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Zaydon YA, Tsang SH. The ABCs of Stargardt disease: the latest advances in precision medicine. Cell Biosci 2024; 14:98. [PMID: 39060921 PMCID: PMC11282698 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-024-01272-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Stargardt disease (STGD) is the most common form of inherited juvenile macular dystrophy and is caused by sequence variants in the ABCA4 gene. Due to its genetic complexity and phenotypic variability, STGD poses significant therapeutic challenges. In the past decade, a lot of progress has been made regarding our understanding of the molecular and clinical aspects of STGD, along with its mechanisms. This has led to the development of new therapies, and there are human clinical trials currently ongoing. This paper evaluates the emergence of pharmacological approaches targeting the visual cycle to mitigate retinal damage, the role of gene therapy in correcting specific genetic defects, and the use of stem cell therapies aimed at retinal regeneration by showcasing the latest clinical trials and precision medicine approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasmine A Zaydon
- Departments of Ophthalmology, Pathology and Cell Biology, Jonas Children's Vision Care, and Bernard and Shirlee Brown Glaucoma Laboratory, Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, Institute of Human Nutrition, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Stephen H Tsang
- Departments of Ophthalmology, Pathology and Cell Biology, Jonas Children's Vision Care, and Bernard and Shirlee Brown Glaucoma Laboratory, Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, Institute of Human Nutrition, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, The Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Institute of Human Nutrition, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
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2
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Ibrahim M, Jaffal L, Assi A, Helou C, El Shamieh S. ABCA4-related retinopathies in Lebanon. Heliyon 2024; 10:e30304. [PMID: 38694055 PMCID: PMC11061736 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Variants in ATP-binding cassette transporter type A4 (ABCA4) have been linked to several forms of inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) besides the classically defined Stargardt disease (STGD), known collectively as ABCA4 retinopathies. ABCA4 is a sizable locus harboring 50 exons; thus, its analysis has revealed over 2,400 variants described, of which more than 2,000 are causal. Due to the clinical and genetic heterogeneity, diagnosing ABCA4 retinopathies is challenging. To date, no ABCA4-related retinopathy has been detected in Lebanon. Using next-generation sequencing, we analyzed our IRDs' cohort retrospectively (61 families) and identified five with ABCA4-related retinopathies, making it a relatively abundant cause of IRDs (about 8 %). Three families were diagnosed with rod-cone dystrophy (RCD), two with STGD, and one with cone-rod dystrophy (CRD). In conclusion, our study showed the presence of ABCA4 variants with a high degree of heterogeneity in Lebanon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariam Ibrahim
- Molecular Testing Laboratory, Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, Lebanon
- Rammal Hassan Rammal Research Laboratory, PhyToxE Research Group, Faculty of Sciences, Lebanese University, Nabatieh, Lebanon
| | - Lama Jaffal
- Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese International University, Beirut, Lebanon
| | | | - Charles Helou
- Retinal Service, Beirut Eye & ENT Specialist Hospital, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Said El Shamieh
- Molecular Testing Laboratory, Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, Lebanon
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3
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Bianco L, Arrigo A, Antropoli A, Manitto MP, Martina E, Aragona E, Bandello F, Battaglia Parodi M. Association Between Genotype and Phenotype Severity in ABCA4-Associated Retinopathy. JAMA Ophthalmol 2023; 141:826-833. [PMID: 37498587 PMCID: PMC10375385 DOI: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2023.3188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Importance ABCA4-associated retinopathy is a common inherited retinal disease, and its phenotype spans from late-onset macular dystrophy to extensive cone-rod degeneration. Over 2000 disease-causing variants in the ABCA4 gene have been identified. Objective To investigate genotype-phenotype correlations in ABCA4-associated retinopathy. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study took place at a single referral center for inherited retinal diseases in Italy. Data were prospectively acquired from January 2015 to June 2022. Patients diagnosed with an inherited retinal disease related to biallelic ABCA4 variants were included for analysis. Exposure Genotype, classified into 4 groups according to the presence of the (1) p.Gly1961Glu allele, (2) a hypomorphic allele, (3) at least 1 moderate variant (moderate genotypes), or (4) 2 biallelic severe variants (severe genotypes). Main Outcomes and Measures Total decreased autofluorescence (TDAF) and definitely decreased autofluorescence (DDAF) areas, inner and outer retinal volumes, and the respective progression rate. Results A total of 71 patients (median [IQR] age, 34 [22.4-47.2] years; 40 [56%] female) were included in the study, and 54 (76%) were followed up for a median (IQR) of 3.5 (1.6-4.7) years. Compared with moderate genotypes, those with the p.Gly1961Glu allele had smaller TDAF lesions by 61% (95% CI, -78% to -33%; P < .001) and DDAF lesions by 77% (95% CI, -93% to -18%; P = .02), along with slower growth rates for both TDAF (0.05 mm/y; 95% CI, 0.01-0.07; P < .001) and DDAF (0.06 mm/y; 95% CI, 0-0.12; P = .004). Hypomorphic alleles were associated with a thicker inner (+0.19 mm3; 95% CI, +0.02 to +0.36; P = .03) and outer retinal volume (+0.16 mm3; 95% CI, +0.03 to +0.28; P = .01) compared with moderate genotypes as well as a slower TDAF growth rate (0.05 mm/y; 95% CI, 0.01-0.08; P = .007). Severe genotypes had a 7-fold larger TDAF area (95% CI, 3.4-14.7; P < .001) and 11-fold larger DDAF area (95% CI, 2.9-42.1; P < .001) compared with moderate genotypes, along with faster growth rates estimated at 0.16 mm/y for TDAF (95% CI, 0.12-0.20; P < .001) and 0.17 mm/y for DDAF (95% CI, 0.12-0.23; P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance In this study of ABCA4-associated retinopathy, a 4-tier classification of genotypes was found to capture substantial variation in disease phenotype severity. These findings could prove beneficial for the prognostication of patients and warrant consideration of genotype in the design of future clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Bianco
- Department of Ophthalmology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandro Arrigo
- Department of Ophthalmology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessio Antropoli
- Department of Ophthalmology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Maria Pia Manitto
- Department of Ophthalmology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Martina
- Department of Ophthalmology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Emanuela Aragona
- Department of Ophthalmology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesco Bandello
- Department of Ophthalmology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
