Objective:Variants of the polycystic kidney and hepatic disease 1 (PKHD1) gene are associated with autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD). This study aimed to identify the genetic causes in a Chinese pedigree with ARPKD and design a minigene construct of thePKHD1gene to investigate the impact of its variants on splicing.Methods:Umbilical cord samples from the proband and peripheral blood samples from his parents were collected, and genomic DNA was extracted for whole-exome sequencing (WES). Bioinformatic analysis was used to identify potential genetic causes, and Sanger sequencing confirmed the existence of variants within the pedigree. A minigene assay was performed to validate the effects of an intronic variant on mRNA splicing.Results:Two variants, c.9455del (p.N3152Tfs*10) and c.2408-13C>G, were identified in thePKHD1gene (NM_138694.4) by WES; the latter has not been previously reported. In silico analysis predicted that this intronic variant is potentially pathogenic. Bioinformatic splice prediction tools revealed that the variant is likely to strongly impact splice site function. Anin vitrominigene assay revealed that c.2408-13C>G can cause aberrant splicing, resulting in the retention of 12 bp of intron 23.Conclusion:A novel pathogenic variant ofPKHD1, c.2408-13C>G, was found in a fetus with ARPKD, which enriches the variant spectrum of thePKHD1gene and provides a basis for genetic counseling and the diagnosis of ARPKD. Minigenes are optimal to determine whether intron variants can cause aberrant splicing.