Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) is an inborn error of immunity in which lymphocytes fail to undergo Fas-mediated apoptosis. Because the FAS death receptor pathway is what normally removes activated and autoreactive lymphocytes once an immune response has resolved, a defect in it produces the syndrome's defining triad: chronic non-malignant lymphoproliferation (lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly), autoimmunity directed mainly at blood cells, and an expanded population of alpha-beta double-negative (CD3+ CD4- CD8-) T cells that has no normal clearance route. Lymphoma risk is raised lifelong. ALPS is classified by genotype rather than by organ or clinical course. Germline heterozygous FAS variants account for most cases (ALPS-FAS); somatic FAS variants confined to the double-negative T-cell compartment (ALPS-sFAS) explain a substantial further share and are the reason the disease long looked non-Mendelian; FASLG and CASP10 defects are rare; and a residual group with the phenotype but no identified lesion is designated ALPS-U. This root entry carries only what holds for ALPS as a whole — the genotype-based classification axis, the shared apoptosis-defect mechanism, and the shared consequences. The FAS-specific detail, including diagnostics and management, is not re-derived here: see `FAS-related_Autoimmune_Lymphoproliferative_Syndrome.yaml`. `CTLA4_Haploinsufficiency.yaml` and `CD27-related_lymphoproliferative_and_immune_disorder.yaml` cover ALPS-like disorders that reach a similar phenotype by other routes.
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name: Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome
creation_date: '2026-08-19T12:00:00Z'
category: Mendelian
description: >
Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) is an inborn error of immunity in
which lymphocytes fail to undergo Fas-mediated apoptosis. Because the FAS death
receptor pathway is what normally removes activated and autoreactive lymphocytes
once an immune response has resolved, a defect in it produces the syndrome's
defining triad: chronic non-malignant lymphoproliferation (lymphadenopathy and
splenomegaly), autoimmunity directed mainly at blood cells, and an expanded
population of alpha-beta double-negative (CD3+ CD4- CD8-) T cells that has no normal
clearance route. Lymphoma risk is raised lifelong.
ALPS is classified by genotype rather than by organ or clinical course. Germline
heterozygous FAS variants account for most cases (ALPS-FAS); somatic FAS variants
confined to the double-negative T-cell compartment (ALPS-sFAS) explain a substantial
further share and are the reason the disease long looked non-Mendelian; FASLG and
CASP10 defects are rare; and a residual group with the phenotype but no identified
lesion is designated ALPS-U.
This root entry carries only what holds for ALPS as a whole — the genotype-based
classification axis, the shared apoptosis-defect mechanism, and the shared
consequences. The FAS-specific detail, including diagnostics and management, is not
re-derived here: see `FAS-related_Autoimmune_Lymphoproliferative_Syndrome.yaml`.
`CTLA4_Haploinsufficiency.yaml` and `CD27-related_lymphoproliferative_and_immune_disorder.yaml`
cover ALPS-like disorders that reach a similar phenotype by other routes.
disease_term:
preferred_term: autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome
term:
id: MONDO:0017979
label: autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome
synonyms:
- ALPS
- Canale-Smith syndrome
categories:
- Inborn Error of Immunity
- Immune Dysregulation
- Lymphoproliferative Disorder
parents:
- Primary Immunodeficiency
- Autoimmune Disorder
- Lymphoproliferative Disorder
classifications:
iuis_category:
classification_value: immune dysregulation
notes: >-
IUIS phenotypic classification, diseases of immune dysregulation (Table 4)
— the group that contains ALPS and the ALPS-like disorders. Matches the
classification already recorded on
`FAS-related_Autoimmune_Lymphoproliferative_Syndrome.yaml`. ALPS presents
as lymphoproliferation and autoimmunity from failed apoptotic control of
the adaptive response, not as susceptibility to infection, which is what
separates Table 4 from the deficiency tables. The somatic-FAS subtype
(ALPS-sFAS) is listed by IUIS 2022 as a Table 10 phenocopy of inborn
errors of immunity, so this Table 4 assignment rests on the germline
forms.
evidence:
- reference: PMID:29911256
reference_title: >-
The Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome with Defective FAS or
FAS-Ligand Functions.
