0
Mappings
0
Definitions
1
Inheritance
9
Pathophysiology
0
Histopathology
10
Phenotypes
18
Pathograph
1
Genes
3
Treatments
0
Subtypes
2
Differentials
2
Datasets
3
Trials
2
Models
3
Literature
👪

Inheritance

1
Autosomal Dominant HP:0000006
Autosomal dominant inheritance. Nearly all cases arise de novo due to severe phenotype limiting reproductive fitness, and the pathogenic variant arises predominantly in the paternal germline.
Autosomal dominant inheritance
Show evidence (3 references)
PMID:20301680 SUPPORT Other
"GENETIC COUNSELING: Costello syndrome is an autosomal dominant disorder typically caused by a de novo pathogenic variant."
GeneReviews directly supports autosomal dominant inheritance with predominant de novo occurrence in Costello syndrome.
PMID:16443854 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"Analysis of parental DNA samples was possible in 16 cases for both parents and in three cases for one parent, and confirmed the mutations as de novo in all of these cases."
This cohort study provides direct human evidence that Costello syndrome HRAS mutations are usually de novo.
PMID:21438134 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"De novo origin of the missense mutation was documented in eight families, and occurred in the paternal germline in all five informative trios."
This Costello syndrome cohort provides direct evidence for paternal germline bias among informative de novo HRAS cases.
📚

References

2
<i>HRAS</i> -Mutant Cardiomyocyte Model of Multifocal Atrial Tachycardia
No top-level findings curated for this source.
Cardiac Phenotype and Gene Mutations in RASopathies
No top-level findings curated for this source.

Pathophysiology

9
Germline HRAS gain-of-function mutation
Heterozygous germline activating variants in HRAS initiate Costello syndrome and create the constitutive signaling state that drives its multisystem phenotype.
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:16443854 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"These results confirm that CS is caused, in most cases, by heterozygous missense mutations in the proto-oncogene HRAS."
This cohort study establishes germline HRAS mutation as the initiating lesion in Costello syndrome.
Constitutive HRAS signaling
Mutant HRAS remains aberrantly active and persistently engages downstream Ras effector programs, creating a shared upstream driver for cardiac, metabolic, connective tissue, developmental, and oncogenic abnormalities.
Ras protein signal transduction link ↑ INCREASED MAPK cascade link ↑ INCREASED
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:35230976 SUPPORT Other
"Germline mutations that activate genes in the canonical RAS/MAPK signaling pathway are responsible for rare human developmental disorders known as RASopathies."
This mixed-model study supports pathway activation as the shared upstream pathogenic framework for Costello syndrome.
Cardiac mitochondrial bioenergetic dysfunction
Costello syndrome models show impaired mitochondrial proteostasis and oxidative phosphorylation in cardiac tissue, indicating that the disease is not solely a surface signaling disorder but also a bioenergetic one.
cardiomyocyte link
oxidative phosphorylation link ↓ DECREASED
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:35230976 SUPPORT Model Organism
"The findings revealed alteration of mitochondrial proteostasis and defective oxidative phosphorylation in the heart and skeletal muscle of CS mice that were also found in the cell models of the disease. The underpinning mechanisms involved the inhibition of the AMPK signaling pathway by mutant..."
This Asta-linked study directly supports a discrete cardiac and muscular bioenergetic mechanism downstream of mutant HRAS.
Atrial cardiomyocyte pacemaker-nodal transcriptional reprogramming
HRAS-mutant atrial-like cardiomyocytes acquire a pacemaker-nodal-like gene expression program, including increased ISL1, TBX3, and TBX18 expression, shifting atrial cells toward an arrhythmogenic identity state.
Atrial Cardiomyocyte link
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:38415356 SUPPORT In Vitro
"Mutant ACMs demonstrated elevated gene expression (ie, ISL1, TBX3, TBX18) related to intracellular calcium homeostasis, heart rate, RAS signaling, and induction of pacemaker-nodal-like transcriptional programming."
This human iPSC-derived atrial cardiomyocyte model directly supports a discrete transcriptional reprogramming step in Costello syndrome arrhythmogenesis.
Enhanced automaticity and funny current in atrial cardiomyocytes
Reprogrammed HRAS-mutant atrial cardiomyocytes beat faster, contain more pacemaker-like cells, and show elevated funny current density, providing the proximate electrophysiologic substrate for tachyarrhythmia.
Atrial Cardiomyocyte link
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:38415356 SUPPORT In Vitro
"Electrophysiological assessment revealed an increased number of pacemaker-like cells with elevated funny current densities among mutant ACMs."
The iPSC atrial cardiomyocyte study identifies the electrophysiologic substrate immediately upstream of MAT.
Fibroblast metabolic rewiring and increased energetic expenditure
Patient fibroblasts show HRAS-driven metabolic dysregulation with abnormal glucose transporter activation, accelerated glycolysis, increased fatty acid synthesis and storage, and accelerated autophagic flux, together consistent with increased resting energetic expenditure.
Fibroblast link
glycolytic process link ↑ INCREASED autophagy link ↑ INCREASED fatty acid biosynthetic process link ↑ INCREASED
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:34508588 SUPPORT In Vitro
"In CS, poor weight gain and growth are not caused by low caloric intake. Here, we show that constitutive plasma membrane translocation and activation of the GLUT4 glucose transporter, via reactive oxygen species-dependent AMP-activated protein kinase α and p38 hyperactivation, occurs in primary..."
This patient fibroblast study directly supports a distinct metabolic disease mechanism explaining the disproportionate growth failure of Costello syndrome.
Impaired fibroblast elastogenesis
Costello syndrome fibroblasts fail to assemble elastic fibers efficiently, consistent with a connective tissue mechanism involving reduced elastin deposition and abnormal extracellular matrix organization.
Fibroblast link
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:10712202 SUPPORT In Vitro
"We found that impaired production of elastic fibers by these fibroblasts is associated with a functional deficiency of the 67-kD elastin-binding protein (EBP), which is normally required to chaperone tropoelastin through the secretory pathways and to its extracellular assembly."
This patient skin fibroblast study supports a specific extracellular matrix defect that plausibly underlies connective tissue manifestations in Costello syndrome.
Dysregulated neural progenitor development
HRAS activation alters the normal balance of neural progenitor expansion, cortical neuron production, and gliogenesis, providing a mechanistic basis for neurodevelopmental impairment.
neurogenesis link ↕ DYSREGULATED glial cell differentiation link ↕ DYSREGULATED
Show evidence (2 references)
PMID:31250618 SUPPORT Other
"Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from Costello syndrome showed increased production of cortical neurons associated with extended progenitor phase (Rooney et al., 2016)."
This review cites disease-relevant iPSC evidence that Costello syndrome disrupts early cortical developmental programs.
PMID:31250618 SUPPORT Other
"During transition from neurogenesis to gliogenesis, Paquin et al. (2009) showed that variants found in Costello syndrome suppress neurogenesis but promote astrogenesis."
This supports a second discrete developmental mechanism involving an abnormal neurogenesis-gliogenesis switch in Costello syndrome.
Tumor Predisposition
The same activating HRAS signaling architecture that causes developmental disease also creates susceptibility to embryonal and later-onset malignant neoplasms.
regulation of cell cycle link ↕ DYSREGULATED cell population proliferation link ↑ INCREASED
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:20301680 SUPPORT Other
"Individuals with Costello syndrome have an approximately 15% lifetime risk for malignant tumors including rhabdomyosarcoma and neuroblastoma in young children and transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder in adolescents and young adults."
GeneReviews supports a dedicated neoplasia-predisposition branch within the Costello syndrome causal graph.

Pathograph

Use the checkboxes to hide or show graph categories. Hover nodes for evidence and cross-linked metadata.
Pathograph: causal mechanism network for Costello Syndrome Interactive directed graph showing how pathophysiology mechanisms, phenotypes, genetic factors and variants, experimental models, environmental triggers, and treatments relate through causal and linked edges.

Phenotypes

10
Cardiovascular 2
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy FREQUENT Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HP:0001639)
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:12210337 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"Cardiac hypertrophy was reported in 34%, which involved the left ventricle in 50% and was usually consistent with classic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)."
Pooled clinical cohort data confirm hypertrophic cardiomyopathy as a frequent cardiac manifestation of Costello syndrome.
Multifocal Atrial Tachycardia FREQUENT Multifocal atrial tachycardia (HP:0011701)
Show evidence (2 references)
PMID:38415356 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"During early childhood, 50% of patients develop multifocal atrial tachycardia, a treatment-resistant tachyarrhythmia of unknown pathogenesis."
Establishes 50% prevalence of MAT in Costello syndrome patients, occurring in early childhood as a treatment-resistant arrhythmia.
PMID:20301680 SUPPORT Other
"and arrhythmia (usually supraventricular tachycardia, especially abnormal atrial rhythm / multifocal atrial tachycardia or ectopic atrial tachycardia)."
GeneReviews supports multifocal atrial tachycardia as the characteristic Costello syndrome arrhythmia phenotype.
Head and Neck 1
Coarse Facial Features VERY_FREQUENT Coarse facial features (HP:0000280)
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:20301680 SUPPORT Other
"Costello syndrome is typically characterized by failure to thrive in infancy as a result of severe postnatal feeding difficulties; short stature; developmental delay or intellectual disability; coarse facial features (full lips, large mouth, full nasal tip);"
Updated GeneReviews description supports coarse facial features as a characteristic and typically present dysmorphic feature of Costello syndrome.
Integument 1
Papillomata FREQUENT Papilloma (HP:0012740)
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:20301680 SUPPORT Other
"papillomata of the face and perianal region;"
GeneReviews supports papillomata as a typical ectodermal manifestation, especially affecting the face and perianal region.
Limbs 1
Ulnar Deviation of Hands FREQUENT Ulnar deviation of the hand or of fingers of the hand (HP:0001193)
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:20301680 SUPPORT Other
"diffuse hypotonia and joint laxity with ulnar deviation of the wrists and fingers; tight Achilles tendons;"
GeneReviews supports ulnar deviation of the wrists and fingers as a characteristic orthopedic feature of Costello syndrome.
Musculoskeletal 1
Joint Hypermobility FREQUENT Joint hypermobility (HP:0001382)
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:20301680 SUPPORT Other
"diffuse hypotonia and joint laxity with ulnar deviation of the wrists and fingers; tight Achilles tendons;"
GeneReviews identifies diffuse joint laxity as part of the characteristic musculoskeletal phenotype of Costello syndrome.
Nervous System 1
Intellectual Disability FREQUENT Intellectual disability (HP:0001249)
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:22495831 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"An evaluation of 15 adult patients 18-32 years of age revealed that 12 had moderate to severe intellectual disability and most live at home without constant medical care."
Nationwide survey data support intellectual disability as a frequent long-term neurodevelopmental manifestation of Costello syndrome.
Growth 2
Failure to Thrive VERY_FREQUENT Failure to thrive (HP:0001508)
Show evidence (2 references)
PMID:20301680 SUPPORT Other
"Costello syndrome is typically characterized by failure to thrive in infancy as a result of severe postnatal feeding difficulties;"
GeneReviews identifies failure to thrive from severe feeding difficulty as a typical early clinical feature of HRAS-related Costello syndrome.
PMID:34508588 SUPPORT In Vitro
"In CS, poor weight gain and growth are not caused by low caloric intake. Here, we show that constitutive plasma membrane translocation and activation of the GLUT4 glucose transporter, via reactive oxygen species-dependent AMP-activated protein kinase α and p38 hyperactivation, occurs in primary..."
Patient fibroblast study expands the mechanistic basis of growth failure by showing increased energetic expenditure and dysregulated metabolism in Costello syndrome.
Short Stature VERY_FREQUENT Short stature (HP:0004322)
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:20301680 SUPPORT Other
"Costello syndrome is typically characterized by failure to thrive in infancy as a result of severe postnatal feeding difficulties; short stature;"
GeneReviews identifies short stature as a typical component of the core Costello syndrome phenotype.
Neoplasm 1
Predisposition to Malignancy OCCASIONAL Neoplasm (HP:0002664)
Show evidence (2 references)
PMID:16443854 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"Individuals with CS have an increased risk of malignancy, suggested to be about 17%."
Establishes the approximately 17% lifetime malignancy risk in Costello syndrome.
PMID:20301680 SUPPORT Other
"Individuals with Costello syndrome have an approximately 15% lifetime risk for malignant tumors including rhabdomyosarcoma and neuroblastoma in young children and transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder in adolescents and young adults."
Updated GeneReviews summary independently supports occasional but clinically important malignancy risk in Costello syndrome.
🧬

Genetic Associations

1
HRAS Mutations (Causative)
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:16443854 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"These results confirm that CS is caused, in most cases, by heterozygous missense mutations in the proto-oncogene HRAS."
Large genotype-phenotype study of 43 Costello syndrome cases confirming HRAS as the causative gene.
💊

Treatments

3
Cardiac Monitoring
Action: serial echocardiographic and electrocardiographic cardiac surveillance Ontology label: diagnostic procedure MAXO:0000003
Regular cardiac surveillance for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and arrhythmias.
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:20301680 SUPPORT Other
"echocardiography with electrocardiogram at the time of diagnosis with subsequent follow up by a cardiologist;"
GeneReviews recommends serial cardiac surveillance with echocardiography and electrocardiography in HRAS-related Costello syndrome.
Tumor Surveillance
Action: age-stratified embryonal tumor and bladder cancer surveillance Ontology label: cancer screening MAXO:0000126
Regular screening for embryonal tumors, particularly in childhood.
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:20301680 SUPPORT Other
"abdominal and pelvic ultrasound examinations to screen for rhabdomyosarcoma and neuroblastoma every three to six months until age eight to ten years may be considered; annual urinalysis for evidence of hematuria to screen for bladder cancer beginning at age ten years."
Updated GeneReviews surveillance guidance supports tumor screening in childhood and bladder cancer surveillance later in life.
MEK Inhibitor Therapy
Action: trametinib-class MEK inhibitor pharmacotherapy Ontology label: pharmacotherapy MAXO:0000058
MEK inhibitors such as trametinib are used as pathway-targeted therapy for refractory hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with heart failure and are being investigated more broadly as precision therapy for RASopathies.
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:20301680 SUPPORT Other
"Targeted therapy: Trametinib (MEK inhibitor) for treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with heart failure that is refractory to standard treatment."
Updated GeneReviews documents trametinib as a targeted option for severe Costello syndrome cardiomyopathy refractory to standard management.
🔀

Differential Diagnoses

2

Conditions with similar clinical presentations that must be differentiated from Costello Syndrome:

Overlapping Features Noonan syndrome is a closely related RASopathy with overlapping prenatal, craniofacial, growth, developmental, and cardiac findings that can resemble Costello syndrome, especially in attenuated HRAS-associated presentations.
Distinguishing Features
  • HRAS pathogenic variants, papillomata, deep palmar and plantar creases, and stronger tumor predisposition favor Costello syndrome over Noonan syndrome.
  • PTPN11, SOS1, RAF1, RIT1, or other non-HRAS RASopathy genotypes favor Noonan syndrome.
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:21438134 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"the overall impression reported by experienced clinical geneticists is different from Costello syndrome due to p.G12S and may suggest a diagnosis of Noonan syndrome."
This genotype-phenotype analysis directly documents that some Costello syndrome presentations can be mistaken clinically for Noonan syndrome.
Overlapping Features Cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome is another RASopathy with shared facial, neurodevelopmental, and cardiac features that often enters the molecular differential for Costello syndrome.
Distinguishing Features
  • HRAS variants support Costello syndrome, whereas BRAF, KRAS, and MAP2K1/2 variants support cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome.
  • Papillomata and characteristic tumor predisposition are more aligned with Costello syndrome than with classic cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome.
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:22495831 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"Costello syndrome and cardio-facio-cutaneous (CFC) syndrome are congenital anomaly syndromes characterized by a distinctive facial appearance, heart defects, and intellectual disability."
This nationwide survey directly supports CFC syndrome as a clinically overlapping RASopathy differential for Costello syndrome.
📊

