Loss of the immunomodulatory transcription factor BATF2 in humans is associated with a neurological phenotype

Epilepsy and mental retardation are known to be associated with pathogenic mutations in a broad range of genes that are expressed in the brain and have a role in neurodevelopment. Here, we report on a family with three affected individuals whose clinical symptoms closely resemble a neurodevelopmental disorder. Whole-exome sequencing identified a homozygous stop-gain mutation, p.Gln19*, in the BATF2 gene in the patients. The BATF2 transcription factor is predominantly expressed in macrophages and monocytes and has been reported to modulate AP-1 transcription factor-mediated pro-inflammatory responses. Transcriptome analysis showed altered base-level expression of interferon-stimulated genes in the patients’ blood, typical for type I interferonopathies. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from all three patients demonstrated elevated responses to innate immune stimuli, which could be reproduced in CRISPR–Cas9-generated BATF2−/− human monocytic cell lines. BATF2 is, therefore, a novel disease-associated gene candidate for severe epilepsy and mental retardation related to dysregulation of immune responses, which underscores the relevance of neuroinflammation for epilepsy.