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Kramarz C, Murphy E, Reilly MM, Rossor AM. Nutritional peripheral neuropathies. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2023; 95:61-72. [PMID: 37536924 DOI: 10.1136/jnnp-2022-329849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
Nutritional peripheral neuropathies are a global problem, heavily influenced by geopolitical, cultural and socioeconomic factors. Peripheral neuropathy occurs most frequently secondary to B-vitamin deficiencies, which is suspected to increase in years to come due to the popularity of vegan and vegetarian diets and increased use of bariatric surgery.This review will focus on the common B-vitamins for which a causal link to peripheral neuropathy is more established (vitamins B1, B2, B6, B9 and B12). We will review the historical human and animal data on which much of the clinical descriptions of vitamin deficiencies are based and summarise current available tools for accurately diagnosing a nutritional deficiency. We will also review recently described genetic diseases due to pathogenic variants in genes involved in B-vitamin metabolism that have helped to inform the phenotypes and potential causality of certain B-vitamins in peripheral neuropathy (B2 and B9).Endemic outbreaks of peripheral neuropathy over the last two centuries have been linked to food shortages and nutritional deficiency. These include outbreaks in Jamaican sugar plantation workers in the nineteenth century (Strachan's syndrome), World War two prisoners of war, Cuban endemic neuropathy and also Tanzanian endemic optic neuropathy, which remains a significant public health burden today. An improved understanding of lack of which vitamins cause peripheral neuropathy and how to identify specific deficiencies may lead to prevention of significant and irreversible disability in vulnerable populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Kramarz
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, Queen Square UCL Institute of Neurology and National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
| | - Elaine Murphy
- Charles Dent Metabolic Unit, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
| | - Mary M Reilly
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, Queen Square UCL Institute of Neurology and National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
| | - Alexander M Rossor
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, Queen Square UCL Institute of Neurology and National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
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Román GC. Tropical spastic paraparesis. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2023; 196:149-156. [PMID: 37620067 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-323-98817-9.00026-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
A large number of causative agents can result in spinal cord disorders in the tropics including etiologies similar to those of temperate regions such as trauma, spinal bone and disc lesions, tumors, epidural abscess, and congenital malformations. Yet infectious and nutritional disorders differ in their higher prevalence in tropical regions including Pott's disease; brucellosis; neuroborreliosis; various parasitic diseases such as schistosomiasis, neurocysticercosis, and eosinophilic meningitis. Notably, the retrovirus HTLV-1 is the causeof tropical spastic paraparesis/paraplegia or TSP. Nutritional causes of TSP include vitamin B and folate deficiencies, while endemic clusters of konzo and tropical ataxic myeloneuropathy occur in Africa, along with malnutrition and excessive consumption of cyanide-containing bitter cassava. Other toxic etiologies of TSP include lathyrism and fluorosis. Nutritional forms of myelopathy are associated often with optic and sensory neuropathy, hence the name tropical myeloneuropathies. Acute transverse myelopathy, seen in association with vaccination, infections, and fibrocartilaginous embolism of the nucleus pulposus, can be ubiquitous. Multiple sclerosis and optic myelopathy occur in the tropics but with lesser prevalence than in temperate regions. The advent of modern imaging in the tropics, including computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, has allowed better diagnosis and treatment of these conditions that are a frequent cause of death and disability. This chapter provides an overview of TSP emphasizing the most common causes with clues to diagnosis and effective therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo C Román
- Department of Neurology, Methodist Neurological Institute, Weill Cornell Medical College, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, United States.
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Mitochondrial Genetic Heterogeneity in Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy: Original Study with Meta-Analysis. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12091300. [PMID: 34573281 PMCID: PMC8472268 DOI: 10.3390/genes12091300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Revised: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a mitochondrial disorder that causes loss of central vision. Three primary variants (m.3460G>A, m.11778G>A, and m.14484T>C) and about 16 secondary variants are responsible for LHON in the majority of the cases. We investigated the complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences of 189 LHON patients and found a total of 54 disease-linked pathogenic variants. The primary variants m.11778G>A and m.14484T>C were accountable for only 14.81% and 2.64% cases, respectively. Patients with these two variants also possessed additional disease-associated variants. Among 156 patients who lacked the three primary variants, 16.02% harboured other LHON-associated variants either alone or in combination with other disease-associated variants. Furthermore, we observed that none of the haplogroups were explicitly associated with LHON. We performed a meta-analysis of m.4216T>C and m.13708G>A and found a significant association of these two variants with the LHON phenotype. Based on this study, we recommend the use of complete mtDNA sequencing to diagnose LHON, as we found disease-associated variants throughout the mitochondrial genome.
