Investigations Into Chediak-Higashi Syndrome and Related Disorders

Chediak-Higashi syndrome (CHS) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized in its classical form by oculocutaneous albinism, a bleeding diathesis, recurrent infection due to abnormal neutrophil and natural killer cell function, and often progression to a lymphohistiocytic infiltration known as the accelerated phase . Death generally occurs within the first decade as a result of infection or the development of the accelerated phase; bone marrow transplantation is curative except for the late occurrence of neurological deterioration. However, our research has identified mildly affected individuals who present primarily with a neurological phenotype characterized by central and peripheral nervous system involvement. In addition, classical cases treated with bone marrow transplant (BMT) and surviving into adulthood usually develop neurological symptoms adding relevance to the study of pathophysiology of this disease outside of the hematological and immune systems. The only gene known to be associated with CHS is LYST; however, there are some patients with CHS in whom mutations have not been found, suggesting locus heterogeneity. A genotype-phenotype correlation had begun to emerge, but recent reports noted exceptions to this correlation. The basic defect is unknown, although it probably involves abnormal fusion or trafficking of intracellular vesicles. With regards to neurologic involvement, LYST likely also plays a role in neuronal axonal transport and neurotransmitter pools. We plan to evaluate individuals with CHS clinically, biochemically, and molecularly, and perform cell biological studies on their fibroblasts, melanocytes, and transformed lymphoblasts. Routine admissions may be 3-5 days and may occur every one to two years, or as required by changes in clinical symptomatology.