Association of the TBK1 mutation p.Ile334Thr with frontotemporal dementia and literature review

Background: The mutation of TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) gene has been regarded as a causative gene of frontotemporal dementia (FTD)-amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) spectrum disease in recent years. So far, more than 70 TBK1 variants have been identified in patients with FTD-ALS spectrum.

Methods: We reported a Chinese FTD patient carrying TBK1 p.Ile334Thr variant detected by target sequencing and Sanger sequencing. The patient's clinical materials were collected. The transcription and translation levels of TBK1 mutant were investigated in fibroblast by qPCR and western blot. The effects of TBK1 mutant in inflammation pathway and autophagy were detected by luciferase reporter assay and GST pull-down assay.

Results: The patient was diagnosed as behavioral variant FTD (bvFTD) and displayed progressively severe cognitive impairment especially in executive function. A pattern of frontotemporal atrophy and hypometabolism was shown through MRI and PET-CT. In vitro functional experiments of TBK1 p.Ile334Thr variant demonstrated reduced transcription and translation levels, decreased kinase activity but maintenance of interaction with optineurin. The variant was classified as likely pathogenic according to American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics guideline.

Conclusion: We proposed the TBK1 mutation p.Ile334Thr as a likely pathogenic variant in bvFTD which also expanded the clinical spectrum of this variant. It can partially abrogate TBK1 functions and be responsible for FTD-ALS spectrum diseases through neuroinflammatory pathway.