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Feibel RM, Arch J. Cuban Epidemic Optic Neuropathy (1991-1993) and José Saramago's Novel Blindness (1995). Am J Ophthalmol 2018; 193:xix-xxvii. [PMID: 29906432 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajo.2018.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2018] [Revised: 06/03/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2018] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE This article reviews the history of Cuban epidemic optic neuropathy (1991-1993), which caused visual loss, peripheral neuralgias, and other neurologic symptoms in over 50,000 persons, an incidence of almost 0.5% of the entire population. The clinical findings, etiology, and treatment are described. We then relate the Cuban epidemic to the fictional epidemic of contagious blindness depicted by Nobel Laureate José Saramago in his 1995 novel Blindness. This novel describes an unnamed modern city in which all inhabitants, except the ophthalmologist's wife, are affected with a white, not black, blindness. DESIGN Historical review and literary essay. METHODS The sources for the Cuban epidemic were an extensive review of the published literature and personal communications with physicians who treated these patients. Both authors have analyzed the novel and the critical literature about Saramago's writings. RESULTS Though Saramago uses the epidemic of blindness as an allegory to comment on human weakness and immorality, he may also have known of the actual Cuban epidemic. Saramago was a lifelong member of the Communist party, as well as a friend of Fidel Castro and admirer of the Cuban government. We have no proof that Blindness was influenced by the Cuban epidemic, but we find it plausible. CONCLUSION It is valuable to examine the real and fictional epidemics side by side, not least because Saramago's novel depicts the actions of an ophthalmologist during an epidemic of blindness. Ophthalmologists may be interested in a novel that uses the language of eyes, vision, sight, and blindness extensively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert M Feibel
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, and the Center for History of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
| | - Jennifer Arch
- Department of English, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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Santiesteban-Freixas R, Pola-Alvarado L, Columbie-Garbey Y, Gonzalez-Quevedo A, Juvier-Riesgo T, Hernandez-Echevarria O, Hedges TR, Mendoza-Santiesteban C. Optical Coherence Tomographic Comparison of Cuban Epidemic and Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy. Neuroophthalmology 2015; 39:271-276. [PMID: 27928368 PMCID: PMC5122982 DOI: 10.3109/01658107.2015.1099686] [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: 08/20/2015] [Revised: 09/21/2015] [Accepted: 09/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Following the epidemic of optic and peripheral neuropathy, which occurred in Cuba between 1991 and 1993, a number of patients have been re-evaluated, including testing with optical coherence tomography (OCT) and electrophysiology. At the same time, a number of patients with Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy have also been evaluated. The purpose of this study was to detect residual loss of retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) in patients who suffered Cuban epidemic optic neuropathy (CEON), and to compare these findings with those in patients with Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON). Optical coherence tomography as well as clinical examinations were performed on 11 patients diagnosed with CEON 15 years following the epidemic and 14 patients with LHON. OCT in CEON patients showed thinning of the RNFL in the temporal sector and normal thickness in other quadrants. However, patients with chronic LHON had more diffuse RNFL loss throughout the retina. OCT findings corresponded with clinical findings in CEON and LHON. There was drop out of the papillomacular bundle in both diseases. Two patients in the acute stages of LHON and three LHON carriers showed thinning of the temporal RNFL only. This is the first report of OCT in CEON that shows residual damage in the papillomacular bundle compared with chronic LHON where there is more diffuse and progressive loss of the RNFL. The importance of OCT for the diagnosis and evaluation of similar optic neuropathies is emphasised.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lester Pola-Alvarado
- Department of Neuro-Ophthalmology, Institute of Neurology and Neuro-Surgery (INN), Havana, Cuba, and
| | - Yannara Columbie-Garbey
- Department of Neuro-Ophthalmology, Institute of Neurology and Neuro-Surgery (INN), Havana, Cuba, and
| | - Alina Gonzalez-Quevedo
- Department of Neuro-Ophthalmology, Institute of Neurology and Neuro-Surgery (INN), Havana, Cuba, and
| | - Tamara Juvier-Riesgo
- Department of Neuro-Ophthalmology, Institute of Neurology and Neuro-Surgery (INN), Havana, Cuba, and
| | | | - Thomas R. Hedges
- New England Eye Center, Tufts Medical Center, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Abstract
A large number of causal agents produce spinal cord lesions in the tropics. Most etiologies found in temperate regions also occur in the tropics including trauma, herniated discs, tumors, epidural abscess, and congenital malformations. However, infectious and nutritional disorders occur with higher prevalence in tropical regions. Among the most common infectious etiologies are tuberculous Pott's disease, brucellosis, and neuroborreliosis. Parasitic diseases such as schistosomiasis, neurocysticercosis, and eosinophilic meningitis are frequent causes of nontraumatic paraplegia. The retrovirus HTLV-1 is a cause of tropical spastic paraparesis. Nutritional causes of paraparesis include deficiencies of vitamin B12 and folate; endemic clusters of konzo and tropical ataxic myeloneuropathy are associated in Africa with malnutrition and excessive consumption of cyanide-containing bitter cassava. Other toxic etiologies of tropical paraplegia include lathyrism and fluorosis. Nutritional forms of myelopathy are associated often with optic and sensory neuropathy, hence the name tropical myeloneuropathies. Acute transverse myelopathy is seen in association with vaccination, infections, and fibrocartilaginous embolism of the nucleus pulposus. Multiple sclerosis and optic myelopathy occur in the tropics but with lesser prevalence than in temperate regions. The advent of modern imaging in the tropics, including computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, has allowed better diagnosis and treatment of these conditions that are a frequent cause of death and disability.
