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COG4-CDG is an extremely rare form of CDG syndrome characterized clinically in the single reported case to date by seizures, some dysmorphic features, axial hyponia, slight peripheral hypertonia and hyperreflexia.
Features include always present findings: Elevated circulating alkaline phosphatase concentration, Type II transferrin isoform profile, Irritability, and Frontotemporal cerebral atrophy and others; and very common findings: Abnormal protein N-linked glycosylation and Abnormal protein O-linked glycosylation. 42 total HPO annotations.
Organ System | Phenotype Count | Example Features |
|---|---|---|
Digestive system | 11 | Hepatic failure, Enlarged liver (hepatomegaly), Liver scarring (cirrhosis) (cirrhosis) |
Brain and nerves | 9 | Seizure, Ataxia, Irritability |
Blood and immune system | 6 | Enlarged spleen (splenomegaly), Recurrent infection of the gastrointestinal tract, Recurrent respiratory infections |
Muscles | 4 | Frontotemporal cerebral atrophy, Axial hypotonia, Brain shrinkage (cerebral atrophy) |
Growth and development | 3 | Failure to thrive, Growth delay, Failure to thrive in infancy |
Lab test results | 2 | Elevated circulating alkaline phosphatase concentration, Elevated circulating hepatic transaminase concentration |
Head and neck | 2 | Microcephaly, Abnormal facial shape |
Lungs and breathing | 2 | Recurrent respiratory infections, Recurrent upper respiratory tract infections |
Pregnancy and birth | 2 | Generalized neonatal hypotonia, Neonatal sepsis |
Eyes | 1 | Nystagmus |
Arms and legs | 1 | Limb hypertonia |
Saul-Wilson syndrome is a skeletal dysplasia characterized by profound short stature, distinctive craniofacial features, short distal phalanges of fingers and toes, and often clubfoot. Early development (primarily speech) is delayed; cognition is normal. Other findings can include hearing loss (conductive, sensorineural, and mixed), lamellar cataracts, and/or rod-cone retinal dystrophy. A total of 16 individuals with Saul-Wilson syndrome have been reported to date. Saul-Wilson syndrome was first described in a small-for-gestational-age infant with bulging fontanelles, clubfoot, blue sclerae, and blunted fingertips; over time, growth was delayed and the child developed bilateral cataracts, and hearing loss as the result of frequent otitis media .
Source: GeneReviews — "Saul-Wilson Syndrome"
COG4 encodes component of oligomeric golgi complex 4 (785 aa). Required for normal Golgi function. Plays a role in SNARE-pin assembly and Golgi-to-ER retrograde transport via its interaction with SCFD1 Highest expression in Testis (87.4 TPM) and Thyroid (64.7 TPM).
COG4-congenital disorder of glycosylation has been associated with mutations in the COG4 gene on chromosome 16.
COG4 is classified as a druggable target with score 0.0.
Formal diagnostic criteria for Saul-Wilson syndrome have not been established.
Saul-Wilson syndrome should be suspected in individuals with the following clinical, laboratory, and imaging findings .
Clinical findings
Source: GeneReviews — "Saul-Wilson Syndrome"
Table 2.
Disorders Interest in the Differential Diagnosis of Saul-Wilson Syndrome
DiffDx Disorder | Cause | MOI | Features of DiffDx Disorder
Overlapping w/SWS | Distinguishing from SWS
| Chromosome 11p15.5- or chromosome 7-related | See footnote 1. | Short stature (largely prenatal onset w/no postnatal catch-up growth); relative macrocephaly w/enlarged anterior fontanelle; frontal prominence; blue sclerae; ivory epiphyses | Limb-length asymmetry, multiple caf au lait spots, hypoglycemia; no spondyloepimetaphyseal changes, ocular signs, hearing loss, neutropenia, or transaminases
Source: GeneReviews — "Saul-Wilson Syndrome"
Genetic testing for COG4 is available. Testing is considered supportive for diagnosis.
Biomarker and diagnostic research for COG4-congenital disorder of glycosylation has been reported in the published literature.
No approved treatments are currently available for COG4-congenital disorder of glycosylation. The disease remains an area of unmet medical need.
Gene therapy approaches for COG4-congenital disorder of glycosylation have been reported in the published literature.
Evaluations Following Initial Diagnosis To establish the extent of disease and needs in an individual diagnosed with Saul-Wilson syndrome, the evaluations summarized (if not performed as part of the evaluation that led to the diagnosis) are recommended. Table 3. Recommended Evaluations Following Initial Diagnosis in Individuals with Saul-Wilson Syndrome
System/Concern | Evaluation | Comment |
|---|---|---|
Constitutional | Measurement of HT, WT, HC | Assess for evidence of linear growth failure using SWS-specific growth charts. Gastrointestinal/ |
Feeding | Gastroenterology/ nutrition/ feeding team eval | Avoid overfeeding. |
Development | Developmental assessment | To incl motor speech/language eval |
Musculoskeletal | Refer to physiatry clinic (OT/PT, rehab specialist). | To evaluate fine gross motor skills, mobility, activities of daily living Refer to orthopedist. |
Eyes | Ophthalmologic eval | To incl assessment for rod-cone dystrophy in individuals old enough to cooperate:; BCVA; Refractive error; Assessment of dark adaptation; Full-field ERG; Spectral-domain OCT Young children: assess visual acuity refractive error as a baseline.Children adolescents: assess for cataracts. |
Source: GeneReviews — "Saul-Wilson Syndrome"
Participation in gymnastics and jumping on a trampoline should be avoided until atlanto-axial instability is excluded.