Related Datasets

2
Expression data to investigate Costello syndrome using human iPSCs differentiated into astroglial progenitors and astrocytes geo:GSE64194
Human microarray dataset comparing HRAS-mutant and HRAS-wild-type pluripotent stem cell-derived astroglial progenitors and astrocytes to define neuroglial extracellular-matrix and maturation abnormalities in Costello syndrome.
human MICROARRAY n=9
iPSC-derived astroglial progenitor iPSC-derived astrocyte
Conditions: Costello syndrome HRAS-mutant astroglial lineage HRAS-wild-type control astroglial lineage
PMID:25947161
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:25947161 SUPPORT In Vitro
"Human iPSCs derived from patients with Costello syndrome differentiated to astroglia more rapidly in vitro than those derived from wild-type cell lines with normal HRAS, exhibited hyperplasia, and also generated an abundance of extracellular matrix remodeling factors and proteoglycans."
This publication-linked GEO series is a direct human-cell transcriptomic resource for Costello syndrome astroglial pathology.
Transcriptome analysis of skeletal muscle tissue from Hras G12V mutant mice geo:GSE187493
Mouse bulk RNA-seq dataset profiling skeletal muscle from an activating Hras Costello syndrome model to define transcriptional programs associated with myopathy, hypotonia, and MAPK-driven rescue biology.
house mouse BULK RNA SEQ n=6
skeletal muscle tissue
Conditions: HrasG12V Costello syndrome mouse model wild-type skeletal muscle control
PMID:34553752
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:34553752 SUPPORT Model Organism
"To gain a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying hypotonia in CS, a mouse model with an activating HrasG12V allele was utilized."
This study anchors the linked GEO RNA-seq dataset as a mechanistically relevant model-organism resource for Costello syndrome muscle pathology.
🔬

Clinical Trials

3
NCT04888936 NOT_APPLICABLE RECRUITING
Ongoing NIH natural-history and biospecimen study of children and adults with RASopathies, including Costello syndrome, designed to quantify cancer incidence and longitudinal non-tumor manifestations.
Show evidence (1 reference)
clinicaltrials:NCT04888936 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"Objective: To learn more about RASopathies, how genes and environmental factors contribute to cancer development in people with RASopathies, and the best way to find these cancers and other conditions early or prevent them."
ClinicalTrials.gov directly documents an actively recruiting natural history cohort relevant to Costello syndrome cancer risk and longitudinal phenotyping.
NCT05761314 NOT_APPLICABLE RECRUITING
Recruiting interventional diagnostic study of solid-tumor prevalence and tumor molecular characterization across RASopathies including Costello syndrome.
Show evidence (1 reference)
clinicaltrials:NCT05761314 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"Based on evidences provided by literature, cancer screening protocols are applied in some individuals affected by RASopathies, even though detailed information about prevalence and molecular pathogenesis of such tumors is still not clearly elucidate."
This registry entry supports a currently recruiting study directly tied to Costello syndrome tumor surveillance and tumor biology.
NCT06355622 NOT_APPLICABLE UNKNOWN
Costello-inclusive RASopathy study assessing the prevalence and characterization of pain using questionnaires, biomarkers, and neurophysiologic testing; ClinicalTrials.gov listed overall status as unknown with last known recruiting status in the March 21, 2025 update.
Show evidence (1 reference)
clinicaltrials:NCT06355622 SUPPORT Human Clinical
"Pain is a neglected topic in RASopathies but it is frequently complained by affected individuals."
ClinicalTrials.gov identifies an additional Costello-relevant registry study targeting an undercurated symptom domain across RASopathies.
🧫

Experimental Models

2
Costello syndrome atrial-like cardiomyocyte model IPSC_DERIVED_MODEL
Human Costello syndrome induced pluripotent stem cell-derived atrial-like cardiomyocytes, including patient-derived and engineered HRAS Gly12 models, used to study disease-specific arrhythmogenesis.
Costello syndrome HRAS Gly12 variants tachyarrhythmia
Organism
Tissue
Cell source
Patient-derived and engineered induced pluripotent stem cells differentiated into atrial-like cardiomyocytes
Culture
Two-dimensional iPSC-derived atrial cardiomyocyte culture with electrophysiology and transcriptomic profiling
Publication
Findings
HRAS-mutant atrial-like cardiomyocytes recapitulate pacemaker-like reprogramming and arrhythmogenic automaticity underlying Costello syndrome MAT
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:38415356 SUPPORT In Vitro
"This is the first human-induced pluripotent stem cell model establishing the mechanistic basis for multifocal atrial tachycardia in CS."
This directly supports the model as a disease-relevant mechanistic platform for Costello syndrome arrhythmia.
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:38415356 SUPPORT In Vitro
"This study investigated how overactive HRAS activity triggers arrhythmogenesis in atrial-like cardiomyocytes (ACMs) derived from human-induced pluripotent stem cells bearing CS-associated HRAS variants."
This publication establishes a first-class human cardiac disease model for Costello syndrome.
Costello syndrome patient fibroblast models PRIMARY_CELL_CULTURE
Primary fibroblast cultures derived from individuals with Costello syndrome used to study disease-specific metabolic dysregulation and extracellular matrix defects.
Costello syndrome
Organism
Cell source
Primary patient-derived skin fibroblasts
Culture
Two-dimensional fibroblast culture with metabolic and extracellular matrix assays
Publication
Findings
Costello syndrome fibroblasts show increased energetic expenditure with accelerated glycolysis, lipid storage, and autophagic flux
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:34508588 SUPPORT In Vitro
"Our findings provide a mechanistic link between upregulated HRAS function, defective growth and increased resting energetic expenditure in CS, and document that targeting p38 and PI3K signaling is able to revert this metabolic dysfunction."
This supports fibroblast models as a translational system for Costello syndrome metabolic dysfunction.
Costello syndrome fibroblasts fail to assemble elastic fibers efficiently and reveal a connective tissue disease mechanism
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:10712202 SUPPORT In Vitro
"cultured skin fibroblasts obtained from patients with Costello syndrome did not assemble elastic fibers, despite an adequate synthesis of tropoelastin and normal deposition of the microfibrillar scaffold."
This supports patient fibroblast culture as a mechanism-bearing model for the connective tissue component of Costello syndrome.
Show evidence (1 reference)
PMID:34508588 SUPPORT In Vitro
"Here, we show that constitutive plasma membrane translocation and activation of the GLUT4 glucose transporter, via reactive oxygen species-dependent AMP-activated protein kinase α and p38 hyperactivation, occurs in primary fibroblasts of CS patients,"
This establishes primary patient fibroblasts as a validated Costello syndrome metabolic model system.
📚

Literature Summaries

3
Asta
Asta Literature Retrieval: Pathophysiology and clinical mechanisms of Costello Syndrome. Core disease mechanisms, molecular and cellular pathway...
Asta Scientific Corpus Retrieval 20 citations 2026-03-31T16:28:45.906156

Asta Literature Retrieval: Pathophysiology and clinical mechanisms of Costello Syndrome. Core disease mechanisms, molecular and cellular pathway...

This report is retrieval-only and is generated directly from Asta results.

  • Papers retrieved: 20
  • Snippets retrieved: 20

Relevant Papers

[1] HRAS germline mutations impair LKB1/AMPK signaling and mitochondrial homeostasis in Costello syndrome models

  • Authors: L. Dard, C. Hubert, P. Esteves, W. Blanchard, Ghina Bou About et al.
  • Year: 2022
  • Venue: The Journal of Clinical Investigation
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/49640269f8c955e04c8700b1ffe476c4caddbb8a
  • DOI: 10.1172/JCI131053
  • PMID: 35230976
  • PMCID: 9012293
  • Citations: 15
  • Influential citations: 1
  • Summary: The findings highlight the importance of mitochondrial proteostasis and bioenergetics in the pathophysiology of RASopathies and suggest that patients with CS may benefit from treatment with mitochondrial modulators.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.426) > Germline mutations that activate genes in the canonical RAS/MAPK signaling pathway are responsible for rare human developmental disorders known as RASopathies. Here, we analyzed the molecular determinants of Costello syndrome (CS) using a mouse model expressing HRAS p.G12S, patient skin fibroblasts, hiPSC-derived human cardiomyocytes, a HRAS p.G12V zebrafish model, and human fibroblasts expressing lentiviral constructs carrying HRAS p.G12S or HRAS p.G12A mutations. The findings revealed alteration of mitochondrial proteostasis and defective oxidative phosphorylation in the heart and skeletal muscle of CS mice that were also found in the cell models of the disease. The underpinning mechanisms involved the inhibition of the AMPK signaling pathway by mutant forms of HRAS, leading to alteration of mitochondrial proteostasis and bioenergetics. Pharmacological activation of mitochondrial bioenergetics and quality control restored organelle function in HRAS p.G12A and p.G12S cell models, reduced left ventricle hypertrophy in CS mice, and diminished the occurrence of developmental defects in the CS zebrafish model. Collectively, these findings highlight the importance of mitochondrial proteostasis and bioenergetics in the pathophysiology of RASopathies and suggest that patients with CS may benefit from treatment with mitochondrial modulators.

[2] Exploring the molecular mechanisms of subarachnoid hemorrhage and potential therapeutic targets: insights from bioinformatics and drug prediction

  • Authors: Yi Liu, Yang Zhang, Huan Wei, Li Wang, Lishang Liao
  • Year: 2025
  • Venue: Scientific Reports
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/19a91d9c8cabec6a5a186729d545077e252ecb67
  • DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-97642-8
  • PMID: 40229542
  • PMCID: 11997208
  • Summary: The findings not only elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying SAH but also provide robust bioinformatics and experimental evidence supporting IRN as a promising therapeutic candidate, offering novel insights for future intervention strategies in SAH.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.408) > involved in SAH pathology. As a result, our understanding of the cellular composition and microenvironment in SAH remains incomplete 8 . > Advances in bioinformatics provide powerful tools to analyze large-scale gene expression data and understand complex biological processes. By integrating transcriptomic data with immune cell infiltration analysis, we can gain a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying SAH and identify potential key genes as therapeutic targets 9,10 . Previous studies have indicated that inflammation, oxidative stress, and cell death play crucial roles in the development of SAH, processes that are often closely associated with changes in specific cell types and immune responses 11 . > The goal of this study is to explore the molecular mechanisms of SAH, with a focus on immune cell infiltration and its role in disease progression. We aim to identify key genes and signaling pathways associated with SAH and investigate potential therapeutic strategies. Specifically, we will examine Isorhynchophylline (IRN) as a potential treatment for SAH and analyze its effects on relevant targets and signaling pathways. Through a comprehensive understanding of the pathological features of SAH, this study aims to provide valuable insights into future clinical interventions and treatment strategies.

[3] Changes in Serum Proteomic Profiles at Different Stages of Pregnancy Toxemia in Goats

  • Authors: M. Uzti̇mür, C. N. Ünal, Gurler Akpinar
  • Year: 2025
  • Venue: Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/4b9c488b5dbd65d7b26fd2ad9aed70e8c4b59942
  • DOI: 10.1111/jvim.70139
  • PMID: 40492724
  • PMCID: 12150350
  • Summary: Understanding the serum proteome profiles of goats with pregnancy toxemia might help identify the proteomes and pathways responsible for the development of this disease and improve diagnosis and treatment.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.394) > The pathophysiology and progression of this disease are not fully understood. > Traditional biomedical research has focused on the analysis of single genes, proteins, metabolites, or metabolic pathways in diseases. This molecular reductionist approach is based on the assumption that identifying genetic variations and molecular components will lead to new treatments for diseases [13][14][15][16]. However, many diseases are complex and multifactorial, and in order to determine the phenotype of such diseases, it is necessary to understand the changes that occur in more than one gene, pathway, protein, or metabolite at the cellular, tissue, and organismal levels [17][18][19]. Therefore, in recent years, proteomics, as one field of multi-omics technologies, has helped in evaluating the complex pathogenetic mechanisms of different diseases from a broad perspective and has made substantial contributions [20,21]. In veterinary medicine, proteomic analysis of metabolic diseases such as ketosis [16], hypocalcemia [22], and fatty liver [23] in dairy cows has contributed valuable insights for the definition of new pathophysiological pathways and new diagnosis and treatment protocols for these diseases. The proteomic approach can contribute importantly to a broad and detailed understanding of the changes that occur at the organismal level associated with the increase in BHBA concentration in goats with pregnancy toxemia. Our aim was to evaluate the serum protein profiles of goats with SPT or CPT using proteomic techniques to determine the proteomic profiles of these animals and to identify the relevant pathophysiological mechanisms.

[4] The hyperornithinemia–hyperammonemia-homocitrullinuria syndrome

  • Authors: D. Martinelli, D. Diodato, Emanuela Ponzi, M. Monné, S. Boenzi et al.
  • Year: 2015
  • Venue: Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/ed033868ee677da141e5c926bc7c93cac242ea06
  • DOI: 10.1186/s13023-015-0242-9
  • PMID: 25874378
  • PMCID: 4358699
  • Citations: 92
  • Influential citations: 5
  • Summary: The clinical phenotype of HHH syndrome is extremely variable and its severity does not correlate with the genotype or with recorded ammonium/ornithine plasma levels, suggesting the need for a better understanding of the still unsolved pathophysiology of the disease.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.391) > Although the disease responds well to treatment with low risk of relapse of hyperammonemia [38], slowly progressive pyramidal signs characterize the chronic course, as also seen in argininemia [89]. However, the mechanism(s) of pyramidal dysfunction in HHH syndrome still remains to be elucidated. Creatine deficiency may contribute to the pathogenetic mechanism of the syndrome, as creatine is relevant for mitochondrial energy metabolism, regulation of glycolysis, proteins synthesis, membrane stabilization and neuromodulation [77,78,85]. This could be in line with the finding of abnormally shaped mitochondria at electron microscopy studies in skin fibroblasts, hepatocytes and muscle biopsy from HHH syndrome patients [11,23,82]. Furthermore, a mitochondrial dysfunction has been recently related to the effects of ornithine and homocitrulline in causing oxidative stress and disturbed mitochondrial homeostasis [79,80]. > A further mechanism that can be involved in the pathophysiology of HHH syndrome is related to polyamines metabolism. Shimizu and colleagues reported increased total and fractional (putrescine, cadaverine, spermine, spermidine) polyamines in one HHH syndrome patient [30]. Indeed, the clinical similarities between HHH syndrome and argininemia, which has been associated to an abnormal polyamine metabolism [91,92], may suggest a common pathogenetic mechanism causing pyramidal dysfunction. > Overall, the pathogenesis of HHH syndrome is complex and not completely understood. It is likely that different mechanisms, including the impact of low mitochondrial ornithine on UC flux, the presence of hyperammonemic crises and the disturbance of other pathways in major organs play a role in determining the heterogeneous clinical presentation of ORC1 deficiency. > In addition, as molecular studies failed to disclose a correlation between type of mutations or ornithine transport capacity and disease severity, an effect of genetic modifiers, such as ORC genes redundancy, seems to be likely, but further studies are certainly needed to clarify this point.

[5] Renal ciliopathies: promising drug targets and prospects for clinical trials

  • Authors: L. Devlin, Praveen Dhondurao Sudhindar, J. Sayer
  • Year: 2023
  • Venue: Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Targets
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/ab2155b6e12caba53d57ac0e8ce28860d69ec9fd
  • DOI: 10.1080/14728222.2023.2218616
  • PMID: 37243567
  • Citations: 10
  • Summary: The advances in basic science and clinical research into renal ciliopathies which have yielded promising small compounds and drug targets are reviewed, within both preclinical studies and clinical trials.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.378) > Although renal ciliopathies can be classified into distinct syndromes, causative mutations in genes encoding proteins involved in the primary cilium or centrosome mean they may share overlapping mechanisms of disease, which may be amenable for therapeutic intervention (Figure 2). Abnormal functioning of proteins involved in ciliogenesis, such as CEP164, can prevent proper cilia formation, which will effect a myriad of downstream ciliary signaling pathways. Additionally, mutations in genes encoding for proteins involved in cargo trafficking or regulation, such as CEP290, will have implications for signal pathway transduction, as well as mutations in components of signaling pathways themselves, such as PKD1. In regard to renal ciliopathies, abnormalities in signaling pathways such as cAMP, Shh, Wnt, mTOR, and AMPK, likely cause misoriented cellular divisions, increased proliferation, increased fluid secretion and subsequent cystogenesis, consequently leading to further kidney damage. Ciliary and centriolar proteins which have roles in DDR and cell cycle regulation may also be driving a renal cystogenesis phenotype alongside increased fibrosis and apoptosis. Increased inflammation and dysfunctional mitochondria are also byproducts of dysregulated signaling pathways have been shown to contribute to the progression of renal ciliopathies. Extensive reviews of mechanisms of renal ciliopathy diseases have recently been performed [23,24]. Importantly, due to the wide range of cellular processes that primary cilia regulate, it is likely that in each syndrome there are multiple pathogenic drivers of disease. In some ways, this is advantageous as it offers many points for potential therapeutic targets. However, the cross talk between pathways and feedback loops introduces complications of changing one pathway without negatively affecting another. Further challenges arise with core biological pathways, such as Shh signaling, in which modification in vitro may be beneficial, but systemic treatment is unrealistic due to the expected severe side effects [18,24,116].