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Allen D, Riordan-Eva P, Paterson RW, Hadden RDM. Subacute peripheral and optic neuropathy syndrome with no evidence of a toxic or nutritional cause. Clin Neurol Neurosurg 2013; 115:1389-93. [PMID: 23384546 DOI: 10.1016/j.clineuro.2013.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2012] [Revised: 01/03/2013] [Accepted: 01/05/2013] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The syndrome of subacute simultaneous peripheral neuropathy and bilateral optic neuropathy is known to occur in tropical countries, probably due to malnutrition or toxicity, but not often seen in developed countries. We report seven patients in London who were not malnourished or alcoholic, and in whom no clear cause was found. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the case notes and arranged some further investigations. RESULTS All patients developed peripheral and bilateral optic neuropathy within 6 months. Patients were aged 30-52, and all of Jamaican birth and race but lived in the UK. Most had subacute, painful ataxic sensory axonal neuropathy or neuronopathy, some with myelopathy. Nerve conduction studies revealed minor demyelinating features in two cases. The optic neuropathy was symmetrical, subacute and monophasic, usually with marked reduction in visual acuity. CSF protein concentration was usually elevated but other laboratory investigations were normal. Patients showed only modest improvement at follow-up. CONCLUSION These patients share a common clinical and electrophysiological phenotype, age, ethnicity and elevated CSF protein, but otherwise normal laboratory investigations. The syndrome is a cause of significant morbidity in young people. The cause remains uncertain despite thorough investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Allen
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, King's College Hospital, London, UK.
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Yu-Wai-Man P, Griffiths PG, Chinnery PF. Mitochondrial optic neuropathies - disease mechanisms and therapeutic strategies. Prog Retin Eye Res 2011; 30:81-114. [PMID: 21112411 PMCID: PMC3081075 DOI: 10.1016/j.preteyeres.2010.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 426] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) and autosomal-dominant optic atrophy (DOA) are the two most common inherited optic neuropathies in the general population. Both disorders share striking pathological similarities, marked by the selective loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and the early involvement of the papillomacular bundle. Three mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) point mutations; m.3460G>A, m.11778G>A, and m.14484T>C account for over 90% of LHON cases, and in DOA, the majority of affected families harbour mutations in the OPA1 gene, which codes for a mitochondrial inner membrane protein. Optic nerve degeneration in LHON and DOA is therefore due to disturbed mitochondrial function and a predominantly complex I respiratory chain defect has been identified using both in vitro and in vivo biochemical assays. However, the trigger for RGC loss is much more complex than a simple bioenergetic crisis and other important disease mechanisms have emerged relating to mitochondrial network dynamics, mtDNA maintenance, axonal transport, and the involvement of the cytoskeleton in maintaining a differential mitochondrial gradient at sites such as the lamina cribosa. The downstream consequences of these mitochondrial disturbances are likely to be influenced by the local cellular milieu. The vulnerability of RGCs in LHON and DOA could derive not only from tissue-specific, genetically-determined biological factors, but also from an increased susceptibility to exogenous influences such as light exposure, smoking, and pharmacological agents with putative mitochondrial toxic effects. Our concept of inherited mitochondrial optic neuropathies has evolved over the past decade, with the observation that patients with LHON and DOA can manifest a much broader phenotypic spectrum than pure optic nerve involvement. Interestingly, these phenotypes are sometimes clinically indistinguishable from other neurodegenerative disorders such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, hereditary spastic paraplegia, and multiple sclerosis, where mitochondrial dysfunction is also thought to be an important pathophysiological player. A number of vertebrate and invertebrate disease models has recently been established to circumvent the lack of human tissues, and these have already provided considerable insight by allowing direct RGC experimentation. The ultimate goal is to translate these research advances into clinical practice and new treatment strategies are currently being investigated to improve the visual prognosis for patients with mitochondrial optic neuropathies.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics
- Disease Models, Animal
- Humans
- Optic Atrophy, Autosomal Dominant/pathology
- Optic Atrophy, Autosomal Dominant/physiopathology
- Optic Atrophy, Autosomal Dominant/therapy
- Optic Atrophy, Hereditary, Leber/pathology
- Optic Atrophy, Hereditary, Leber/physiopathology
- Optic Atrophy, Hereditary, Leber/therapy
- Optic Nerve/pathology
- Phenotype
- Point Mutation
- Retinal Ganglion Cells/pathology
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Yu-Wai-Man
- Mitochondrial Research Group, Institute for Ageing and Health, The Medical School, Newcastle University, UK.
