Cardiac Emerinopathy

Background: Mutations in the nuclear envelope genes encoding LMNA and EMD are responsible for Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy. However, LMNA mutations often manifest dilated cardiomyopathy with conduction disturbance without obvious skeletal myopathic complications. On the contrary, the phenotypic spectrums of EMD mutations are less clear. Our aims were to determine the prevalence of nonsyndromic forms of emerinopathy, which may underlie genetically undefined isolated cardiac conduction disturbance, and the etiology of thromboembolic complications associated with EMD mutations. Methods: Targeted exon sequencing was performed in 87 probands with familial sick sinus syndrome (n=36) and a progressive cardiac conduction defect (n=51). Results: We identified 3 X-linked recessive EMD mutations (start-loss, splicing, missense) in families with cardiac conduction disease. All 3 probands shared a common clinical phenotype of progressive atrial arrhythmias that ultimately resulted in atrial standstill associated with left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC), but they lacked early contractures and progressive muscle wasting and weakness characteristic of Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy. Because the association of LVNC with EMD has never been reported, we further genetically screened 102 LVNC patients and found a frameshift EMD mutation in a boy with progressive atrial standstill and LVNC without complications of muscular dystrophy. All 6 male EMD mutation carriers of 4 families underwent pacemaker or defibrillator implantation, whereas 2 female carriers were asymptomatic. Notably, a strong family history of stroke observed in these families was probably due to the increased risk of thromboembolism attributable to both atrial standstill and LVNC. Conclusions: Cardiac emerinopathy is a novel nonsyndromic X-linked progressive atrial standstill associated with LVNC and increased risk of thromboembolism.