MSTO1
protein-codingmisato mitochondrial distribution and morphology regulator 1
Gene summary
Involved in mitochondrion distribution; mitochondrion organization; and positive regulation of mitochondrial fusion. Located in mitochondrial outer membrane. Is active in cytosol. [provided by Alliance of Genome Resources, Jul 2025]
MANE transcript
Inheritance
ClinVar variants
Top phenotype
gnomAD constraint
Max pathogenic AF
Genomic locus
External References & Databases
Transcript & Mutation Effects
hg38 • Region Span ~51.7 kbGenCC Phenotypes & Disease Associations
Curated gene-disease validity assertions and inheritance patterns
Inheritance Pattern: AR
Disease ID:MONDO:0044714
Submitter: Ambry Genetics
Inheritance Pattern: AR
Disease ID:MONDO:0044714
Submitter: PanelApp Australia
Inheritance Pattern: AR
Disease ID:MONDO:0044970
Submitter: ClinGen
The relationship between *MSTO1* and primary mitochondrial disease was evaluated using the ClinGen Clinical Validity Framework as of May 18, 2023. *MSTO1* encodes Misato mitochondrial distribution and morphology regulator 1, an outer mitochondrial membrane protein that plays a role in mitochondrial fusion. The *MSTO1* gene was first reported in relation to autosomal recessive primary mitochondrial disease in 2017 (PMID: 28544275), in two infants with cerebellar atrophy, developmental delay, myopathy, and elevated serum creatine kinase (CK) levels. Subsequent publications have shown a highly consistent phenotype of infantile onset (<2 years) cerebellar atrophy, myopathy, mild serum CK elevations, developmental delays, and ataxia with or without retinitis pigmentosa. Notably, at the same time of the initial report, a case with proposed dominant inheritance was reported (PMID:2855494), however, since no subsequent dominant cases have been reported (and 22 autosomal recessive cases with a clear and consistent phenotype have been reported), this GCEP elected to curate this gene-disease relationship as an autosomal recessive condition. The possibility of different mechanisms of action leading to both dominant and recessive inheritance cannot be excluded, but additional cases are needed to support autosomal dominant inheritance of *MSTO1*-related disease. Furthermore, while various names have been given to the constellation of features seen in those with *MSTO1*-related disease, pathogenic variants in this gene cause a primary mitochondrial disease. Therefore, the *MSTO1* phenotype has been lumped into one disease entity according to the ClinGen Lumping and Splitting Framework. Evidence supporting this gene-disease relationship includes case-level data and experimental data. This curation included 13 unique variants (including one nonsense, one frameshift, two splicing, and nine missense variants) in eight probands (although more than 20 probands have been reported in the medical literature) across at least five publications from 2017-2021 (PMIDs: 28544275, 29339779, 30684668, 31463572, 33612823). Loss-of-function is implicated as a mechanism of disease. This gene-disease association is also supported by numerous Drosophila melanogaster models (PMIDs: 29255146, 9144213), functional alteration in non-patient cells showing mitochondrial fragmentation (PMID: 17349998), absence of wild type MSTO1 expression in affected patients but not controls (PMID: 31463572), and rescue of mitochondrial morphology and fusion deficits in patients’ cells transduced with wild type MSTO1 (PMID: 31463572). In summary, there is definitive evidence to support the relationship between *MSTO1* and primary mitochondrial disease. This has been repeatedly demonstrated and upheld over time, and no convincing evidence has emerged that contradicts this gene-disease relationship. This classification was approved by the NICHD/NINDS U24 ClinGen Mitochondrial Disease Gene Curation Expert Panel on on May 18, 2023.
Inheritance Pattern: AR
Disease ID:MONDO:0044714
Submitter: Labcorp Genetics (formerly Invitae)
Inheritance Pattern: AR
Disease ID:MONDO:0044714
Submitter: Broad Center for Mendelian Genomics
Inheritance Pattern: AD
Disease ID:MONDO:0044714
Submitter: PanelApp Australia
Clinical Genomic Database (CGD)
Manifestation: Musculoskeletal; Neurologic; Ophthalmologic
Intervention: General
Rationale: Genetic knowledge may be beneficial related to issues such as selection of optimal supportive care, informed medical decision-making, prognostic considerations, and avoidance of unnecessary testing
ClinVar Associated Diseases & Phenotypes
Reported disease conditions connected to MSTO1 variants in ClinVar
ClinVar Variants & Pathogenicity by Type
Statistics based on transcript NM_018116.4. Only rare variants are included.