[6] Aberrant NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation Ignites the Fire of Inflammation in Neuromuscular Diseases

  • Authors: Christine Péladeau, J. Sandhu
  • Year: 2021
  • Venue: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/763a36db080236fca8cde89b2afcdf056f3584d0
  • DOI: 10.3390/ijms22116068
  • PMID: 34199845
  • PMCID: 8200055
  • Citations: 17
  • Influential citations: 1
  • Summary: Whether therapeutic targeting of the NLRP3 inflammasome components is a viable approach to alleviating the detrimental phenotype of neuromuscular diseases and improving clinical outcomes is examined.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.376) > Despite a large number of mechanisms that have been identified in muscle degeneration and nerve cell loss, none have proven to be the primary cause of the disease. There is much need for a deeper understanding of the biology of the pathogeneses and the molecular mechanisms that are activated early in the diseases in order to identify "druggable" targets and disease-modifying treatments for these devastating diseases. > Human iPSC technologies are emerging as useful platforms for disease modeling to study pathogenic mechanisms and discover novel therapeutics for neuromuscular diseases [211,237]. Indeed, patient-derived iPSCs are being used to create a "patient-in-adish" disease model to derive relevant cell types for testing potential therapeutics, paving the way towards personalized medicine. This approach allows drug screening in a dish prior to administration to patients and "bench-to-bedside" translation of potential therapies. Additionally, iPSCs may also be used to stratify patients with various phenotypes and guide future clinical trials for bringing improved therapies to patients. Since multiple cell types are involved in disease pathogenesis, future research efforts need to be focused on deciphering "disease-specific signatures" at single-cell resolution, and not only in neuronal cells but also in non-neuronal cells. The application of modern technologies, including single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics, to neuromuscular diseases, will allow to ascertain cellular vulnerability and cell-specific mechanisms during various stages of disease progression. > The vital roles of the NLRP3 inflammasome in neuromuscular diseases such as DMD, LGMD and ALS, reveal that targeting this pathway is indeed a promising therapeutic strategy. Dysregulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in muscle tissues by muscle damage, membrane instability, extracellular ATP and Ca 2+ ions or signals from infiltrating immune cells, clearly impacts the progression of neuromuscular and neurodegenerative disorders. Thus, modulation of these pathways involved with activation and assembly of NLRP3 inflammasome could be truly beneficial.

[7] 18O-assisted dynamic metabolomics for individualized diagnostics and treatment of human diseases

  • Authors: E. Nemutlu, Song Zhang, N. Juranic, A. Terzic, S. Macura et al.
  • Year: 2012
  • Venue: Croatian Medical Journal
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/880f053c7f060db4b990e447d0a22c4b69372ddb
  • DOI: 10.3325/cmj.2012.53.529
  • PMID: 23275318
  • PMCID: 3541579
  • Citations: 28
  • Summary: The potential use of dynamic phosphometabolomic platform for disease diagnostics currently under development at Mayo Clinic is described and discussed briefly.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.369) > Living cells represent an integrated and interacting network of genes, transcripts, proteins, small signaling molecules, and metabolites that define cellular phenotype and function. Traditionally the focus of biomedical research was on individual genes, single protein targets, single metabolites, and metabolic or signaling pathways. This "molecular reductionist" paradigm was based on the assumption that identifying genetic variations and molecular components would lead to discovery of cures for human diseases. However, most of diseases are complex and multi-factorial and the disease phenotype is determined by the alterations of multiple genes, pathways, proteins and metabolites (at cellular, tissue, and organismal levels). Therefore, an integrated "omics" approach is more viable direction for uncovering alterations in metabolic networks, disease mechanisms, and mechanisms of drug effects. > Recent advent of large-scale metabolomics and fluxomic (metabolite dynamics and metabolic flux analysis) completed the "omics revolution" (Figure 1), where genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and fluxomics all together complement phenotype determination of living organism. Such integrated "omics" cascades provide a framework for advances in system and network biology, integrative physiology, and system medicine as well as system pharmacology and regenerative medicine. Noteworthy is the "reverse omic" approach or "metabolomicsinformed pharmacogenomics, " where discovery of specific metabolite changes have led to discovery of genetic alterations (2). Therefore, bringing new "omics" technologies to clinical practice will improve disease diagnostics and treatment by targeting drugs and procedures for each unique transcriptomic and metabolomic profiles.

[8] New therapeutic targets in rare genetic skeletal diseases

  • Authors: M. Briggs, Peter A. Bell, M. Wright, K. A. Pirog
  • Year: 2015
  • Venue: Expert Opinion on Orphan Drugs
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/1363107f71ae6d2d60abca471cddf3da5d13644b
  • DOI: 10.1517/21678707.2015.1083853
  • PMID: 26635999
  • PMCID: 4643203
  • Citations: 37
  • Influential citations: 1
  • Summary: An overview of disease mechanisms that are shared amongst groups of different GSDs and potential therapeutic approaches that are under investigation are described to generate critical mass for the identification and validation of novel therapeutic targets and biomarkers.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.368) > proteins of the cartilage ECM such as type II collagen [50]. However, emerging knowledge suggests that the primary genetic defect may be less important than the cells' response to the expression of the mutant gene product [107]. Moreover, the largely overlooked response of a cell (i.e. chondrocyte) to the abnormal extracellular environment is also important for disease progression as illustrated by several GSDs discussed in this review. > It is important that 'omics'-based approaches and technologies are systematically applied to the study of rare GSDs so that definitive reference profiles and disease signatures are generated for each phenotype. These can then be used in a Systems Biology approach to identify both common and dissimilar pathological signatures and disease mechanisms. This approach is entirely dependent upon relevant in vitro and in vivo models (and also novel 'disease-mechanism phenocopies' [107]) for testing new diagnostic and prognostic tools and for determining the molecular mechanisms that underpin the pathophysiology so that effective therapeutic treatments can be developed and validated. This approach will eventually lead to personalized treatments and care strategies centred on shared disease mechanisms with the use of relevant biomarkers to monitor the efficacy of treatment and disease progression. > It is vital that all relevant stakeholders are involved from the outset in defining the appropriate outcomes of any potential therapeutic regime. The perceptions of a successful therapy can differ widely between the clinical academic community and the relevant patient-support groups and it is vital that there is engagement on all these issues. > In summary, the identification of causative genes and mutations for GSDs over the last 20 years, coupled with the generation and in-depth analysis of a plethora of relevant cell and mouse models, has derived new knowledge on disease mechanisms and suggested potential therapeutic targets. The fast-evolving hypothesis that clinically disparate diseases can share common disease mechanisms is a powerful concept that will generate critical mass for the identification and validation of novel therapeutic targets and biomarkers.

[9] Cardiomyocytes Derived from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells as a Disease Model for Propionic Acidemia

  • Authors: Esmeralda Alonso-Barroso, B. Pérez, L. Desviat, E. Richard
  • Year: 2021
  • Venue: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/da649a0f04477c53b448c5ac5f873f8762235290
  • DOI: 10.3390/ijms22031161
  • PMID: 33503868
  • PMCID: 7865492
  • Citations: 16
  • Influential citations: 1
  • Summary: The novel results show that PA iPSC-cardiomyocytes represent a promising model for investigating the pathological mechanisms underlying PA cardiomyopathies, also serving as an ex vivo platform for therapeutic evaluation.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.367) > The study of the mechanisms involved in disease physiopathology has been mainly performed using the hypomorphic PA mouse model that mimics the biochemical and clinical phenotype [5]. Using this model, bioenergetic failure, oxidative damage and deregulation of miRNAs induced by accumulating propionyl-CoA have been described as potential mechanisms contributing to PA physiopathology [6][7][8]. The limitations of animal models for the study of cardiac energy metabolism [9] and of the commonly available cellular human models such as fibroblasts, underline the importance of generating new relevant cell models to provide deeper insight into the underlying mechanisms of disease. The use of in vitro models with human cellular context is highly recommended and, in this sense, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have certain advantages since they provide the genetic background of the patient and represent an unlimited source of biological material for the study of pathophysiology and treatment effectiveness [10]. We have previously generated an iPSC line from a PA patient with defects in the PCCA gene that showed full pluripotency, differentiation capacity and genetic stability [11]. > In the present study, we aimed to establish a platform that served as a disease model to study the cellular and molecular alterations operating in cardiac tissue affected by PA disease. We described the characterization of cardiomyocytes derived from the PCCA iPSC line (PCCA iPSC-CMs) and the analysis of specific pathways potentially involved in cardiac PA physiopathology.

[10] Computational drug discovery approaches identify mebendazole as a candidate treatment for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease

  • Authors: P. Brownjohn, A. Zoufir, Daniel J O’Donovan, Saatviga Sudhahar, A. Syme et al.
  • Year: 2024
  • Venue: Frontiers in Pharmacology
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/a595e78572ca02b8cb2897bfc4a989a2b021b279
  • DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1397864
  • PMID: 38846086
  • PMCID: 11154008
  • Citations: 2
  • Summary: It is determined that the anthelmintic mebendazole was a potent anti-cystic agent in human cellular and in vivo models of ADPKD, and is likely acting through the inhibition of microtubule polymerisation and protein kinase activity.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.367) > Targets and molecules were ultimately filtered for validation based on biological and chemical insights, and the potential for clinical translation.Earlier this year, Wilk et al., 2023 applied a similar transcriptomic approach to us, in that case making use of publicly available transcriptomic datasets to create Pkd2-specific ADPKD disease signatures, from which signature reversion was sought from the Library of Integrated Network-based Cellular Signatures (LINCs) drug signature database in order to identify drug repurposing candidates.While one group has previously made use of a knowledge graph-based approach to prioritise preclinically active compounds with the highest chance of clinical translation (Malas et al., 2019), to our knowledge, the current study provides the first combined application of transcriptomic and machine-learning approaches to identify and prioritise putative treatments for ADPKD, and further deconvolute potential mechanisms of action for experimental validation. > In summary we report, using computational, in vitro and in vivo approaches, that the anthelmintic drug mebendazole ameliorates disease-relevant phenotypes in cellular and animal models of ADPKD.We further show that this effect is likely primarily due to the inhibitory effect of mebendazole on the polymerisation of microtubules, which underlie cellular processes important in ADPKD, including cell proliferation, transport, and cilia signalling, and extends previous work linking the importance of the microtubule network to ADPKD pathophysiology.We also describe the inhibitory profile of mebendazole on known and novel protein kinase targets, some of which have previously been implicated in ADPKD, suggesting mebendazole may be acting via polypharmacology to impact disease mechanisms.We acknowledge that further experimental efforts will be required to confirm the actions of mebendazole on these putative targets in relevant disease model systems.It would be particularly informative to investigate these mechanisms in dedicated in vivo studies, where the effects of mebendazole on a wider range of ADPKD-relevant cell types and phenotypes could be evaluated.

[11] Lactate metabolism and lactylation in kidney diseases: insights into mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities

  • Authors: Yuhua Cheng, Linjuan Guo
  • Year: 2025
  • Venue: Renal Failure
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/6208b88884af543f7c97d2e70ed6b727dcfb4f58
  • DOI: 10.1080/0886022X.2025.2469746
  • PMID: 40012230
  • PMCID: 11869332
  • Citations: 9
  • Summary: A review examines the role of lactate esters, especially lactylation, in kidney diseases, with a focus on their regulatory mechanisms and potential as therapeutic targets.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.361) > Lactate metabolism and its post-translational modifications, particularly lactylation, play critical roles in the pathophysiology of various kidney diseases, including AKI, DKD, and ccRCC (Figure 1). The kidney's ability to metabolize lactate is crucial for maintaining renal function under normal conditions. However, in pathological states, impaired lactate metabolism leads to its accumulation, exacerbating renal dysfunction and disease progression. For more details on lactate metabolism and kidney diseases, refer to previous reviews [2,3,25]. > Lactylation influences gene transcription, protein function, and cellular metabolism, contributing to inflammatory responses, mitochondrial dysfunction, and tumor progression. > Understanding the mechanisms of lactate metabolism and lactylation in kidney diseases opens new avenues for therapeutic interventions. Targeting these metabolic pathways could mitigate renal injury and improve patient outcomes. Future research should focus on elucidating the specific pathways and molecular targets affected by lactate and lactylation and developing inhibitors to modulate these processes. Clinical trials are necessary to validate the efficacy and safety of these therapies. Overall, the lactate-lactylation axis is a promising target for novel therapeutic strategies aimed at treating kidney diseases and improving renal health.

[12] Rare Monogenic Diseases: Molecular Pathophysiology and Novel Therapies

  • Authors: I. Condò
  • Year: 2022
  • Venue: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/6aece75e6947f102b657851b74e8b96df5e654c1
  • DOI: 10.3390/ijms23126525
  • PMID: 35742964
  • PMCID: 9223693
  • Citations: 14
  • Influential citations: 2
  • Summary: A rare disease is defined by its low prevalence in the general population and its presence in a very small number of people.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.361) > The selective expression or the particular role of specific genes in a single tissue explains the appearance of organ-specific inherited diseases. This is the case of genetic disorders of the kidney, which include dominant and recessive forms of cystic diseases, and renal tubulopathies. Mutations in polycystin-1 (PKD1) or -2 (PKD2) genes lead to autosomaldominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), whose gender-dependent phenotype was analyzed in the study by Talbi et al. [9]. These results, obtained in mice lacking PKD1 expression, show the involvement of intracellular Ca2+ levels in the more severe phenotype affecting male ADPKD animals. Altogether, identification of the molecular mechanisms underlying enhanced Ca2+ signaling and proliferation in cells from male kidneys may contribute to develop novel therapeutics for ADPKD [9]. The autosomal-recessive form of polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD) mostly arises from defects in the gene named polycystic kidney and hepatic disease 1 (PKHD1), whereas a minority of cases is linked to a second causative gene DZIP1L. To examine the still unclear molecular pathophysiology of ARPKD, Cordido et al. recapitulate known molecular disease mechanisms and possible therapeutic approaches, from cellular and animal models to clinical trials [10]. The knowledge of ARPKD pathogenic pathways, involving the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) axis, the production of adenylyl cyclase adenosine 3 ,5 -cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) and the activation of several protein kinases, begins to stimulate possible pharmacological interventions [10]. Inherited loss of function in various electrolyte transport proteins located along the nephron leads to two types of kidney tubulopathy with overlapping clinical symptoms: Gitelman and Bartter syndromes. The review by Nuñez-Gonzalez et al. aims to explain the different molecular basis of these difficult to diagnose monogenic syndromes. Moreover, the authors provide an overview of current therapeutic approaches and highlight the presence of common and specific options for Gitelman and Bartter patients [11].

[13] Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Diabetes: Shedding Light on a Widespread Oversight

  • Authors: F. Iheagwam, A. J. Joseph, E. D. Adedoyin, Olawumi Toyin Iheagwam, Samuel Akpoyowvare Ejoh
  • Year: 2025
  • Venue: Pathophysiology
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/dbf8042761c1a5fc50f8cd894cc498505abac7cb
  • DOI: 10.3390/pathophysiology32010009
  • PMID: 39982365
  • PMCID: 12077258
  • Citations: 23
  • Summary: This review aims to elucidate the complex link between mitochondrial dysfunction and diabetes, covering the spectrum of diabetes types, the role of mitochondria in insulin resistance, highlighting pathophysiological mechanisms, mitochondrial DNA damage, and altered mitochondrial biogenesis and dynamics.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.358) > The landscape of DM research is continuously evolving, with emerging technologies and approaches offering new insights into the pathophysiology of the disease and potential therapeutic targets. Advancements in omics technologies, encompassing genomes, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, have transformed the molecular mechanisms underlying DM [134]. High-throughput sequencing techniques enable comprehensive analysis of genetic variants, gene expression profiles, protein abundance, and metabolite levels associated with DM and its complications [135]. Single-cell omics approaches provide unprecedented resolution and granularity, allowing researchers to dissect cellular heterogeneity and identify novel cell types, subpopulations, and signalling pathways involved in DM pathogenesis. Integrating multi-omics data sets offers a systems-level perspective of DM, unravelling complex networks of molecular interactions and regulatory circuits underlying disease progression [136]. > In addition to omics technologies, advances in imaging modalities, such as MRI, PET, and optical imaging, enable non-invasive visualisation and quantification of metabolic, functional, and structural changes. Molecular imaging probes targeting specific biomarkers and metabolic pathways provide valuable insights into disease mechanisms and treatment responses in preclinical and clinical settings [85]. Despite significant progress in DM research, numerous unanswered questions and knowledge gaps persist, hindering the ability to develop effective prevention and treatment strategies. Key areas requiring further investigation include the role of epigenetics, environmental factors, and the microbiome in DM susceptibility and progression. Moreover, the interaction between environmental cues and genetic predisposition remains incompletely understood, highlighting the need for comprehensive multi-omics studies and large-scale epidemiological analyses to identify gene-environment interactions and modifiable risk factors for DM [137]. Furthermore, the heterogeneity of DM phenotypes and clinical outcomes poses a challenge for personalised medicine approaches, necessitating robust biomarkers and predictive models to stratify patients based on disease subtypes, prognosis, and treatment response [138].

