CD40 deficiency: a unique adult patient with hyper immunoglobulin M syndrome and normal expression of CD40

Background: CD40 deficiency is an autosomal recessive, combined primary immunodeficiency characterized by defects of immunoglobulin class switch recombination and somatic hypermutation. It is part of an expanding group of diseases collectively known as hyper immunoglobulin M syndromes. Clinical manifestations of the disease usually begin early in life with recurrent sinopulmonary bacterial infections and susceptibility to opportunistic organisms. Only 16 patients from 12 unrelated families have been reported to date, all with lack of membrane expression of CD40 molecule.

Methods: Prospective and retrospective data was collected from the patient’s medical records, and Sanger sequencing, flow cytometry analysis, real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blotting were performed.

Results: In contrast with the patients reported previously, our patient’s mutation permits CD40 expression on the cell membrane and adds 37 amino acids to the cytoplasmic domain of the protein. We predict this change to affect 1 of the 2 known TRAF2 binding sites, as well as generate defective internalization of the receptor, both of which are required processes for functional signaling by CD40.

Conclusion: Our patient’s unique phenotype is an opportunity to further understand the biology and function of the CD40 receptor. As illustrated by this case, relying solely on flow cytometry for diagnosis of CD40 deficiency has the potential of overlooking patients with mutations that may allow residual protein expression. Therefore, confirmatory mutation analysis should always be performed.

Statement of novelty: We report on a patient with a novel mutation in CD40 and a unique phenotype, characterized by a complete lack of CD40 function despite normal protein expression. To our knowledge, this has not been reported previously. The patient has a milder phenotype than described for other patients with CD40 deficiency.