We include only reliable ClinVar variants with their consequences to MANE Select, MANE Plus Clinical transcripts, or transcripts with TSL equal to 1. Click a count to filter the variants table below.
Slight differences between displayed counts and ClinVar may occur due to a different transcript/consequence chosen by our variant effect predictor, or because we classify Benign/Likely benign as Likely benign and Pathogenic/Likely pathogenic as Likely pathogenic.
| Effect | PathogenicP | Likely pathogenicLP | VUS | Likely benignLB | BenignB | Sum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| synonymous | 1 | 38 | 1 | 40 | ||
| missense | 2 | 12 | 131 | 13 | 4 | 162 |
| nonsense | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | ||
| start loss | 1 | 1 | ||||
| frameshift | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | ||
| splice donor/acceptor (+/-2bp) | 1 | 3 | 4 | |||
| Total | 7 | 21 | 136 | 51 | 5 | 220 |
Highest pathogenic variant AF is 0.00018783048
Transcript Catalog
Annotated transcript isoforms across RefSeq and Ensembl databases
| Transcript ID | Source | Protein ID | Coding Exons | MANE Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RefSeq | NP_060586.2 | 14 | MANE Select | |
| Ensembl | ENSP00000245564.3 | 14 | MANE Select | |
| RefSeq | NP_001243461.1 | 14 | Standard | |
| RefSeq | NP_001243462.1 | 14 | Standard |
Gene Ontology (GO) Annotations & Pathways
Biological processes, molecular functions, cellular components and pathways
Biological Process
- mitochondrial genome maintenance
- mitotic sister chromatid segregation
- mitochondrion organization
- mitochondrion distribution
- mitotic spindle assembly
Molecular Function
- molecular_function
Cellular Component
- cytoplasm
- mitochondrial outer membrane
gnomAD Constraint
Source:
- Gene type
- protein_coding
- Transcript type
- protein_coding
- Transcript
- ENST00000245564
- Coding exons
- 14
- Length
- 138175
- Individuals with no LoFs
- 125727
- Homozygous LoFs
- 0
- Heterozygous LoFs
- 21
- Defined
- 125748
- p
- 0.0000835
| Z-Score | Observed | Expected | Observed/Expected | Mutation Rate | Total Possible | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missense | -0.0211 | 262 | 261 | 1.00 | 0.0000134 | 3615 |
| Missense (PolyPhen) | 68 | 73.619 | 0.92368 | 1106 | ||
| Synonymous | -0.452 | 116 | 110 | 1.05 | 0.00000589 | 1197 |
| Loss of Function | 1.27 | 17 | 23.7 | 0.717 | 0.00000109 | 319 |
Population LoF Frequency
| Population | CAF | p-value | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| African | 0.00013 | 0.00012 | rare |
| Latino/Admixed American | 0.000029 | 0.000029 | rare |
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 0.000099 | 0.000099 | rare |
| East Asian | 0.00011 | 0.00011 | rare |
| Finnish | 0 | 0.0 | absent |
| European (Non-Finnish) | 0.00011 | 0.00011 | rare |
| South Asian | 0.00011 | 0.000098 | rare |
| Other | 0 | 0.0 | absent |
dbNSFP Gene Annotations
Source:
- Function
- FUNCTION: Involved in the regulation of mitochondrial distribution and morphology (PubMed:17349998, PubMed:28554942, PubMed:28544275). Required for mitochondrial fusion and mitochondrial network formation (PubMed:28554942, PubMed:28544275). {ECO:0000269|PubMed:17349998, ECO:0000269|PubMed:28544275, ECO:0000269|PubMed:28554942}.;
Essentials
- Essential (CRISPR)
- E
- Essential (CRISPR2)
- N
- Essential (gene trap)
- K
- Indispensability pred.
- N
- Indispensability score
- 0.288
Gene Damage Prediction
| All | Recessive | Dominant | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mendelian | Medium | Medium | Medium |
| Primary Immunodeficiency | Medium | Medium | Medium |
| Cancer | Medium | Medium | Medium |