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Mäkeläinen S, Gòdia M, Hellsand M, Viluma A, Hahn D, Makdoumi K, Zeiss CJ, Mellersh C, Ricketts SL, Narfström K, Hallböök F, Ekesten B, Andersson G, Bergström TF. An ABCA4 loss-of-function mutation causes a canine form of Stargardt disease. PLoS Genet 2019; 15:e1007873. [PMID: 30889179 PMCID: PMC6424408 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Autosomal recessive retinal degenerative diseases cause visual impairment and blindness in both humans and dogs. Currently, no standard treatment is available, but pioneering gene therapy-based canine models have been instrumental for clinical trials in humans. To study a novel form of retinal degeneration in Labrador retriever dogs with clinical signs indicating cone and rod degeneration, we used whole-genome sequencing of an affected sib-pair and their unaffected parents. A frameshift insertion in the ATP binding cassette subfamily A member 4 (ABCA4) gene (c.4176insC), leading to a premature stop codon in exon 28 (p.F1393Lfs*1395), was identified. In contrast to unaffected dogs, no full-length ABCA4 protein was detected in the retina of an affected dog. The ABCA4 gene encodes a membrane transporter protein localized in the outer segments of rod and cone photoreceptors. In humans, the ABCA4 gene is associated with Stargardt disease (STGD), an autosomal recessive retinal degeneration leading to central visual impairment. A hallmark of STGD is the accumulation of lipofuscin deposits in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). The discovery of a canine homozygous ABCA4 loss-of-function mutation may advance the development of dog as a large animal model for human STGD. Stargardt disease (STGD) is the most common inherited retinal disease causing visual impairment and blindness in children and young adults, affecting 1 in 8–10 thousand people. For other inherited retinal diseases, the dog has become an established comparative animal model, both for identifying the underlying genetic causes and for developing new treatment methods. To date, there is no standard treatment for STGD and the only available animal model to study the disease is the mouse. As a nocturnal animal, the morphology of the mouse eye differs from humans and therefore the mouse model is not ideal for developing methods for treatment. We have studied a novel form of retinal degeneration in Labrador retriever dogs showing clinical signs similar to human STGD. To investigate the genetic cause of the disease, we used whole-genome sequencing of a family quartet including two affected offspring and their unaffected parents. This led to the identification of a loss-of-function mutation in the ABCA4 gene. The findings of this study may enable the development of a canine model for human STGD.
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MESH Headings
- ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily A, Member 4/chemistry
- ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily A, Member 4/genetics
- ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily A, Member 4/metabolism
- ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters/genetics
- Amino Acid Sequence
- Animals
- Base Sequence
- Codon, Nonsense
- Disease Models, Animal
- Dog Diseases/genetics
- Dog Diseases/metabolism
- Dog Diseases/pathology
- Dogs
- Female
- Genes, Recessive
- Homozygote
- Humans
- Lipofuscin/metabolism
- Macular Degeneration/congenital
- Macular Degeneration/genetics
- Macular Degeneration/metabolism
- Macular Degeneration/veterinary
- Male
- Microscopy, Fluorescence
- Models, Molecular
- Mutagenesis, Insertional
- Mutation
- Pedigree
- Protein Conformation
- Retina/metabolism
- Retina/pathology
- Stargardt Disease
- Whole Genome Sequencing
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Affiliation(s)
- Suvi Mäkeläinen
- Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Marta Gòdia
- Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Minas Hellsand
- Department of Neuroscience, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Agnese Viluma
- Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Daniela Hahn
- Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Karim Makdoumi
- Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Caroline J. Zeiss
- Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Cathryn Mellersh
- Kennel Club Genetics Centre, Animal Health Trust, Lanwades Park, Kentford, Newmarket, Suffolk, United Kingdom
| | - Sally L. Ricketts
- Kennel Club Genetics Centre, Animal Health Trust, Lanwades Park, Kentford, Newmarket, Suffolk, United Kingdom