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Kalaw FGP, Ignacio JCI, Wu CY, Ferreyra H, Nudleman E, Baxter SL, Freeman WR, Borooah S. PENTOSAN POLYSULFATE SODIUM (ELMIRON) MACULOPATHY: A Genetic Perspective. Retina 2023; 43:1174-1181. [PMID: 36996461 DOI: 10.1097/iae.0000000000003794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/01/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE To assess genetic associations for pentosan polysufate sodium maculopathy. METHODS Genetic testing for inherited retinal dystrophy genes using exome testing and for 14 age-related macular degeneration-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using panel testing were performed. In addition, full-field electroretinograms (ffERG) were obtained to identify any cone-rod dystrophy. RESULTS Eleven of 15 patients were women, with a mean age of 69 (range 46-85). Inherited retinal dystrophy exome testing in five patients revealed six pathogenic variants, but failed to confirm inherited retinal dystrophy in any patient genetically. FfERG performed in 12 patients demonstrated only nonspecific a- and b-wave abnormalities in 11 cases and was normal in one case. For age-related macular degeneration single nucleotide polymorphisms, CFH rs3766405 ( P = 0.003) and CETP ( P = 0.027) were found to be statistically significantly associated with pentosan polysulfate maculopathy phenotype compared with the control population. CONCLUSION Pentosan polysulfate maculopathy is not associated with Mendelian inherited retinal dystrophy genes. However, several age-related macular degeneration risk alleles were identified to be associated with maculopathy compared with their frequency in the normal population. This suggests a role for genes in disease pathology, particularly the alternative complement pathway. These findings would benefit from further investigation to understand the risk of developing maculopathy in taking pentosan polysulfate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fritz Gerald P Kalaw
- Jacobs Retina Center, University of California San Diego, California
- The Viterbi Department of Ophthalmology and Shiley, Eye Institute, University of California San Diego, California
| | - John Carlos I Ignacio
- Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, Ohio Agriculture Research and Development Center, The Ohio State University, Wooster, Ohio
| | - Chris Y Wu
- Jacobs Retina Center, University of California San Diego, California
- The Viterbi Department of Ophthalmology and Shiley, Eye Institute, University of California San Diego, California
- California Retina Consultants, Santa Barbara, California; and
| | - Henry Ferreyra
- Jacobs Retina Center, University of California San Diego, California
- The Viterbi Department of Ophthalmology and Shiley, Eye Institute, University of California San Diego, California
| | - Eric Nudleman
- Jacobs Retina Center, University of California San Diego, California
- The Viterbi Department of Ophthalmology and Shiley, Eye Institute, University of California San Diego, California
| | - Sally L Baxter
- The Viterbi Department of Ophthalmology and Shiley, Eye Institute, University of California San Diego, California
- Health Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - William R Freeman
- Jacobs Retina Center, University of California San Diego, California
- The Viterbi Department of Ophthalmology and Shiley, Eye Institute, University of California San Diego, California
| | - Shyamanga Borooah
- Jacobs Retina Center, University of California San Diego, California
- The Viterbi Department of Ophthalmology and Shiley, Eye Institute, University of California San Diego, California
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Kim J, Woo S, de Gusmao CM, Zhao B, Chin DH, DiDonato RL, Nguyen MA, Nakayama T, Hu CA, Soucy A, Kuniholm A, Thornton JK, Riccardi O, Friedman DA, El Achkar CM, Dash Z, Cornelissen L, Donado C, Faour KNW, Bush LW, Suslovitch V, Lentucci C, Park PJ, Lee EA, Patterson A, Philippakis AA, Margus B, Berde CB, Yu TW. A framework for individualized splice-switching oligonucleotide therapy. Nature 2023; 619:828-836. [PMID: 37438524 PMCID: PMC10371869 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06277-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
Splice-switching antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) could be used to treat a subset of individuals with genetic diseases1, but the systematic identification of such individuals remains a challenge. Here we performed whole-genome sequencing analyses to characterize genetic variation in 235 individuals (from 209 families) with ataxia-telangiectasia, a severely debilitating and life-threatening recessive genetic disorder2,3, yielding a complete molecular diagnosis in almost all individuals. We developed a predictive taxonomy to assess the amenability of each individual to splice-switching ASO intervention; 9% and 6% of the individuals had variants that were 'probably' or 'possibly' amenable to ASO splice modulation, respectively. Most amenable variants were in deep intronic regions that are inaccessible to exon-targeted sequencing. We developed ASOs that successfully rescued mis-splicing and ATM cellular signalling in patient fibroblasts for two recurrent variants. In a pilot clinical study, one of these ASOs was used to treat a child who had been diagnosed with ataxia-telangiectasia soon after birth, and showed good tolerability without serious adverse events for three years. Our study provides a framework for the prospective identification of individuals with genetic diseases who might benefit from a therapeutic approach involving splice-switching ASOs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinkuk Kim
- Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
- Biomedical Research Center, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
- KI for Health Science and Technology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
- Center for Epidemic Preparedness, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
| | - Sijae Woo
- Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Claudio M de Gusmao
- Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Postgraduate School of Medical Science, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Boxun Zhao
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Diana H Chin
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Renata L DiDonato
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Minh A Nguyen
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Tojo Nakayama
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Chunguang April Hu
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Aubrie Soucy
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ashley Kuniholm
- Institutional Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Olivia Riccardi
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Danielle A Friedman
- Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Zane Dash
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Laura Cornelissen
- Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Carolina Donado
- Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kamli N W Faour
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lynn W Bush
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Bioethics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Victoria Suslovitch
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Claudia Lentucci
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Peter J Park
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Eunjung Alice Lee
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Al Patterson
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pharmacy, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Anthony A Philippakis
- Eric and Wendy Schmidt Center, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Brad Margus
- Ataxia Telangiectasia Children's Project, Coconut Creek, FL, USA
| | - Charles B Berde
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Timothy W Yu
