Morphological features of the corneal endothelium in patients with pseudoexfoliative glaucoma

The Effects of Glaucoma and Glaucoma Therapies on Corneal Endothelial Cell Density

A healthy corneal endothelium is required for corneal clarity. Both the glaucoma disease state and its various forms of treatment can have adverse effects on the corneal endothelium. Both the presence of glaucoma and the magnitude of intraocular pressure elevation are related to endothelial cell loss (ECL). Topical medical therapy, laser procedures, and both traditional surgeries-trabeculectomy and tube-shunts-and newer minimally invasive glaucoma surgeries have variable effects on ECL. This review will summarize the reported effects of glaucoma and its treatment on ECL. Concerns for corneal endothelial cell health should be part of the decision-making process when planning glaucoma therapy for lowering intraocular pressure, with added caution in case of planned device implantation in eyes with preexisting ECL and low endothelial cell density at high risk for corneal endothelial decompensation.

Novel GLI3 Mutations in Chinese Patients with Non-syndromic Post-axial Polydactyly

BACKGROUND

Polydactyly, characterized by supernumerary digits in the upper or lower extremities, is the most common congenital digital abnormalities. It derives from the defective patterning of anteroposterior axis of the developing limb, with various etiology and clinical heterogeneity. The patients with post-axial polydactyly type A (PAPA) have the typical symptom of a well-formed supernumerary digit outside the fifth digit.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of present study was to identify the causative mutations of two unrelated Han Chinese patients with non-syndromic PAPA.

METHODS

Two unrelated Han Chinese patients and 100 ethnicity-matched, unrelated normal controls were recruited for this study. BGISEQ-500 exome sequencing was performed in the two patients, followed by validation in the patients and 100 controls by using Sanger sequencing.

RESULTS

Two mutations in the GLI family zinc finger 3 gene (GLI3), including a frameshift mutation c.3437_3453delTCGAGCAGCCCTGCCCC (p.L1146RfsX95) and a nonsense mutation c.3997C>T (p.Q1333X), were identified in two patients but were absent in the 100 healthy controls.

CONCLUSION

The two GLI3 mutations, p.L1146RfsX95 and p.Q1333X, may account for non-syndromic PAPA in the two patients, respectively. The findings of this study may expand the mutational spectrum of GLI3-PAPA and provide novel insights into the genetic basis of polydactyly.

Targeted Next Generation Sequencing Revealed Novel PRPF31 Mutations in Autosomal Dominant Retinitis Pigmentosa

BACKGROUND

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a rare type of inherited retinal dystrophy that can result in progressive vision loss. Molecular diagnosis of RP is challenging due to phenotypic and genotypic heterogeneities.

AIMS

This study aimed to identify the pathogenic mutations in two Chinese families with autosomal dominant RP (adRP) and in a patient with sporadic RP.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Peripheral blood DNA samples were obtained from the participants. Targeted next generation sequencing (NGS) was applied to identify mutations in these patients. For pathogenic mutation analyses, stringent NGS data analyses and segregation analyses were applied. Primers were designed to validate the identified mutations by Sanger sequencing analyses.

RESULTS

A novel heterozygous insertion frameshift mutation c.1226_1227insA, p.T410Dfs*65, and a novel heterozygous stopgain mutation c.1015C>T, p.Q339* were identified in PRPF31. A known c.527 + 3A>G splicing mutation was identified in one of the adRP-074 families. All mutations were found to co-segregate with the disease, and none of these mutations were detected in 500 control samples.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data identified two new autosomal dominant mutations in PRPF31, expanding the mutational spectrum of this gene.