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Bosley TM, Abu-Amero KK. Assessing mitochondrial DNA nucleotide changes in spontaneous optic neuropathies. Ophthalmic Genet 2010; 31:163-72. [DOI: 10.3109/13816810.2010.514015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
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10
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Fraser JA, Biousse V, Newman NJ. The neuro-ophthalmology of mitochondrial disease. Surv Ophthalmol 2010; 55:299-334. [PMID: 20471050 PMCID: PMC2989385 DOI: 10.1016/j.survophthal.2009.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 173] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2009] [Revised: 09/21/2009] [Accepted: 10/01/2009] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Mitochondrial diseases frequently manifest neuro-ophthalmologic symptoms and signs. Because of the predilection of mitochondrial disorders to involve the optic nerves, extraocular muscles, retina, and even the retrochiasmal visual pathways, the ophthalmologist is often the first physician to be consulted. Disorders caused by mitochondrial dysfunction can result from abnormalities in either the mitochondrial DNA or in nuclear genes which encode mitochondrial proteins. Inheritance of these mutations will follow patterns specific to their somatic or mitochondrial genetics. Genotype-phenotype correlations are inconstant, and considerable overlap may occur among these syndromes. The diagnostic approach to the patient with suspected mitochondrial disease entails a detailed personal and family history, careful ophthalmic, neurologic, and systemic examination, directed investigations, and attention to potentially life-threatening sequelae. Although curative treatments for mitochondrial disorders are currently lacking, exciting research advances are being made, particularly in the area of gene therapy. Leber hereditary optic neuropathy, with its window of opportunity for timely intervention and its accessibility to directed therapy, offers a unique model to study future therapeutic interventions. Most patients and their relatives benefit from informed genetic counseling.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Alexander Fraser
- Departments of Ophthalmology (J.A.F., V.B., N.J.N.), Neurology (V.B., N.J.N.), and Neurological Surgery (N.J.N.), Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
| | - Valérie Biousse
- Departments of Ophthalmology (J.A.F., V.B., N.J.N.), Neurology (V.B., N.J.N.), and Neurological Surgery (N.J.N.), Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
| | - Nancy J. Newman
- Departments of Ophthalmology (J.A.F., V.B., N.J.N.), Neurology (V.B., N.J.N.), and Neurological Surgery (N.J.N.), Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy J Newman
- Department of Ophthalmology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
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Aggarwal D, Carelli V, Sadun AA. Genotype–phenotype correlations in mitochondrial optic neuropathies. EXPERT REVIEW OF OPHTHALMOLOGY 2009. [DOI: 10.1586/eop.09.32] [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: 11/08/2022]
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Mojon DS, Mann PK, Baker H, Lincoff NS, Odel JG, Hirano M. Vitamin status and mitochondrial DNA mutations in patients with incomplete recovery from an epidemic optic neuropathy in Cuba. Neuroophthalmology 2009. [DOI: 10.3109/01658109609044640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Abstract
More than 200 disease-related mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) point mutations have been reported in the Mitomap (http://www.mitomap.org) database. These mutations can be divided into two groups: mutations affecting mitochondrial protein synthesis, including mutations in tRNA and rRNA genes; and mutations in protein-encoding genes (mRNAs). This review focuses on mutations in mitochondrial genes that encode proteins. These mutations are involved in a broad spectrum of human diseases, including a variety of multisystem disorders as well as more tissue-specific diseases such as isolated myopathy and Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON). Because the mitochondrial genome contains a large number of apparently neutral polymorphisms that have little pathogenic significance, along with secondary homoplasmic mutations that do not have primary disease-causing effect, the pathogenic role of all newly discovered mutations must be rigorously established. A scoring system has been applied to evaluate the pathogenicity of the mutations in mtDNA protein-encoding genes and to review the predominant clinical features and the molecular characteristics of mutations in each mtDNA-encoded respiratory chain complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee-Jun C Wong
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, NAB2015, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
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Abstract
AIMS To provide a clinical update on the hereditary optic neuropathies. METHODS Review of the literature. RESULTS The hereditary optic neuropathies comprise a group of disorders in which the cause of optic nerve dysfunction appears to be hereditable, based on familial expression or genetic analysis. In some hereditary optic neuropathies, optic nerve dysfunction is typically the only manifestation of the disease. In others, various neurologic and systemic abnormalities are regularly observed. CONCLUSION The most common hereditary optic neuropathies are autosomal dominant optic atrophy (Kjer's disease) and maternally inherited Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy. We review the clinical phenotypes of these and other inherited disorders with optic nerve involvement.
