RNA sequencing resolves cryptic pathogenic variants in mitochondrial disease

Abstract

BackgroundMitochondrial diseases are the most common inherited metabolic disorders, characterized by pronounced clinical and genetic heterogeneity that complicates molecular diagnosis. Although DNA-based sequencing approaches have become standard in genetic testing, up to half of patients remain without a definitive diagnosis. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) provides a complementary layer of evidence by revealing functional consequences of genetic variation, thereby improving diagnostic yield. MethodsWe performed RNA-seq on skin fibroblasts from 140 pediatric patients with suspected mitochondrial disease who remained genetically undiagnosed after whole exome sequencing (WES). Aberrant RNA expression and splicing were identified using the detection of RNA outliers pipeline (DROP). Based on WES findings, patients were stratified into a candidate group (n=28), in which RNA-seq evaluated the pathogenicity of WES-identified variants of uncertain significance and an unsolved group (n=112), in which RNA-seq was used to pinpoint candidate genes. In six cases where RNA-seq identified the aberrant RNA-event but WES did not detect the causative variants, whole genome sequencing (WGS) was performed. ResultsIntegrative RNA-seq, WES, and WGS analysis resulted in a genetic diagnosis in 25% of patients overall (20/28 [71%] in the candidate group; 15/112 [13%] in the unsolved group). Aberrant splicing explained most candidate-group diagnoses, including variants misclassified by in silico predictors such as SpliceAI. Fourteen percent of protein-truncating variants predicted to undergo nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) escaped degradation, highlighting the functional limits of current predictions. The variants identified in the unsolved cohort included synonymous, missense, deep intronic, near-splice-site variants, and large deletions. The most frequent amongst them was a recurrent synonymous East Asian founder mutation in ECHS1, accounting for seven cases. Interestingly, across 231 pathogenic variants associated with aberrant RNA phenotypes compiled from this study and prior reports, half were non-coding and half were coding variants. ConclusionRNA-seq substantially enhances molecular diagnosis in mitochondrial disease by exposing cryptic splicing, regulatory, and NMD-escape events invisible to DNA sequencing alone. These data advocate transcriptome analysis as an essential component of comprehensive genomic diagnostics in neuro-metabolic disease. Significance StatementMitochondrial diseases remain among the most challenging inherited metabolic disorders to diagnose, with nearly half of patients unresolved despite advanced DNA sequencing. By integrating transcriptome profiling into the diagnostic workflow, this study demonstrates that RNA sequencing can reveal pathogenic mechanisms invisible to exome or genome analysis, including cryptic splicing, regulatory variants, and transcripts that escape nonsense-mediated decay. The findings establish RNA-seq as a decisive bridge between genotype and phenotype, uncovering functional consequences of genetic variation and redefining molecular diagnostics for mitochondrial and other neuro-metabolic diseases.