Clinical,genetic, and biochemical characterization of a Leber hereditary optic neuropathy family containing both the 11778 and 14484 primary mutations

Four mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations at nps 3460, 11778, 14484, and 14459 account for roughly 90% of cases of Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) and are designated as “primary” LHON mutations since they act as major predisposition factors for LHON. Although each primary mutation can arise independently on different mtDNA backgrounds during human evolution, they characteristically do not co‐occur in LHON patients. We report here a family with the simultaneous occurrence of the 11778A and 14484C mutations. Neuro‐ophthalmological examination of the proband, a nine‐year‐old Caucasian female, revealed the bilateral optic atrophy, central scotomas, and reduced visual acuity typical of LHON. Her mother had normal appearing optic discs and is today visually asymptomatic. Analysis of the proband blood mtDNA revealed that she harbored both the 11778A (heteroplasmic, 94% mutant) and the 14484C (homoplasmic mutant) mutation. This genotype was maintained in proband lymphoblasts and transmitochondrial cybrids. The mother also had both mutations, with the 14484C mutation homoplasmic in all cell types examined. However, only 31% of her blood mtDNAs carried the 11778 mutation, which segregated to essentially 100% wild‐type in lymphoblast and cybrid mtDNA. Complex I‐linked respiration and specific enzyme activity were consistently lowest in proband lymphoblast and cybrid mitochondria compared to those from the mother, 11778A patients, 14484C patients, or controls, thus demonstrating both a deleterious synergistic interaction between the 11778A and 14484C mutations and the magnitude of 11778A‐associated complex I dysfunction. Remarkably, spontaneous vision recovery occurred in the proband, highlighting the complexities encountered when associating mtDNA genotype and complex I function with LHON expression. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Leber遗传性视神经病三个家系患者线粒体DNA突变位点的研究

目的对Leber遗传性视神经病（Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy，LHON）家系的原发突变位点11778与继发突变位点9804、13708、13730、15257进行突变分析，探讨两者之间相关性及对LHON的影响。方法应用聚合酶链反应一单链构象多态性和DNA测序对3个LHON家系37位母系成员和47名正常人的线粒体DNA（mitochondrial DNA，mtDNA）进行检测。结果16例患者及其母系亲属均存在11778位点突变，未发现9804、13708、13730、15257位点突变，但DNA测序发现13759、13928、13942、15301、15326、15323这6个新突变位点。结论3个家系都存在mtDNA11778位点突变，在13759位点患者突变率远高于正常人，差异有统计学意义（P〈0．001），表明13759是LHON新的继发突变位点。     

Clinical, genetic, and biochemical characterization of a Leber hereditary optic neuropathy family containing both the 11778 and 14484 primary mutations.

Four mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations at nps 3460, 11778, 14484, and 14459 account for roughly 90% of cases of Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) and are designated as "primary" LHON mutations since they act as major predisposition factors for LHON. Although each primary mutation can arise independently on different mtDNA backgrounds during human evolution, they characteristically do not co-occur in LHON patients. We report here a family with the simultaneous occurrence of the 11778A and 14484C mutations. Neuro-ophthalmological examination of the proband, a nine-year-old Caucasian female, revealed the bilateral optic atrophy, central scotomas, and reduced visual acuity typical of LHON. Her mother had normal appearing optic discs and is today visually asymptomatic. Analysis of the proband blood mtDNA revealed that she harbored both the 11778A (heteroplasmic, 94% mutant) and the 14484C (homoplasmic mutant) mutation. This genotype was maintained in proband lymphoblasts and transmitochondrial cybrids. The mother also had both mutations, with the 14484C mutation homoplasmic in all cell types examined. However, only 31% of her blood mtDNAs carried the 11778 mutation, which segregated to essentially 100% wild-type in lymphoblast and cybrid mtDNA. Complex I-linked respiration and specific enzyme activity were consistently lowest in proband lymphoblast and cybrid mitochondria compared to those from the mother, 11778A patients, 14484C patients, or controls, thus demonstrating both a deleterious synergistic interaction between the 11778A and 14484C mutations and the magnitude of 11778A-associated complex I dysfunction. Remarkably, spontaneous vision recovery occurred in the proband, highlighting the complexities encountered when associating mtDNA genotype and complex I function with LHON expression.     

