POMT1 mutation results in defective glycosylation and loss of laminin-binding activity in α-DG

Abstract
Walker–Warburg syndrome (WWS) is a congenital muscular dystrophy associated with neuronal migration disorder and structural eye abnormalities. The mutations in the O-mannosyltransferase 1 gene (POMT1) were identified recently in 20% of patients with WWS. The authors report on a patient with WWS and a novel POMT1 mutation. Their patient expressed α-dystroglycan (α-DG) core protein, but fully glycosylated α-DG antibody epitopes were absent, associated with the loss of laminin-binding activity.