supports: SUPPORT
evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
snippet: >-
The autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) is a non-malignant
and non-infectious uncontrolled proliferation of lymphocytes accompanied
by autoimmune cytopenia.
explanation: >-
Characterizes ALPS as uncontrolled lymphoproliferation with
autoimmunity, and explicitly as non-infectious — the immune-dysregulation
phenotype that defines IUIS Table 4.
inheritance:
- name: Autosomal dominant (germline FAS, incomplete penetrance)
description: >-
Most ALPS is caused by a heterozygous germline FAS variant acting through a
dominant-negative mechanism on the trimeric death receptor. Penetrance is markedly
incomplete: healthy relatives frequently carry the same variant, which is why a
second, somatic hit in the double-negative T-cell compartment is thought to be
required for overt disease in many families.
inheritance_term:
preferred_term: Autosomal dominant inheritance
term:
id: HP:0000006
label: Autosomal dominant inheritance
evidence:
- reference: PMID:29911256
reference_title: >-
The Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome with Defective FAS or FAS-Ligand
Functions.
supports: SUPPORT
evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
snippet: "The ALPS-FAS was the first description of a monogenic cause of autoimmunity, but its non-Mendelian expression remained elusive until the description of somatic and germline mutations in ALPS patients."
explanation: >-
States the non-Mendelian behaviour of ALPS-FAS explicitly and attributes its
resolution to the recognition of combined somatic and germline variants.
- reference: PMID:36621650
reference_title: >-
Revisiting autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome caused by Fas ligand mutations.
supports: SUPPORT
evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
snippet: "While most ALPS patients carry heterozygous FAS mutations, FASLG mutations are rare and usually biallelic."
explanation: >-
Supports the single-allele (dominant-acting) FAS genotype that underlies this
inheritance block, and contrasts it with the biallelic requirement for FASLG.
has_subtypes:
- name: ALPS-FAS
display_name: ALPS-FAS (germline FAS defect)
classification: genetic
description: >-
The commonest form, caused by germline FAS variants impairing Fas-mediated
apoptosis. Historically ALPS type Ia. Fully curated in
`FAS-related_Autoimmune_Lymphoproliferative_Syndrome.yaml`.
subtype_term:
preferred_term: FAS-related autoimmune lymphoproliferative immune disorder
term:
id: MONDO:1060194
label: FAS-related autoimmune lymphoproliferative immune disorder
genes:
- preferred_term: FAS
term:
id: hgnc:11920
label: FAS
- name: ALPS-sFAS
display_name: ALPS-sFAS (somatic FAS defect)
classification: genetic
description: >-
Caused by somatic FAS variants restricted to the double-negative T-cell
compartment rather than present in the germline. Clinically indistinguishable from
ALPS-FAS but not transmitted, and missed by germline-only sequencing of unsorted
blood. No separate MONDO term is bound here: MONDO does not currently carve the
somatic form out from FAS-related ALPS.
genes:
- preferred_term: FAS
term:
id: hgnc:11920
label: FAS
- name: ALPS-FASLG
display_name: ALPS-FASLG (FAS ligand defect)
classification: genetic
description: >-
Rare, and usually biallelic. Homozygous FASLG variants abolish FasL cytotoxicity
and produce early-onset severe ALPS; heterozygous variants impair FasL function
biochemically but generally do not produce the ALPS biomarker profile, so
heterozygous loss of function is better tolerated for FASLG than for FAS.
Bound to MONDO:0700306, whose label names an immunodeficiency rather than ALPS
but which carries "ALPS-FASLG" as a synonym; see `notes:`.
subtype_term:
preferred_term: ALPS-FASLG
term:
id: MONDO:0700306
label: FASLG-related immunodeficiency
genes:
- preferred_term: FASLG
term:
id: hgnc:11936
label: FASLG
evidence:
- reference: PMID:36621650
reference_title: >-
Revisiting autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome caused by Fas ligand mutations.
supports: SUPPORT
evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
snippet: "Homozygous FASLG variants abrogated cytotoxicity and resulted in early-onset severe ALPS with elevated DNT, raised vitamin B12, and usually no soluble FasL."
explanation: >-
Establishes the zygosity asymmetry that defines this subtype: homozygous FASLG
abrogates cytotoxicity and causes severe early-onset ALPS.
