In this study, the carrier frequency and estimated incidence of SLOS were analyzed for East Asians and Koreans using gnomAD. The carrier frequency of East Asians was 0.4%, which was lower than that of other ethnic groups (1–3%) [6, 7]. The carrier frequency of Koreans was 1.0%, which was similar to or lower than that of other ethnicities. Based on disease classification databases, HGMD and ClinVar, carrier frequencies were 0.2–0.3% in East Asians and 0.6% in Koreans. Compared with previous studies on East Asians, carrier frequency in gnomAD is located between the previous reports (0.1 to 1.6%) [8, 9].
The carrier frequency is thought to differ between studies because of differences in analysis method and variant interpretation. In carrier frequency analysis using 1000 Genomes phase 1, including 286 East Asian genomes, the entire DHCR7 region was analyzed, and the criteria for the pathogenic variant were whether it was a previously reported variant and whether it was 'Probably Damaging' or 'Possibly Damaging' in Polyphen-2 [8]. As the 2015 ACMG-AMP guideline is more stringent in variant classification, a previous study has shown a relatively higher carrier frequency than this. In another study, 3,102 East Asians were analyzed using next-generation sequencing (NGS), and 10,444 East Asians were analyzed using targeted genotyping that could only identify 13 major DHCR7 variants [9]. The target genotype found 92.4% of the total variants in Europeans, while 80% of East Asians did not find the variant. Therefore, the East Asian carrier frequency would have been underestimated. The cumulative East Asian carrier frequency was 0.10%; however, each carrier frequency was 0.16% via NGS and 0.08% via targeted genotyping. Here, 9197 East Asian genomes, more than in previous studies, were analyzed for variants in the entire DHCR7 gene region using the 2015 ACMG-AMP guideline. It is thought that a more accurate carrier frequency was reflected.
The PV/LPV identified in this study was found to have a completely different variant spectrum pattern from other ethnicities. c.964-1G > C, p.Thr93Met, p.Trp151Ter, p.Val326Leu, p.Arg404Cys, and p.Arg352Trp variants, known to be frequently reported in SLOS patients, were not found in East Asians in the gnomAD [15]. Conversely, PV/LPV identified in East Asians and Koreans were not found in Ashkenazi Jews, Europeans (Finland), and Latinos, except for the c.907G > A variant. From this, it could be inferred that the variant spectrum of the DHCR7 gene differs between East Asian races and other ethnicities.
In particular, c.964-1G > C is the most common variant in Caucasians, and several studies on carrier frequency and estimated incidence using the c.964-1G > C variant have been reported [6]. To the best of our knowledge, c.964-1G > C mutations have not been reported in SLOS patients in three East Asian countries (Korea, China, and Japan). According to Cross et al., a Han Chinese individual in Beijing was confirmed to have a c.964-1G > C variant allele in 1000 Genomes phase 1 [8]. In 1000 Genomes phase 3, and in 504 East Asians, c.964-1G > C was not found [16]. According to Lazarin et al., two c.964-1G > C alleles were identified in 13,546 East Asians by targeted genotyping [9]. Considering that the c.964-1G > C variant was not found in this study, it is thought that the c.964-1G > C mutation is rarely found in East Asia.
In East Asians and Koreans, the c.907G > A (10/18,386 alleles in East Asians, 10/3,818 alleles in Koreans) variant was most frequently identified. The c.907G > A variant has been primarily reported in the Korean and Japanese populations [17, 18]. In Korean SLOS patients, the c.1054C > T (p.Arg352Trp)(7/16 alleles) variant is most common, followed by c.907G > A (4/16 alleles) [19]. The c.1055G > A (p.Arg352Gln) (9/13 alleles) variant is most common in Japanese SLOS patients, followed by the c.907G > A variant (2/13 alleles) [17].
SLOS incidence in Caucasians is known, while its incidence in East Asians was unknown. When calculated by the Hardy-Weinberg equation, the incidence in East Asians is predicted to be 1/310,688 and 1/40,380 in Koreans. The incidence of SLOS in East Asians was predicted to be lower than that in other ethnicities, and lower or similar in Koreans. Considering the still birth rate, the actual incidence of SLOS in East Asians and Koreans may be lower than that which was estimated by SLOS carrier frequency.
According to data from the Korean Statistical Information Service (http://kosis.kr/; accessed on 02 November 2020) in 2019, the total population of Korea was 51.8 million with 302,676 births. Based on the carrier frequency in this study, the number of carriers is estimated to be 0.52 million in total, and 3,027 in newborns per year. The estimated incidence of SLOS in Korea based on the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium is seven cases per year. However, considering the utero mortality rate, it is predicted that the actual number of patients born with SLOS will be < 7.
Recent studies on the genetic cause of stillbirth have reported associations with SLOS [10]. There is a difference between the expected incidence of SLOS and its actual incidence; this difference is possibly because approximately 42–88% of affected conceptuses experience prenatal death [9]. In addition, exposure to drugs such as aripiprazole or trazodone increases the 7-DHC concentration in the DHCR7 mutation carrier making it vulnerable, and is estimated to affect fetal development during pregnancy [11]. Therefore, it is important to know the carrier frequency of SLOS.
Recently, studies have been reported on the risk of aripiprazole, which is frequently used in the treatment of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, in a DHCR7 variant carrier [11, 12]. Aripiprazole increases the 7-DHC concentration, such that the DHCR7 variant carrier is vulnerable to the drug. Aripiprazole is a known drug, often used in pregnant women. Animal studies have shown that DHCR7 carriers affect fetal brain development when aripiprazole is administered during pregnancy [12]. In addition to aripiprazole, trazodone, or haloperidol, which can increase 7-DHC concentration, might not be safe in DHCR7 variant carriers [12]. In this study, 0.4% of East Asians and 1% of Koreans were identified as DHCR7 PV/LPV carriers. Among the DHCR7 variant carriers, attention should be paid to drug use, especially in pregnant women.
This study has some limitations. We did not analyze structural variations, including the large deletion/insertion of the DHCR7 gene. According to Lanthaler et al., in two of the 12 SLOS patients, where only one variant was identified, a large deletion of the DHCR7 gene was confirmed through multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification [20]. Nonetheless, this study makes several valuable contributions. This is the largest study among those performed in East Asia that analyzed the entire DHCR7 gene. To the best of our knowledge, there have been no large-scale population studies of carrier frequencies and estimated SLOS incidence in Koreans. We believe that this study more accurately predicted the carrier frequency of SLOS in East Asia and Korea.