| | - Kristina Narfström
- Section for Comparative Ophthalmology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri-Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Finn Hallböök
- Department of Neuroscience, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Björn Ekesten
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Göran Andersson
- Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Tomas F. Bergström
- Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
- * E-mail:
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Qi YH, Gao FJ, Hu FY, Zhang SH, Chen JY, Huang WJ, Tian GH, Wang M, Gan DK, Wu JH, Xu GZ. Next-Generation Sequencing-Aided Rapid Molecular Diagnosis of Occult Macular Dystrophy in a Chinese Family. Front Genet 2017; 8:107. [PMID: 28890726 PMCID: PMC5574873 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2017.00107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2017] [Accepted: 08/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose: To show early, rapid and accurate molecular diagnosis of occult macular dystrophy (OMD) in a four-generation Chinese family with inherited macular dystrophy. Methods: In the current study, we comprehensively screened 130 genes involved in common inherited non-syndromic eye diseases with next-generation sequencing-based target capture sequencing of the proband of a four-generation Chinese family that has suffered from maculopathy without a definitive diagnosis for over 10 years. Variants were filtered and analyzed to identify possible disease-causing variants before validation by Sanger sequencing. Results: Two heterozygous mutations—RP1L1 c.133 C > T (p.Arg45Trp), which is a hot spot for OMD, and ABCA4 c.6119 G > A (p.Arg2040Gln), which was identified in Stargardt’s disease were found in three patients, but neither of the mutations was found in the unaffected individuals in the same family, who are phenotypically normal or in the normal control volunteers. Conclusion: These results cannot only confirm the diagnosis of OMD in the proband, but also provide presymptomatic diagnosis of the proband’s children before the onset of visual acuity impairment and guidance regarding the prognosis and management of these patients. Heterozygous mutations of RP1L1 c.133 C > T (p.Arg45Trp) and ABCA4 c.6119 G > A (p.Arg2040Gln) are likely responsible for OMD. Our results further extend our current understanding of the genetic basis of OMD, and emphasize the importance of molecular diagnosis and genetic counseling for OMD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-He Qi
- Eye Institute, Eye and ENT Hospital, College of Medicine, Fudan UniversityShanghai, China
| | - Feng-Juan Gao
- Eye Institute, Eye and ENT Hospital, College of Medicine, Fudan UniversityShanghai, China
| | - Fang-Yuan Hu
- Eye Institute, Eye and ENT Hospital, College of Medicine, Fudan UniversityShanghai, China
| | - Sheng-Hai Zhang
- Eye Institute, Eye and ENT Hospital, College of Medicine, Fudan UniversityShanghai, China.,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Visual Impairment and Restoration, Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai MunicipalityShanghai, China.,Key Laboratory of Myopia, Ministry of HealthShanghai, China
| | - Jun-Yi Chen
- Eye Institute, Eye and ENT Hospital, College of Medicine, Fudan UniversityShanghai, China
| | - Wan-Jing Huang
- Eye Institute, Eye and ENT Hospital, College of Medicine, Fudan UniversityShanghai, China
| | - Guo-Hong Tian
- Eye Institute, Eye and ENT Hospital, College of Medicine, Fudan UniversityShanghai, China
| | - Min Wang
- Eye Institute, Eye and ENT Hospital, College of Medicine, Fudan UniversityShanghai, China
| | - De-Kang Gan
- Eye Institute, Eye and ENT Hospital, College of Medicine, Fudan UniversityShanghai, China
| | - Ji-Hong Wu
- Eye Institute, Eye and ENT Hospital, College of Medicine, Fudan UniversityShanghai, China.,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Visual Impairment and Restoration, Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai MunicipalityShanghai, China.,Key Laboratory of Myopia, Ministry of HealthShanghai, China
| | - Ge-Zhi Xu
- Eye Institute, Eye and ENT Hospital, College of Medicine, Fudan UniversityShanghai, China.,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Visual Impairment and Restoration, Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai MunicipalityShanghai, China.,Key Laboratory of Myopia, Ministry of HealthShanghai, China
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