- reference: PMID:36621650
reference_title: >-
Revisiting autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome caused by Fas ligand mutations.
supports: SUPPORT
evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
snippet: "Heterozygous loss-of-function mutations are better tolerated for FASLG than for FAS, which may explain the low frequency of ALPS-FASLG."
explanation: >-
The authors' own conclusion explaining why ALPS-FASLG is rare, and a caution
against calling heterozygous FASLG variants causal.
- name: ALPS-CASP10
display_name: ALPS-CASP10 (caspase-10 defect)
classification: genetic
description: >-
Rare autosomal dominant form with incomplete penetrance caused by CASP10 variants
acting downstream of the Fas receptor, historically ALPS type IIa. Presents with
the same double-negative T-cell expansion, autoimmune cytopenias and chronic
lymphadenopathy as ALPS-FAS.
subtype_term:
preferred_term: autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome type 2A
term:
id: MONDO:0011383
label: autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome type 2A
genes:
- preferred_term: CASP10
term:
id: hgnc:1500
label: CASP10
- name: ALPS-U
display_name: ALPS-U (undetermined genetic defect)
classification: genetic
description: >-
Patients meeting the diagnostic criteria for ALPS, including the required
double-negative T-cell expansion and defective in-vitro apoptosis, in whom no
causative lesion in the Fas pathway has been identified. Retained as an explicit
category by the revised classification rather than treated as undiagnosed disease.
genetic:
- name: FAS
gene_term:
preferred_term: FAS
term:
id: hgnc:11920
label: FAS
relationship_type: CAUSATIVE
subtype: ALPS-FAS
notes: >-
The founding and commonest ALPS gene. Germline heterozygous variants act
dominant-negatively on the trimeric death receptor; somatic variants confined
to the double-negative T-cell compartment produce the clinically
indistinguishable ALPS-sFAS. Variant-level detail and management are curated on
`FAS-related_Autoimmune_Lymphoproliferative_Syndrome.yaml`; this record exists so
the root entry's gene-disease assertion is machine-readable rather than only
stated in prose.
evidence:
- reference: PMID:29911256
reference_title: >-
The Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome with Defective FAS or FAS-Ligand
Functions.
supports: SUPPORT
evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
snippet: "The genetic etiology of the ALPS was described in 1995 by the discovery of the FAS gene mutations."
explanation: >-
Establishes FAS as the founding causal gene of the syndrome.
- reference: PMID:20301287
reference_title: Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome.
supports: SUPPORT
evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
snippet: "These genes include FAS (either germline or somatic pathogenic variants), CASP10, and FASLG."
explanation: >-
The GeneReviews chapter's own list of ALPS genes, and the source of the
germline/somatic distinction this entry's subtype axis is built on.
- name: FASLG
gene_term:
preferred_term: FASLG
term:
id: hgnc:11936
label: FASLG
relationship_type: CAUSATIVE
subtype: ALPS-FASLG
notes: >-
Rare, and the zygosity requirement differs from FAS: homozygous variants
abrogate FasL cytotoxicity and cause early-onset severe disease, whereas
heterozygous loss of function is comparatively well tolerated. The subtype row
carrying this gene is bound to MONDO:0700306, which MONDO names after the gene
and the immune phenotype rather than after ALPS; see that row and the entry
`notes:`.
evidence:
- reference: PMID:36621650
reference_title: >-
Revisiting autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome caused by Fas ligand mutations.
supports: SUPPORT
evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
snippet: "Homozygous FASLG variants abrogated cytotoxicity and resulted in early-onset severe ALPS with elevated DNT, raised vitamin B12, and usually no soluble FasL."
explanation: >-
Establishes biallelic FASLG loss of function as causal for severe ALPS.
- reference: PMID:36621650
reference_title: >-
Revisiting autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome caused by Fas ligand mutations.
supports: SUPPORT
evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
snippet: "Heterozygous loss-of-function mutations are better tolerated for FASLG than for FAS, which may explain the low frequency of ALPS-FASLG."
explanation: >-
The authors' caution against calling a heterozygous FASLG variant causal, which
is why this record is not graded the same way as FAS.