[14] Mitochondria and the future of RASopathies: the emergence of bioenergetics.

  • Authors: M. Kontaridis, Saravanakkumar Chennappan
  • Year: 2022
  • Venue: The Journal of clinical investigation
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/7b39a31a51522aa5293be61180e7461a201b8df8
  • DOI: 10.1172/JCI157560
  • PMID: 35426371
  • Citations: 7
  • Summary: RASopathies are a family of rare autosomal dominant disorders that affect the canonical Ras/MAPK signaling pathway and manifest as neurodevelopmental systemic syndromes, including Costello syndrome (CS). In this issue of the JCI, Dard et al. describe the molecular determinants of CS using a myriad of genetically modified models, including mice expressing HRAS p.G12S, patient-derived skin fibroblasts, hiPSC-derived human cardiomyocytes, an HRAS p.G12V zebrafish model, and human lentivirally in...
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.357) > RASopathies, a group of syndromic disorders caused by germline mutations in genes that affect the canonical Ras/MAPK signaling pathway, include Noonan syndrome (NS), NS with multiple lentigines (NSML), Costello syndrome (CS), cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome (CFCS), neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), and other clinically related diseases (Figure 1A and ref. 1). Though individually rare, collectively, this family of disorders constitutes one of the world's largest groups of congenital diseases. Germline pathogenic variants result in similar yet distinct syndromes, the phenotypic characteristics of which can include facial abnormalities, short stature, cardiac defects, hematopoietic defects, skeletal malformations, and certain types of cancer (1)(2)(3). These characteristics can be severe and life-threatening and may be present at birth or develop throughout one's lifetime. Unfortunately, effective targeted therapies for RASopathies remain elusive, with limited to no options available for most patients. Therefore, there is a critical need to identify effective treatments. Indeed, understanding the causal mechanisms associated with the development of each disease uniquely, through identification of the distinct point mutations within common genes, the panoply of signaling pathways affected by the genetic anomalies, and the potential molecular targets associated with each, may help us find targeted and personalized approaches to treating patients (4). > The Ras/MAPK signaling pathway is critical for cellular homeostasis, cell differentiation, proliferation, and survival. Gainof-function mutations and/or increased Ras and MAPK activities are associated with development of RASopathies and many other diseases, including cancer. However, because Ras/MAPK signaling is required for a multitude of cellular processes, identifying the appropriate inhibitors and their required level of inhibition to provide therapeutic efficacy without intolerable side effects, remains challenging. > A myriad of animal model systems developed to study RASopathies has helped identify many (or most) of the causal genes associated with this group of disorders. The pioneering studies also helped determine aberrant molecular functions of gene mutations, identifying possible therapeutic targets.

[15] Cardiac Phenotype and Gene Mutations in RASopathies

  • Authors: M. Faienza, G. Meliota, D. Mentino, R. Ficarella, Mattia Gentile et al.
  • Year: 2024
  • Venue: Genes
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/a4087d3b73d20a6e2f46b7fb87eed4017ec9a9be
  • DOI: 10.3390/genes15081015
  • PMID: 39202376
  • PMCID: 11353738
  • Citations: 8
  • Influential citations: 1
  • Summary: The molecular mechanisms underlying the development of cardiac diseases associated particularly with NS are clarified, and the main morphological and clinical characteristics of the two most frequent cardiac disorders, namely pulmonary valve stenosis (PVS) and HCM are discussed.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.357) > Cardiac involvement is a major feature of RASopathies, a group of phenotypically overlapping syndromes caused by germline mutations in genes encoding components of the RAS/MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) signaling pathway. In particular, Noonan syndrome (NS) is associated with a wide spectrum of cardiac pathologies ranging from congenital heart disease (CHD), present in approximately 80% of patients, to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), observed in approximately 20% of patients. Genotype–cardiac phenotype correlations are frequently described, and they are useful indicators in predicting the prognosis concerning cardiac disease over the lifetime. The aim of this review is to clarify the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of cardiac diseases associated particularly with NS, and to discuss the main morphological and clinical characteristics of the two most frequent cardiac disorders, namely pulmonary valve stenosis (PVS) and HCM. We will also report the genotype–phenotype correlation and its implications for prognosis and treatment. Knowing the molecular mechanisms responsible for the genotype–phenotype correlation is key to developing possible targeted therapies. We will briefly address the first experiences of targeted HCM treatment using RAS/MAPK pathway inhibitors.

[16] Recombinant growth hormone therapy in a girl with costello syndrome: a 4-year observation

  • Authors: E. Blachowska, E. Petriczko, A. Horodnicka-Józwa, A. Skórka, M. Pelc et al.
  • Year: 2016
  • Venue: Italian Journal of Pediatrics
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/1cd4e664fa0145ffcd3205cd9a10f056c2ce849c
  • DOI: 10.1186/s13052-015-0209-4
  • PMID: 26812928
  • PMCID: 4729164
  • Citations: 8
  • Summary: The possibility of growth hormone (GH) treatment can be considered in cases of documented GH deficiency in patients with Costello syndrome, but only under close oncologic and cardiologic supervision.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.357) > Costello syndrome (CS, OMIM #218040) is caused by heterozygous germline mutations in the proto-oncogene HRAS that cause dysfunction of the Ras-MAPK signaling pathway. To date, 15 mutations in HRAS have been identified. The birth prevalence of this disease is estimated at 1:1,230,000 to 1:300,000 [1][2][3][4]. Clinically, CS is characterized by polyhydramnios, high birth weight, postnatal growth retardation, relative macrocephaly, coarse facial features, loose skin, especially of the hands and feet, hyperpigmentation, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, atrial arrhythmias, papillomata, developmental delay or mental retardation, and predisposition to malignancies. In the newborn and neonatal periods, the presence of suggestive facies and severe feeding difficulties leading to failure to thrive and hypoglycemia help make the correct diagnosis [5][6][7]. Furthermore, cases of Costello syndrome patients with endocrine disorders such as adrenal insufficiency and endogenous growth hormone deficiency have also been documented in the literature [8][9][10][11]. > Due to the complex nature of the discussed syndrome, patients require multidisciplinary care (provided by cardiologists, speech therapists, gastroenterologists, orthopedic surgeons) along with early stimulation and developmental support. Because of the short stature and growth hormone deficiency in this condition, growth hormone therapy is often considered. For decades there has been great debate on the anticipated risk of carcinogenesis and cardiomyopathy weighted against the potential benefits resulting from recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) therapy. To date, there are no conclusive data showing a negative role of rhGH therapy in the development of these diseases. > Here we report a six-year-old patient with Costello syndrome, who has been successfully treated with rhGH for 42 months.

[17] Future research trends in understanding the mechanisms underlying allergic diseases for improved patient care

  • Authors: H. Breiteneder, Z. Diamant, T. Eiwegger, W. Fokkens, C. Traidl‐Hoffmann et al.
  • Year: 2019
  • Venue: Allergy
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/e19b0755c4f4903f68377333676edebf9bd73c89
  • DOI: 10.1111/all.13851
  • PMID: 31056763
  • PMCID: 6973012
  • Citations: 90
  • Influential citations: 3
  • Summary: Recent developments in research and patient care and future trends in the discipline are reviewed and topics on food allergy, biologics, small molecules, and novel therapeutic concepts in allergen‐specific immunotherapy for airway disease are highlighted.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.356) > The past decades have witnessed extensive progress in unraveling cellular and molecular mechanisms of immune regulation in asthma, allergic diseases, organ transplantation, autoimmune diseases, tumor biology, and chronic infections. 1,2 Consequently, a better understanding of the functions, the reciprocal regulation, and the counterbalance of subsets of immune and inflammatory cells but also structural cells-for example, epithelial and vascular cells, airway smooth muscle cells, neuroendocrine system-that interact via various intercellular messengers will indicate avenues for immune interventions and novel treatment modalities of allergic diseases and immunological disorders. It is generally expected that drug development in the next decades will show a significant shift from chemicals to biologicals. > After more than 20 years without any breakthrough drug becoming available for patients, several disciplines including allergology are now experiencing extraordinary times with the recent licensing of several major biological drugs and novel allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) vaccines. Several biological modifiers of the immune response targeting intracellular messengers or their receptors have been developed to date. [3][4][5][6][7][8] In addition, a number of promising small molecule drugs and vaccines are in the development pipeline. [9][10][11] This new era is now calling for the development of biomarkers and phenoand endotyping of diseases for customized patient care, which is termed stratified medicine, precision medicine, or personalized medicine. 4 Distinguishing phenotypes of a complex disease covers the observable clinically relevant properties of the disease but does not show a direct relationship to disease etiology and pathophysiology. In a complex condition, such as asthma, different pathogenetic mechanisms can induce similar clinical manifestations; however, they may require different treatment approaches. 12,13 These pathophysiological mechanisms underlying disease subgroups are addressed by the term "endotype." [12][13][14] Classification of complex diseases based on the concept of endotypes provides advantages for epidemiological, genetic, and drug-related studies. Accurate endotyping by using reliable biomarkers reflects the natural history of the disease and aims to predict the response to (targeted) treatments. 15 Recent studies have focused on better understanding

[18] From molecular signatures to predictive biomarkers: modeling disease pathophysiology and drug mechanism of action

  • Authors: A. Heinzel, P. Perco, G. Mayer, R. Oberbauer, A. Lukas et al.
  • Year: 2014
  • Venue: Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/36d6c03a528c1358c0ae5b667cca5ce73b2fbee5
  • DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2014.00037
  • PMID: 25364744
  • PMCID: 4207010
  • Citations: 23
  • Summary: This work exemplifies a computational workflow for expanding from statistics-based association analysis toward deriving molecular pathway and process models for characterizing phenotypes and drug mechanism of action, in turn providing precision medicine hypotheses utilizing predictive biomarkers.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.356) > In such scenario a biomarker needs to serve as proxy of key mechanistic factors characterizing and driving a disease on a patient-specific level, combined with educating on the specific interference of disease mechanism with drug mechanism of action. For capturing these constraints a detailed molecular map of a clinical phenotype and its interference with a drug mechanism of action is needed, and here integration of Omics profiling adds to identifying such mechanisms (Fechete et al., 2011;Mühlberger et al., 2012). > An a priori stratification of patients based on an appropriately chosen biomarker panel reflecting the pathophysiology of a given patient (group) allowing to determine a match with a specific drug's mechanism of action appears as promising approach. As recently discussed by Himmelfarb et al. fresh approaches are critical in finding therapies to kidney disease benefiting patients, outlining the importance of improving the translational aspect in clinical research (Himmelfarb and Tuttle, 2013). Here, omics technologies have added significantly to the data landscape characterizing chronic kidney disease, however, in a first instance mainly expanding the candidate set of apparently relevant processes and pathways, going in hand with a large number of biomarker candidates, which individually hamper clinically relevant assessment on disease progression (Fechete et al., 2011;Hellemons et al., 2012). > Integrative approaches in the realm of Systems Biology have been proposed for reaching a consensus description of chronic kidney disease pathophysiology, including molecular models of DN as well as of the reno-cardial axis (He et al., 2012;Komorowsky et al., 2012;Mayer et al., 2012;Heinzel et al., 2013). Still, a translation process needs to be followed, joining disease pathophysiology, stratification markers allowing enrichment strategies, combined with on a molecular mechanistic level matching drugs for allowing precision medicine (Mirnezami et al., 2012). In this work we exemplify such procedure on DN being the major clinical presentation leading to end stage renal disease.

[19] Mechanistic Models of Signaling Pathways Reveal the Drug Action Mechanisms behind Gender-Specific Gene Expression for Cancer Treatments

  • Authors: C. Çubuk, F. Can, M. Peña-Chilet, J. Dopazo
  • Year: 2020
  • Venue: Cells
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/e40f7a3b8f72ba01374ba00fbf308a47a3fa5dd4
  • DOI: 10.3390/cells9071579
  • PMID: 32610626
  • PMCID: 7408716
  • Citations: 9
  • Summary: Despite the existence of differences in gene expression across numerous genes between males and females having been known for a long time, these have been mostly ignored in many studies, including drug development and its therapeutic use. In fact, the consequences of such differences over the disease mechanisms or the drug action mechanisms are completely unknown. Here we applied mechanistic mathematical models of signaling activity to reveal the ultimate functional consequences that gender-s...
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.355) > Therefore, a proper interpretation of the effect that differences in gene expression have over phenotypes, such as drug response or disease progression, involves understanding the mechanisms of the disease or the mode of action of drugs, which can be interpreted through mechanistic models of cell signaling [12] or cell metabolism [13]. Mechanistic models have helped to understand the disease mechanisms behind different cancers [14,15], including neuroblastoma [16,17], breast cancer [18], rare diseases [19], complex diseases [20], the mechanisms of action of drugs [21,22], and other biologically interesting scenarios such as the molecular mechanisms that explain how stress-induced activation of brown adipose tissue prevents obesity [23] or the molecular mechanisms of death and the post-mortem ischemia of a tissue [24]. Among the few available proposals of mechanistic modeling algorithms that model different aspects of signaling pathway activity, Hipathia has demonstrated having superior sensitivity and specificity [12]. > Here, we propose the use of mechanistic models [13,14] of signaling activity related with cancer hallmarks [25], other cancer-related signaling pathways, and some extra relevant cellular functions to understand the functional consequences of the gender bias in gene expression. Such mechanistic models use gene expression data to produce an estimation of profiles of signaling or metabolic circuit activity within pathways [13,14]. An interesting property of mechanistic models is that they can be used not only to understand molecular mechanisms of disease or of drug action but also to predict the potential consequences of gene perturbations over the circuit activity in a given condition [26]. Actually, in a recent work, our group has successfully predicted therapeutic targets in cancer cell lines with a precision over 60% [15]. Therefore, we will use this mechanistic framework to understand what is the molecular basis of the different effects of cancer drugs by directly simulating their effect in the patients. This approach has recently been used by us to understand the generation of resistances in cancer at the single cell level in glioblastoma [27].

[20] Novel Approaches to Studying SLC13A5 Disease

  • Authors: Adriana S. Beltran
  • Year: 2024
  • Venue: Metabolites
  • URL: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/8469c534cd81d96f84b61e2d963dead12088feb7
  • DOI: 10.3390/metabo14020084
  • PMID: 38392976
  • PMCID: 10890222
  • Citations: 2
  • Summary: Current technologies for generating patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and their inherent advantages and limitations are discussed, followed by a summary of the methods for differentiating iPSCs into neurons, hepatocytes, and organoids.
  • Evidence snippets:
  • Snippet 1 (score: 0.355) > The precise pathophysiology underlying how SLC13A5 loss-of-function results in epilepsy refractory to treatment is a subject of open and ongoing research. Several hypotheses suggest SLC13A5 alters metabolic pathways, leading to neuronal dysfunction. Conversely, therapeutic inhibition of NaCT in the liver is a target to improve metabolic diseases, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, obesity, and insulin resistance. Thus, functionally accurate modeling and characterization of the mechanisms involved in citrate transport disruption are critical for understanding its role in human disease. > IPSC-derived cellular systems are a powerful tool for modeling rare human genetic diseases, such as SLC13A5 (Figure 5). IPSCs derived from patients containing the genetic information of the disease can overcome the limitations of animal models, providing access to relevant human cell types that recapitulate the disease phenotype. For instance, patient-derived iPSCs differentiated into neurons or hepatocytes can be used to investigate molecular and cellular mechanisms, including citrate transport and accumulation, energy metabolism, oxidative stress, and other cellular processes. They can also be used to define the spectrum of the disease and how different mutations might lead to various disease severities, screen for potential therapeutic compounds that can restore the transporter function or ameliorate the symptoms, and enable personalized medicine approaches that can tailor treatments to individual patients based on their genetic background and disease severity. > transport disruption are critical for understanding its role in human disease. > IPSC-derived cellular systems are a powerful tool for modeling rare human genetic diseases, such as SLC13A5 (Figure 5). IPSCs derived from patients containing the genetic information of the disease can overcome the limitations of animal models, providing access to relevant human cell types that recapitulate the disease phenotype. For instance, patient-derived iPSCs differentiated into neurons or hepatocytes can be used to investigate molecular and cellular mechanisms, including citrate transport and accumulation, energy metabolism, oxidative stress, and other cellular processes.

