The somatic GNAQ mutation c.548G > A (p.R183Q) is consistently found in Sturge-Weber syndrome

Sturge-Weber syndrome (SWS) is a neurocutaneous disorder characterized by capillary malformation (port-wine stains), and choroidal and leptomeningeal vascular malformations. Previously, the recurrent somatic mutation c.548G > A (p.R183Q) in the G-alpha q gene (GNAQ) was identified as causative in SWS and non-syndromic port-wine stain patients using whole-genome sequencing. In this study, we investigated somatic mutations in GNAQ by next-generation sequencing. We first performed targeted amplicon sequencing of 15 blood-brain-paired samples in sporadic SWS and identified the recurrent somatic c.548G > A mutation in 80% of patients (12 of 15). The percentage of mutant alleles in brain tissues of these 12 patients ranged from 3.6 to 8.9%. We found no other somatic mutations in any of the seven GNAQ exons in the remaining three patients without c.548G > A. These findings suggest that the recurrent somatic GNAQ mutation c.548G > A is the major determinant genetic factor for SWS and imply that other mutated candidate gene(s) may exist in SWS.