished from the LMS phenotype caused by the pathogenic missense variant p.Pro85Leu in BCOR (MCOPS2 locus). It is difficult to make phenotypic comparisons between MCOPS1 and MCOPS2 as only one family has been identified with an NAA10 pathogenic variant. Affected males with NAA10 splice variant c.471+2T>A exhibited a greater degree of cognitive impairment, gastrointestinal symptoms, two-three toe cutaneous syndactyly with short terminal phalanges in the hand, and development of scoliosis and neuropathic muscle degeneration over time. These findings have not been reported in males with LMS caused by the BCOR variant p.Pro85Leu.
Lenz microphthalmia syndrome has a wide spectrum of ocular and extraocular abnormalities.
Eyes. The eyes may be asymmetrically affected. One globe can be of normal size while the other is microphthalmic. Severity can range from mild microphthalmia with retained vision to severe microphthalmia or clinical anophthalmia with blindness. Microphthalmia is often accompanied by microcornea and reduction in the size of the anterior segment of the eye, which predispose to the development of glaucoma.
Since mild microphthalmia may not be obvious on clinical examination, individuals with LMS with retained vision may not be identified until the first ophthalmologic examination when high hyperopia (+7 to +11 diopters) secondary to a foreshortened posterior segment of the globe is diagnosed.
Cataracts may be present.
Nystagmus may be present secondary to impaired vision.
Absence or diminished size of the globe may cause secondary underdevelopment of the bony orbits, shortened palpebral fissures, and fusion of the eyelid margins (ankyloblepharon).
Craniofacial. The occurrence of congenital microcephaly is variable. Affected individuals may be normocephalic or dolichocephalic.
Ears may be low set, anteverted, posteriorly rotated, simple, cup shaped, or abnormally modeled. Preauricular tags may be present.
Hearing loss has been observed.
Cleft lip/palate or high arched palate is present in approximately 12/30 of individuals [Ng et al 2002].
Dental development may be delayed. Nonspecific dental findings include irregularly shaped, missing, or widely spaced teeth.
Genitourinary. Urogenital anomalies are the most frequent associated findings, reported in approximately 23/30 of individuals [Ng et al 2002]. These include hypospadias, cryptorchidism, renal hypoplasia/aplasia, and hydroureter.
Limbs. Hand findings include duplicated and/or proximally placed thumbs, cutaneous syndactyly, clinodactyly, and camptodactyly.
Skeletal. Long cylindric thorax with sloping, narrow shoulders, underdeveloped clavicles, or thinning of the lateral third of the clavicles on x-ray as well as kyphoscoliosis and exaggerated lumbar lordosis have been seen in some families.
Cognitive/neurologic. Cognitive impairment varies within and among families. Approximately 22/35 of affected males have mild-to-severe intellectual disability or developmental delay [Ng et al 2002].
Motor development may be delayed.
Seizures, behavioral disturbance, and self-mutilation may manifest in males with severe intellectual disability. Sleep-wake cycles can be disturbed because of lack of normal diurnal variation.
Cranial MRI often reveals absent or hypoplastic optic nerves and optic chiasm. In addition, hypoplasia of the corpus callosum and cingulate gyrus has been noted. The latter is often clinically silent.
Heterozygotes. Features of LMS and OFCD have not been reported in female carriers of the BCOR variant p.Pro85Leu. In one family, two-three toe cutaneous syndactyly and short terminal phalanges in the hand were reported in female carriers of NAA10 variant c.471+2T>A [Esmailpour et al 2014].
Nomenclature
Lenz microphthalmia syndrome (LMS) has been referred to as Lenz dysplasia, Lenz dysmorphogenetic syndrome, and microphthalmia with associated anomalies. The two loci were formerly designated MAA and MAA2 (or ANOP2).
The locus designations MAA (now associated with syndromic microphthalmia 1 [MCOPS1, NAA10]), and MAA2 (now associated with syndromic microphthalmia 2 [MCOPS2, BCOR]) were used to highlight the genetic heterogeneity of LMS and the associated extraocular developmental anomalies and intellectual disability that co-occur with the microphthalmia in affected males.
MCOPS2 has since been redesignated oculofaciocardiodental syndrome (OFCD) due to the higher prevalence of BCOR loss-of-function variants with OFCD. However, the BCOR p.Pro85Leu pathogenic missense variant remains a known cause of LMS.
Although the consensus inheritance pattern is X-linked recessive, the term Lenz microphthalmia is used by clinicians for simplex cases (i.e., single occurrence in a family) with a Lenz-like phenotype.