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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Tian L, Chen C, Song Y, Zhang X, Xu K, Xie Y, Jin ZB, Li Y. Phenotype-Based Genetic Analysis Reveals Missing Heritability of ABCA4-Related Retinopathy: Deep Intronic Variants and Copy Number Variations. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2022; 63:5. [PMID: 35657619 PMCID: PMC9185996 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.63.6.5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose To identify the missing heritability of ABCA4-related retinopathy in a Chinese cohort. Methods We recruited 33 unrelated patients with ABCA4-related retinopathy carrying a monoallelic variant in ABCA4. All patients underwent ophthalmic examinations. Next-generation sequencing of the whole ABCA4 sequence, including coding and noncoding regions, was performed to detect deep intronic variants (DIVs) and copy number variations (CNVs). Results We identified eight missing pathogenic ABCA4 variants in 60.6% of the patients (20/33), which comprised five DIVs and three CNVs. The five DIVs, including four novel (c.1555-816T>G, c.2919-169T>G, c.2919-884G>T, and c.5461-1321A>G) and one reported (c.4539+1100A>G), accounted for the missing alleles in 51.5% of the patients. Minigene assays showed that four novel DIVs activated cryptic splice sites leading to the insertions of pseudoexons. The three novel CNVs consisted of one gross deletion of 1273 bp (exon 2) and two gross duplications covering 25.2 kb (exons 28-43) and 9.4 kb (exons 38-44). The microhomology domains were identified at the breakpoints and revealed the potential mechanisms of CNV formation. Conclusions DIVs and CNVs explained approximately two-thirds of the unresolved Chinese cases with ABCA4-related retinopathy. Combining results from phenotypic-directed screening, targeting the whole ABCA4 sequencing and in silico tools can help to identify the missing heritability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Tian
- Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Key Lab, Beijing, China
| | - Chunjie Chen
- Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Key Lab, Beijing, China
| | - Yuning Song
- Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Key Lab, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaohui Zhang
- Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Key Lab, Beijing, China
| | - Ke Xu
- Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Key Lab, Beijing, China
| | - Yue Xie
- Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Key Lab, Beijing, China
| | - Zi-Bing Jin
- Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Key Lab, Beijing, China
| | - Yang Li
- Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Key Lab, Beijing, China
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Matynia A, Wang J, Kim S, Li Y, Dimashkie A, Jiang Z, Hu J, Strom SP, Radu RA, Chen R, Gorin MB. Assessing Variant Causality and Severity Using Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells Derived from Stargardt Disease Patients. Transl Vis Sci Technol 2022; 11:33. [PMID: 35348597 PMCID: PMC8976924 DOI: 10.1167/tvst.11.3.33] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 02/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose Modern molecular genetics has revolutionized gene discovery, genetic diagnoses, and precision medicine yet many patients remain unable to benefit from these advances as disease-causing variants remain elusive for up to half of Mendelian genetic disorders. Patient-derived induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells and transcriptomics were used to identify the fate of unsolved ABCA4 alleles in patients with Stargardt disease. Methods Multiple independent iPS lines were generated from skin biopsies of three patients with Stargardt disease harboring a single identified pathogenic ABCA4 variant. Derived retinal pigment epithelial cells (dRPE) from a normal control and patient cells were subjected to RNA-Seq on the Novaseq6000 platform, analyzed using DESeq2 with calculation of allele specific imbalance from the pathogenic or a known linked variant. Protein analysis was performed using the automated Simple Western system. Results Nine dRPE samples were generated, with transcriptome analysis on eight. Allele-specific expression indicated normal transcripts expressed from splice variants albeit at low levels, and missense transcripts expressed at near-normal levels. Corresponding protein was not easily detected. Patient phenotype correlation indicated missense variants expressed at high levels have more deleterious outcomes. Transcriptome analysis suggests mitochondrial membrane biodynamics and the unfolded protein response pathway may be relevant in Stargardt disease. Conclusions Patient-specific iPS-derived RPE cells set the stage to assess non-expressing variants in difficult-to-detect genomic regions using easily biopsied tissue. Translational Relevance This "Disease in a Dish" approach is likely to enhance the ability of patients to participate in and benefit from clinical trials while providing insights into perturbations in RPE biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Matynia
- UCLA Stein Eye Institute and Department of Ophthalmology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jun Wang
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Sangbae Kim
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yumei Li
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Anupama Dimashkie
- Eli and Edythe Broad Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Zhichun Jiang
- UCLA Stein Eye Institute and Department of Ophthalmology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jane Hu
- UCLA Stein Eye Institute and Department of Ophthalmology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Roxana A. Radu
- UCLA Stein Eye Institute and Department of Ophthalmology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Rui Chen
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Structural and Computational Biology and Molecular Biophysics Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Michael B. Gorin
- UCLA Stein Eye Institute and Department of Ophthalmology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Parmann R, Tsang SH, Zernant J, Allikmets R, Greenstein VC, Sparrow JR. Comparisons Among Optical Coherence Tomography and Fundus Autofluorescence Modalities as Measurements of Atrophy in ABCA4-Associated Disease. Transl Vis Sci Technol 2022; 11:36. [PMID: 35089312 PMCID: PMC8802021 DOI: 10.1167/tvst.11.1.36] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose In ABCA4-associated retinopathy, central atrophy was assessed by spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and by short-wavelength (SW-AF) and near-infrared (NIR-AF) autofluorescence. Methods Patients exhibited a central atrophic lesion characterized by hypoautofluorescence (hypoAF) surrounded either by hyperautofluorescent (hyperAF) rings in both AF images (group 1, 4 patients); or a hyperAF ring in SW-AF but not in NIR-AF images (group 2, 11 patients); or hyperAF rings in neither AF images (group 3, 11 patients). Choroidal hypertransmission and widths of ellipsoid zone (EZ) loss were measured in foveal SD-OCT scans, and in AF images hypoAF and total hypo+hyperAF widths were measured along the same axis. Bland-Altman and repeated measures analysis of variance with Tukey post hoc were applied. Results For all groups, hypertransmission widths were significantly smaller than EZ loss widths. In Groups 1 and 2, hypertransmission width was not significantly different than SW-hypoAF width, but hypertransmission was narrower than the width of SW-hypo+hyperAF (groups 1, 2) and NIR-hypo+hyperAF (group 1). In group 3, the hypertransmission width was also significantly less than the width of SW-hypoAF and NIR-hypoAF. The EZ loss widths were not significantly different than measurements of total lesion size, the latter being the widths of SW-hypo+hyperAF and NIR-hypo+hyperAF (group 1); widths of NIR-hypoAF and SW-hypo+hyperAF (group 2); and widths of NIR-hypoAF and SW-hypoAF (group 3). Conclusions Hypertransmission and SW-hypoAF (except when reflecting total lesion width) underestimate lesion size detected by EZ loss, SW-hypoAF+hyperAF, and NIR-hypo+hyperAF. Translational Relevance The findings are significant to the selection of outcome measures in clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rait Parmann
