X-linked myotubular myopathy mimics hereditary spastic paraplegia in two female manifesting carriers of pathogenic MTM1 variant.

Abstract X-linked myotubular myopathy (XLMTM) is a rare congenital myopathy caused by pathogenic variants in the myotubularin 1 (MTM1) gene. XLMTM leads to severe weakness in male infants and majority of them die in the early postnatal period due to respiratory failure. Disease manifestations in female carriers vary from asymptomatic to severe, generalized congenital weakness. The symptomatic female carriers typically have limb-girdle weakness, asymmetric muscle weakness and skeletal size, urinary incontinence, facial weakness, ptosis and ophthalmoplegia. Here we describe a Finnish family with two females with lower limb spasticity and hyperreflexia resembling spastic paraplegia, gait difficulties and asymmetric muscle weakness in the limbs. A whole exome sequencing identified a heterozygous pathogenic missense variant MTM1 c.1262G > A, p.(Arg421Gln) segregating in the family. The variant has previously been detected in male and female patients with XLMTM. Muscle biopsy of one of the females showed variation in the myofiber diameter, atrophic myofibers, central nuclei and necklace fibers consistent with a diagnosis of XLMTM. This report suggests association between spastic paraplegia and pathogenic MTM1 variants expanding the phenotypic spectrum potentially associated with XLMTM, but the possible association needs to be confirmed by additional cases.