Biallelic Variants in RNU6ATAC Result in a Minor Spliceopathy Characterized by Transcriptome-Wide Minor Intron Retention Events and Short Stature with Variable Multisystem Manifestations.

HGG advances
Authors
Abstract

We report three individuals with biallelic variants in RNU6ATAC, which encodes the U6atac minor spliceosomal small nuclear RNA (snRNA), causing a multisystem minor spliceopathy. Through RNAseq analysis, we identified a distinctive excess of minor intron retention (MIR) in two unrelated individuals, which guided the identification of biallelic RNU6ATAC variants. The discovery cohort presented with variable multisystem manifestations. One individual presented with refractory epilepsy, microcephaly, developmental delay, ataxia, bilateral toe syndactyly, hypereosinophilia, and short stature, whereas the other exhibited failure to thrive, short stature, primary hypothyroidism, combined variable immunodeficiency, eosinophilic colitis, ichthyosis vulgaris, scoliosis, and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy without neurodevelopmental involvement. Despite organ-specific variation, both individuals displayed impaired growth and eosinophil-driven inflammation. Recently, we identified a third affected individual from an independent cohort whose phenotype bridges these features, combining microcephaly, growth failure with severe immunodeficiency, and skeletal abnormalities. The distinctive excess of MIR outliers in the discovery cohort supports minor spliceosome dysfunction, mirroring the molecular signature of RNU4ATAC-opathy. These findings nominate RNU6ATAC as a disease-associated gene, defining an expanded clinical spectrum of minor spliceopathies. Our study supports the power of integrating genomic and transcriptomic approaches for diagnosing splicing disorders and highlights the critical role of spliceosomal snRNAs in human disease.

Year of Publication
2026
Journal
HGG advances
Pages
100588
Date Published
03/2026
ISSN
2666-2477
DOI
10.1016/j.xhgg.2026.100588
PubMed ID
41808409
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