Prevalence of TTR variants detected by whole-exome sequencing in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Abstract

Background: A proportion of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) have a diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis. Hereditary transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTRv-CM) is caused by mutations in the TTR gene. Our aim was to study the prevalence of potentially amyloidogenic TTR variants in a whole-exome sequencing (WES) study of a large HCM cohort.

Methods and results: 770 consecutive HCM probands underwent WES and clinical characterisation. Patients with rare or known pathogenic variants in TTR underwent 99mTechnetium labelled 3,3-diphosphono-1,2-propanodicarboxylic acid (DPD) scintigraphy and were retrospectively re-assessed for clinical features of amyloidosis. Two patients had rare TTR variants of unknown significance and four had the known pathogenic V122I (p.V142I) variant (one homozygous and also heterozygous for a likely pathogenic MYL3 variant and another double heterozygous for a likely pathogenic MYBPC3 variant). Four out of 6 patients with TTR variants underwent DPD scintigraphy; the only positive study was in the patient with the homozygous V122I (p.V142I) variant.

Conclusions: Pathogenic TTR variants are rare in carefully assessed HCM patients and may occur in double heterozygosity with pathogenic sarcomere variants. The lack of evidence for an amyloidosis phenotype in all but one TTR variant carrier illustrates the importance of complete clinical evaluation of HCM patients that harbour pathogenic TTR variants.

Keywords:

• Hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis
• hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
• whole-exome sequencing

Disclosure statement

ML has a consultancy agreement with Pfizer Inc. PME received consultancies and speaker fees from Pfizer and Alnylam and an unrestricted educational grant from Pfizer.

Additional information

Funding

MF is funded by the Fondation Leducq Transatlantic Networks of Excellence Programme grant [no. 14 CVD03]. This work was funded by the British Heart Foundation Programme Grant RG/15/8/31480 and the National Institute for Health Research University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre.