Rare loss-of-function variants in matrisome genes are enriched in Ebstein's anomaly

Ebstein's anomaly, a rare congenital heart disease, is distinguished by the failure of embryological delamination of the tricuspid valve leaflets from the underlying primitive right ventricle myocardium. Gaining insight into the genetic basis of Ebstein's anomaly allows a more precise definition of its pathogenesis. In this study, two distinct cohorts from the Chinese Han population were included: a case-control cohort consisting of 82 unrelated cases and 125 controls without cardiac phenotypes and a trio cohort comprising 36 parent-offspring trios. Whole-exome sequencing data from all 315 participants were utilized to identify qualifying variants, encompassing rare (minor allele frequency < 0.1% from East Asians in the gnomAD database) functional variants and high-confidence (HC) loss-of-function (LoF) variants. Various statistical models, including burden tests and variance-component models, were employed to identify rare variants, genes, and biological pathways associated with Ebstein's anomaly. Significant associations were noted between Ebstein's anomaly and rare HC LoF variants found in genes related to the matrisome, a collection of extracellular matrix (ECM) components. Specifically, 47 genes with HC LoF variants were exclusively or predominantly identified in cases, while nine genes showed such variants in the probands. Over half of unrelated cases (n = 42) and approximately one-third of probands (n = 12) were found to carry one or two LoF variants in these prioritized genes. These results highlight the role of the matrisome in the pathogenesis of Ebstein's anomaly, contributing to a better understanding of the genetic architecture underlying this condition. Our findings hold the potential to impact the genetic diagnosis and treatment approaches for Ebstein's anomaly.