Biallelic FOXRED1 mutations cause infantile mitochondrial encephalopathy with complex I disassembly and basal ganglia degeneration.
Developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE) is a severe neurological disorder. Biallelic mutations in the nuclear-encoded mitochondrial chaperone gene FOXRED1, a specific assembly factor for complex I, cause mitochondrial dysfunction; however, their role in DEE pathogenesis remains unexplored. Clinical data and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were obtained from two patients with compound heterozygous FOXRED1 mutations (c.850T>C (p.C284R)/c.1054C>T (p.R352W) and c.1054C>T (p.R352W)/c.3dup (p.I2Dfs*35) and age-matched controls. Mitochondrial phenotyping, included complex I activity, mitochondrial respiration stress test, membrane potential, intracellular ROS, and NAD+/NADH ratio, were performed. Both patients exhibited early-onset refractory seizures, basal ganglia lesions, hyperlacticemia, and developmental regression. FOXRED1 mutations resulted in 50% reduction in complex I activity, dissasembly of complex I, mitochondrial depolarization, oxidative stress, and NAD+/NADH imbalance. Niacin restored the NAD+/NADH ratio in vitro, while clinical supplementation reduced blood lactate levels, suggesting it may be a potential therapeutic option.