Notes

  • This provider combines search_papers_by_relevance with snippet_search.
  • No synthesis or second-stage model call is performed.
Disorder

Disorder

  • Name: Costello Syndrome
  • Category: Mendelian
  • Existing deep-research providers: falcon
  • Existing evidence reference count in YAML: 6

Key Pathophysiology Nodes

  • Constitutive RAS-MAPK Activation
  • Tumor Predisposition
  • Deep research literature mapping

Citation Inventory (for evidence mapping)

  • DOI:10.1161/circep.123.012022
  • DOI:10.3390/genes15081015
Falcon
Pathophysiology description
Edison Scientific Literature 15 citations 2026-02-04T22:39:26.011659

Pathophysiology description Costello syndrome (CS) is a Rasopathy caused by heterozygous, germline gain-of-function variants in HRAS that dysregulate Ras protein signal transduction and downstream effector pathways. Core signaling derangements include persistent activation of the RAS/MAPK cascade and aberrant PI3K signaling observed in patient-derived cells, which together perturb proliferation, differentiation, growth, and survival programs across multiple tissues (developmental, cardiac, ectodermal, and oncogenic contexts) (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 31-33, faienza2024cardiacphenotypeand pages 2-4).

At the cellular level in the heart, HRAS-mutant atrial-like cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-derived) exhibit an increased fraction of pacemaker-like cells, elevated funny current (If), and a hybrid atrial/nodal transcriptional program with upregulation of ISL1, TBX3, and TBX18, along with disrupted intracellular calcium handling. These electrophysiologic and transcriptional changes mechanistically link hyperactive HRAS to multifocal atrial tachycardia (MAT) and arrhythmogenesis in CS. Pharmacologic modulation in vitro shows that ivabradine (HCN/If inhibitor) and flecainide (Nav1.5 blocker) reduce beating rates, while verapamil (L-type Ca2+ channel blocker) attenuates irregularity, providing proof-of-mechanism and candidate antiarrhythmic strategies (publication URL: https://doi.org/10.1161/circep.123.012022; Apr 2024) (rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 1-3, rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 3-5).

Tumor predisposition is characteristic, with a lifetime risk on the order of 10–15% for embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, neuroblastoma, and transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder, consistent with the role of HRAS pathway hyperactivation in oncogenic transformation. Cardiovascular disease is prominent and includes congenital heart defects (CHD), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), and distinctive supraventricular arrhythmias such as MAT, which may occur independently of HCM. MEK inhibition is discussed as a targeted therapeutic approach in severe RASopathy-associated cardiac disease, reflecting the centrality of MAPK hyperactivation in pathogenesis (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 6-8, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 31-33).

Direct supporting quotes - “CS-associated gain-of-function HRASG12 mutations in induced pluripotent stem cells-derived [atrial-like cardiomyocytes] trigger transcriptional changes associated with enhanced automaticity and arrhythmic activity consistent with multifocal atrial tachycardia.” (URL: https://doi.org/10.1161/circep.123.012022; Apr 2024) (rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 1-3) - In HRAS-mutant atrial-like cardiomyocytes, “the hyperpolarization activated cyclic nucleotide gated potassium channel inhibitor ivabradine and the Nav1.5 blocker flecainide significantly decreased beating rates… verapamil attenuated their irregularity,” linking If and Ca2+ handling to the arrhythmic phenotype (URL: https://doi.org/10.1161/circep.123.012022; Apr 2024) (rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 3-5). - Prolonged PI3K signaling has been reported in HRAS patient fibroblasts, supporting a role for PI3K/AKT axis dysregulation in CS pathogenesis (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 31-33).

  1. Core Pathophysiology
  2. Primary mechanisms: Germline HRAS activation drives constitutive Ras signal transduction, with downstream RAS/MAPK hyperactivation and evidence for aberrant PI3K signaling, thereby altering lineage programs, growth, and survival. Cardiac-specific effects include ectopic pacemaker-nodal programming in atrial cardiomyocytes and calcium-handling abnormalities that produce MAT. Oncogenic signaling predisposes to embryonal tumors and bladder carcinoma (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 31-33, rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 1-3, rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 3-5).
  3. Dysregulated molecular pathways: RAS/MAPK cascade (Ras–Raf–MEK–ERK), PI3K/AKT signaling; cardiomyocyte pacemaker pathway (HCN/If) and Ca2+ homeostasis are second-order effectors in arrhythmia pathogenesis (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 31-33, faienza2024cardiacphenotypeand pages 2-4, rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 1-3, rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 3-5).
  4. Affected cellular processes: Proliferation and differentiation (developmental anomalies), hypertrophic growth and excitation–contraction coupling (HCM, arrhythmias), and oncogenic transformation (tumor predisposition). In atrial cells, increased pacemaker-like lineage fraction, If augmentation, and Ca2+ dysregulation are central (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 31-33, rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 1-3, rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 3-5).

  5. Key Molecular Players

  6. Genes/Proteins (HGNC): HRAS (HGNC:5173) is causal; RASopathy-relevant nodes that contextualize pathway biology include RAF1, BRAF, KRAS, NRAS, MAP2K1/2, and MAPK1, although non-HRAS genes are not causal in classical CS (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 31-33, faienza2024cardiacphenotypeand pages 2-4).
  7. Chemical Entities (CHEBI) and targeted agents: MEK inhibitor trametinib is discussed for severe RASopathy cardiac disease (targeting MAPK hyperactivation). In arrhythmic ACM models: ivabradine (HCN/If inhibitor), flecainide (Na+ channel blocker), verapamil (L-type Ca2+ channel blocker) modulated HRAS-driven phenotypes (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4, faienza2024cardiacphenotypeand pages 2-4, rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 3-5).
  8. Cell Types (CL): Atrial cardiomyocytes with a shift toward pacemaker-nodal programming; increased pacemaker-like cell proportion is a key mechanistic finding in the arrhythmia model (rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 1-3, rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 3-5).
  9. Anatomical Locations (UBERON): Heart/atrium (CHD, HCM, MAT), skin (papillomata and ectodermal features), urinary bladder (transitional cell carcinoma), cerebellum (postnatal overgrowth/Chiari) (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 31-33, faienza2024cardiacphenotypeand pages 2-4).

  10. Biological Processes (GO terms)

  11. Ras protein signal transduction (GO:0007265) and RAS/MAPK cascade (GO:0000165) are centrally dysregulated by HRAS activation (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 31-33, faienza2024cardiacphenotypeand pages 2-4).
  12. PI3K signaling (GO:0014065) shows prolonged activity in patient fibroblasts, implicating AKT/mTOR axis involvement in growth and oncogenesis (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 31-33).
  13. Cardiac electrical and calcium-handling processes: regulation of heart rate via pacemaker If current and intracellular calcium ion homeostasis (e.g., GO:0070588), underlying MAT in CS models (rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 1-3, rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 3-5).

  14. Cellular Components

  15. Plasma membrane signaling complexes (RAS at inner leaflet membranes; receptor-proximal signaling), cytosol and nucleus for ERK/AKT effectors; in cardiomyocytes, sarcolemma ion channels (HCN, Nav1.5, Cav1.2) and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ handling machinery represent key locales of dysfunction (rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 1-3, rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 3-5, faienza2024cardiacphenotypeand pages 2-4).

  16. Disease Progression

  17. Initial trigger: De novo heterozygous HRAS gain-of-function variant.
  18. Early developmental effects: Abnormal Ras/MAPK and PI3K signaling perturb organogenesis and growth, producing characteristic craniofacial features, feeding difficulty/failure to thrive, short stature, hypotonia, and neurodevelopmental issues; cerebellar overgrowth and Chiari/hydrocephalus may develop postnatally (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 31-33).
  19. Cardiac phase: High prevalence of CHD and HCM; atrial electrical remodeling with pacemaker-nodal reprogramming and Ca2+ dysregulation yields MAT/ectopic atrial tachycardia in infancy/early childhood (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 6-8, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4, rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 1-3, rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 3-5).
  20. Oncogenesis: Elevated lifetime risk for embryonal tumors (RMS, NB) and bladder carcinoma emerges from sustained HRAS effector pathway activation (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 31-33).

  21. Phenotypic Manifestations and Statistics

  22. Cardiovascular involvement is frequent. Reported series document cardiovascular abnormalities in the large majority of patients; CHD around 44%; hypertrophic cardiomyopathy approximately 60–61%; supraventricular arrhythmias in roughly half, including MAT that often presents in infancy and can occur independent of HCM (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 6-8, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 31-33). Recent RASopathy-focused cardiology review reports HCM prevalence “~65% in Costello syndrome” and atrial arrhythmias “up to 56%,” underscoring the burden of cardiac disease (URL: https://doi.org/10.3390/genes15081015; Aug 2024) (faienza2024cardiacphenotypeand pages 7-8).
  23. Tumor predisposition: Lifetime tumor risk on the order of 10–15% with a spectrum including rhabdomyosarcoma, neuroblastoma, and transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 6-8, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4).

Current applications and real-world implementations - Precision electrophysiology: The HRAS-mutant atrial-like cardiomyocyte model establishes a mechanistic basis for MAT and nominates HCN inhibition (ivabradine), Nav1.5 blockade (flecainide), and L-type Ca2+ channel blockade (verapamil) as rational antiarrhythmic interventions to test clinically in CS-associated tachyarrhythmias (URL: https://doi.org/10.1161/circep.123.012022; Apr 2024) (rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 1-3, rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 3-5). - Targeted pathway inhibition: MEK inhibition (e.g., trametinib) is discussed/considered for severe RASopathy-associated cardiac disease, aligning treatment with RAS/MAPK pathway hyperactivation in CS (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4, faienza2024cardiacphenotypeand pages 2-4). - Surveillance protocols: Given tumor predisposition, longitudinal screening (e.g., abdominal/pelvic ultrasound in early childhood; bladder surveillance later) is standard practice in CS management frameworks (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4).

Expert opinions and analysis - Contemporary expert summaries emphasize CS as a prototypic Rasopathy with multisystem involvement driven by HRAS gain-of-function, with prominent cardiac and oncologic risks. Arrhythmia mechanisms are increasingly understood through hiPSC models showing pacemaker-nodal reprogramming and Ca2+ dysregulation. These insights prioritize HCN, Na+ channel, and L-type Ca2+ channel modulators in addition to MAPK-directed therapy for organ-specific complications (rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 1-3, rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 3-5, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4, faienza2024cardiacphenotypeand pages 2-4).

Evidence items with PMIDs/URLs/dates - Rodríguez NA et al. HRAS-mutant cardiomyocyte model of multifocal atrial tachycardia. Circulation: Arrhythmia & Electrophysiology. Apr 2024. URL: https://doi.org/10.1161/circep.123.012022 (rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 1-3, rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 3-5). - Gripp KW, Weaver KN. HRAS-related Costello syndrome (GeneReviews-like chapter). 2023. Key statistics and clinical correlations, tumor risk and management principles (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 6-8, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 31-33). - Faienza MF et al. Cardiac phenotype and gene mutations in RASopathies. Genes. Aug 2024;15:1015. URL: https://doi.org/10.3390/genes15081015 (faienza2024cardiacphenotypeand pages 2-4, faienza2024cardiacphenotypeand pages 7-8).

Gene/protein annotations with ontology terms - HRAS (HGNC:5173): causal gene; pathway: RAS/MAPK (GO:0000165); process: Ras protein signal transduction (GO:0007265); additional effector: PI3K signaling (GO:0014065). Tissues: heart/atrium (UBERON:0000948/0002080), skin (UBERON:0002097), urinary bladder (UBERON:0001255), cerebellum (UBERON:0002037). Phenotypes: HCM (HPO:0001639), multifocal atrial tachycardia (HPO term). Chemicals: trametinib (CHEBI:90698), ivabradine (CHEBI:83587), flecainide (CHEBI:5126), verapamil (CHEBI:9945) (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 31-33, faienza2024cardiacphenotypeand pages 2-4, rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 1-3, rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 3-5).

Phenotype associations (HPO terms) - Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HPO:0001639): high prevalence and major morbidity (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 6-8, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4, faienza2024cardiacphenotypeand pages 7-8). - Multifocal atrial tachycardia (HPO term): frequent, often early-onset supraventricular arrhythmia linked mechanistically to pacemaker-nodal reprogramming and Ca2+ dysregulation (rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 1-3, rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 3-5, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4). - Tumor predisposition phenotypes: rhabdomyosarcoma, neuroblastoma, transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder (HPO tumor terms) (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 31-33).

Cell type involvement (CL terms) - Atrial cardiomyocytes with increased pacemaker-like cell fraction; mechanistic basis for arrhythmia in CS (CL term for atrial cardiomyocyte) (rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 1-3, rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 3-5).

Anatomical locations (UBERON terms) - Heart/atrium (cardiac structural and electrophysiological disease); skin (ectodermal features); urinary bladder (solid tumor predisposition); cerebellum (postnatal overgrowth/Chiari) (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 31-33, faienza2024cardiacphenotypeand pages 2-4).

Chemical entities (CHEBI terms) - Trametinib (CHEBI:90698), ivabradine (CHEBI:83587), flecainide (CHEBI:5126), verapamil (CHEBI:9945) (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4, faienza2024cardiacphenotypeand pages 2-4, rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 3-5).

Recent developments and latest research (2023–2024) - 2024 hiPSC-derived atrial cardiomyocyte modeling established a direct mechanistic link from HRAS gain-of-function to MAT via nodal-like reprogramming and If/Ca2+ dysregulation, and nominated ivabradine, flecainide, and verapamil as rational modulators (Apr 2024; URL: https://doi.org/10.1161/circep.123.012022) (rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 1-3, rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 3-5). - Contemporary reviews consolidate high cardiac burden and provide updated prevalence ranges for HCM and arrhythmias in RASopathies, including CS, underscoring the need for targeted pathway therapies and careful risk stratification (Aug 2024; URL: https://doi.org/10.3390/genes15081015) (faienza2024cardiacphenotypeand pages 2-4, faienza2024cardiacphenotypeand pages 7-8). - Expert clinical overviews reaffirm the tumor spectrum and surveillance rationale, as well as the potential role of MAPK pathway inhibition in severe cardiac phenotypes (2023) (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 6-8, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 31-33).