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harkness Eye Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Stephen H Tsang
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harkness Eye Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jana Zernant
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harkness Eye Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rando Allikmets
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harkness Eye Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Vivienne C Greenstein
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harkness Eye Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Janet R Sparrow
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harkness Eye Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
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9
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Xiao X, Ye L, Chen C, Zheng H, Yuan J. Clinical Observation and Genotype-Phenotype Analysis of ABCA4- Related Hereditary Retinal Degeneration before Gene Therapy. Curr Gene Ther 2022; 22:342-351. [PMID: 35170407 PMCID: PMC10495610 DOI: 10.2174/1566523222666220216101539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Revised: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hereditary retinal degeneration (HRD) is an irreversible eye disease that results in blindness in severe cases. It is most commonly caused by variants in the ABCA4 gene. HRD presents a high degree of clinical and genetic heterogeneity. We determined genotypic and phenotypic correlations, in the natural course of clinical observation, of unrelated progenitors of HRD associated with ABCA4. OBJECTIVE To analyze the relationship between the phenotypes and genotypes of ABCA4 variants. METHODS A retrospective clinical study of five cases from the ophthalmology department of the People's Hospital of Wuhan University from January 2019 to October 2020 was conducted. We tested for ABCA4 variants in the probands. We performed eye tests, including the best-corrected visual acuity, super-wide fundus photography and spontaneous fluorescence photography, optical coherence tomography, and electrophysiological examination. RESULTS Disease-causing variants were identified in the ABCA4 genes of all patients. Among these, seven ABCA4 variants were novel. All patients were sporadic cases; only one patient had parents who were relatives, and the other four patients were offspring of unrelated parents. Two patients presented with Stargardt disease, mainly with macular lesions, two presented with retinitis pigmentosa (cone-rod type), and one presented with cone dystrophy. The visual acuity and visual field of the five patients showed varying degrees of deterioration and impairment. CONCLUSION The same ABCA4 mutation can lead to different clinical phenotypes, and there is variation in the degree of damage to vision, visual field, and electrophysiology among different clinical phenotypes. Clinicians must differentiate between and diagnose pathologies resulting from this mutation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuan Xiao
- Eye Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Hubei, Wuhan 430060, China
| | - Lin Ye
- Department of Eye Plastic and Lacrimal Diseases, Shenzhen Eye Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Changzheng Chen
- Eye Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Hubei, Wuhan 430060, China
| | - Hongmei Zheng
- Eye Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Hubei, Wuhan 430060, China
| | - Jiajia Yuan
- Eye Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Hubei, Wuhan 430060, China
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10
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11
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Song F, Owczarek-Lipska M, Ahmels T, Book M, Aisenbrey S, Menghini M, Barthelmes D, Schrader S, Spital G, Neidhardt J. High-Throughput Sequencing to Identify Mutations Associated with Retinal Dystrophies. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12081269. [PMID: 34440443 PMCID: PMC8391535 DOI: 10.3390/genes12081269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Revised: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Retinal dystrophies (RD) are clinically and genetically heterogenous disorders showing mutations in over 270 disease-associated genes. Several millions of people worldwide are affected with different types of RD. Studying the relevance of disease-associated sequence alterations will assist in understanding disorders and may lead to the development of therapeutic approaches. Here, we established a whole exome sequencing (WES) pipeline to rapidly identify disease-associated mutations in patients. Sanger sequencing was applied to identify deep-intronic variants and to verify the co-segregation of WES results within families. We analyzed 26 unrelated patients with different syndromic and non-syndromic clinical manifestations of RD. All patients underwent ophthalmic examinations. We identified nine novel disease-associated sequence variants among 37 variants identified in total. The sequence variants located to 17 different genes. Interestingly, two cases presenting with Stargardt disease carried deep-intronic variants in ABCA4. We have classified 21 variants as pathogenic variants, 4 as benign/likely benign variants, and 12 as variants of uncertain significance. This study highlights the importance of WES-based mutation analyses in RD patients supporting clinical decisions, broadly based genetic diagnosis and support genetic counselling. It is essential for any genetic therapy to expand the mutation spectrum, understand the genes' function, and correlate phenotypes with genotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Song
- Human Genetics Faculty VI-School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Oldenburg, Ammerländer Heerstrasse 114-118, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany; (F.S.); (M.O.-L.)
| | - Marta Owczarek-Lipska
- Human Genetics Faculty VI-School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Oldenburg, Ammerländer Heerstrasse 114-118, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany; (F.S.); (M.O.-L.)
- Research Center Neurosensory Science, University of Oldenburg, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Tim Ahmels
- Department of Ophthalmology, Pius-Hospital, University of Oldenburg, 26121 Oldenburg, Germany; (T.A.); (S.S.)
| | - Marius Book
- Eye Centre at the St. Franziskus Hospital, 48145 Münster, Germany; (M.B.); (G.S.)
| | - Sabine Aisenbrey
- Department of Ophthalmology, Vivantes Health Network Ltd., Neukölln Hospital, 12351 Berlin, Germany;
| | - Moreno Menghini
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ospedale Regionale di Lugano, 6900 Lugano, Switzerland;
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland;
| | - Daniel Barthelmes
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland;
| | - Stefan Schrader
- Department of Ophthalmology, Pius-Hospital, University of Oldenburg, 26121 Oldenburg, Germany; (T.A.); (S.S.)
| | - Georg Spital
- Eye Centre at the St. Franziskus Hospital, 48145 Münster, Germany; (M.B.); (G.S.)
| | - John Neidhardt
- Human Genetics Faculty VI-School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Oldenburg, Ammerländer Heerstrasse 114-118, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany; (F.S.); (M.O.-L.)