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MESH Headings
- Dysautonomia, Familial/complications
- Dysautonomia, Familial/genetics
- Female
- Friedreich Ataxia/complications
- Friedreich Ataxia/genetics
- Humans
- Male
- Muscular Dystrophies/complications
- Muscular Dystrophies/genetics
- Optic Atrophies, Hereditary/complications
- Optic Atrophies, Hereditary/genetics
- Optic Atrophies, Hereditary/physiopathology
- Optic Atrophy, Autosomal Dominant/complications
- Optic Atrophy, Autosomal Dominant/genetics
- Optic Atrophy, Autosomal Dominant/physiopathology
- Optic Atrophy, Hereditary, Leber/complications
- Optic Atrophy, Hereditary, Leber/genetics
- Optic Atrophy, Hereditary, Leber/physiopathology
- Pedigree
- Spinocerebellar Ataxias/complications
- Spinocerebellar Ataxias/genetics
- Vision Disorders/etiology
- Vision Disorders/genetics
- Vision Disorders/physiopathology
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Affiliation(s)
- N J Newman
- Department of Ophthalmology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30022, USA.
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Qu J, Li R, Tong Y, Hu Y, Zhou X, Qian Y, Lu F, Guan MX. Only male matrilineal relatives with Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy in a large Chinese family carrying the mitochondrial DNA G11778A mutation. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2005; 328:1139-45. [PMID: 15707996 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2005.01.062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2005] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
We report here the characterization of a five-generation large Chinese family with Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON). Very strikingly, six affected individuals of 38 matrilineal relatives (17 females/21 males) are exclusively males in this Chinese family. These matrilineal relatives in this family exhibited late-onset/progressive visual impairment with a wide range of severity, ranging from blindness to normal vision. The age of onset in visual impairment varies from 17 to 30 years. Sequence analysis of the complete mitochondrial genome in this pedigree revealed the presence of the G11778A mutation in ND4 gene and 29 other variants. This mitochondrial genome belongs to the Southern Chinese haplogroup B5b. We showed that the G11778A mutation is present at near homoplasmy in matrilineal relatives of this Chinese family but not in 164 Chinese controls. Incomplete penetrance of LHON in this family indicates the involvement of modulatory factors in the phenotypic expression of visual dysfunction associated with the G11778A mutation. However, none of other mtDNA variants are evolutionarily conserved and implicated to have significantly functional consequence. Thus, nuclear modifier gene(s) or environmental factor(s) seem to account for the penetrance and phenotypic variability of LHON in this Chinese family carrying the G11778A mutation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Qu
- School of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Wenzhou Medical College, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325003, China
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Newman NJ. From genotype to phenotype in Leber hereditary optic neuropathy: still more questions than answers. J Neuroophthalmol 2002; 22:257-61. [PMID: 12464728 DOI: 10.1097/00041327-200212000-00001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Kerrison JB, Miller NR, Hsu F, Beaty TH, Maumenee IH, Smith KH, Savino PJ, Stone EM, Newman NJ. A case-control study of tobacco and alcohol consumption in Leber hereditary optic neuropathy. Am J Ophthalmol 2000; 130:803-12. [PMID: 11124301 DOI: 10.1016/s0002-9394(00)00603-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To determine if tobacco or alcohol consumption is associated with vision loss among sibships harboring pathogenic mitochondrial mutations associated with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy. METHODS Retrospective case-control study with questionnaires obtained from both affected and unaffected siblings from 80 sibships with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy. Sibships harbored molecularly confirmed mitochondrial DNA mutations at nucleotide positions 11778 (63), 14484 (10), and 3460 (7). Exposure in affected individuals was calculated based on reported consumption before vision loss. RESULTS For male probands (67 sibships), the recurrence risk within a sibship was 10.3% (eight of 78) for males and 3.1% (three of 98) for females. For female probands (13 sibships), the recurrence risk within a sibship was 17.6% (three of 17) for males and 0% (zero of 22) for females. Greater risk of vision loss was associated with male sex (odds ratio [OR] = 6.63; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.96 to 14.84; P =.00001) and harboring a 3460 or 14484 in comparison with the 11778 mutation (OR = 2.071; 95% CI = 1.19 to 3.58; P =.0095). No significant association of maximal intensity of smoking or cumulative smoking, whether light or heavy, with vision loss was observed. Light (OR = 0. 31; 95% CI = 0.17 to 0.56; P =.0001) and heavy alcohol consumers (OR = 0.25; 95% CI = 0.11 to 0.58; P =.0011) were less likely to be affected than individuals who did not consume alcohol after adjusting for age, sex, and mutation. In a categorical analysis of sibships with the 3460 or 14484 mutation, no relationship of vision loss with tobacco or alcohol consumption was observed. CONCLUSION Unlike previous studies, the present study calculated exposure based on self-reported consumption of tobacco or alcohol before vision loss. No significant deleterious association between tobacco or alcohol consumption and vision loss among individuals harboring Leber hereditary optic neuropathy mutations was observed. Tobacco and alcohol do not appear to promote vision loss in Leber hereditary optic neuropathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- J B Kerrison
- Wilmer Ophthalmological Institute, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, USA.
