| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||
1From the Department of Ophthalmology, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy; the 3Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), Naples, Italy; 4Institute of Genetics and Biophysics "A. Buzzati-Traverso", CNR, Naples, Italy; the 12Department of Pediatrics, "Federico II" University, Naples, Italy; the 5Department of Child Neurology and Psychiatry of the IRCCS (Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico) C. Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy; the 6University of Pavia University Eye Clinic, IRCCS San Matteo Hospital, Pavia, Italy; the 7Department of Ophthalmology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy; the 8IRCCS CSS-Mendel Institute, Rome, Italy; the 9Aging Research Center, CeSi, and the 10Department of Biomedical Sciences, G. D'Annunzio University Foundation, Chieti, Italy; and the 11Department of Medical and Surgical Pediatric Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
PURPOSE. To identify the molecular basis of Leber's congenital amaurosis (LCA) in a cohort of Italian patients and to perform genotype–phenotype analysis.
METHODS. DNA samples from 95 patients with LCA were analyzed by using a microarray chip containing disease-associated sequence variants in eight LCA genes. In addition, all patients in whom no mutations were identified by microarray were subjected to sequence analysis of the CEP290 gene. Patients with mutations identified underwent a detailed ophthalmic evaluation.
RESULTS. Disease-causing mutations were identified in 28% of patients, and twelve novel variants were identified. Mutations occurred more frequently in the RPE65 (8.4%), CRB1 (7.4%), and GUCY2D (5.2%) genes. Mutations in CEP290 were found in only 4.2% of the patients analyzed. Clinical assessment of patients carrying RPE65 or CRB1 mutations revealed the presence of retained visual capabilities in the first decade of life. RPE65 mutations were almost always associated with normal macular thickness, as assessed by optical coherence tomography (OCT), whereas CRB1 mutations were associated with reduced retinal thickness and a coarsely laminated retina. Fundus autofluorescence was mostly observed in patients with RPE65 and GUCY2D mutations and was not elicitable in patients carrying CRB1.
CONCLUSIONS. RPE65 gene mutations represented a significant cause of LCA in the Italian population, whereas GUCY2D and CEP290 mutations had a lower frequency than that found in other reports. This finding suggests that the genetic epidemiology of LCA in Italy is different from that reported in the United States and in northern European countries. Autofluorescence in patients with RPE65 mutations was more frequently associated with preserved retinal thickness, which suggests that these mutations are not associated with progression of retinal degeneration. Therefore, normal retinal thickness (identified with OCT) and fundus autofluorescence may be the means with which to identify patients with LCA who carry RPE65 mutations, which are expected to be a potential gene therapy target in the near future.
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  B. Lorenz, E. Poliakov, M. Schambeck, C. Friedburg, M. N. Preising, and T. M. Redmond A Comprehensive Clinical and Biochemical Functional Study of a Novel RPE65 Hypomorphic Mutation Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., December 1, 2008; 49(12): 5235 - 5242. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 A. M. Maguire, F. Simonelli, E. A. Pierce, E. N. Pugh Jr., F. Mingozzi, J. Bennicelli, S. Banfi, K. A. Marshall, F. Testa, E. M. Surace, et al. Safety and Efficacy of Gene Transfer for Leber's Congenital Amaurosis N. Engl. J. Med., May 22, 2008; 358(21): 2240 - 2248. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
