SMAD6-deficiency in human genetic disorders

SMAD6 encodes an intracellular inhibitor of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signalling pathway. Until now, SMAD6-deficiency has been associated with three distinctive human congenital conditions, i.e., congenital heart diseases, including left ventricular obstruction and conotruncal defects, craniosynostosis and radioulnar synostosis. Intriguingly, a similar spectrum of heterozygous loss-of-function variants has been reported to cause these clinically distinct disorders without a genotype–phenotype correlation. Even identical nucleotide changes have been described in patients with either a cardiovascular phenotype, craniosynostosis or radioulnar synostosis. These findings suggest that the primary pathogenic variant alone cannot explain the resultant patient phenotype. In this review, we summarise clinical and (patho)genetic (dis)similarities between these three SMAD6-related conditions, compare published Madh6 mouse models, in which the importance and impact of the genetic background with respect to the observed phenotype is highlighted, and elaborate on the cellular key mechanisms orchestrated by SMAD6 in the development of these three discrete inherited disorders. In addition, we discuss future research needed to elucidate the pathogenetic mechanisms underlying these diseases in order to improve their molecular diagnosis, advance therapeutic strategies and facilitate counselling of patients and their families.