Zellweger syndrome and secondary mitochondrial myopathy

Eur J Pediatr. 2015 Apr;174(4):557-63. doi: 10.1007/s00431-014-2431-2. Epub 2014 Oct 7.

Abstract

Defects in peroxisomes such as those associated with Zellweger syndrome (ZS) can influence diverse intracellular metabolic pathways, including mitochondrial functioning. We report on an 8-month-old female infant and a 6-month-old female infant with typical clinical, radiological and laboratory features of Zellweger syndrome; light microscopic and ultrastructural evidence of mitochondrial pathology in their muscle biopsies; and homozygous pathogenic mutations of the PEX16 gene (c.460 + 5G > A) and the PEX 12 gene (c.888_889 del p.Leu297Thrfs*12), respectively. Additionally, mitochondrial respiratory chain enzymology analysis in the first girl showed a mildly low activity in complexes II-III and IV. We also review five children previously reported in the literature with a presumptive diagnosis of ZS and additional mitochondrial findings in their muscle biopsies. In conclusion, this is the first study of patients with a molecularly confirmed peroxisomal disorder with features of a concomitant mitochondrial myopathy and underscores the role of secondary mitochondrial dysfunction in Zellweger syndrome, potentially contributing to the clinical phenotype.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Female
  • Homozygote
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Mitochondria / pathology*
  • Mitochondrial Myopathies / complications
  • Mitochondrial Myopathies / diagnosis*
  • Mitochondrial Myopathies / genetics
  • Mutation
  • Zellweger Syndrome / complications
  • Zellweger Syndrome / diagnosis*
  • Zellweger Syndrome / genetics