Identification of tubulin gene variants in patients with dandy-walker malformation: expanding the spectrum of tubulinopathies

Abstract Dandy-Walker malformation (DWM) is a condition characterized by a cyst in the posterior cranial fossa contiguous with the fourth ventricle, combined with complete or partial agenesis of the cerebellar vermis; and elevation of the cerebellar tentorium, torcular Herophili, and transverse sinuses. DWM has been linked to specific genetic variants, with pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants reported in FOXC1 , ZIC1 , and ZIC4 . Variants in the TUBB2B and TUBB3 genes are associated with abnormalities in tubulin, leading to cerebellar hypoplasia. In our study, three patients diagnosed with DWM underwent whole-genome analysis using next-generation sequencing, and two were found to have heterozygous variants in the tubulinopathy-associated genes TUBB2B and TUBB3 , respectively. These findings indicate that some cases previously diagnosed as DWM may fall under the spectrum of tubulinopathies associated with cerebellar hypoplasia.