A novel large fragment deletion in PLS3 causes rare X-linked early-onset osteoporosis and response to zoledronic acid.

We identified a novel large fragment deletion from intron 9 to 3'UTR in PLS3 (E10-E16del) in one Chinese boy with X-linked early-onset osteoporosis and vertebral fractures, which expanded the pathogenic spectrum of X-linked early-onset osteoporosis. Treatment with zoledronic acid was beneficial for increasing BMD and reshaping the vertebral bodies of this patient.

INTRODUCTION: X-linked early-onset osteoporosis is a rare disease, which is characterized by low bone mineral density (BMD), vertebral compression fractures (VCFs), and/or long bone fractures. We aimed to detect the phenotype and the underlying pathogenic mutation of X-linked early-onset osteoporosis in a boy from a nonconsanguineous Chinese family.

METHODS: We investigated the pathogenic mutation of the patient with X-linked early-onset osteoporosis by targeted next-generation sequencing and confirmed it by Sanger sequencing. We also observed the effects of zoledronic acid on fracture frequency and BMD of the patient.

RESULTS: Low BMD and multiple VCFs were the main phenotypes of X-linked early-onset osteoporosis. We identified a total of 12,229 bp deletion in PLS3, involving intron 9 to the 3'UTR (E10-E16 del). This large fragment deletion might be mediated by Alu repeats and microhomology of 26 bp at each breakpoint junction. Zoledronic acid treatment could significantly increase the Z-score of BMD and reshape the compressed vertebral bodies.

CONCLUSION: We identified a large fragment deletion mutation in PLS3 for the first time and elucidated the possible mechanism of the deletion, which led to X-linked early-onset osteoporosis and multiple vertebral fractures. Our findings would enrich the etiology spectrum of this rare disease.