Annemieke J M H Verkerk, Daniela Andrei, Mathilde C S C Vermeer, Duco Kramer, Marloes Schouten, Pascal Arp, Joost A M Verlouw, Hendri H Pas, Hillegonda J Meijer, Marije van der Molen, Silke Oberdorf-Maass, Miranda Nijenhuis, Pedro H Romero-Herrera, Martijn F Hoes, Jeroen Bremer, Johan A Slotman, Peter C van den Akker, Gilles F H Diercks, Ben N G Giepmans, Hans Stoop, Jasper Saris, Ans M W van den Ouweland, Rob Willemsen, Jean-Jacques Hublin, M Christopher Dean, A Jeannette M Hoogeboom, Herman H W Silljé, André G Uitterlinden, Peter van der Meer, Maria C Bolling
Desmosomes are dynamic complex protein structures involved in cellular adhesion. Disruption of these structures by loss of function variants in desmosomal genes lead to a variety of skin and heart related phenotypes. Here, we report tuftelin 1 as a desmosome-associated protein, implicated in epidermal integrity. In two siblings with mild skin fragility, woolly hair and mild palmoplantar keratoderma, but without a cardiac phenotype, we identified a homozygous splice site variant in the TUFT1 gene, leading to aberrant mRNA splicing and loss of tuftelin 1 protein...
September 14, 2023: Journal of Investigative Dermatology