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Howell N. Human mitochondrial diseases: answering questions and questioning answers. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CYTOLOGY 1998; 186:49-116. [PMID: 9770297 DOI: 10.1016/s0074-7696(08)61051-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Since the first identification in 1988 of pathogenic mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations, the mitochondrial diseases have emerged as a major clinical entity. The most striking feature of these disorders is their marked heterogeneity, which extends to their clinical, biochemical, and genetic characteristics. The major mitochondrial encephalomyopathies include MELAS (mitochondrial encephalopathy with lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes), MERRF (myoclonic epilepsy with ragged red fibers), KSS/CPEO (Kearns-Sayre syndrome/chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia), and NARP/MILS (neuropathy, ataxia, and retinitis pigmentosum/maternally inherited Leigh syndrome) and they typically present highly variable multisystem defects that usually involve abnormalities of skeletal muscle and/or the CNS. The primary emphasis here is to review recent investigations of these mitochondrial diseases from the standpoint of how the complexities of mitochondrial genetics and biogenesis might determine their varied features. In addition, the mitochondrial encephalomyopathies are compared and contrasted to Leber hereditary optic neuropathy, a mitochondrial disease in which the pathogenic mtDNA mutations produce a more uniform and focal neuropathology. All of these disorders involve, at some level, a mitochondrial respiratory chain dysfunction. Because mitochondrial genetics differs so strikingly from the Mendelian inheritance of chromosomes, recent research on the origin and subsequent segregation and transmission of mtDNA mutations is reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Howell
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston 77555, USA.
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Abstract
An interesting neurological syndrome, characterized by recurrent optic neuritis, cervical myelopathy from syringomyelia, paraparesis, amenorrhea-galactorrhea, and other endocrine problems, has been described among young black women in the French West Indies. The etiology remains unknown, but possible links with Devic's disease, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, and neurotoxicity from quinolines in Annona muricata teas have been postulated. The largest epidemic of neuropathy in this century occurred in Cuba in 1991-1994. Clinical features and etiologic studies are reviewed. Its primary cause was nutritional. A similar epidemic was recently described in Tanzania. A number of infectious neuropathies and myopathies are reviewed, including leprosy, tuberculosis, hemorrhagic fevers (Ebola and Marburg filoviruses, Lassa, Argentinean and Bolivian arenaviruses), the human retrovirus human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I, Lyme disease and postimmunization neuropathies. The tropics continue to contribute interesting and important clinical conditions that may illuminate the etiopathiogenesis of other common disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Román
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas, San Antonio, USA.
