<i>MSH3</i>: a confirmed predisposing gene for adenomatous polyposis.

Abstract

The <i>MSH3</i> gene is part of the DNA mismatch repair system, but has never been shown to be involved in Lynch syndrome. A first report of four patients from two families, bearing biallelic <i>MSH3</i> germline variants, with a phenotype of attenuated colorectal adenomatous polyposis raised the question of its involvement in hereditary cancer predisposition. The patients' tumours exhibited elevated microsatellite alterations at selected tetranucleotide repeats (EMAST), a hallmark of <i>MSH3</i> deficiency. We report five new unrelated patients with <i>MSH3</i>-associated polyposis. We describe their personal and familial history and study the EMAST phenotype in various normal and tumour samples, which are relevant findings based on the rarity of this polyposis subtype so far. All patients had attenuated colorectal adenomatous polyposis, with duodenal polyposis in two cases. Both women had breast carcinomas. EMAST phenotype was present at various levels in different samples of the five patients, confirming the <i>MSH3</i> deficiency, with a gradient of instability in polyps depending on their degree of dysplasia. The negative EMAST phenotype ruled out the diagnosis of germline <i>MSH3</i> deficiency for two patients: one homozygous for a benign variant and one with a monoallelic large deletion. This report lends further credence to biallelic <i>MSH3</i> germline pathogenic variants being involved in colorectal and duodenal adenomatous polyposis. Large-scale studies may help clarify the tumour spectrum and associated risks. Ascertainment of EMAST may help with the interpretation of variants of unknown significance. We recommend adding <i>MSH3</i> to dedicated diagnostic gene panels.