- name: CASP10
gene_term:
preferred_term: CASP10
term:
id: hgnc:1500
label: CASP10
relationship_type: DISPUTED
subtype: ALPS-CASP10
notes: >-
Graded DISPUTED rather than CAUSATIVE because the two sources that ought to
agree do not. CASP10 has carried an ALPS subtype since two kindreds with
ALPS type II were reported with missense CASP10 variants in 1999, and the
current GeneReviews chapter still lists it among the ALPS genes and calls
ALPS-CASP10 autosomal dominant, which is what OMIM:603909 and MONDO:0011383
rest on. Against that, a 2024 study that retrieved six carriers of the
variants previously implicated (p.C401LfsX15, p.V410I, p.Y446C) from a
diagnostic database found none of them had ALPS, found FAS-mediated apoptosis
intact even where CASP10 protein was completely absent, and concluded that
CASP10 is dispensable for FAS-mediated apoptosis. No ClinGen gene-disease
validity classification is cited on either side: `references_cache/` holds no
`CGGV_*` record mentioning CASP10, and the ClinGen refresh was not run for
this pass because its pin is known to have drifted (dismech#10426) and
repinning is out of scope here. So the DISPUTED grading rests on the
published literature above, not on a ClinGen verdict. The subtype row
and its MONDO binding are retained because the entity exists in both
ontologies; the grading records that its causality is contested.
evidence:
- reference: PMID:10412980
reference_title: >-
Inherited human Caspase 10 mutations underlie defective lymphocyte and dendritic
cell apoptosis in autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome type II.
supports: SUPPORT
evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
snippet: "We report here two kindreds with autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) type II, characterized by abnormal lymphocyte and dendritic cell homeostasis and immune regulatory defects, that harbor independent missense mutations in Caspase 10."
explanation: >-
The original report that created the CASP10 subtype, and the basis of the OMIM
and MONDO entities bound on the ALPS-CASP10 row.
- reference: PMID:20301287
reference_title: Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome.
supports: SUPPORT
evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
snippet: "Inheritance of ALPS-CASP10, most cases of ALPS-FAS, and some cases of ALPS-FASLG is autosomal dominant."
explanation: >-
Shows the current GeneReviews chapter still treats ALPS-CASP10 as an
established autosomal dominant subtype — the position the 2024 study contests.
- reference: PMID:38704374
reference_title: >-
Study of the potential role of CASPASE-10 mutations in the development of
autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome.
supports: REFUTE
evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
snippet: "CASP10 defect unlikely contribute to ALPS pathogenesis, since they did not result in an impairment of FAS-mediated apoptosis nor in clinical features of ALPS in human."
explanation: >-
The authors' own conclusion, and the reason this record is graded DISPUTED
rather than CAUSATIVE.
- reference: PMID:38704374
reference_title: >-
Study of the potential role of CASPASE-10 mutations in the development of
autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome.
supports: REFUTE
evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
snippet: "In contrast, homozygous p.C401LfsX15 CASP10 variant lead to a complete abolished CASP10 expression but had no impact on FAS-mediated apoptosis function."
explanation: >-
The decisive experiment: complete loss of CASP10 protein left FAS-mediated
apoptosis — the mechanism this entry's pathograph runs on — intact.
pathophysiology:
- name: Defective Fas-Mediated Lymphocyte Apoptosis
biological_scale: MOLECULAR
role: trigger
description: >-
The initiating lesion in every genetically defined form of ALPS is loss of function
somewhere in the FAS death receptor pathway — the receptor itself (FAS), its ligand
(FASLG), or the downstream initiator caspase (CASP10). Engagement of Fas by FasL
normally assembles a death-inducing signalling complex and triggers extrinsic
apoptosis; in ALPS that signal fails. Most germline FAS variants act in a
dominant-negative fashion, which is why heterozygosity suffices for FAS while
FASLG generally requires biallelic loss.
notes: >-
CASP10 is bound on this node because the ALPS-CASP10 subtype places its lesion
here, at the initiator-caspase step of the same pathway. That placement is
contested: a 2024 functional study found FAS-mediated apoptosis intact in
carriers with no detectable CASP10 protein. See the DISPUTED grading and the
REFUTE evidence on the `CASP10` record in `genetic:`; the FAS and FASLG arms of
this node are not affected by that dispute.
