LEBER CONGENITAL AMAUROSIS WITH LARGE RETINAL PIGMENT CLUMPS CAUSED BY COMPOUND HETEROZYGOUS MUTATIONS IN KCNJ13.

PURPOSE: To describe a patient with mutations in KCNJ13 presenting particular clinical features. METHODS: Standard ophthalmic examination, fundus autofluorescence, spectral domain optical coherence tomography, full-field electroretinography. The 3 exons of KCNJ13 were polymerase chain reaction amplified and Sanger sequenced. PATIENTS: A 31-year-old man with Leber congenital amaurosis. RESULTS: Patient had nystagmus since childhood, best-corrected visual acuity limited to 20/400 OD and 20/200 OS, and had cataracts extracted in both eyes. There were clumpy pigment deposits mostly in macular area, causing an uneven line of retinal pigment epithelium on spectral domain optical coherence tomography. In retinal parts devoid of pigment deposits around the optic disk and in periphery, retinal thickness was increased and hyperreflective formations were present either in the inner nuclear layer or in the outer nuclear layer. The patient was compound heterozygous for new mutations in KCNJ13 which encodes the Kir 7.1 potassium channel, c.314G>T (p.Ser105Ile) in exon 2 and c.655C>T (p.Gln219*) in exon 3. Both mutations were absent from databases. CONCLUSION: KCNJ13 mutations are responsible for early-onset retinal dystrophy, featuring remarkable clumpy pigment deposits at the level of the retinal pigment epithelium, suggesting dysfunction and disorganization of this tissue. Parts of the retina remain relatively preserved anatomically but are increased in thickness. This distinct fundus appearance should help in identifying the "KCNJ13 retinal dystrophy" to orient the molecular diagnosis.

A new autosomal dominant eye and lung syndrome linked to mutations in TIMP3 gene.

To revisit the autosomal dominant Sorsby fundus dystrophy (SFD) as a syndromic condition including late-onset pulmonary disease. We report clinical and imaging data of ten affected individuals from 2 unrelated families with SFD and carrying heterozygous TIMP3 mutations (c.572A > G, p.Y191C, exon 5, in family 1 and c.113C > G, p.S38C, exon 1, in family 2). In family 1, all SFD patients older than 50 (two generations) had also a severe emphysema, despite no history of smoking or asthma. In the preceding generation, the mother died of pulmonary emphysema and she was blind after the age of 50. Her two great-grandsons (<20 years), had abnormal Bruch Membrane thickness, a sign of eye disease. In family 2, eye and lung diseases were also associated in two generations, both occurred later, and lung disease was moderate (bronchiectasis). This is the first report of a syndromic SFD in line with the mouse model uncovering the role of TIMP3 in human lung morphogenesis and functions. The TIMP3 gene should be screened in familial pulmonary diseases with bronchiectasis, associated with a medical history of visual loss. In addition, SFD patients should be advised to avoid tobacco consumption, to practice sports, and to undergo regular pulmonary examinations.

Relative frequencies of inherited retinal dystrophies and optic neuropathies in Southern France: assessment of 21-year data management.

PURPOSE: Inherited retinal dystrophies (IRDs) and inherited optic neuropathies (IONs) are rare diseases defined by specific clinical and molecular features. The relative prevalence of these conditions was determined in Southern France. METHODS: Patients recruited from a specialized outpatient clinic over a 21-year period underwent extensive clinical investigations and 107 genes were screened by polymerase chain reaction/sequencing. RESULTS: There were 1957 IRD cases (1481 families) distributed in 70% of pigmentary retinopathy cases (56% non-syndromic, 14% syndromic), 20% maculopathies and 7% stationary conditions. Patients with retinitis pigmentosa were the most frequent (47%) followed by Usher syndrome (10.8%). Among non-syndromic pigmentary retinopathy patients, 84% had rod-cone dystrophy, 8% cone-rod dystrophy and 5% Leber congenital amaurosis. Macular dystrophies were encountered in 398 cases (30% had Stargardt disease and 11% had Best disease). There were 184 ION cases (127 families) distributed in 51% with dominant optic neuropathies, 33% with recessive/sporadic forms and 16% with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy. Positive molecular results were obtained in 417/609 families with IRDs (68.5%) and in 27/58 with IONs (46.5%). The sequencing of 5 genes (ABCA4, USH2A, MYO7A, RPGR and PRPH2) provided a positive molecular result in 48% of 417 families with IRDs. Except for autosomal retinitis pigmentosa, in which less than half the families had positive molecular results, about 75% of families with other forms of retinal conditions had a positive molecular diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Although gene discovery considerably improved molecular diagnosis in many subgroups of IRDs and IONs, retinitis pigmentosa, accounting for almost half of IRDs, remains only partly molecularly defined.