- Research Center Neurosensory Science, University of Oldenburg, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-(0)441-7983810
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12
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Al-Khuzaei S, Broadgate S, Foster CR, Shah M, Yu J, Downes SM, Halford S. An Overview of the Genetics of ABCA4 Retinopathies, an Evolving Story. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:1241. [PMID: 34440414 PMCID: PMC8392661 DOI: 10.3390/genes12081241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Stargardt disease (STGD1) and ABCA4 retinopathies (ABCA4R) are caused by pathogenic variants in the ABCA4 gene inherited in an autosomal recessive manner. The gene encodes an importer flippase protein that prevents the build-up of vitamin A derivatives that are toxic to the RPE. Diagnosing ABCA4R is complex due to its phenotypic variability and the presence of other inherited retinal dystrophy phenocopies. ABCA4 is a large gene, comprising 50 exons; to date > 2000 variants have been described. These include missense, nonsense, splicing, structural, and deep intronic variants. Missense variants account for the majority of variants in ABCA4. However, in a significant proportion of patients with an ABCA4R phenotype, a second variant in ABCA4 is not identified. This could be due to the presence of yet unknown variants, or hypomorphic alleles being incorrectly classified as benign, or the possibility that the disease is caused by a variant in another gene. This underlines the importance of accurate genetic testing. The pathogenicity of novel variants can be predicted using in silico programs, but these rely on databases that are not ethnically diverse, thus highlighting the need for studies in differing populations. Functional studies in vitro are useful towards assessing protein function but do not directly measure the flippase activity. Obtaining an accurate molecular diagnosis is becoming increasingly more important as targeted therapeutic options become available; these include pharmacological, gene-based, and cell replacement-based therapies. The aim of this review is to provide an update on the current status of genotyping in ABCA4 and the status of the therapeutic approaches being investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saoud Al-Khuzaei
- Oxford Eye Hospital, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK; (S.A.-K.); (M.S.)
- Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oxford, Level 6 John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK; (S.B.); (J.Y.)
| | - Suzanne Broadgate
- Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oxford, Level 6 John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK; (S.B.); (J.Y.)
| | | | - Mital Shah
- Oxford Eye Hospital, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK; (S.A.-K.); (M.S.)
| | - Jing Yu
- Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oxford, Level 6 John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK; (S.B.); (J.Y.)
| | - Susan M. Downes
- Oxford Eye Hospital, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK; (S.A.-K.); (M.S.)
- Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oxford, Level 6 John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK; (S.B.); (J.Y.)
| | - Stephanie Halford
- Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Oxford, Level 6 John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK; (S.B.); (J.Y.)
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13
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Sodi A, Mucciolo DP, Giorgio D, Passerini I, Pacini B, Bruschi M, Verdina T, Virgili G, Giansanti F, Murro V. Clinical and molecular findings in patients with pattern dystrophy. Ophthalmic Genet 2021; 42:577-587. [PMID: 34240658 DOI: 10.1080/13816810.2021.1938140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Purposes: To study the clinical and genetic background of a series of Italian patients affected by pattern dystrophy (PD).Methods: We reviewed patients with a clinical diagnosis of PD examined at the Eye Clinic in Florence from 2012 to 2019. We took into consideration patients with a standard ophthalmological examination, personal and familial ophthalmological history, fundus imaging, and molecular genetic analysis of genes PRPH2 and BEST1. We labelled patients with BEST1 and PRPH2 mutations as m-PD group (mutated) whereas patients with no mutations in these 2 genes as nm-PD group (non-mutated).Results: Seventy-seven PD patients were assessed (average age 59.7 ± 14.2, range 31-88 years). Fifty patients were placed in the nm-PD group and 27 in the m-PD. Pathogenic BEST1 and PRPH2 mutations were detected in 7% and 22% of PD patients, respectively. In total, we reported 1 BEST1 and 8 PRPH2 novel mutations. Ten patients were characterized by drusen in the nm-PD group whereas in no patients in the m-PD group drusen were detected at the fundus.Conclusions: An important proportion of patients affected by PD showed BEST1 or PRPH2 mutations. Patients affected by drusen represent a different sub-phenotype. Genetic examination is recommended for a correct clinical management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Sodi
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Dario Pasquale Mucciolo
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.,Ophthalmology Unit, San Jacopo Hospital, Pistoia, Italy
| | - Dario Giorgio
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Ilaria Passerini
- Department of Genetic Diagnosis, Careggi Teaching Hospital, Florence, Italy
| | - Bianca Pacini
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Mario Bruschi
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Tommaso Verdina
- Institute of Ophthalmology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Gianni Virgili
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.,IRCCS Fondazione G. B. Bietti, Roma, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Giansanti
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Vittoria Murro
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
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14
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Tomkiewicz TZ, Suárez-Herrera N, Cremers FPM, Collin RWJ, Garanto A. Antisense Oligonucleotide-Based Rescue of Aberrant Splicing Defects Caused by 15 Pathogenic Variants in ABCA4. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22094621. [PMID: 33924840 PMCID: PMC8124656 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22094621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The discovery of novel intronic variants in the ABCA4 locus has contributed significantly to solving the missing heritability in Stargardt disease (STGD1). The increasing number of variants affecting pre-mRNA splicing makes ABCA4 a suitable candidate for antisense oligonucleotide (AON)-based splicing modulation therapies. In this study, AON-based splicing modulation was assessed for 15 recently described intronic variants (three near-exon and 12 deep-intronic variants). In total, 26 AONs were designed and tested in vitro using a midigene-based splice system. Overall, partial or complete splicing correction was observed for two variants causing exon elongation and all variants causing pseudoexon inclusion. Together, our results confirm the high potential of AONs for the development of future RNA therapies to correct splicing defects causing STGD1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz Z. Tomkiewicz
- Department of Human Genetics and Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands; (T.Z.T.); (N.S.-H.); (F.P.M.C.); (R.W.J.C.)
