Lateral meningocele syndrome is a disorder that affects the nervous system, the bones and muscles, and other body systems. The condition is characterized by abnormalities known as lateral meningoceles. Lateral meningoceles are protrusions of the membranes surrounding the spinal cord (known as the meninges) through gaps in the bones of the spine (vertebrae). The protrusions are most common and typically larger in the lower spine.

Lateral meningocele syndrome is caused by mutations in the NOTCH3 gene. This gene provides instructions for making a protein with one end (the intracellular end) that remains inside the cell, a middle (transmembrane) section that spans the cell membrane, and another end (the extracellular end) that projects from the outer surface of the cell. The NOTCH3 protein is called a receptor protein because certain other proteins, called ligands, attach (bind) to the extracellular end of NOTCH3, fitting like a key into a lock. This binding causes detachment of the intracellular end of the NOTCH3 protein, called the NOTCH3 intracellular domain, or NICD. The NICD enters the cell nucleus and helps control the activity (transcription) of other genes.

Lateral meningocele syndrome is a very rare disorder. Only a small number of cases have been described in the medical literature.

This condition is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern, which means one copy of the altered gene in each cell is sufficient to cause the disorder. Most cases result from new mutations in the gene and occur in people with no history of the disorder in their family. Occasionally, an affected person inherits the mutation from one affected parent.

Published Date: August 01, 2016
Published By: National Institutes of Health