genes:
- preferred_term: FAS
term:
id: hgnc:11920
label: FAS
modifier: LOSS_OF_FUNCTION
- preferred_term: FASLG
term:
id: hgnc:11936
label: FASLG
modifier: LOSS_OF_FUNCTION
- preferred_term: CASP10
term:
id: hgnc:1500
label: CASP10
modifier: LOSS_OF_FUNCTION
biological_processes:
- preferred_term: extrinsic apoptotic signaling pathway via death domain receptors
term:
id: GO:0008625
label: extrinsic apoptotic signaling pathway via death domain receptors
modifier: DECREASED
evidence:
- reference: PMID:36621650
reference_title: >-
Revisiting autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome caused by Fas ligand mutations.
supports: SUPPORT
evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
snippet: "Loss-of-function FAS or FASLG mutations cause autoimmune-lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) characterized by expanded double-negative T cells (DNT) and elevated serum biomarkers."
explanation: >-
States the causal lesion (loss of function in FAS or FASLG) and names the
resulting cellular hallmark in the same sentence.
- reference: PMID:29911256
reference_title: >-
The Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome with Defective FAS or FAS-Ligand
Functions.
supports: SUPPORT
evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
snippet: "The genetic etiology of the ALPS was described in 1995 by the discovery of the FAS gene mutations."
explanation: >-
Anchors FAS as the founding genetic aetiology of the syndrome.
downstream:
- target: Failure of Lymphocyte Homeostasis and Accumulation of Autoreactive Cells
causal_link_type: DIRECT
description: >-
Fas-mediated apoptosis is the mechanism that contracts an activated lymphocyte
pool once antigen is cleared and deletes autoreactive clones in the periphery.
Losing it leaves both populations in place.
evidence:
- reference: PMID:29911256
reference_title: >-
The Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome with Defective FAS or FAS-Ligand
Functions.
supports: SUPPORT
evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
snippet: "The related apoptosis defect accounts for the accumulation of autoreactive lymphocytes as well as for specific clinical and biological features that distinguish the ALPS-FAS from other monogenic defects of this apoptosis pathway, such as FADD and CASPASE 8 deficiencies."
explanation: >-
Directly attributes the accumulation of autoreactive lymphocytes to the
apoptosis defect.
- name: Failure of Lymphocyte Homeostasis and Accumulation of Autoreactive Cells
biological_scale: CELLULAR
role: central_effector
description: >-
Lymphocytes that should have been deleted persist. Two consequences follow and
together define the syndrome. First, the surviving pool includes autoreactive
clones, producing autoimmunity that is directed predominantly at blood cells rather
than at solid organs. Second, a normally rare population of alpha-beta T cells that
have lost both CD4 and CD8 expands markedly, because Fas-mediated deletion is
precisely the route by which these cells are normally removed. That expansion is
the diagnostic hallmark of ALPS rather than an incidental finding.
biological_processes:
- preferred_term: lymphocyte homeostasis
term:
id: GO:0002260
label: lymphocyte homeostasis
modifier: LOSS_OF_FUNCTION
- preferred_term: activation-induced cell death of T cells
term:
id: GO:0006924
label: activation-induced cell death of T cells
modifier: DECREASED
evidence:
- reference: PMID:29911256
reference_title: >-
The Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome with Defective FAS or FAS-Ligand
Functions.
supports: SUPPORT
evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
snippet: "The autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) is a non-malignant and non-infectious uncontrolled proliferation of lymphocytes accompanied by autoimmune cytopenia."
explanation: >-
Characterises ALPS as uncontrolled, non-malignant, non-infectious lymphocyte
proliferation accompanied by autoimmune cytopenia — the two arms of this node.
