scholarly journals Rare Genetic Variants in Jewish Patients Suffering from Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Genes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 825 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shoshany ◽  
Weiner ◽  
Safir ◽  
Einan-Lifshitz ◽  
Pokroy ◽  
...  

Purpose: To identify rare genetic variants in early age-related macular degeneration (AMD) utilizing whole-exome sequencing (WES). Methods: Eight non-related early-AMD families of different Jewish ethnicities were ascertained. Initial mutation screening (phase-1) included common complement factor-H (CFH) p.Y402H; and age related maculopathy susceptibility 2 (ARMS2) p.A69S; and rare variants complement factor-I (CFI) p.V412M; and hemicentin1 (HMCN1) c.4163delC identified previously in our population. Four families, whose initial screening for the aforementioned variants was negative, underwent WES (phase-2). Bioinformatics filtering was based on functionality (from a panel of 234 genes with proven or presumed association to AMD); predicted severity; and frequency (rare variants with minor allele frequency <1%). When applicable, further screening for specific rare variants was carried out on additional cases of similar ethnicities and phenotypes (phase-3). Results: Phase-1 identified three families carrying CFI p.V412M mutation. WES analysis detected probable disease-related variants in three out of the remaining families. These included: a family with a variant in PLEKHA1 gene p.S177N; a family with previously reported variant p.R1210C in CFH gene; and two families with the C3 p.R735W variant. Conclusions: Rare, high-penetrance variants have a profound contribution to early-AMD pathogenesis. Utilization of WES in genetic research of multifactorial diseases as AMD, allows a thorough comprehensive analysis with the identification of previously unreported rare variants.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah de Jong ◽  
Anita de Breuk ◽  
Elena B Volokhina ◽  
Bjorn Bakker ◽  
Alejandro Garanto ◽  
...  

Abstract Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a major cause of vision loss among the elderly in the Western world. Genetic variants in the complement factor H (CFH) gene are associated with AMD, but the functional consequences of many of these variants are currently unknown. In this study we aimed to determine the effect of 64 rare and low frequency variants in the CFH gene on systemic levels of factor H (FH) and complement activation marker C3bBbP using plasma samples of 252 carriers and 159 non-carriers. Individuals carrying a heterozygous nonsense, frameshift or missense variant in CFH presented with significantly decreased FH levels, and significantly increased C3bBbP levels in plasma compared to non-carrier controls. FH and C3bBbP plasma levels were relatively stable over time in samples collected during follow-up visits. Decreased FH and increased C3bBbP concentrations were observed in carriers compared to non-carriers of CFH variants among different AMD stages, with the exception of C3bBbP levels in advanced AMD stages, which were equally high in carriers and non-carriers. In AMD families, FH levels were decreased in carriers compared to non-carriers, but C3bBbP levels did not differ. Rare variants in the CFH gene can lead to reduced FH levels or reduced FH function as measured by increased C3bBbP levels. The effects of individual variants in the CFH gene reported in this study will improve the interpretation of rare and low frequency variants observed in AMD patients in clinical practice.


2015 ◽  
Vol 56 (11) ◽  
pp. 6873 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael P. Triebwasser ◽  
Elisha D. O. Roberson ◽  
Yi Yu ◽  
Elizabeth C. Schramm ◽  
Erin K. Wagner ◽  
...  

2015 ◽  
Vol 59 (5) ◽  
pp. 273-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masahiro Miyake ◽  
Masaaki Saito ◽  
Kenji Yamashiro ◽  
Tetsuju Sekiryu ◽  
Nagahisa Yoshimura

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