| | - Nuria Suárez-Herrera
- Department of Human Genetics and Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands; (T.Z.T.); (N.S.-H.); (F.P.M.C.); (R.W.J.C.)
| | - Frans P. M. Cremers
- Department of Human Genetics and Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands; (T.Z.T.); (N.S.-H.); (F.P.M.C.); (R.W.J.C.)
| | - Rob W. J. Collin
- Department of Human Genetics and Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands; (T.Z.T.); (N.S.-H.); (F.P.M.C.); (R.W.J.C.)
| | - Alejandro Garanto
- Departments of Pediatrics and Human Genetics, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Correspondence:
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15
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Qian X, Wang J, Wang M, Igelman AD, Jones KD, Li Y, Wang K, Goetz KE, Birch DG, Yang P, Pennesi ME, Chen R. Identification of Deep-Intronic Splice Mutations in a Large Cohort of Patients With Inherited Retinal Diseases. Front Genet 2021; 12:647400. [PMID: 33737949 PMCID: PMC7960924 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.647400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
High throughput sequencing technologies have revolutionized the identification of mutations responsible for a diverse set of Mendelian disorders, including inherited retinal disorders (IRDs). However, the causal mutations remain elusive for a significant proportion of patients. This may be partially due to pathogenic mutations located in non-coding regions, which are largely missed by capture sequencing targeting the coding regions. The advent of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) allows us to systematically detect non-coding variations. However, the interpretation of these variations remains a significant bottleneck. In this study, we investigated the contribution of deep-intronic splice variants to IRDs. WGS was performed for a cohort of 571 IRD patients who lack a confident molecular diagnosis, and potential deep intronic variants that affect proper splicing were identified using SpliceAI. A total of six deleterious deep intronic variants were identified in eight patients. An in vitro minigene system was applied to further validate the effect of these variants on the splicing pattern of the associated genes. The prediction scores assigned to splice-site disruption positively correlated with the impact of mutations on splicing, as those with lower prediction scores demonstrated partial splicing. Through this study, we estimated the contribution of deep-intronic splice mutations to unassigned IRD patients and leveraged in silico and in vitro methods to establish a framework for prioritizing deep intronic variant candidates for mechanistic and functional analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinye Qian
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.,Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Jun Wang
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.,Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Meng Wang
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.,Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Austin D Igelman
- Department of Ophthalmology, Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Kaylie D Jones
- Retina Foundation of the Southwest and Department of Ophthalmology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Yumei Li
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Keqing Wang
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Kerry E Goetz
- Office of the Director, National Eye Institute/National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - David G Birch
- Retina Foundation of the Southwest and Department of Ophthalmology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Paul Yang
- Department of Ophthalmology, Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Mark E Pennesi
- Department of Ophthalmology, Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Rui Chen
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.,Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
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16
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Perrault I, Hanein S, Gérard X, Mounguengue N, Bouyakoub R, Zarhrate M, Fourrage C, Jabot-Hanin F, Bocquet B, Meunier I, Zanlonghi X, Kaplan J, Rozet JM. Whole Locus Sequencing Identifies a Prevalent Founder Deep Intronic RPGRIP1 Pathologic Variant in the French Leber Congenital Amaurosis Cohort. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12020287. [PMID: 33670832 PMCID: PMC7922592 DOI: 10.3390/genes12020287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Revised: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) encompasses the earliest and most severe retinal dystrophies and can occur as a non-syndromic or a syndromic disease. Molecular diagnosis in LCA is of particular importance in clinical decision-making and patient care since it can provide ocular and extraocular prognostics and identify patients eligible to develop gene-specific therapies. Routine high-throughput molecular testing in LCA yields 70%–80% of genetic diagnosis. In this study, we aimed to investigate the non-coding regions of one non-syndromic LCA gene, RPGRIP1, in a series of six families displaying one single disease allele after a gene-panel screening of 722 LCA families which identified 26 biallelic RPGRIP1 families. Using trio-based high-throughput whole locus sequencing (WLS) for second disease alleles, we identified a founder deep intronic mutation (NM_020366.3:c.1468-128T>G) in 3/6 families. We employed Sanger sequencing to search for the pathologic variant in unresolved LCA cases (106/722) and identified three additional families (two homozygous and one compound heterozygous with the NM_020366.3:c.930+77A>G deep intronic change). This makes the c.1468-128T>G the most frequent RPGRIP1 disease allele (8/60, 13%) in our cohort. Studying patient lymphoblasts, we show that the pathologic variant creates a donor splice-site and leads to the insertion of the pseudo-exon in the mRNA, which we were able to hamper using splice-switching antisense oligonucleotides (AONs), paving the way to therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle Perrault
- Laboratory of Genetics in Ophthalmology (LGO), INSERM UMR1163, Institute of Genetics Diseases, Imagine and Paris Descartes University, 75015 Paris, France; (X.G.); (N.M.); (R.B.); (J.K.); (J.-M.R.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Sylvain Hanein
- Translational Genetics, Institute of Genetic Diseases, INSERM UMR1163, Imagine and Paris Descartes University, 75015 Paris, France;
| | - Xavier Gérard
- Laboratory of Genetics in Ophthalmology (LGO), INSERM UMR1163, Institute of Genetics Diseases, Imagine and Paris Descartes University, 75015 Paris, France; (X.G.); (N.M.); (R.B.); (J.K.); (J.-M.R.)
| | - Nelson Mounguengue
- Laboratory of Genetics in Ophthalmology (LGO), INSERM UMR1163, Institute of Genetics Diseases, Imagine and Paris Descartes University, 75015 Paris, France; (X.G.); (N.M.); (R.B.); (J.K.); (J.-M.R.)
| | - Ryme Bouyakoub
- Laboratory of Genetics in Ophthalmology (LGO), INSERM UMR1163, Institute of Genetics Diseases, Imagine and Paris Descartes University, 75015 Paris, France; (X.G.); (N.M.); (R.B.); (J.K.); (J.-M.R.)
| | - Mohammed Zarhrate
- Genomics Platform, Institute of Genetics Diseases, Imagine and Paris Descartes University, 75015 Paris, France;
| | - Cécile Fourrage
- Bioinformatic Platform, Institute of Genetic Diseases, Imagine and Paris Descartes University, 75015 Paris, France; (C.F.); (F.J.-H.)
| | - Fabienne Jabot-Hanin
- Bioinformatic Platform, Institute of Genetic Diseases, Imagine and Paris Descartes University, 75015 Paris, France; (C.F.); (F.J.-H.)