- reference: PMID:36621650
reference_title: >-
Revisiting autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome caused by Fas ligand mutations.
supports: SUPPORT
evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
snippet: "Loss-of-function FAS or FASLG mutations cause autoimmune-lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) characterized by expanded double-negative T cells (DNT) and elevated serum biomarkers."
explanation: >-
Names expanded double-negative T cells as the characteristic cellular consequence.
downstream:
- target: Chronic Lymphoproliferation, Autoimmune Cytopenias and Lymphoma Risk
causal_link_type: DIRECT
description: >-
The accumulated lymphocyte mass presents clinically as chronic lymphadenopathy and
splenomegaly, the autoreactive fraction as multilineage cytopenias, and the
undeleted long-lived B-cell pool as a lifelong excess risk of lymphoma.
evidence:
- reference: PMID:20538792
reference_title: >-
Revised diagnostic criteria and classification for the autoimmune
lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS): report from the 2009 NIH International
Workshop.
supports: SUPPORT
evidence_source: OTHER
snippet: "Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) is a human genetic disorder of lymphocyte apoptosis resulting in an accumulation of lymphocytes and childhood onset chronic lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, multilineage cytopenias, and an increased risk of B-cell lymphoma."
explanation: >-
Lists the clinical consequences of the apoptosis defect as a single causal
statement, including the raised lymphoma risk.
- name: Chronic Lymphoproliferation, Autoimmune Cytopenias and Lymphoma Risk
biological_scale: ORGANISM
role: consequence
description: >-
The clinical syndrome. Lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly are chronic, non-malignant
and non-infectious, which is what distinguishes ALPS from the lymphoma and infection
it mimics; the cytopenias are immune-mediated and multilineage; and the lymphoma
risk persists for life, so resolution of childhood lymphoproliferation does not end
surveillance.
evidence:
- reference: PMID:20538792
reference_title: >-
Revised diagnostic criteria and classification for the autoimmune
lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS): report from the 2009 NIH International
Workshop.
supports: SUPPORT
evidence_source: OTHER
snippet: "Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) is a human genetic disorder of lymphocyte apoptosis resulting in an accumulation of lymphocytes and childhood onset chronic lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, multilineage cytopenias, and an increased risk of B-cell lymphoma."
explanation: >-
The definitional statement of the clinical phenotype from the criteria paper.
phenotypes:
- category: Clinical
name: Chronic Lymphadenopathy
description: >-
Chronic, non-malignant, non-infectious lymph node enlargement, typically of
childhood onset and often the presenting complaint.
phenotype_term:
preferred_term: Lymphadenopathy
term:
id: HP:0002716
label: Lymphadenopathy
temporality: CHRONIC
- category: Clinical
name: Splenomegaly
description: Chronic splenic enlargement from accumulated lymphocytes.
phenotype_term:
preferred_term: Splenomegaly
term:
id: HP:0001744
label: Splenomegaly
temporality: CHRONIC
- category: Hematologic
name: Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia
description: >-
Immune-mediated destruction of erythrocytes, one component of the characteristic
multilineage autoimmune cytopenia.
phenotype_term:
preferred_term: Autoimmune hemolytic anemia
term:
id: HP:0001890
label: Autoimmune hemolytic anemia
- category: Hematologic
name: Autoimmune Thrombocytopenia
description: Immune-mediated destruction of platelets.
phenotype_term:
preferred_term: Autoimmune thrombocytopenia
term:
id: HP:0001973
label: Autoimmune thrombocytopenia
diagnosis:
- name: Alpha-Beta Double-Negative T Cell Quantification
description: >-
Flow-cytometric measurement of circulating CD3+ TCR-alpha/beta+ CD4- CD8- T cells.
An expanded double-negative T-cell population in the presence of chronic
non-malignant lymphoproliferation is the required cellular criterion for ALPS, and
the same compartment is where somatic FAS variants are found — so sorting it before
sequencing is what makes ALPS-sFAS detectable.
evidence:
- reference: PMID:36621650
reference_title: >-
Revisiting autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome caused by Fas ligand mutations.
supports: SUPPORT
evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
snippet: "Loss-of-function FAS or FASLG mutations cause autoimmune-lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) characterized by expanded double-negative T cells (DNT) and elevated serum biomarkers."
explanation: >-
Names expanded double-negative T cells and elevated serum biomarkers as the
characteristic diagnostic profile of ALPS.
discussions:
- discussion_id: alps_scope_after_2009_reclassification
kind: KNOWLEDGE_GAP
attaches_to:
- "pathophysiology#Defective Fas-Mediated Lymphocyte Apoptosis"
prompt: >-
Which ALPS-like disorders belong inside the ALPS concept, and which are separate
diseases that merely share its phenotype?