Source: GeneReviews — "Saul-Wilson Syndrome"
View trials for COG4-congenital disorder of glycosylation
Table 5. Recommended Surveillance for Individuals with Saul-Wilson Syndrome
System/Concern | Evaluation | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
Constitutional | Measure HT, WT, HC using growth curves standardized for SWS. | At each visit |
Development | Monitor developmental progress/ educational needs. | At each visit in young children |
Musculoskeletal | To evaluate fine gross motor skills, mobility, activities of daily living | Annually Assess osteoarticular pain. |
Hearing | Audiologic eval to determine type extent of hearing loss or success of intervention | Annually |
Other | Obtain complete blood counts to assess neutrophil count. | Annually (or as needed during acute infections) BCVA = best-corrected Snellen visual acuity; DXA = dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry; HC = head circumference; HT = height; SWS = Saul-Wilson syndrome; WT = weight |
Source: GeneReviews — "Saul-Wilson Syndrome"
Phenotype severity distribution: 13 always present features, 2 very common features, 11 common features.
Estimated prevalence: <1 in 1,000,000 (VERY_RARE).
No clinical trials have been registered for COG4-congenital disorder of glycosylation.
202 publications have been identified in PubMed for COG4-congenital disorder of glycosylation. Kisho has analyzed 144 by research type. Research spans Review / Meta-Analysis (49%), Basic Science / Preclinical (39%), and Diagnostic / Biomarker (4%).
Research Type | Count | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
Research summaries | 70 | 49% |
Laboratory research | 56 | 39% |
Testing and diagnosis research | 6 | 4% |
Disease patterns and progression | 5 | 3% |
Other research | 2 | 1% |
Patient case studies | 2 | 1% |
New treatment approaches | 2 | 1% |
Clinical study results | 1 | 1% |
Sumya FT (2026). [PMID: 41718976](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41718976/). *Subcell Biochem*. [Review / Meta-Analysis]
Ünsal Y (2026). [PMID: 39975416](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39975416/). *J Clin Res Pediatr Endocrinol*. [Review / Meta-Analysis]
Tachida Y (2026). [PMID: 41917388](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41917388/). *Adv Exp Med Biol*. [Review / Meta-Analysis]
Fu L (2026). [PMID: 41931467](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41931467/). *J Am Soc Mass Spectrom*. [Review / Meta-Analysis]
Ding S (2026). [PMID: 41939861](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41939861/). *Front Immunol*. [Review / Meta-Analysis]
Li P (2026). [PMID: 41316688](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41316688/). *Allergy*. [Review / Meta-Analysis]
Yi L (2026). [PMID: 41264770](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41264770/). *Protein Cell*. [Review / Meta-Analysis]
Micale L (2026). [PMID: 42202558](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42202558/). *Mol Genet Metab*. [Basic Science / Preclinical]
Weger M (2026). [PMID: 41644694](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41644694/). *Nat Metab*. [Diagnostic / Biomarker]
Johannes L (2026). [PMID: 41173705](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41173705/). *Trends Cell Biol*. [Review / Meta-Analysis]
Data assembled from 8 of 12 sources · Last updated Sep 20, 2026, 9:34 PM UTC
Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man
European rare disease database
Genetic and Rare Diseases Info Center
Common questions about COG4-congenital disorder of glycosylation
Hearing | Audiologic eval1 | Assess for SNHL conductive hearing loss. |
Hematology | Complete blood count w/absolute neutrophil count | To evaluate for neutropenia |
Liver | Aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase | To evaluate for liver enzymes Miscellaneous/ |
Other | Consultation w/clinical geneticist /or genetic counselor | Family support resources |
Treatment of Manifestations in Individuals with Saul-Wilson Syndrome Manifestation/Concern | Treatment | Considerations/Other Delayed |
development | See . | — |
Musculoskeletal | Skeletal dysplasia or physiatry clinic (orthopedics, OT/PT, rehab specialist) | Address mobility issues in those w/residual foot deformities (post-club foot repair), osteoarticular pain. Cervical spine |
compression | Surgical mgmt for medullopathy (C1-C2 fixation) by expert familiar w/skeletal dysplasias spine involvement | Given possibility of C1-C2 subluxation /or spinal cord compression, follow best practices in perioperative mgmt of those w/skeletal dysplasias.1 Cataract / Retinal |
dystrophy | Standard treatment(s) as recommended by ophthalmologist | Cataracts: Consider surgery when dense to prevent amblyopiaRetinal dystrophy:; Night vision scopes or selected wavelength filters2; Community vision services in teen yrs / young adulthood3 Hearing loss |
Neutropenia | Per treating immunologist or infectious disease specialist | If frequent infections: consider GCSF to improve absolute neutrophil counts.5 Family/ Community |