- Bioinformatics Core Facility, Université Paris Descartes-Structure Fédérative de Recherche Necker, INSERM US24/CNRS UMS3633, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Béatrice Bocquet
- Centre de Référence des Affections Sensorielles Génétiques, Institut des Neurosciences de Montpellier, CHU-Saint Eloi Montpellier, 34091 Montpellier, France; (B.B.); (I.M.)
| | - Isabelle Meunier
- Centre de Référence des Affections Sensorielles Génétiques, Institut des Neurosciences de Montpellier, CHU-Saint Eloi Montpellier, 34091 Montpellier, France; (B.B.); (I.M.)
- National Reference Centre for Inherited Sensory Diseases, Univ Montpellier, CHU, 34091 Montpellier, France
| | - Xavier Zanlonghi
- Eye Clinic Jules Verne, 44300 Nantes, France;
- CHU, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Josseline Kaplan
- Laboratory of Genetics in Ophthalmology (LGO), INSERM UMR1163, Institute of Genetics Diseases, Imagine and Paris Descartes University, 75015 Paris, France; (X.G.); (N.M.); (R.B.); (J.K.); (J.-M.R.)
- Ophthalmology Department, University Hospital Henri Mondor, APHP, 94000 Créteil, France
| | - Jean-Michel Rozet
- Laboratory of Genetics in Ophthalmology (LGO), INSERM UMR1163, Institute of Genetics Diseases, Imagine and Paris Descartes University, 75015 Paris, France; (X.G.); (N.M.); (R.B.); (J.K.); (J.-M.R.)
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17
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Starace V, Battista M, Brambati M, Pederzolli M, Viganò C, Arrigo A, Cicinelli MV, Bandello F, Parodi MB. Genotypic and phenotypic factors influencing the rate of progression in ABCA-4-related Stargardt disease. EXPERT REVIEW OF OPHTHALMOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/17469899.2021.1860753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Vincenzo Starace
- Department of Ophthalmology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Battista
- Department of Ophthalmology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Maria Brambati
- Department of Ophthalmology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Matteo Pederzolli
- Department of Ophthalmology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Viganò
- Department of Ophthalmology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandro Arrigo
- Department of Ophthalmology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Maria Vittoria Cicinelli
- Department of Ophthalmology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesco Bandello
- Department of Ophthalmology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Maurizio Battaglia Parodi
- Department of Ophthalmology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
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18
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Khan M, Arno G, Fakin A, Parfitt DA, Dhooge PPA, Albert S, Bax NM, Duijkers L, Niblock M, Hau KL, Bloch E, Schiff ER, Piccolo D, Hogden MC, Hoyng CB, Webster AR, Cremers FPM, Cheetham ME, Garanto A, Collin RWJ. Detailed Phenotyping and Therapeutic Strategies for Intronic ABCA4 Variants in Stargardt Disease. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2020; 21:412-427. [PMID: 32653833 PMCID: PMC7352060 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2020.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Revised: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Stargardt disease is a progressive retinal disorder caused by bi-allelic mutations in the ABCA4 gene that encodes the ATP-binding cassette, subfamily A, member 4 transporter protein. Over the past few years, we and others have identified several pathogenic variants that reside within the introns of ABCA4, including a recurrent variant in intron 36 (c.5196+1137G>A) of which the pathogenicity so far remained controversial. Detailed clinical characterization of this variant confirmed its pathogenic nature, and classified it as an allele of intermediate severity. Moreover, we discovered several additional ABCA4 variants clustering in intron 36. Several of these variants resulted in aberrant splicing of ABCA4, i.e., the inclusion of pseudoexons, while the splicing defects caused by the recurrent c.5196+1137G>A variant strongly increased upon differentiation of patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells into retina-like cells. Finally, all splicing defects could be rescued by the administration of antisense oligonucleotides that were designed to specifically block the pseudoexon insertion, including rescue in 3D retinal organoids harboring the c.5196+1137G>A variant. Our data illustrate the importance of intronic variants in ABCA4 and expand the therapeutic possibilities for overcoming splicing defects in Stargardt disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mubeen Khan
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Gavin Arno
- UCL Institute for Ophthalmology, London, UK; Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, UK; Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, UK
| | - Ana Fakin
- UCL Institute for Ophthalmology, London, UK; Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, UK; Eye Hospital, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | | | - Patty P A Dhooge
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department of Ophthalmology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Silvia Albert
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Nathalie M Bax
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department of Ophthalmology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Lonneke Duijkers
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | | | - Kwan L Hau
- UCL Institute for Ophthalmology, London, UK
| | - Edward Bloch
- UCL Institute for Ophthalmology, London, UK; Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, UK
| | | | | | | | - Carel B Hoyng
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department of Ophthalmology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Andrew R Webster
- UCL Institute for Ophthalmology, London, UK; Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, UK
| | - Frans P M Cremers
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | | | - Alejandro Garanto
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Rob W J Collin
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
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Di Scipio M, Tavares E, Deshmukh S, Audo I, Green-Sanderson K, Zubak Y, Zine-Eddine F, Pearson A, Vig A, Tang CY, Mollica A, Karas J, Tumber A, Yu CW, Billingsley G, Wilson MD, Zeitz C, Héon E, Vincent A. Phenotype Driven Analysis of Whole Genome Sequencing Identifies Deep Intronic Variants that Cause Retinal Dystrophies by Aberrant Exonization. