Walker-Warburg syndrome (WWS) is an autosomal recessive multisystem disorder characterized by complex eye and brain abnormalities with congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD) and aberrant a-dystroglycan glycosylation.
As part of a multicentric Italian study we screened the POMT1 and POMT2 genes in 61 congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD) patients with alpha-dystroglycan reduction on muscle biopsy and/or clinical and radiological findings suggestive of the known forms of CMD with alpha-dystroglycan deficiency.
Biglycan has been considered a good candidate for neuromuscular disease based on direct interactions with collagen VI and alpha-dystroglycan, both of which are linked with congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD).
Overexpression of one gene implicated in CMD, LARGE, was recently shown to increase dystroglycan glycosylation and restore its function in cells taken from CMD patients.