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Howell N. Leber hereditary optic neuropathy: mitochondrial mutations and degeneration of the optic nerve. Vision Res 1997; 37:3495-507. [PMID: 9425526 DOI: 10.1016/s0042-6989(96)00167-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The predominant manifestation of Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a sudden and usually severe bilateral loss of central vision, most often in the mid-20s, that is due to a degeneration of the ganglion cell layer and optic nerve. LHON is an inherited form of blindness in which a mutation in the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) is the primary etiological event. More than 95% of the LHON pedigrees in peoples of Northern European descent harbor one of the three mitochondrial mutations at nucleotides 3460, 11,778 and 14,484, although there are other rare primary mutations. In addition, there may be mtDNA mutations that have a secondary etiological role. The penetrance of the optic neuropathy is incomplete in LHON families, and males are affected much more often then females. The incomplete penetrance indicates that secondary etiological factors are necessary for the development of the optic neuropathy, although they are poorly understood at the present time. Several types of studies suggest that optic nerve function in LHON patients is impaired in the presymptomatic phase, probably as a result of a mitochondrial respiratory chain abnormality, although visual acuity is not compromised. In some family members, the presence of secondary etiological factors triggers a wave of optic nerve dysfunction in which vision is lost (the acute phase). Depending upon the particular primary LHON mutation that the patient carries, a variable proportion of the dysfunctional ganglion cells and optic nerve axons die during the atrophic phase, probably through an apoptotic pathway. In 11,778 LHON patients, retinal ganglion cell degeneration occurs almost without exception, and recovery of vision is extremely rare. In contrast, activation of the cell death pathway is less frequent, or less extensive, in 14,484 LHON patients and there is often a substantial recovery of vision.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Howell
- Department of Radiation Therapy, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston 77555-0656, USA
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Plant GT, Dolin P, Mohamed AA, Mlingi N. Confirmation that neither cyanide intoxication nor mutations commonly associated with Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy are implicated in Tanzanian Epidemic Optic Neuropathy. J Neurol Sci 1997; 152:107-8. [PMID: 9395133 DOI: 10.1016/s0022-510x(97)00132-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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Leuzzi V, Carducci C, Lenza M, Salvetti M, Ristori G, Di Giovanni S, Torroni A. LHON mutations in Italian patients affected by multiple sclerosis. Acta Neurol Scand 1997; 96:145-8. [PMID: 9300066 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0404.1997.tb00257.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The occurrence of a multiple sclerosis (MS)-like phenotype in subjects carrying mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations associated with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) has suggested that mitochondrial genes may contribute to susceptibility to MS. With the present study 74 unrelated Italian patients (53 females and 21 males; mean age 37.9, SD 9.9, range 20-59) affected by MS with early and prominent optic nerve involvement and 99 normal control subjects were analysed for the presence of primary (nps 11778, 3460, 14484) and an alleged secondary one (np 15257) LHON mutations. A single MS patient carrying a virtually homoplasmic LHON mutation at np 11778 was found. Family history revealed a maternal uncle affected by MS, decreased at age of 64 in consequence of a stroke. The patient's mother harboured the same mutation in a homoplasmic way. Primary LHON mutations were not detected in any other MS patient or control. Of the MS patients 5.4% (4 out of 74), and 5.1% (5 out of 99) of the controls carried the 15257 mutation in a homoplasmic state. Present data do not support any contribution of primary LHON mutations to genetically determined susceptibility in MS. There is no evidence that the 15257 mutation has any pathogenetic significance in the Italian population.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Leuzzi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Neurologiche e Psichiatriche dell'Età Evolutiva, University La Sapienza, Roma, Italy
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Hedges TR, Hirano M, Tucker K, Caballero B. Epidemic optic and peripheral neuropathy in Cuba: a unique geopolitical public health problem. Surv Ophthalmol 1997; 41:341-53. [PMID: 9104771 DOI: 10.1016/s0039-6257(96)00008-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
During 1992 and 1993 an epidemic of optic and peripheral neuropathy affected over 50,000 Cubans. This occurred in the unique setting of a communist country which had a widespread health care network and wherein sudden changes in the economy affected most of the population. Although nutritional factors appeared to play a key role in the pathogenesis of the epidemic neuropathy, viral, toxic, and genetic factors were investigated by Cuban and North American scientists. The authors, representing different disciplines and different groups that visited Cuba during the epidemic, review and reflect on the clinical and laboratory findings which became available through their own experience and through reviewing the literature. The recent Cuban epidemic is compared to similar outbreaks of optic and peripheral neuropathy which have occurred in the past.
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Affiliation(s)
- T R Hedges
- Department of Ophthalmology, New England Eye Center, New England Medical Center, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Carducci C, De Negri AM, Leuzzi V, Terregino C, Torella M, Pivetti Pezzi P, Antonozzi I. Screening of mtDNA mutations in Italian LHON pedigrees. J Inherit Metab Dis 1996; 19:127-9. [PMID: 8739946 DOI: 10.1007/bf01799410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- C Carducci
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Patologia, Università la Sapienza, Rome, Italy
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Abstract
BACKGROUND From 1991 to 1993, epidemic optic and peripheral neuropathy affected more than 50,000 people in Cuba. The number of new cases decreased after the initiation of vitamin supplementation in the population. In September 1993, Cuban and U.S. investigators conducted a study to characterize and identify risk factors for the optic form of the syndrome. METHODS We conducted ophthalmologic and neurologic examinations, assessed exposure to potential toxins, administered a semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire, and assessed serum measures of nutritional status in 123 patients with severe optic neuropathy, matched for sex and age to randomly chosen normal subjects. RESULTS In the case patients, prominent clinical features were subacute loss of visual acuity with field defects, diminished color vision, optic-nerve pallor, and decreased sensitivity to vibration and temperature in the legs. Tobacco use, particularly cigar smoking, was associated with an increased risk of optic neuropathy. The risk was reduced among subjects with higher dietary intakes of methionine, vitamin B12, riboflavin, and niacin and higher serum concentrations of antioxidant carotenoids. The risk was also reduced among subjects who raised chickens at home or had relatives living overseas--factors that may be indirect measures of increased food availability. CONCLUSIONS The epidemic of optic and peripheral neuropathy in Cuba between 1991 and 1993 appears to be linked to reduced nutrient intake caused by the country's deteriorating economic situation and the high prevalence of tobacco use.