Structured artifact | Category | Entity (standard name) | Ontology ID | Mechanistic/phenotypic role in Costello syndrome | Evidence | |---|---|---|---|---| | Gene | HRAS (HRas proto-oncogene) | HGNC:5173 | Germline gain-of-function HRAS variants cause Costello syndrome; drive developmental defects, tumor predisposition, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and supraventricular arrhythmias via RAS pathway dysregulation and prolonged PI3K signaling. | (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 6-8, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 31-33) | | Pathway | RAS/MAPK cascade | GO:0000165 | Constitutively activated in CS; mediates abnormal cell proliferation/differentiation contributing to cardiac hypertrophy and developmental phenotypes. | (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4, faienza2024cardiacphenotypeand pages 2-4, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 31-33) | | Process | Ras protein signal transduction | GO:0007265 | Upstream signaling node altered by HRAS variants; perturbs downstream MAPK and PI3K/AKT effectors affecting multiple tissues. | (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 31-33) | | Pathway | PI3K signaling | GO:0014065 | Prolonged/aberrant PI3K/AKT activity reported in patient cells; implicated in oncogenesis and cardiac/myocyte hypertrophic responses. | (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 31-33, faienza2024cardiacphenotypeand pages 2-4) | | Cell program | Atrial cardiomyocyte / pacemaker-like program (cell fate shift) | CL:0002321 (atrial cardiomyocyte) | HRAS-mutant atrial-like cardiomyocytes adopt hybrid atrial/nodal transcriptional program (↑ISL1, TBX3, TBX18) increasing pacemaker-like cells and automaticity. | (rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 1-3, rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 3-5) | | Process | Calcium handling in cardiomyocytes | GO:0006816 / GO:0070588 | Disrupted intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis in HRAS-mutant ACMs contributes to arrhythmic activity and abnormal excitation–contraction coupling. | (rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 1-3, rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 3-5) | | Anatomy | Heart / atrium | UBERON:0000948 / UBERON:0002080 | Primary organ system affected: congenital heart defects, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and atrial arrhythmias (multifocal atrial tachycardia) are common clinical manifestations. | (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 6-8, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4, faienza2024cardiacphenotypeand pages 2-4) | | Anatomy | Skin | UBERON:0002097 | Ectodermal/cutaneous involvement: papillomata, keratoderma and other skin findings commonly observed in CS. | (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 31-33) | | Anatomy | Urinary bladder | UBERON:0001255 | Predisposition to transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder reported as part of tumor spectrum in CS. | (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 31-33) | | Anatomy | Cerebellum | UBERON:0002037 | Postnatal cerebellar overgrowth and Chiari I/hydrocephalus reported; neurodevelopmental involvement linked to HRAS signaling effects. | (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4) | | Phenotype | Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy | HPO:0001639 | High prevalence (~60% in some series); major determinant of morbidity/mortality in CS patients. | (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 6-8, faienza2024cardiacphenotypeand pages 2-4, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 31-33) | | Phenotype | Multifocal atrial tachycardia (MAT) | HPO:— (multifocal atrial tachycardia) | Frequent, treatment-resistant supraventricular arrhythmia of infancy/early childhood in CS; mechanistic link to increased pacemaker-like cells and ↑If current. | (rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 1-3, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4, rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 3-5) | | Phenotype cluster | Rhabdomyosarcoma; Neuroblastoma; Transitional cell carcinoma | HPO:— (see individual tumor terms) | Tumor predisposition (lifetime risk ~10–15% reported) with early-onset pediatric tumors (RMS, NB) and bladder carcinoma risk. | (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 31-33, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 13-14) | | Drug | Trametinib (MEK inhibitor) | CHEBI:90698 | Used compassionately/considered for severe RASopathy-associated cardiac disease (MEK inhibition targets hyperactive MAPK signaling). | (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4, faienza2024cardiacphenotypeand pages 2-4, rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 3-5) | | Drug | Ivabradine (HCN/If inhibitor) | CHEBI:83587 | Reduces elevated beating rates in HRAS-mutant atrial-like cardiomyocytes by inhibiting funny current; shown to decrease automaticity in cellular model. | (rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 1-3, rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 3-5) | | Drug | Flecainide (Na+ channel blocker) | CHEBI:5126 | Nav1.5 blockade reduced beating rate in HRAS-mutant ACMs in vitro; evaluated as antiarrhythmic in models/patients. | (rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 3-5) | | Drug | Verapamil (L-type Ca2+ channel blocker) | CHEBI:9945 | Attenuated irregularity of beating in HRAS-mutant ACMs by modulating Ca2+ flux; supports role of Ca2+ handling in arrhythmogenesis. | (rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 3-5) |

Table: Compact table summarizing core genes, pathways, cell/tissue involvements, phenotypes and drugs relevant to Costello syndrome, with evidence pointers to the gathered sources (pqac IDs). This aids rapid integration into a disease knowledge base with ontology references.

References (with links where available) - Rodríguez NA, Patel N, Dariolli R, et al. HRAS-mutant cardiomyocyte model of multifocal atrial tachycardia. Circulation: Arrhythmia & Electrophysiology. Apr 2024. https://doi.org/10.1161/circep.123.012022 (rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 1-3, rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 3-5). - Gripp KW, Weaver KN. HRAS-related Costello syndrome. 2023. Summary of epidemiology, phenotype, tumor risk, and management (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 6-8, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4, gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 31-33). - Faienza MF, Meliota G, Mentino D, et al. Cardiac phenotype and gene mutations in RASopathies. Genes. Aug 2024;15:1015. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes15081015 (faienza2024cardiacphenotypeand pages 2-4, faienza2024cardiacphenotypeand pages 7-8).

References

  1. (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 1-4): KW Gripp and KN Weaver. Hras-related costello syndrome. Unknown journal, 2023.

  2. (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 31-33): KW Gripp and KN Weaver. Hras-related costello syndrome. Unknown journal, 2023.

  3. (faienza2024cardiacphenotypeand pages 2-4): Maria Felicia Faienza, Giovanni Meliota, Donatella Mentino, Romina Ficarella, Mattia Gentile, Ugo Vairo, and Gabriele D’amato. Cardiac phenotype and gene mutations in rasopathies. Genes, 15:1015, Aug 2024. URL: https://doi.org/10.3390/genes15081015, doi:10.3390/genes15081015. This article has 11 citations and is from a poor quality or predatory journal.

  4. (rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 1-3): Nelson A. Rodríguez, Nihir Patel, Rafael Dariolli, Simon Ng, Angelika G. Aleman, Jingqi Q.X. Gong, Hung-Mo Lin, Matthew Rodríguez, Rebecca Josowitz, Katia Sol-Church, Karen W. Gripp, Xianming Lin, Soomin C. Song, Glenn I. Fishman, Eric A. Sobie, and Bruce D. Gelb. hras -mutant cardiomyocyte model of multifocal atrial tachycardia. Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, Apr 2024. URL: https://doi.org/10.1161/circep.123.012022, doi:10.1161/circep.123.012022. This article has 2 citations and is from a peer-reviewed journal.

  5. (rodriguez2024hrasmutantcardiomyocyte pages 3-5): Nelson A. Rodríguez, Nihir Patel, Rafael Dariolli, Simon Ng, Angelika G. Aleman, Jingqi Q.X. Gong, Hung-Mo Lin, Matthew Rodríguez, Rebecca Josowitz, Katia Sol-Church, Karen W. Gripp, Xianming Lin, Soomin C. Song, Glenn I. Fishman, Eric A. Sobie, and Bruce D. Gelb. hras -mutant cardiomyocyte model of multifocal atrial tachycardia. Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, Apr 2024. URL: https://doi.org/10.1161/circep.123.012022, doi:10.1161/circep.123.012022. This article has 2 citations and is from a peer-reviewed journal.

  6. (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 6-8): KW Gripp and KN Weaver. Hras-related costello syndrome. Unknown journal, 2023.

  7. (faienza2024cardiacphenotypeand pages 7-8): Maria Felicia Faienza, Giovanni Meliota, Donatella Mentino, Romina Ficarella, Mattia Gentile, Ugo Vairo, and Gabriele D’amato. Cardiac phenotype and gene mutations in rasopathies. Genes, 15:1015, Aug 2024. URL: https://doi.org/10.3390/genes15081015, doi:10.3390/genes15081015. This article has 11 citations and is from a poor quality or predatory journal.

  8. (gripp2023hrasrelatedcostellosyndrome pages 13-14): KW Gripp and KN Weaver. Hras-related costello syndrome. Unknown journal, 2023.

