Novel pathological genetic variant associated with DOCK8 deficiency case report with successful hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Main Article Content

Hilal Karabag Citlak https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6093-2737
Ayberk Turkyilmaz https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9647-8970
Hakan Kot https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3461-2094
Fatih Sultan Mehmet Koc https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4544-9341
Kubra Adanur Saglam https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0201-6877
Seyma Celikbilek Celik https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8909-8486
Salih Guler
Nalan Yildiz https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0738-4679
Sevgi Keles https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7344-8947
Fazil Orhan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4850-932X

Keywords

DOCK8 deficiency, hematopoietic cell transplantation, hyper-IgE, primary immunodeficiency

Abstract

Deficiency of dedicator of cytokinesis 8 (DOCK8) is a combined immunodeficiency characterized by severe atopic dermatitis, recurrent infections, and elevated serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels. Following genetic confirmation, early hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the treatment of choice. We report a 7-year-old girl who presented with refractory atopic dermatitis and recurrent sinopulmonary infections. Laboratory evaluation revealed markedly elevated total IgE, lymphopenia, decreased memory B cells, and poor vaccine responses. Whole exome sequencing identified a previously unreported homozygous nonsense mutation in the DOCK8 gene (c.5382C>A; p.Tyr1794*). Functional validation was achieved through flow cytometry, which demonstrated significantly reduced DOCK8 protein expression. The patient underwent successful HSCT from a fully matched (10/10) HLA-compatible donor following conditioning with fludarabine and treosulfan. At 1 year follow-up, full donor chimerism was achieved, and the patient remained in remission. This case highlights a novel pathogenic variant in DOCK8 deficiency and demonstrates curative success following definitive diagnosis and timely HSCT.

Abstract 0 | PDF Downloads 0 XML Downloads 0 HTML Downloads 0

References

1. Tangye SG, Al-Herz W, Bousfiha A, Cunningham-Rundles C, Franco JL, Holland SM, et al. Human inborn errors of immunity: 2022 Update on the classification from the International Union of Immunological Societies Expert Committee. J Clin Immunol. 2022;42(7):1473–507. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10875-022-01289-3
2. Biggs CM, Keles S, Chatila TA. DOCK8 deficiency: Insights into pathophysiology, clinical features and management. Clin Immunol. 2017;181:75–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clim.2017.06.003
3. Gadea G, Blangy A. Dock-family exchange factors in cell migration and disease. Eur J Cell Biol. 2014;93(10):466–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejcb.2014.06.003
4. Aydin SE, Kilic SS, Aytekin C, Kumar A, Porras O, Kainulainen L, et al. DOCK8 deficiency: Clinical and immunological phenotype and treatment options – A review of 136 patients. J Clin Immunol. 2015;35(2):189–98. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10875-014-0126-0
5. Sampath A, Yadav H, Juluri S, Bhat GC, Yadav YS. Phenotypic and genotypic spectrum of children with autosomal recessive hyperimmunoglobulin e syndrome caused by DOCK8 mutation: A systematic review of case reports. Indian Pediatr Case Rep. 2024;4(3):182–91. https://doi.org/10.4103/ipcares.ipcares_156_24
6. Kasap N, Celik V, Isik S, Cennetoglu P, Kiykim A, Eltan SB, et al. A set of clinical and laboratory markers differentiates hyper-IgE syndrome from severe atopic dermatitis. Clin Immunol. 2021;223:108645. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clim.2020.108645
7. Samani A, English KG, Lopez MA, Birch CL, Brown DM, Kaur G, et al. DOCKopathies: A systematic review of the clinical pathologies associated with human DOCK pathogenic variants. Hum Mutat. 2022;43(9):1149–61. https://doi.org/10.1002/humu.24398.
8. Jing H, Zhang Q, Zhang Y, et al. Somatic reversion in dedicator of cytokinesis 8 immunodeficiency modulates disease phenotype. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2014;133(6):1667–75. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2014.03.025
9. Richards S, Aziz N, Bale S, Bick D, Das S, Gastier-Foster J, et al. Standards and guidelines for the interpretation of sequence variants: A joint consensus recommendation of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics and the Association for Molecular Pathology. Genet Med. 2015;17(5):405–24. https://doi.org/10.1038/gim.2015.30
10.Sato, H., Singer, R.H. Cellular variability of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay. Nat Commun. 2021;12:7203. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-27423-0
11. Liquidano-Perez E, Maza-Ramos G, Perez Arias BA, Lugo Reyes SO, Barragan Arevalo T, Solorzano-Morales SA, et al. Clinical, immunological, and genetic description of a Mexican cohort of patients with DOCK8 deficiency. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2024;35(2):e14073. https://doi.org/10.1111/pai.14073
12. Zhang Q, Davis JC, Dove CG, Su HC. Genetic, clinical, and laboratory markers for DOCK8 immunodeficiency syndrome. Dis Markers. 2010;29(3–4):131–9. https://doi.org/10.3233/dma-2010-0737
13. Pillay BA, Avery DT, Smart JM, Cole T, Choo S, Chan D, et al. Hematopoietic stem cell transplant effectively rescues lymphocyte differentiation and function in DOCK8-deficient patients. JCI Insight. 2019;5(11):e127527. https://doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.127527
14. Freeman AF, Gonzalez CE, Yates B, Cole K, Little L, Flannelly E, et al. Hematopoietic cell transplantation for DOCK8 deficiency: Results from a prospective clinical trial. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2025;155(1):176–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2024.08.021
15. Slatter MA, Rao K, Amrolia P, Flood T, Abinun M, Hambleton S, et al. Treosulfan-based conditioning regimens for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children with primary immunodeficiency: United Kingdom experience. Blood. 2011;117(16):4367–75. https://doi.org/10.1182/blood-2010-10-312082
16. Pandrowala A, Sharma AN, Kakunje M, Bodhanwala M, Hiwarkar P. Reduced toxicity conditioning and a high CD34+ cell dose can achieve full donor chimerism in DOCK8 deficiency. J Allergy Clin Immunol Global. 2023;2(3):100106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacig.2023.100106