rationale: >-
The 2009 NIH revision narrowed ALPS to defects of the Fas apoptosis pathway and
moved several conditions that had carried ALPS type numbers out of the syndrome —
caspase-8 deficiency (historically ALPS type IIb) and RAS-associated autoimmune
leukoproliferative disease (historically ALPS type IV) are the clearest cases,
PRKCD-related type 3 disease is a third, and CTLA4 haploinsufficiency and CD27
deficiency reach an ALPS-like phenotype without a Fas-pathway lesion at all. MONDO
still carries several of these as descendants of
`MONDO:0017979`, so the ontology and the clinical classification disagree. This
entry follows the narrow Fas-pathway definition and binds only Fas-pathway subtypes,
but the boundary is a curation decision rather than a settled fact, and it
determines whether the KB's ALPS-like entries should be members here or siblings.
evidence:
- reference: PMID:29911256
reference_title: >-
The Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome with Defective FAS or FAS-Ligand
Functions.
supports: SUPPORT
evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
snippet: "The related apoptosis defect accounts for the accumulation of autoreactive lymphocytes as well as for specific clinical and biological features that distinguish the ALPS-FAS from other monogenic defects of this apoptosis pathway, such as FADD and CASPASE 8 deficiencies."
explanation: >-
Explicitly distinguishes ALPS-FAS from other monogenic defects of the same
apoptosis pathway, which is the distinction the scope question turns on.
notes: >-
Scope. A thin root over an already-curated subtree.
`FAS-related_Autoimmune_Lymphoproliferative_Syndrome.yaml` holds the FAS-specific
pathophysiology, diagnostics and treatment in depth; this entry binds MONDO:0017979
and carries the genotype classification axis and the shared apoptosis-defect chain
once. No treatment section is curated here on purpose — management (sirolimus,
mycophenolate, the avoidance of splenectomy) is subtype- and severity-driven and is
already curated on the FAS entry.
Subtype term binding. ALPS-FAS and ALPS-CASP10 are bound to MONDO terms whose causal
gene was verified against the MONDO record (`RO:0004003` HGNC:11920 FAS and HGNC:1500
CASP10 respectively). ALPS-sFAS and ALPS-U are deliberately left unbound: MONDO does
not separate the somatic form from FAS-related ALPS, and ALPS-U is by definition a
residual category.
ALPS-FASLG correction (2026-09). An earlier version of this note said ALPS-FASLG
was likewise unbound because no MONDO term specifically denotes the FASLG form.
That was wrong: `runoak -i ols:mondo search "l~FASLG"` returns MONDO:0700306,
whose label is "FASLG-related immunodeficiency" but whose synonyms include
"ALPS-FASLG" and "Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome caused by a homozygous
null FAS ligand (FASLG) mutation". The row is now bound to it. Why it was missed
is worth recording: a label search on the disease name does not reach it, because
MONDO names the concept after the gene and the immune phenotype rather than after
ALPS, and files it under MONDO:0021094 immunodeficiency disease rather than under
MONDO:0017979. That placement is also why the exclusion list below stays correct —
MONDO:0700306 is not an ALPS descendant — and it is arguably worth raising with
MONDO rather than working around here.
Deliberately excluded. Caspase-8 deficiency (MONDO:0011804, historically ALPS type
IIb) and RAS-associated autoimmune leukoproliferative disease (MONDO:0013767,
historically ALPS type IV, NRAS/KRAS) are MONDO descendants of ALPS but were moved out
of the syndrome by the 2009 reclassification and are not curated as subtypes here.
CTLA4 haploinsufficiency (MONDO:0014493) is likewise a MONDO descendant but is an
ALPS-like disorder of a different mechanism and already has its own entry. The
remaining two MONDO descendants, type 3 ALPS (MONDO:8000023) and its PRKCD-caused form
(MONDO:8000024), are also excluded: PRKCD deficiency is conventionally an ALPS-like
disorder rather than one of the 2009 NIH Fas-pathway subtypes. The exclusion list is
therefore complete against MONDO's current descendants of MONDO:0017979. See the
`alps_scope_after_2009_reclassification` discussion.
references:
- reference: PMID:20301287
title: "Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome."
tags:
- GeneReviews
findings: []