{ }

Source YAML

click to show
name: Costello Syndrome
creation_date: '2026-02-06T03:39:54Z'
updated_date: '2026-03-31T21:13:56Z'
category: Mendelian
description: >
  Costello syndrome is a RASopathy caused by heterozygous germline gain-of-function
  mutations in HRAS, characterized by failure to thrive in infancy, distinctive
  coarse facial features, intellectual disability, cardiac abnormalities (hypertrophic
  cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias), skeletal abnormalities (joint laxity, ulnar deviation),
  and a predisposition to malignancies (rhabdomyosarcoma, neuroblastoma, bladder
  carcinoma). The syndrome results from constitutive activation of the RAS-MAPK
  signaling pathway, with additional evidence for altered mitochondrial proteostasis,
  defective oxidative phosphorylation, and broader bioenergetic dysfunction in
  Costello syndrome model systems.
disease_term:
  preferred_term: Costello syndrome
  term:
    id: MONDO:0009026
    label: Costello syndrome
parents:
- RASopathies
prevalence:
- population: Japanese nationwide survey
  percentage: 1 in 1,290,000
  notes: >-
    A nationwide Japanese epidemiological survey estimated a minimum prevalence
    of about 1 in 1,290,000 individuals. Other clinical review literature cites
    an estimated prevalence around 1 in 300,000, suggesting ascertainment and
    population differences rather than a single settled global figure.
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:22495831
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: "The prevalences of Costello and CFC syndromes are estimated to be 1 in 1,290,000 and 1 in 810,000 individuals, respectively."
    explanation: This nationwide Japanese epidemiological survey directly reports the estimated prevalence of Costello syndrome.
  - reference: PMID:36268718
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: "Costello syndrome (CS) is a rare genetic condition caused by a heterozygous mutation in the HRAS gene, with an estimated prevalence of 1: 300 000."
    explanation: This contemporary clinical series provides an independent literature-based prevalence estimate showing the broader reported range.
inheritance:
- name: Autosomal Dominant
  inheritance_term:
    preferred_term: Autosomal dominant inheritance
    term:
      id: HP:0000006
      label: Autosomal dominant inheritance
  description: >
    Autosomal dominant inheritance. Nearly all cases arise de novo due to
    severe phenotype limiting reproductive fitness, and the pathogenic variant
    arises predominantly in the paternal germline.
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:20301680
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: OTHER
    snippet: >-
      GENETIC COUNSELING: Costello syndrome is an autosomal dominant disorder
      typically caused by a de novo pathogenic variant.
    explanation: >-
      GeneReviews directly supports autosomal dominant inheritance with
      predominant de novo occurrence in Costello syndrome.
  - reference: PMID:16443854
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      Analysis of parental DNA samples was possible in 16 cases for both
      parents and in three cases for one parent, and confirmed the mutations as
      de novo in all of these cases.
    explanation: >-
      This cohort study provides direct human evidence that Costello syndrome
      HRAS mutations are usually de novo.
  - reference: PMID:21438134
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      De novo origin of the missense mutation was documented in eight families,
      and occurred in the paternal germline in all five informative trios.
    explanation: >-
      This Costello syndrome cohort provides direct evidence for paternal
      germline bias among informative de novo HRAS cases.
progression:
- phase: Prenatal and perinatal presentation
  age_range: fetal life to neonatal period
  notes: >-
    Costello syndrome can begin before birth with polyhydramnios and fetal
    overgrowth-related complications, followed by early multisystem neonatal
    manifestations.
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:21438134
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      The individuals with p.G13C had many typical findings including
      polyhydramnios, failure-to-thrive, HCM, macrocephaly with posterior
      fossa crowding, and developmental delay.
    explanation: >-
      Although this cohort focuses on HRAS p.G13C, it explicitly describes
      polyhydramnios and early multisystem findings as typical Costello
      syndrome manifestations, supporting a prenatal/perinatal disease phase.
- phase: Infant feeding and growth failure phase
  age_range: infancy
  notes: >-
    Severe postnatal feeding difficulty dominates early life and commonly
    requires tube feeding, contributing to failure to thrive and subsequent
    short stature.
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:20301680
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: OTHER
    snippet: >-
      Failure to thrive is the most common and challenging clinical problem;
      most infants require nasogastric or gastrostomy feeding, and many
      require Nissen fundoplication.
    explanation: >-
      Updated GeneReviews supports a characteristic infancy phase dominated by
      feeding failure and growth impairment.
- phase: Early childhood arrhythmia phase
  age_range: early childhood
  notes: >-
    Treatment-resistant atrial tachyarrhythmia is a distinctive early-childhood
    complication and reflects disease-specific atrial cardiomyocyte
    reprogramming.
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:38415356
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      During early childhood, 50% of patients develop multifocal atrial
      tachycardia, a treatment-resistant tachyarrhythmia of unknown
      pathogenesis.
    explanation: >-
      This directly supports an early-childhood cardiac rhythm phase in the
      natural history of Costello syndrome.
- phase: Lifelong tumor-risk surveillance phase
  age_range: childhood through adulthood
  notes: >-
    Embryonal tumor risk is highest in childhood, whereas bladder carcinoma
    risk extends into adolescence and adulthood, requiring age-specific
    surveillance.
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:20301680
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: OTHER
    snippet: >-
      Individuals with Costello syndrome have an approximately 15% lifetime
      risk for malignant tumors including rhabdomyosarcoma and neuroblastoma
      in young children and transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder in
      adolescents and young adults.
    explanation: >-
      GeneReviews supports a prolonged progression phase in which tumor risk
      persists but changes in composition with age.
pathophysiology:
- name: Germline HRAS gain-of-function mutation
  description: >
    Heterozygous germline activating variants in HRAS initiate Costello
    syndrome and create the constitutive signaling state that drives its
    multisystem phenotype.
  gene:
    preferred_term: HRAS
    term:
      id: hgnc:5173
      label: HRAS
  downstream:
  - target: Constitutive HRAS signaling
    description: Activating HRAS variants establish persistent downstream Ras pathway activity.
    causal_link_type: DIRECT
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:16443854
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      These results confirm that CS is caused, in most cases, by heterozygous
      missense mutations in the proto-oncogene HRAS.
    explanation: >-
      This cohort study establishes germline HRAS mutation as the initiating
      lesion in Costello syndrome.
- name: Constitutive HRAS signaling
  description: >
    Mutant HRAS remains aberrantly active and persistently engages downstream
    Ras effector programs, creating a shared upstream driver for cardiac,
    metabolic, connective tissue, developmental, and oncogenic abnormalities.
  biological_processes:
  - preferred_term: Ras protein signal transduction
    modifier: INCREASED
    term:
      id: GO:0007265
      label: Ras protein signal transduction
  - preferred_term: MAPK cascade
    modifier: INCREASED
    term:
      id: GO:0000165
      label: MAPK cascade
  downstream:
  - target: Cardiac mitochondrial bioenergetic dysfunction
    description: Persistent HRAS activation perturbs AMPK-linked mitochondrial homeostasis in cardiac tissues.
    causal_link_type: INDIRECT_KNOWN_INTERMEDIATES
    intermediate_mechanisms:
    - inhibition of AMPK signaling
    - altered mitochondrial proteostasis
  - target: Atrial cardiomyocyte pacemaker-nodal transcriptional reprogramming
    description: Overactive HRAS redirects atrial cardiomyocyte identity toward a nodal-like program.
    causal_link_type: DIRECT
  - target: Fibroblast metabolic rewiring and increased energetic expenditure
    description: Hyperactive HRAS drives abnormal glucose handling, autophagic flux, and energetic inefficiency in patient fibroblasts.
    causal_link_type: INDIRECT_KNOWN_INTERMEDIATES
    intermediate_mechanisms:
    - reactive oxygen species-dependent signaling
    - altered GLUT4 trafficking
    - p38 and PI3K pathway dysregulation
  - target: Impaired fibroblast elastogenesis
    description: Disease fibroblasts show defective extracellular matrix assembly compatible with an HRAS-linked connective tissue mechanism.
    causal_link_type: INDIRECT_UNKNOWN_INTERMEDIATES
  - target: Dysregulated neural progenitor development
    description: Persistent HRAS pathway activation disrupts the balance of neurogenesis and gliogenesis during brain development.
    causal_link_type: INDIRECT_KNOWN_INTERMEDIATES
    intermediate_mechanisms:
    - altered neural stem cell proliferation
    - abnormal neurogenesis-to-gliogenesis transition
  - target: Tumor Predisposition
    description: Constitutive oncogenic HRAS signaling creates lifelong neoplastic susceptibility.
    causal_link_type: DIRECT
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:35230976
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: OTHER
    snippet: >-
      Germline mutations that activate genes in the canonical RAS/MAPK
      signaling pathway are responsible for rare human developmental disorders
      known as RASopathies.
    explanation: >-
      This mixed-model study supports pathway activation as the shared upstream
      pathogenic framework for Costello syndrome.
- name: Cardiac mitochondrial bioenergetic dysfunction
  description: >
    Costello syndrome models show impaired mitochondrial proteostasis and
    oxidative phosphorylation in cardiac tissue, indicating that the disease is
    not solely a surface signaling disorder but also a bioenergetic one.
  cell_types:
  - preferred_term: cardiomyocyte
    term:
      id: CL:0000746
      label: cardiac muscle cell
  biological_processes:
  - preferred_term: oxidative phosphorylation
    modifier: DECREASED
    term:
      id: GO:0006119
      label: oxidative phosphorylation
  downstream:
  - target: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
    description: Cardiac bioenergetic stress and impaired mitochondrial homeostasis contribute to ventricular hypertrophic remodeling.
    causal_link_type: INDIRECT_KNOWN_INTERMEDIATES
    intermediate_mechanisms:
    - impaired mitochondrial proteostasis
    - reduced cardiac energetic efficiency
    evidence:
    - reference: PMID:35230976
      supports: SUPPORT
      evidence_source: MODEL_ORGANISM
      snippet: >-
        Pharmacological activation of mitochondrial bioenergetics and quality
        control restored organelle function in HRAS p.G12A and p.G12S cell
        models, reduced left ventricle hypertrophy in CS mice, and diminished
        the occurrence of developmental defects in the CS zebrafish model.
      explanation: >-
        Improvement of mitochondrial function reducing ventricular hypertrophy
        supports a causal link between bioenergetic dysfunction and cardiac
        hypertrophy in Costello syndrome.
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:35230976
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: MODEL_ORGANISM
    snippet: >-
      The findings revealed alteration of mitochondrial proteostasis and
      defective oxidative phosphorylation in the heart and skeletal muscle of
      CS mice that were also found in the cell models of the disease. The
      underpinning mechanisms involved the inhibition of the AMPK signaling
      pathway by mutant forms of HRAS, leading to alteration of mitochondrial
      proteostasis and bioenergetics.
    explanation: >-
      This Asta-linked study directly supports a discrete cardiac and muscular
      bioenergetic mechanism downstream of mutant HRAS.
- name: Atrial cardiomyocyte pacemaker-nodal transcriptional reprogramming
  description: >
    HRAS-mutant atrial-like cardiomyocytes acquire a pacemaker-nodal-like gene
    expression program, including increased ISL1, TBX3, and TBX18 expression,
    shifting atrial cells toward an arrhythmogenic identity state.
  cell_types:
  - preferred_term: Atrial Cardiomyocyte
    term:
      id: CL:0002129
      label: regular atrial cardiac myocyte
  downstream:
  - target: Enhanced automaticity and funny current in atrial cardiomyocytes
    description: Nodal-like transcriptional reprogramming increases pacemaker-like electrophysiology in atrial cells.
    causal_link_type: DIRECT
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:38415356
    reference_title: "HRAS-Mutant Cardiomyocyte Model of Multifocal Atrial Tachycardia."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: IN_VITRO
    snippet: >-
      Mutant ACMs demonstrated elevated gene expression (ie, ISL1, TBX3,
      TBX18) related to intracellular calcium homeostasis, heart rate, RAS
      signaling, and induction of pacemaker-nodal-like transcriptional
      programming.
    explanation: >-
      This human iPSC-derived atrial cardiomyocyte model directly supports a
      discrete transcriptional reprogramming step in Costello syndrome
      arrhythmogenesis.
- name: Enhanced automaticity and funny current in atrial cardiomyocytes
  description: >
    Reprogrammed HRAS-mutant atrial cardiomyocytes beat faster, contain more
    pacemaker-like cells, and show elevated funny current density, providing the
    proximate electrophysiologic substrate for tachyarrhythmia.
  cell_types:
  - preferred_term: Atrial Cardiomyocyte
    term:
      id: CL:0002129
      label: regular atrial cardiac myocyte
  downstream:
  - target: Multifocal Atrial Tachycardia
    description: Increased atrial automaticity and pacemaker-like activity manifest clinically as multifocal atrial tachycardia.
    causal_link_type: DIRECT
    evidence:
    - reference: PMID:38415356
      supports: SUPPORT
      evidence_source: IN_VITRO
      snippet: >-
        CS-associated gain-of-function HRASG12 mutations in induced pluripotent
        stem cells-derived ACMs trigger transcriptional changes associated with
        enhanced automaticity and arrhythmic activity consistent with
        multifocal atrial tachycardia.
      explanation: >-
        This directly links altered automaticity in HRAS-mutant atrial
        cardiomyocytes to the Costello syndrome MAT phenotype.
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:38415356
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: IN_VITRO
    snippet: >-
      Electrophysiological assessment revealed an increased number of
      pacemaker-like cells with elevated funny current densities among mutant
      ACMs.
    explanation: >-
      The iPSC atrial cardiomyocyte study identifies the electrophysiologic
      substrate immediately upstream of MAT.
- name: Fibroblast metabolic rewiring and increased energetic expenditure
  description: >
    Patient fibroblasts show HRAS-driven metabolic dysregulation with abnormal
    glucose transporter activation, accelerated glycolysis, increased fatty acid
    synthesis and storage, and accelerated autophagic flux, together consistent
    with increased resting energetic expenditure.
  cell_types:
  - preferred_term: Fibroblast
    term:
      id: CL:0000057
      label: fibroblast
  biological_processes:
  - preferred_term: glycolytic process
    modifier: INCREASED
    term:
      id: GO:0006096
      label: glycolytic process
  - preferred_term: autophagy
    modifier: INCREASED
    term:
      id: GO:0006914
      label: autophagy
  - preferred_term: fatty acid biosynthetic process
    modifier: INCREASED
    term:
      id: GO:0006633
      label: fatty acid biosynthetic process
  downstream:
  - target: Failure to Thrive
    description: Increased energetic expenditure despite adequate intake contributes to poor weight gain.
    causal_link_type: INDIRECT_KNOWN_INTERMEDIATES
    intermediate_mechanisms:
    - increased resting energetic expenditure
  - target: Short Stature
    description: Chronic inefficiency of growth-supporting metabolism contributes to postnatal growth deficiency.
    causal_link_type: INDIRECT_KNOWN_INTERMEDIATES
    intermediate_mechanisms:
    - persistent growth-energy mismatch
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:34508588
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: IN_VITRO
    snippet: >-
      In CS, poor weight gain and growth are not caused by low caloric intake.
      Here, we show that constitutive plasma membrane translocation and
      activation of the GLUT4 glucose transporter, via reactive oxygen
      species-dependent AMP-activated protein kinase α and p38 hyperactivation,
      occurs in primary fibroblasts of CS patients, resulting in accelerated
      glycolysis and increased fatty acid synthesis and storage as lipid
      droplets. An accelerated autophagic flux was also identified as
      contributing to the increased energetic expenditure in CS.
    explanation: >-
      This patient fibroblast study directly supports a distinct metabolic
      disease mechanism explaining the disproportionate growth failure of
      Costello syndrome.
- name: Impaired fibroblast elastogenesis
  description: >
    Costello syndrome fibroblasts fail to assemble elastic fibers efficiently,
    consistent with a connective tissue mechanism involving reduced elastin
    deposition and abnormal extracellular matrix organization.
  cell_types:
  - preferred_term: Fibroblast
    term:
      id: CL:0000057
      label: fibroblast
  downstream:
  - target: Coarse Facial Features
    description: Abnormal extracellular matrix assembly likely contributes to the characteristic connective tissue component of facial dysmorphology.
    causal_link_type: INDIRECT_KNOWN_INTERMEDIATES
    intermediate_mechanisms:
    - reduced elastic fiber assembly
    - altered connective tissue architecture
  - target: Joint Hypermobility
    description: Reduced elastogenesis provides a plausible connective tissue basis for ligamentous laxity.
    causal_link_type: INDIRECT_KNOWN_INTERMEDIATES
    intermediate_mechanisms:
    - reduced elastic fiber assembly
    - altered connective tissue elasticity
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:10712202
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: IN_VITRO
    snippet: >-
      We found that impaired production of elastic fibers by these fibroblasts
      is associated with a functional deficiency of the 67-kD elastin-binding
      protein (EBP), which is normally required to chaperone tropoelastin
      through the secretory pathways and to its extracellular assembly.
    explanation: >-
      This patient skin fibroblast study supports a specific extracellular
      matrix defect that plausibly underlies connective tissue manifestations in
      Costello syndrome.
- name: Dysregulated neural progenitor development
  description: >
    HRAS activation alters the normal balance of neural progenitor expansion,
    cortical neuron production, and gliogenesis, providing a mechanistic basis
    for neurodevelopmental impairment.
  biological_processes:
  - preferred_term: neurogenesis
    modifier: DYSREGULATED
    term:
      id: GO:0022008
      label: neurogenesis
  - preferred_term: glial cell differentiation
    modifier: DYSREGULATED
    term:
      id: GO:0010001
      label: glial cell differentiation
  downstream:
  - target: Intellectual Disability
    description: Abnormal cortical development and neuroglial imbalance contribute to persistent cognitive impairment.
    causal_link_type: INDIRECT_KNOWN_INTERMEDIATES
    intermediate_mechanisms:
    - altered cortical neuron production
    - abnormal neurogenesis-to-gliogenesis balance
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:31250618
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: OTHER
    snippet: >-
      Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from Costello syndrome
      showed increased production of cortical neurons associated with extended
      progenitor phase (Rooney et al., 2016).
    explanation: >-
      This review cites disease-relevant iPSC evidence that Costello syndrome
      disrupts early cortical developmental programs.
  - reference: PMID:31250618
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: OTHER
    snippet: >-
      During transition from neurogenesis to gliogenesis, Paquin et al. (2009)
      showed that variants found in Costello syndrome suppress neurogenesis but
      promote astrogenesis.
    explanation: >-
      This supports a second discrete developmental mechanism involving an
      abnormal neurogenesis-gliogenesis switch in Costello syndrome.
- name: Tumor Predisposition
  description: >
    The same activating HRAS signaling architecture that causes developmental
    disease also creates susceptibility to embryonal and later-onset malignant
    neoplasms.
  biological_processes:
  - preferred_term: regulation of cell cycle
    modifier: DYSREGULATED
    term:
      id: GO:0051726
      label: regulation of cell cycle
  - preferred_term: cell population proliferation
    modifier: INCREASED
    term:
      id: GO:0008283
      label: cell population proliferation
  downstream:
  - target: Predisposition to Malignancy
    description: Persistent oncogenic HRAS signaling manifests clinically as increased tumor risk.
    causal_link_type: DIRECT
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:20301680
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: OTHER
    snippet: >-
      Individuals with Costello syndrome have an approximately 15% lifetime
      risk for malignant tumors including rhabdomyosarcoma and neuroblastoma
      in young children and transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder in
      adolescents and young adults.
    explanation: >-
      GeneReviews supports a dedicated neoplasia-predisposition branch within
      the Costello syndrome causal graph.
genetic:
- name: HRAS Mutations
  association: Causative
  gene_term:
    preferred_term: HRAS
    term:
      id: hgnc:5173
      label: HRAS
  notes: >
    Heterozygous germline mutations in HRAS cause Costello syndrome. The most
    common mutation is p.Gly12Ser (~80% of cases), followed by p.Gly12Ala and
    p.Gly13Cys. These mutations affect the GTPase activity of HRAS, keeping
    it in the active GTP-bound state. Somatic mosaicism can cause milder phenotypes.
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:16443854
    reference_title: "Genotype-phenotype correlation in Costello syndrome: HRAS mutation analysis in 43 cases."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      These results confirm that CS is caused, in most cases, by heterozygous
      missense mutations in the proto-oncogene HRAS.
    explanation: >-
      Large genotype-phenotype study of 43 Costello syndrome cases confirming
      HRAS as the causative gene.
phenotypes:
- name: Failure to Thrive
  description: >
    Severe feeding difficulties and failure to thrive in infancy, often
    requiring tube feeding.
  frequency: VERY_FREQUENT
  phenotype_term:
    preferred_term: Failure to thrive
    term:
      id: HP:0001508
      label: Failure to thrive
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:20301680
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: OTHER
    snippet: >-
      Costello syndrome is typically characterized by failure to thrive in
      infancy as a result of severe postnatal feeding difficulties;
    explanation: >-
      GeneReviews identifies failure to thrive from severe feeding difficulty as
      a typical early clinical feature of HRAS-related Costello syndrome.
  - reference: PMID:34508588
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: IN_VITRO
    snippet: >-
      In CS, poor weight gain and growth are not caused by low caloric intake.
      Here, we show that constitutive plasma membrane translocation and
      activation of the GLUT4 glucose transporter, via reactive oxygen
      species-dependent AMP-activated protein kinase α and p38 hyperactivation,
      occurs in primary fibroblasts of CS patients, resulting in accelerated
      glycolysis and increased fatty acid synthesis and storage as lipid
      droplets.
    explanation: >-
      Patient fibroblast study expands the mechanistic basis of growth failure
      by showing increased energetic expenditure and dysregulated metabolism in
