Macular dystrophy associated with the Arg172Trp substitution in peripherin/RDS: genotype-phenotype correlation.

PURPOSE: To document the evolution of geographic atrophy in the peripherin/RDS Arg172Trp substitution, provide age-related estimates of visual acuity, and compare with other missense mutations with a similar phenotype (Arg142Trp, Arg172Gln, and Arg195Leu). METHODS: Total area of geographic atrophy in 18 affected individuals with the peripherin/RDS Arg172Trp substitution was measured from retinal photographs and plotted as a function of age. Visual acuity data from these individuals were collated with previously published cases of Arg172Trp substitution to obtain age-related estimates of visual acuity. These were compared with published series with the Arg142Trp, Arg172Gln, and Arg195Leu substitutions, using linear regression. RESULTS: In patients with the Arg172Trp substitution, the increase in total area of chorioretinal atrophy and decline in visual acuity showed significant association with age (R2 = 0.619, P < 0.001; R2 = 0.761, P < 0.001). A trend was observed toward earlier age at onset and worse visual acuity with the Arg172Trp substitution as compared with the Arg142Trp and Arg172Gln substitutions. Linear regression analysis showed that until the age of 60 years, at any given age, visual acuity with the Arg172Trp substitution was significantly worse than the Arg142Trp (P < 0.001) and the Arg172Gln substitutions (P = 0.04). Patients above the age of 60 years were excluded as a floor effect on visual acuity was observed with visual acuity being worse than 6/60 for most patients. CONCLUSION: This paper demonstrates that visual prognosis in macular dystrophies associated with peripherin/RDS may be mutation specific and, for the Arg172Trp substitution, worse than the Arg142Trp and Arg172Gln substitutions.

CFH, VEGF and HTRA1 promoter genotype may influence the response to intravitreal ranibizumab therapy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

AIMS: To investigate an association between genotype for three single nucleotide polymorphisms strongly associated with the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and the early response to treatment with intravitreal ranibizumab for neovascular AMD. METHODS: Best corrected visual acuity letter score was recorded at baseline and each subsequent visit. Age, sex, smoking history, lesion type and the number of injections were also recorded. Genotypes were obtained for rs11200638 in HTRA1, rs1061170 in CFH and rs1413711 in VEGF. Data were analysed with treatment response at month 6 as both a binary (>5 letter improvement vs ≤5 letter gain) and a linear trait. RESULTS: This initial study cohort consisted of 104 Caucasian neovascular AMD patients treated with intravitreal ranibizumab. Trends towards a more favourable outcome were seen with the higher AMD risk genotypes in CFH and VEGF in both the linear and binary models and in HTRA1 in the linear model alone. For CFH, mean letter score change after 6 months was +1.6, +5.9 and +7.2 letters for the TT, TC and CC genotypes and a >5 letter gain was seen in 34.6%, 56.6% and 56%, respectively. For VEGF, mean letter score change after 6 months was +1.3, +5.8 and +7.4 letters for the TT, TC and CC genotypes and a >5 letter gain was seen in 40%, 55.8% and 51.9%, respectively. For HTRA1, mean letter score change was +2.2, +7.5 and +2.9 letters for the GG, GA and AA genotypes. CONCLUSIONS: This study reports preliminary evidence suggesting that the higher AMD risk genotypes in CFH, VEGF and HTRA1 may influence the short-term response to treatment with ranibizumab for neovascular AMD.

Replication of the recessive STBMS1 locus but with dominant inheritance.

PURPOSE: Strabismus is a common eye disorder with a prevalence of 1% to 4%. Comitant strabismus accounts for approximately 75% of all strabismus, yet more is known about the less common incomitant disorders. Comitant strabismus is at least partly inherited, but only one recessive genetic susceptibility locus, on chromosome 7p, has been identified in one family. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of STBMS1 as a cause of primary nonsyndromic comitant esotropia (PNCE). METHODS: Twelve families were recruited within the UK Hospital Eye Service as children attended for treatment of PNCE. All consenting persons were clinically assessed, and DNA was sampled. Chromosome 7 microsatellite markers were genotyped in all 12 families, and LOD scores were calculated under recessive and dominant models. RESULTS: One family was linked to STBMS1; in three, linkage was significantly excluded; and the remainder were uninformative. Twenty-six members from three generations of the linked family were analyzed further. Five family members were defined as affected; two had esotropia with an accommodative element; and three underwent strabismus surgery and appeared to have had an infantile/early-onset esotropia. A maximum LOD score of 3.21 was obtained under a dominant mode of inheritance; a recessive model gave an LOD score of 1.2. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that PNCE can result from sequence variants in an unknown gene at the STBMS1 locus. However, this locus accounts for only a proportion of cases, and other genetic loci remain to be identified. In contrast with the previously reported family, the pedigree described in this study is consistent with dominant rather than recessive inheritance at the STBMS1 locus.