Acta Dermato-Venereologica 99-4CompleteContent | Page 27
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SHORT COMMUNICATION
A Japanese Case of Galli–Galli Disease due to a Previously Unreported POGLUT1 Mutation
Michihiro KONO 1 , Masaki SAWADA 2 , Yuka NAKAZAWA 3,4 , Tomoo OGI 3,4 , Yoshinao MURO 1 and Masashi AKIYAMA 1
Departments of 1 Dermatology and 3 Human Genetics and Molecular Biology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, 466-8550,
2
Division of Dermatology, Japanese Red Cross Nagoya Daiichi Hospital, and 4 Department of Genetics, Research Institute of Environmental
Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan. E-mail: [email protected]
Accepted Jan 16, 2019; E-published Jan 17, 2019
Galli–Galli disease (GGD) is a rare autosomal dominant
genodermatosis exhibiting reticulated hyperpigmentation
and scaling erythematous papules mainly on the great skin
folds (1). GGD is considered to be an acantholytic variant of
Dowling–Degos disease (DDD) (2). Mutations in KRT5 (3)
and POGLUT1 (4) have been reported in GGD patients. In
contrast, DDD is a rare autosomal dominant genetic pigmen-
tary disorder characterized by dot-like or reticulate, slightly
depressed, sharply demarcated brown macules particularly
affecting the flexures and other major skin folds. KRT5
was identified as a causative gene of DDD in 2006 (5), and
recently POFUT1 (6) and POGLUT1 (4) were clarified as
additional causative genes. Finally, PSENEN was identified
as a causative gene of DDD with hidradenitis suppurativa (7).
Here, we report a Japanese female GGD case with a
previously unreported POGLUT1 mutation. As far as we
know, the present case is the first non-Caucasian GGD
patient with a POGLUT1 mutation.
CASE REPORT
A 50-year-old Japanese woman had noticed small pigmented
spots on the extremities in her late twenties that had increased
in number gradually. According to her, her mother had similar
pigmented macules. Neither of her daughters (ages 20 years and
16 years) had similar pigmented macules. She visited our neighbor
hospital and was referred to our department for diagnosis of the
hyperpigmented macules mainly on the extremities (Fig. 1A).
She showed irregularly shaped, slightly keratotic, sharply de-
marcated grayish-brown macules of 2 to 5 mm in diameter on the
extremities and the trunk. The lesions were more sparse on the trunk
than on the extremities. Neither a reticulate arrangement of the
macules nor depression of the macules was observed in the present
patient. The macules on the extremities were mainly seen on the
dorsal side. The number of macules on the extremities gradually
increased from the proximal to the distal regions. The flexor sides of
the knees and elbows and other major skin folds were spared (Fig.
1B). A few erythematous lesions with itching were intermingled
with the brown macules. Palmoplantar pits and pigmentation were
absent. She showed fewer macules on the face and the V-neck site,
and the neck was completely spared (Fig. 1D). Faint depigmented
macules were also seen on the extremities and at the V-neck site.
A skin biopsy obtained from a pigmented macule on the forearm
showed elongation of the rete ridges with diffuse pigmentation
in the epidermis and hyperkeratosis without parakeratosis. Under
high magnification, acantholysis and atypism of keratinocytes were
seen in the epidermis. The lesional epidermis was thinner than that
of the surrounding normal skin (Fig. 1G). Patchy inflammatory cell
infiltration and pigmentary incontinence were seen in the upper
dermis (Fig. 1E, F). From the above information, the differential
diagnoses were GGD, which is an acantholytic variant of DDD,
and xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), variant type. We confirmed
our diagnosis by genetic analysis.
doi: 10.2340/00015555-3119
Acta Derm Venereol 2019; 99: 458–459
Fig. 1. The clinical and histopathological features of the patient.
(A) The pedigree of the proband’s family. (B-F) Skin manifestations of the
proband. The macules on the extremities are mainly on the dorsal side.
The number of macules on the extremities gradually increases from the
proximal to the distal regions (B). Irregularly shaped, slightly keratotic,
sharply demarcated grayish-brown macules of 2 to 5 mm in diameter are
seen on the dorsal hands (C). Only a small number of macules are seen
at the V-neck site. Faint depigmented macules are seen at the V-neck site
(D). (E–G) Histopathologically, elongation of the rete ridges with diffuse
pigmentation is observed in the epidermis and patchy inflammatory cell
infiltration is seen in the superficial dermis (E). Under high magnification,
acantholysis and atypism of epidermal keratinocytes are seen and pigmentary
incontinence is observed in the upper dermis (F). The lesional epidermis
(right side) is thinner than that in the adjacent normal skin (left side),
and hyperkeratosis without parakeratosis is seen in the stratum corneum
(dotted line, a border of the lesion) (G).
The Ethics Committee of the Nagoya University Graduate
School of Medicine approved the studies described below. All
studies were conducted according to the principles of the Declara-
tion of Helsinki. The participant gave written informed consent.
Whole-exome sequencing was performed with genomic DNA
from the patient’s peripheral blood sample. We found a heterozy-
gous frameshift mutation, c.1013delTinsAAC, p.Ile338Lysfs*27,
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