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2020; 61:36. [PMID: 32881472 PMCID: PMC7443117 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.61.10.36] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose To demonstrate the effectiveness of combining retinal phenotyping and focused variant filtering from genome sequencing (GS) in identifying deep intronic disease causing variants in inherited retinal dystrophies. Methods Affected members from three pedigrees with classical enhanced S-cone syndrome (ESCS; Pedigree 1), congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB; Pedigree 2), and achromatopsia (ACHM; Pedigree 3), respectively, underwent detailed ophthalmologic evaluation, optical coherence tomography, and electroretinography. The probands underwent panel-based genetic testing followed by GS analysis. Minigene constructs (NR2E3, GPR179 and CNGB3) and patient-derived cDNA experiments (NR2E3 and GPR179) were performed to assess the functional effect of the deep intronic variants. Results The electrophysiological findings confirmed the clinical diagnosis of ESCS, CSNB, and ACHM in the respective pedigrees. Panel-based testing revealed heterozygous pathogenic variants in NR2E3 (NM_014249.3; c.119-2A>C; Pedigree 1) and CNGB3 (NM_019098.4; c.1148delC/p.Thr383Ilefs*13; Pedigree 3). The GS revealed heterozygous deep intronic variants in Pedigrees 1 (NR2E3; c.1100+1124G>A) and 3 (CNGB3; c.852+4751A>T), and a homozygous GPR179 variant in Pedigree 2 (NM_001004334.3; c.903+343G>A). The identified variants segregated with the phenotype in all pedigrees. All deep intronic variants were predicted to generate a splice acceptor gain causing aberrant exonization in NR2E3 [89 base pairs (bp)], GPR179 (197 bp), and CNGB3 (73 bp); splicing defects were validated through patient-derived cDNA experiments and/or minigene constructs and rescued by antisense oligonucleotide treatment. Conclusions Deep intronic mutations contribute to missing heritability in retinal dystrophies. Combining results from phenotype-directed gene panel testing, GS, and in silico splice prediction tools can help identify these difficult-to-detect pathogenic deep intronic variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Di Scipio
- Genetics and Genomic Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Erika Tavares
- Genetics and Genomic Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Shriya Deshmukh
- Genetics and Genomic Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Isabelle Audo
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
- CHNO des Quinze-Vingts, INSERM-DGOS CIC1423, Paris, France
- University College London Institute of Ophthalmology, London, United Kingdom
| | - Kit Green-Sanderson
- Genetics and Genomic Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Yuliya Zubak
- Genetics and Genomic Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Fayçal Zine-Eddine
- Genetics and Genomic Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Alexander Pearson
- Genetics and Genomic Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Anjali Vig
- Genetics and Genomic Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Chen Yu Tang
- Genetics and Genomic Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Antonio Mollica
- Genetics and Genomic Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Jonathan Karas
- Genetics and Genomic Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Anupreet Tumber
- Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Caberry W. Yu
- Genetics and Genomic Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Gail Billingsley
- Genetics and Genomic Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Michael D. Wilson
- Genetics and Genomic Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Christina Zeitz
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
| | - Elise Héon
- Genetics and Genomic Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Ajoy Vincent
- Genetics and Genomic Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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Cremers FPM, Lee W, Collin RWJ, Allikmets R. Clinical spectrum, genetic complexity and therapeutic approaches for retinal disease caused by ABCA4 mutations. Prog Retin Eye Res 2020; 79:100861. [PMID: 32278709 PMCID: PMC7544654 DOI: 10.1016/j.preteyeres.2020.100861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 166] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2019] [Revised: 03/13/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The ABCA4 protein (then called a “rim protein”) was first
identified in 1978 in the rims and incisures of rod photoreceptors. The
corresponding gene, ABCA4, was cloned in 1997, and variants
were identified as the cause of autosomal recessive Stargardt disease (STGD1).
Over the next two decades, variation in ABCA4 has been
attributed to phenotypes other than the classically defined STGD1 or fundus
flavimaculatus, ranging from early onset and fast progressing cone-rod dystrophy
and retinitis pigmentosa-like phenotypes to very late onset cases of mostly mild
disease sometimes resembling, and confused with, age-related macular
degeneration. Similarly, analysis of the ABCA4 locus uncovered
a trove of genetic information, including >1200 disease-causing mutations
of varying severity, and of all types – missense, nonsense, small
deletions/insertions, and splicing affecting variants, of which many are located
deep-intronic. Altogether, this has greatly expanded our understanding of
complexity not only of the diseases caused by ABCA4 mutations,
but of all Mendelian diseases in general. This review provides an in depth
assessment of the cumulative knowledge of ABCA4-associated retinopathy –
clinical manifestations, genetic complexity, pathophysiology as well as current
and proposed therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frans P M Cremers
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, PO Box 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, PO Box 9104, 6500 HE, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - Winston Lee
- Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA; Department of Genetics & Development, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Rob W J Collin
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, PO Box 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, PO Box 9104, 6500 HE, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Rando Allikmets
- Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA; Department of Pathology & Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
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Increasing the Genetic Diagnosis Yield in Inherited Retinal Dystrophies: Assigning Pathogenicity to Novel Non-canonical Splice Site Variants. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:genes11040378. [PMID: 32244552 PMCID: PMC7231145 DOI: 10.3390/genes11040378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Revised: 03/22/2020] [Accepted: 03/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Aims: We aimed to validate the pathogenicity of genetic variants identified in inherited retinal dystrophy (IRD) patients, which were located in non-canonical splice sites (NCSS). Methods: After next generation sequencing (NGS) analysis (target gene panels or whole exome sequencing (WES)), NCSS variants were prioritized according to in silico predictions. In vivo and in vitro functional tests were used to validate their pathogenicity. Results: Four novel NCSS variants have been identified. They are located in intron 33 and 34 of ABCA4 (c.4774-9G>A and c.4849-8C>G, respectively), intron 2 of POC1B (c.101-3T>G) and intron 3 of RP2 (c.884-14G>A). Functional analysis detected different aberrant splicing events, including intron retention, exon skipping and intronic nucleotide addition, whose molecular effect was either the disruption or the elongation of the open reading frame of the corresponding gene. Conclusions: Our data increase the genetic diagnostic yield of IRD patients and expand the landscape of pathogenic variants, which will have an impact on the genotype–phenotype correlations and allow patients to opt for the emerging gene and cell therapies.
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