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Abstract
The syndrome characterized by papillomacular bundle damage, central or cecocentral scotoma, and reduction of color vision can be produced by toxic, nutritional, or hereditary causes. Patients who present with such a picture should be evaluated for toxic sources such as tobacco or alcohol use. Nutritional deficiencies must be considered and a good family history should be obtained to explore hereditary factors. DNA mutation analysis is available to detect genetic abnormalities. A trial of nutritional replacement may be advisable even in the face of normal laboratory values. Previous reports have shown dramatic visual improvement with intramuscular hydroxocobalamin and other oral vitamin B complexes, even when specific deficiencies are not found.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Woon
- Neuro-Ophthalmology Department, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, USA
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Torroni A, Brown MD, Lott MT, Newman NJ, Wallace DC. African, Native American, and European mitochondrial DNAs in Cubans from Pinar del Rio Province and implications for the recent epidemic neuropathy in Cuba. Cuba Neuropathy Field Investigation Team. Hum Mutat 1995; 5:310-7. [PMID: 7627185 DOI: 10.1002/humu.1380050407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Genetic predisposition, particularly specific mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) backgrounds, has been proposed as a contributing factor in the expression of an epidemic of bilateral optic neuropathy that has affected residents of Cuba since 1991. To substantiate or refute the possibility that specific subsets of mtDNAs could participate in disease expression, we took advantage of the heterogeneous ethnic origin of the Cuban population and the recent identification of a number of mtDNA polymorphisms that appear to be specific for Africans, Native Americans, and Europeans. The screening of both carefully selected people with epidemic neuropathy and control subjects from the Pinar del Rio Province for these polymorphisms revealed that African, Native American, and European mtDNA haplotypes were equally represented among case and control subjects, and suggested that approximately 50% of Cuban mtDNAs originated from Europeans, 46% from Africans, and 4% from Native Americans. These findings demonstrate that mutations arising in specific mtDNAs are unlikely to play a role in the epidemic neuropathy and indicate that analysis of mtDNA haplotypes can be a valuable tool for assessing the relative maternal contribution of Africans, Native Americans, and Europeans in a mixed population.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Torroni
- Department of Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
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Brown MD, Torroni A, Reckord CL, Wallace DC. Phylogenetic analysis of Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy mitochondrial DNA's indicates multiple independent occurrences of the common mutations. Hum Mutat 1995; 6:311-25. [PMID: 8680405 DOI: 10.1002/humu.1380060405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 173] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
The mitochondrial DNAs (mtDNA) from 17 Caucasian 11778-positive and 30 Caucasian 11778-negative Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) patients were PCR-amplified and subjected to high resolution restriction endonuclease analysis. Concurrently, all patient mtDNAs were screened for the common primary LHON mtDNA mutations at nucleotide pairs (nps) 3460, 11778, and 14484, the ambiguous intermediate-risk LHON mtDNA mutations at nps 5244 and 15257, and the secondary LHON mtDNA mutations at nps 3394, 4216, 4917, 7444, 13708, and 15812. Phylogenetic analysis was performed using mtDNA haplotype data from the 47 LHON patients and 175 non-LHON Caucasian controls. The superimposition of the LHON mutation screening results upon the Caucasian mtDNA phylogeny revealed (1) 35 different LHON haplotypes, (2) that all three common primary mutations have occurred multiple times in Caucasians, (3) that while recurrent mutation is common for the primary mutations, secondary mutations tend to be lineage-specific, (4) that the np 15257 mutation was confined to a single mtDNA lineage but may be etiologically important in some LHON cases since it was found in a LHON pedigree which lacked a common primary mutation; complete sequence analysis of the proband mtDNA revealed only a single other candidate missense mutation (at np 10663 of the ND4L gene) of uncertain pathological significance; and (5) that the np 14484 mutation may be less pathogenic than either the np 3460 or np 11778 mutations, as this mutation most commonly occurred on a single mtDNA lineage and almost always in association with secondary LHON mutations. A phylogenetic approach to this genetically heterogeneous disease has thus provided key genetic data bearing on the relative pathogenicity of the LHON-associated mtDNA mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- M D Brown
- Department of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA
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