Mucolipidosis IV (MLIV) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with a gradual, late-onset neurodegenerative component. The phenotype in affected individuals can be either typical/severe (~95% of individuals) or atypical/mild (~5% of individuals) [Altarescu et al 2002]. Although individuals with MLIV generally survive to adulthood, life expectancy is reduced compared to healthy individuals by either secondary complications of severe neurologic disability or renal failure.
Typical MLIV
Individuals commonly present in the first year of life with axial hypotonia, delayed motor milestones, and/or corneal clouding. Because the combination of hypotonia and developmental delay are nonspecific, individuals with MLIV are frequently assigned a provisional diagnosis of cerebral palsy during their diagnostic odyssey. Corneal clouding is a more specific disease feature and identification by an ophthalmologist on slit lamp examination often leads to diagnosis by targeted genetic testing.
Neurologic findings. Axial hypotonia and delayed motor development are frequently the earliest neurologic features. Most individuals achieve independent sitting and the ability to combat crawl or scoot while in a seated position, and several have learned to walk with the aid of a walker [Altarescu et al 2002]. Fine motor function is severely limited. Individuals may articulate a modified pincer or scissor grasp, but rarely a superior pincer grasp. Most individuals are able to feed themselves finger foods and a few have successfully used modified utensils.
Pyramidal and extrapyramidal tract signs manifest early in the course of disease. In the first decade of life, individuals exhibit a mixture of spasticity and rigidity with cogwheel or oppositional qualities. Dystonic posturing in the extremities is frequently observed. Hypertonicity is present in the upper and lower extremities and is generally symmetric. Decreased force on volitional activation of the extremities is consistent with upper motor neuron weakness, but worsening muscular hypertonicity suggests relative preservation of muscle and neuromuscular junction integrity.
Receptive language is better than expressive language; some individuals have used up to 50 signs to communicate. Individuals uniformly demonstrate intact social development with strong social engagement, a friendly disposition, and an enjoyment of music [Segal et al 2017].
Individuals typically exhibit dysarthria or anarthria, slow chewing, and restricted lateral tongue movement. Few individuals experience aspiration in the first decade of life and swallow studies are normal. Aspiration may emerge later in life requiring a tracheostomy or gastric tube placement [Altarescu et al 2002].
While individuals make some developmental gains in the first decade of life, caregivers consistently report worsening hypertonicity and weakness. By early adolescence, loss of psychomotor skills becomes apparent. Though previously described as mainly a static neurodevelopmental condition [Altarescu et al 2002]; serial brain magnetic resonance imaging volumetry and diffusion weighted imaging have demonstrated quantitative measures of progressive neurodegeneration that corroborate clinical reports [Schiffmann et al 2014].
Typical brain MRI abnormalities in individuals with MLIV include hypoplasia of the corpus callosum with absent rostrum and a dysplastic or absent splenium, signal abnormalities in the white matter on T1-weighted images, and increased ferritin deposition in the thalamus and basal ganglia. Atrophy of the cerebellum is observed in older individuals [Frei et al 1998].
Epileptiform discharges on EEG are common but are infrequently associated with clinical seizures [Siegel et al 1998]. Three hertz spike-and-wave discharges and absence seizures are the most commonly reported epileptic phenomena in MLIV.
Eye findings. Individuals with typical MLIV have superficial corneal clouding that is bilateral, symmetric, and most visible in the central cornea [Smith et al 2002]. The corneal opacification is limited to the epithelium without stromal involvement or edema [Authors, personal observation], early reports of stromal abnormalities notwithstanding.
Vision may be close to normal at a young age. Over the first decade of life, progressive retinal degeneration with varying degrees of vascular attenuation, retinal pigment epithelial changes, and optic nerve pallor result in further decrease in vision [Siegel et al 1998, Altarescu et al 2002, Pradhan et al 2002, Smith et al 2002]. Bilateral bull's-eye maculopathy was observed in one individual [Smith et al 2002]. Visual acuity is difficult to test in most individuals with MLIV, but is decreased in almost all persons older than age five years. Virtually all individuals with MLIV develop severe visual impairment by their early teens as a result of the retinal degeneration.
Painful episodes consistent with corneal erosions are common, but appear to decrease in frequency and severity with age.
Other ocular findings are strabismus (>50% of individuals), nystagmus, ptosis, and cataract [Bach 2001, Smith et al 2002]. The pupillary response to light is usually sluggish without evidence of relative afferent pupillary defect [Smith et al 2002].
Growth. Birth weight and length are within normal range for the majority of individuals; however, growth restriction develops with age. One case series reported ten of 16 individuals with height below the third percentile and eight of 16 individuals with weight below the third percentile [Amir et al 1987]. The age at which growth restriction becomes apparent remains unclear.
Gastrointestinal features. Achlorhydria is uniformly present in individuals with MLIV. MCOLN1 pathogenic variants impair apical-membrane trafficking of the gastric proton pump in parietal cells leading to decreased gastric acid secretion and elevated gastrin level [Chandra et al 2011]. In affected individuals, parietal cells are present in normal numbers but show lysosomal inclusion bodies and are defective in gastric acid secretion [Schiffmann et al 1998].
Renal findings. Progressive renal failure, which has been recognized in recent years, is now considered a feature of typical MLIV. It manifests itself in the second to third decade of life [Author, unpublished data]. Because of chronic muscle atrophy in MLIV, blood cystatin C level is the most sensitive way to diagnose renal insufficiency.
Iron deficiency occurs in about 50% of affected individuals due to poor absorption of dietary iron, and iron deficiency anemia, which is usually well tolerated, occurs in about 10% of affected individuals [Altarescu et al 2002].
Nonspecific facial features. The face is not typically coarse [Goldin et al 2004b], but has typical "hypotonic" features including a tented upper lip vermillion, anteverted nares, and open mouth [Pode-Shakked et al 2020].
Affected individuals do not have hepatosplenomegaly or specific skeletal abnormalities.