      Costello syndrome.
- name: Coarse Facial Features
  description: >
    Distinctive craniofacial appearance with coarse features, full lips,
    large mouth, and depressed nasal bridge.
  frequency: VERY_FREQUENT
  phenotype_term:
    preferred_term: Coarse facial features
    term:
      id: HP:0000280
      label: Coarse facial features
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:20301680
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: OTHER
    snippet: >-
      Costello syndrome is typically characterized by failure to thrive in
      infancy as a result of severe postnatal feeding difficulties; short
      stature; developmental delay or intellectual disability; coarse facial
      features (full lips, large mouth, full nasal tip);
    explanation: >-
      Updated GeneReviews description supports coarse facial features as a
      characteristic and typically present dysmorphic feature of Costello
      syndrome.
- name: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
  description: >
    Cardiac involvement is common, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a major
    cause of morbidity in Costello syndrome.
  frequency: FREQUENT
  phenotype_term:
    preferred_term: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
    term:
      id: HP:0001639
      label: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:12210337
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      Cardiac hypertrophy was reported in 34%, which involved the left ventricle
      in 50% and was usually consistent with classic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
      (HCM).
    explanation: >-
      Pooled clinical cohort data confirm hypertrophic cardiomyopathy as a
      frequent cardiac manifestation of Costello syndrome.
- name: Multifocal Atrial Tachycardia
  description: >
    During early childhood, approximately 50% of patients develop multifocal
    atrial tachycardia (MAT), a treatment-resistant tachyarrhythmia caused by
    HRAS-driven pacemaker-nodal transcriptional reprogramming in atrial
    cardiomyocytes.
  frequency: FREQUENT
  phenotype_term:
    preferred_term: Multifocal atrial tachycardia
    term:
      id: HP:0011701
      label: Multifocal atrial tachycardia
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:38415356
    reference_title: "HRAS-Mutant Cardiomyocyte Model of Multifocal Atrial Tachycardia."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      During early childhood, 50% of patients develop multifocal atrial
      tachycardia, a treatment-resistant tachyarrhythmia of unknown pathogenesis.
    explanation: >-
      Establishes 50% prevalence of MAT in Costello syndrome patients,
      occurring in early childhood as a treatment-resistant arrhythmia.
  - reference: PMID:20301680
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: OTHER
    snippet: >-
      and arrhythmia (usually supraventricular tachycardia, especially abnormal
      atrial rhythm / multifocal atrial tachycardia or ectopic atrial
      tachycardia).
    explanation: >-
      GeneReviews supports multifocal atrial tachycardia as the characteristic
      Costello syndrome arrhythmia phenotype.
- name: Short Stature
  description: >
    Postnatal growth deficiency leading to short stature.
  frequency: VERY_FREQUENT
  phenotype_term:
    preferred_term: Short stature
    term:
      id: HP:0004322
      label: Short stature
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:20301680
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: OTHER
    snippet: >-
      Costello syndrome is typically characterized by failure to thrive in
      infancy as a result of severe postnatal feeding difficulties; short
      stature;
    explanation: >-
      GeneReviews identifies short stature as a typical component of the core
      Costello syndrome phenotype.
- name: Intellectual Disability
  description: >
    Variable intellectual disability, typically mild to moderate.
  frequency: FREQUENT
  phenotype_term:
    preferred_term: Intellectual disability
    term:
      id: HP:0001249
      label: Intellectual disability
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:22495831
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      An evaluation of 15 adult patients 18-32 years of age revealed that 12
      had moderate to severe intellectual disability and most live at home
      without constant medical care.
    explanation: >-
      Nationwide survey data support intellectual disability as a frequent
      long-term neurodevelopmental manifestation of Costello syndrome.
- name: Joint Hypermobility
  description: >
    Joint laxity affecting multiple joints.
  frequency: FREQUENT
  phenotype_term:
    preferred_term: Joint hypermobility
    term:
      id: HP:0001382
      label: Joint hypermobility
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:20301680
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: OTHER
    snippet: >-
      diffuse hypotonia and joint laxity with ulnar deviation of the wrists and
      fingers; tight Achilles tendons;
    explanation: >-
      GeneReviews identifies diffuse joint laxity as part of the characteristic
      musculoskeletal phenotype of Costello syndrome.
- name: Ulnar Deviation of Hands
  description: >
    Characteristic ulnar deviation of the hands.
  frequency: FREQUENT
  phenotype_term:
    preferred_term: Ulnar deviation of the hand
    term:
      id: HP:0001193
      label: Ulnar deviation of the hand or of fingers of the hand
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:20301680
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: OTHER
    snippet: >-
      diffuse hypotonia and joint laxity with ulnar deviation of the wrists and
      fingers; tight Achilles tendons;
    explanation: >-
      GeneReviews supports ulnar deviation of the wrists and fingers as a
      characteristic orthopedic feature of Costello syndrome.
- name: Papillomata
  description: >
    Development of papillomata, particularly around the nose and mouth.
  frequency: FREQUENT
  phenotype_term:
    preferred_term: Papilloma
    term:
      id: HP:0012740
      label: Papilloma
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:20301680
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: OTHER
    snippet: >-
      papillomata of the face and perianal region;
    explanation: >-
      GeneReviews supports papillomata as a typical ectodermal manifestation,
      especially affecting the face and perianal region.
- name: Predisposition to Malignancy
  description: >
    Increased risk of malignancies including rhabdomyosarcoma, neuroblastoma,
    and bladder carcinoma. Lifetime cancer risk estimated at 15-17%.
  frequency: OCCASIONAL
  phenotype_term:
    preferred_term: Neoplasm
    term:
      id: HP:0002664
      label: Neoplasm
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:16443854
    reference_title: "Genotype-phenotype correlation in Costello syndrome: HRAS mutation analysis in 43 cases."
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      Individuals with CS have an increased risk of malignancy, suggested to
      be about 17%.
    explanation: >-
      Establishes the approximately 17% lifetime malignancy risk in Costello syndrome.
  - reference: PMID:20301680
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: OTHER
    snippet: >-
      Individuals with Costello syndrome have an approximately 15% lifetime
      risk for malignant tumors including rhabdomyosarcoma and neuroblastoma in
      young children and transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder in
      adolescents and young adults.
    explanation: >-
      Updated GeneReviews summary independently supports occasional but
      clinically important malignancy risk in Costello syndrome.
treatments:
- name: Cardiac Monitoring
  description: >
    Regular cardiac surveillance for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and arrhythmias.
  treatment_term:
    preferred_term: serial echocardiographic and electrocardiographic cardiac surveillance
    term:
      id: MAXO:0000003
      label: diagnostic procedure
  notes: >-
    MAXO currently maps this entry to the generic parent term diagnostic
    procedure; the preferred term qualifies the intended surveillance bundle.
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:20301680
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: OTHER
    snippet: >-
      echocardiography with electrocardiogram at the time of diagnosis with
      subsequent follow up by a cardiologist;
    explanation: >-
      GeneReviews recommends serial cardiac surveillance with echocardiography
      and electrocardiography in HRAS-related Costello syndrome.
- name: Tumor Surveillance
  description: >
    Regular screening for embryonal tumors, particularly in childhood.
  treatment_term:
    preferred_term: age-stratified embryonal tumor and bladder cancer surveillance
    term:
      id: MAXO:0000126
      label: cancer screening
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:20301680
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: OTHER
    snippet: >-
      abdominal and pelvic ultrasound examinations to screen for
      rhabdomyosarcoma and neuroblastoma every three to six months until age
      eight to ten years may be considered; annual urinalysis for evidence of
      hematuria to screen for bladder cancer beginning at age ten years.
    explanation: >-
      Updated GeneReviews surveillance guidance supports tumor screening in
      childhood and bladder cancer surveillance later in life.
- name: MEK Inhibitor Therapy
  description: >
    MEK inhibitors such as trametinib are used as pathway-targeted therapy for
    refractory hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with heart failure and are being
    investigated more broadly as precision therapy for RASopathies.
  treatment_term:
    preferred_term: trametinib-class MEK inhibitor pharmacotherapy
    term:
      id: MAXO:0000058
      label: pharmacotherapy
  notes: >-
    MAXO provides a generic pharmacotherapy term here; the preferred term
    clarifies that this entry refers specifically to MEK-pathway inhibition.
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:20301680
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: OTHER
    snippet: >-
      Targeted therapy: Trametinib (MEK inhibitor) for treatment of
      hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with heart failure that is refractory to
      standard treatment.
    explanation: >-
      Updated GeneReviews documents trametinib as a targeted option for severe
      Costello syndrome cardiomyopathy refractory to standard management.
diagnosis:
- name: Molecular genetic testing
  description: >-
    Molecular confirmation of a heterozygous pathogenic HRAS variant is central
    to establishing the diagnosis and separating Costello syndrome from other
    clinically overlapping RASopathies.
  diagnosis_term:
    preferred_term: HRAS-focused molecular genetic testing
    term:
      id: MAXO:0000533
      label: molecular genetic testing
  notes: >-
    The ontology term is generic; the preferred term specifies that diagnostic
    confirmation is centered on pathogenic HRAS variant detection.
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:20301680
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: OTHER
    snippet: >-
      The diagnosis of Costello syndrome is established in a proband with
      suggestive clinical findings and a heterozygous HRAS pathogenic variant
      identified by molecular genetic testing.
    explanation: >-
      Updated GeneReviews directly supports molecular testing as the diagnostic
      confirmation step for Costello syndrome.
- name: Echocardiography with electrocardiography
  description: >-
    Baseline cardiac evaluation is required to detect structural heart disease,
    hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and arrhythmia at the time of diagnosis.
  diagnosis_term:
    preferred_term: echocardiography with electrocardiography
    term:
      id: MAXO:0010203
      label: echocardiography
  notes: >-
    MAXO supplies echocardiography as the nearest term; the preferred term
    qualifies that electrocardiography is paired with the imaging assessment.
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:20301680
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: OTHER
    snippet: >-
      echocardiography with electrocardiogram at the time of diagnosis with
      subsequent follow up by a cardiologist;
    explanation: >-
      GeneReviews supports echocardiography plus ECG as core diagnostic
      assessment for the cardiac manifestations of Costello syndrome.
differential_diagnoses:
- name: Noonan syndrome
  disease_term:
    preferred_term: Noonan syndrome
    term:
      id: MONDO:0018997
      label: Noonan syndrome
  description: >-
    Noonan syndrome is a closely related RASopathy with overlapping prenatal,
    craniofacial, growth, developmental, and cardiac findings that can resemble
    Costello syndrome, especially in attenuated HRAS-associated presentations.
  distinguishing_features:
  - HRAS pathogenic variants, papillomata, deep palmar and plantar creases, and stronger tumor predisposition favor Costello syndrome over Noonan syndrome.
  - PTPN11, SOS1, RAF1, RIT1, or other non-HRAS RASopathy genotypes favor Noonan syndrome.
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:21438134
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      the overall impression reported by experienced clinical geneticists is
      different from Costello syndrome due to p.G12S and may suggest a
      diagnosis of Noonan syndrome.
    explanation: >-
      This genotype-phenotype analysis directly documents that some Costello
      syndrome presentations can be mistaken clinically for Noonan syndrome.
- name: Cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome
  disease_term:
    preferred_term: cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome
    term:
      id: MONDO:0015280
      label: cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome
  description: >-
    Cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome is another RASopathy with shared facial,
    neurodevelopmental, and cardiac features that often enters the molecular
    differential for Costello syndrome.
  distinguishing_features:
  - HRAS variants support Costello syndrome, whereas BRAF, KRAS, and MAP2K1/2 variants support cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome.
  - Papillomata and characteristic tumor predisposition are more aligned with Costello syndrome than with classic cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome.
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:22495831
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      Costello syndrome and cardio-facio-cutaneous (CFC) syndrome are
      congenital anomaly syndromes characterized by a distinctive facial
      appearance, heart defects, and intellectual disability.
    explanation: >-
      This nationwide survey directly supports CFC syndrome as a clinically
      overlapping RASopathy differential for Costello syndrome.
experimental_models:
- name: Costello syndrome atrial-like cardiomyocyte model
  description: >-
    Human Costello syndrome induced pluripotent stem cell-derived atrial-like
    cardiomyocytes, including patient-derived and engineered HRAS Gly12 models,
    used to study disease-specific arrhythmogenesis.
  experimental_model_type: IPSC_DERIVED_MODEL
  organism:
    preferred_term: human
    term:
      id: NCBITaxon:9606
      label: Homo sapiens
  tissue_term:
    preferred_term: heart
    term:
      id: UBERON:0000948
      label: heart
  cell_types:
  - preferred_term: Atrial Cardiomyocyte
    term:
      id: CL:0002129
      label: regular atrial cardiac myocyte
  conditions:
  - Costello syndrome
  - HRAS Gly12 variants
  - tachyarrhythmia
  cell_source: Patient-derived and engineered induced pluripotent stem cells differentiated into atrial-like cardiomyocytes
  culture_system: Two-dimensional iPSC-derived atrial cardiomyocyte culture with electrophysiology and transcriptomic profiling
  publication: PMID:38415356
  findings:
  - statement: HRAS-mutant atrial-like cardiomyocytes recapitulate pacemaker-like reprogramming and arrhythmogenic automaticity underlying Costello syndrome MAT
    evidence:
    - reference: PMID:38415356
      supports: SUPPORT
      evidence_source: IN_VITRO
      snippet: >-
        This is the first human-induced pluripotent stem cell model
        establishing the mechanistic basis for multifocal atrial tachycardia
        in CS.
      explanation: >-
        This directly supports the model as a disease-relevant mechanistic
        platform for Costello syndrome arrhythmia.
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:38415356
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: IN_VITRO
    snippet: >-
      This study investigated how overactive HRAS activity triggers
      arrhythmogenesis in atrial-like cardiomyocytes (ACMs) derived from
      human-induced pluripotent stem cells bearing CS-associated HRAS variants.
    explanation: >-
      This publication establishes a first-class human cardiac disease model
      for Costello syndrome.
- name: Costello syndrome patient fibroblast models
  description: >-
    Primary fibroblast cultures derived from individuals with Costello syndrome
    used to study disease-specific metabolic dysregulation and extracellular
    matrix defects.
  experimental_model_type: PRIMARY_CELL_CULTURE
  organism:
    preferred_term: human
    term:
      id: NCBITaxon:9606
      label: Homo sapiens
  cell_types:
  - preferred_term: Fibroblast
    term:
      id: CL:0000057
      label: fibroblast
  conditions:
  - Costello syndrome
  cell_source: Primary patient-derived skin fibroblasts
  culture_system: Two-dimensional fibroblast culture with metabolic and extracellular matrix assays
  publication: PMID:34508588
  findings:
  - statement: Costello syndrome fibroblasts show increased energetic expenditure with accelerated glycolysis, lipid storage, and autophagic flux
    evidence:
    - reference: PMID:34508588
      supports: SUPPORT
      evidence_source: IN_VITRO
      snippet: >-
        Our findings provide a mechanistic link between upregulated HRAS
        function, defective growth and increased resting energetic expenditure
        in CS, and document that targeting p38 and PI3K signaling is able to
        revert this metabolic dysfunction.
      explanation: >-
        This supports fibroblast models as a translational system for Costello
        syndrome metabolic dysfunction.
  - statement: Costello syndrome fibroblasts fail to assemble elastic fibers efficiently and reveal a connective tissue disease mechanism
    evidence:
    - reference: PMID:10712202
      supports: SUPPORT
      evidence_source: IN_VITRO
      snippet: >-
        cultured skin fibroblasts obtained from patients with Costello syndrome
        did not assemble elastic fibers, despite an adequate synthesis of
        tropoelastin and normal deposition of the microfibrillar scaffold.
      explanation: >-
        This supports patient fibroblast culture as a mechanism-bearing model
        for the connective tissue component of Costello syndrome.
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:34508588
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: IN_VITRO
    snippet: >-
      Here, we show that constitutive plasma membrane translocation and
      activation of the GLUT4 glucose transporter, via reactive oxygen
      species-dependent AMP-activated protein kinase α and p38 hyperactivation,
      occurs in primary fibroblasts of CS patients,
    explanation: >-
      This establishes primary patient fibroblasts as a validated Costello
      syndrome metabolic model system.
datasets:
- accession: geo:GSE64194
  title: Expression data to investigate Costello syndrome using human iPSCs differentiated into astroglial progenitors and astrocytes
  description: >-
    Human microarray dataset comparing HRAS-mutant and HRAS-wild-type
    pluripotent stem cell-derived astroglial progenitors and astrocytes to
    define neuroglial extracellular-matrix and maturation abnormalities in
    Costello syndrome.
  organism:
    preferred_term: human
    term:
      id: NCBITaxon:9606
      label: Homo sapiens
  data_type: MICROARRAY
  sample_types:
  - preferred_term: iPSC-derived astroglial progenitor
  - preferred_term: iPSC-derived astrocyte
  sample_count: 9
  conditions:
  - Costello syndrome HRAS-mutant astroglial lineage
  - HRAS-wild-type control astroglial lineage
  publication: PMID:25947161
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:25947161
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: IN_VITRO
    snippet: >-
      Human iPSCs derived from patients with Costello syndrome differentiated
      to astroglia more rapidly in vitro than those derived from wild-type cell
      lines with normal HRAS, exhibited hyperplasia, and also generated an
      abundance of extracellular matrix remodeling factors and proteoglycans.
    explanation: >-
      This publication-linked GEO series is a direct human-cell transcriptomic
      resource for Costello syndrome astroglial pathology.
- accession: geo:GSE187493
  title: Transcriptome analysis of skeletal muscle tissue from Hras G12V mutant mice
  description: >-
    Mouse bulk RNA-seq dataset profiling skeletal muscle from an activating
    Hras Costello syndrome model to define transcriptional programs associated
    with myopathy, hypotonia, and MAPK-driven rescue biology.
  organism:
    preferred_term: house mouse
    term:
      id: NCBITaxon:10090
      label: Mus musculus
  data_type: BULK_RNA_SEQ
  sample_types:
  - preferred_term: skeletal muscle tissue
    tissue_term:
      preferred_term: skeletal muscle tissue
      term:
        id: UBERON:0001134
        label: skeletal muscle tissue
  sample_count: 6
  conditions:
  - HrasG12V Costello syndrome mouse model
  - wild-type skeletal muscle control
  publication: PMID:34553752
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:34553752
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: MODEL_ORGANISM
    snippet: >-
      To gain a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying hypotonia in
      CS, a mouse model with an activating HrasG12V allele was utilized.
    explanation: >-
      This study anchors the linked GEO RNA-seq dataset as a mechanistically
      relevant model-organism resource for Costello syndrome muscle pathology.
clinical_trials:
- name: NCT04888936
  phase: NOT_APPLICABLE
  status: RECRUITING
  description: >-
    Ongoing NIH natural-history and biospecimen study of children and adults
    with RASopathies, including Costello syndrome, designed to quantify cancer
    incidence and longitudinal non-tumor manifestations.
  evidence:
  - reference: clinicaltrials:NCT04888936
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      Objective: To learn more about RASopathies, how genes and environmental
      factors contribute to cancer development in people with RASopathies, and
      the best way to find these cancers and other conditions early or prevent
      them.
    explanation: >-
      ClinicalTrials.gov directly documents an actively recruiting natural
      history cohort relevant to Costello syndrome cancer risk and longitudinal
      phenotyping.
- name: NCT05761314
  phase: NOT_APPLICABLE
  status: RECRUITING
  description: >-
    Recruiting interventional diagnostic study of solid-tumor prevalence and
    tumor molecular characterization across RASopathies including Costello
    syndrome.
  evidence:
  - reference: clinicaltrials:NCT05761314
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      Based on evidences provided by literature, cancer screening protocols are
      applied in some individuals affected by RASopathies, even though detailed
      information about prevalence and molecular pathogenesis of such tumors is
      still not clearly elucidate.
    explanation: >-
      This registry entry supports a currently recruiting study directly tied to
      Costello syndrome tumor surveillance and tumor biology.
- name: NCT06355622
  phase: NOT_APPLICABLE
  status: UNKNOWN
  description: >-
    Costello-inclusive RASopathy study assessing the prevalence and
    characterization of pain using questionnaires, biomarkers, and
    neurophysiologic testing; ClinicalTrials.gov listed overall status as
    unknown with last known recruiting status in the March 21, 2025 update.
  evidence:
  - reference: clinicaltrials:NCT06355622
    supports: SUPPORT
    evidence_source: HUMAN_CLINICAL
    snippet: >-
      Pain is a neglected topic in RASopathies but it is frequently complained
      by affected individuals.
    explanation: >-
      ClinicalTrials.gov identifies an additional Costello-relevant registry
      study targeting an undercurated symptom domain across RASopathies.
references:
- reference: DOI:10.1161/circep.123.012022
  title: <i>HRAS</i> -Mutant Cardiomyocyte Model of Multifocal Atrial
    Tachycardia
  findings: []
- reference: DOI:10.3390/genes15081015
  title: Cardiac Phenotype and Gene Mutations in RASopathies
  findings: []