中国人LHON患者mtDNA继发突变的筛查

目的分析中国人Leber遗传性视神经病变(Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy,LHON)线粒体DNA 4个继发突变位点与LHON发病的关系.方法分别用突变特异性引物聚合酶链反应,异源双链-单链构象多态性,限制性片段长度多态性和DNA测序方法,对137例LHON患者、60例不明原因球后视神经炎进行mtDNA3394C、9438A、13708A、4216C 4个继发位点的检测,并以100例正常人作对照.结果在4例LHON患者(包括3例11778突变、1例3460突变)、2例不明原因球后视神经炎患者及1例正常人中发现存在13708位点突变(G→A),引起ND5蛋白第458位中度保守丙氨酸变成苏氨酸(A458T).经χ2检验,无统计学意义.在1例正常人中检测到3394位点T→C突变,造成ND1蛋白第30位高度保守酪氨酸变成组氨酸(Y30H).137例LHON患者及60例不明原因球后视神经炎患者均未发现此位点突变.在137例LHON患者、60例不明原因球后视神经炎患者及100例正常人中未检测到9438及4216位点突变.结论我们的研究结果与日本、韩国研究结果相似,初步排除了在中国人kber遗传性视神经病变患者中13708A、3394C、9438A、4216C四种突变协同原发突变发病的可能性.     

中国人Leber 遗传性视神经病变的原发突变及临床特征

目的 分析中国人Leber遗传性视神经病变(Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy,LHON)线粒体DNA3个原发致病基因突变遗传及其临床特征。方法 分别用突变特异性引物聚合酶链反应,异源双链-单链构象多态性,限制性片段长度多态性和DNA测序方法,对110个家系的156例LHON患者进行11778A、3460A、14484C 3个原发位点检测,并收集患者病史及其临床资料,进行统计学分析。结果 110例LHON先证者中,11778位点突变者100例,占90．9％;3460位点突变者2例,占1．8％;14484位点突变者8例,占7,3％。不同突变位点的LHON患者发病时视力分布：125人(250眼)11778位点突变患眼中发病时视力≤0．01(占17．6％),视力介于0.01至0．1之间(占52．1％),视力≥0．1(占30．3％);28人(56眼)14484位点突变患眼中无患眼视力低于0．01视力介于001至0．1之间(占12．7％),视力≥0．1(占87．3％);3人(6眼)3460位点突变患眼视力均介于0．03至0．08之间。视力恢复情况：250只11778位点突变的患眼中,6．97％的眼视力有所恢复,平均最终视力0．03(指数～0．07);56只14484位点突变的患眼中,50％的眼视力有所恢复,占50％,平均最终视力0．8(0．3～1．2)。结论 中国人LHON患者mtDNA 3个原发致病突变中,以11778A位点突变为主、14484C位点突变较少、3460A罕见。LHON的临床表现与致病突变位点有关,14484C突变患者的发病视力及视力恢复情况明显好于11778A患者。     

Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy with 14484 mutation in Central Java,Indonesia

Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a maternally inherited late-onset form of blindness characterized by acute or subacute bilateral retinal degradation resulting in a permanent loss of central vision. G11778A, C3460A, and T14484C mutations on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are specific for LHON and account for most, but not all, worldwide LHON cases. A six-generation Indonesian LHON family with the T14484C mutation was analyzed. Polymerase chain reaction/restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis showed that all of the maternal lineages had the T14484C mutation in a homoplasmic form. Penetrance of the disease (33.3%) and male predominance (3:1) was similar to other worldwide LHON with the T14484C mutation. The incidence of offspring born to affected mothers was no different from that of unaffected mothers, and the age distribution of cases was no higher than that of asymptomatic carriers. Eight secondary mutations were sought but not detected. The patients of this family belonged to haplogroup M. These findings support the idea that the mtDNA backgrounds involved in the expression of LHON mutations in southeast Asians are different from those of Europeans.T. Nishioka and M. Tasaki contributed equally to this work     

A simple oligonucleotide biochip capable of rapidly detecting known mitochondrial DNA mutations in Chinese patients with Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON)

Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a maternally transmitted disease. Clinically, no efficient assay protocols have been available. In this study, we aimed to develop an oligonucleotide biochip specialized for detection of known base substitution mutations in mitochondrial DNA causing LHON and to investigate frequencies of LHON relevant variants in Anhui region of China. Thirty-two pairs of oligonucleotide probes matched with the mutations potentially linked to LHON were covalently immobilized. Cy5-lablled targets were amplified from blood DNA samples by a multiplex PCR method. Two kinds of primary mutations 11778 G > A and 14484 T > C from six confirmed LHON patients were interrogated to validate this biochip format. Further, fourteen Chinese LHON pedigrees and twenty-five unrelated healthy individuals were investigated by the LHON biochip, direct sequencing and pyrosequencing, respectively. The biochip was found to be able efficiently to discriminate homoplasmic and heteroplasmic mtDNA mutations in LHON. Biochip analysis revealed that twelve of eighteen LHON symptomatic cases from the 14 Chinese pedigree harbored the mutations either 11778G > A, 14484T > C or 3460G A, respectively, accounting for 66.7%. The mutation 11778G > A in these patients was homoplasmic and prevalent (55.5%, 10 of 18 cases). The mutations 3460G > A and 3394T > C were found to co-exist in one LHON case. The mutation 13708G > A appeared in one LHON pedigree. Smaller amount of sampling and reaction volume, easier target preparation, fast and high-throughput were the main advantages of the biochip over direct DNA sequencing and pyrosequencing. Our findings suggested that primary mutations of 11778G > A, 14484T > C or 3460G > A are main variants of mtDNA gene leading to LHON in China. The biochip would easily be implemented in clinical diagnosis.     

Leber''s hereditary optic neuropathy: correlations between mitochondrial genotype and visual outcome.

Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a maternally inherited disease associated with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations. We describe the distribution of seven different mtDNA mutations and the clinical findings in 334 LHON patients belonging to 29 families. Mutations described only in LHON at nucleotide positions 11778, 3460, and 14484 were found in 15, two, and nine families respectively. In three families none of these mutations was found. Mutations described in LHON but also in controls at nucleotide positions 15257, 13708, 4917, and 4216 were found in one, 10, three and 12 families respectively. Combinations of mtDNA mutations were found in most families. The patient population mainly consisted of 79.2% to 89.5% males except for one family with only 10 of 17 patients being males (58.9%, p approximately 0.036). In 11 families only the 11778 mutation was found; in this group (WX) the affected males had a mean age of onset of 29.2 years and a mean visual outcome of 0.113. In seven families the 14484, 13708, and 4216 mutations were found; in this group (MA) the affected males had a mean age of onset of 22.0 years and a mean visual outcome of 0.442. In two families no mutation was found at all; in this group (YX) the affected males had a mean age of onset of 18.9 years and a mean visual outcome of 0.167. The mean age of onset in the WX group is significantly higher than in the MA group (p < or = 0.001) and in the YX group (p approximately 0.01). The mean visual outcome in the MA group is significantly better than in the WX group (p </= 0.001) and the YX group (p = 0.05). No significant clinical differences were found between families exhibiting only the 11778 mutation and those with additional mutations at np 13708, 4917, or 4216, suggesting that these mutations are of little phenotypic importance. Other mutations were present in relatively small numbers of patients. These results show that the clinical severity is dependent on the mitochondrial genotype.     

Asian-specific mtDNA backgrounds associated with the primary G11778A mutation of Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy

We studied 19 patients of Southeast Asian (SEA) ethnic ancestry with Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) to investigate the mtDNA haplotypes associated with the primary mutation(s). Eighteen patients carried a mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) G11778A mutation (Arg340His in the respiratory complex I ND4 subunit), while one had a T14484C mutation (Met64Val in the ND6 subunit). One patient had a class II LHON mtDNA mutation, G3316A. Sequencing data of the ND genes showed many single-nucleotide polymorphisms (62 SNPs in 17 individuals; 10 LHON patients and 7 normal controls) not previously reported in Europeans or Japanese. The SEA G11778A LHON mutation was associated mostly with two mtDNA haplogroups, M (47%) and a novel lineage, characterized by the gain of a 10394 DdeI site but absence of the 10397 AluI site, designated BM (37%). A significant association was observed between one SNP, A10398G, resulting in a Thr114Ala substitution in the ND3 subunit, and the primary LHON mutation. This SNP also characterizes haplogroup J, with which the European LHON 11778 and 14484 mutations show preferential association. The combination of A10398G and other SNPs, specific for the haplogroups J, M, or BM, might act synergistically to increase the penetrance of the LHON mutations, thus allowing their detection. Received: June 6, 2002 / Accepted: August 23, 2002 Acknowledgments We thank Dr. Mulia Sitepu, School of Medicine, University of Atmajaya, Jakarta, Drs. Norma Handoyo and Inakawati Rivai of the School of Medicine, University of Diponegoro, Semarang, and Dr. Tjahyono Ghondowiardjo of the School of Medicine, University of Indonesia, for referring their patients for DNA analysis. This work was supported by grants from PT Krakatau Steel and PT Inti through the Agency for Strategic Industries (Indonesia) and by a generous development fund from the National Development Planning Agency (BAPPENAS) of the Republic of Indonesia. Correspondence to:S. Marzuki     

Differentiation-specific effects of LHON mutations introduced into neuronal NT2 cells

Inheritance of one of three primary mutations at positions 11778, 3460 or 14484 of the mitochondrial genome in subunits of Complex I causes Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON), a specific degeneration of the optic nerve, resulting in bilateral blindness. It has been unclear why inheritance of a systemic mitochondrial mutation would result in a specific neurodegeneration. To address the neuron-specific degenerative phenotype of the LHON genotype, we have created cybrids using a neuronal precursor cell line, Ntera 2/D1 (NT2), containing mitochondria from patient lymphoblasts bearing the most common LHON mutation (11778) and the most severe LHON mutation (3460). The undifferentiated LHON-NT2 mutant cells were not significantly different from the parental cell control in terms of mtDNA/nDNA ratio, mitochondrial membrane potential, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production or the ability to reduce Alamar Blue. Differentiation of NT2s resulted in a neuronal morphology and neuron-specific pattern of gene expression, and a 3-fold reduction in mtDNA/nDNA ratio in both mutant and control cells; however, the differentiation protocol yielded significantly less LHON cells than controls, by 30%, indicating either a decreased proliferative potential or increased cell death of the LHON-NT2 cells. Differentiation of the cells to the neuronal form also resulted in significant increases in ROS production in the LHON-NT2 neurons versus controls, which is abolished by rotenone, a specific inhibitor of Complex I. We infer that the LHON genotype requires a differentiated neuronal environment in order to induce increased mitochondrial ROS, which may be the cause of the reduced NT2 yield; and suggest that the LHON degenerative phenotype may be the result of an increase in mitochondrial superoxide which is caused by the LHON mutations, possibly mediated through neuron-specific alterations in Complex I structure.     

Tissue distribution of the ND4/11778 mutation in heteroplasmic lineages with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy

Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a maternally inherited eye disease most commonly caused by mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) point mutation at position 11778, 3460, or 14484. Approximately 14% of families show heteroplasmy for the pathogenic mutations but little is known about the mutational burden in different tissues of these heteroplasmic individuals. Consequently, estimating the risks of visual loss is difficult. This study presents quantitative mutation analyses of tissues representing all embryonal layers in two families heteroplasmic for the 11778 mutation. These analyses show that a high amount of mutated mtDNA in leukocytes is correlated with a high proportion of mutated mtDNA in other tissues. Hum Mutat 9:412–417, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Population genetics and disease susceptibility: characterization of central European haplogroups by mtDNA gene mutations, correlation with D loop variants and association with disease

Mitochondrial (mt)DNA haplogroups in a German control group (n = 67) were characterized by screening mitochondrial coding regions encompassing most of the ND, tRNA and cyt b genes. We used a PCR-SSCP screening approach followed by direct sequencing of polymorphic mtDNA fragments. Five major mtDNA lineages, diverging in at least nine different haplogroups, could be defined by characteristic polymorphic sites in mitochondrial genes. Additional sequencing of two hypervariable segments (HVS-I and II) of the non-coding displacement (D) loop in all control subjects revealed that certain D loop variants were strongly correlated with lineages and haplogroups, while others represented hotspots occurring frequently in different haplogroups. The existence of identified lineages and haplogroups received support from data in the literature, obtained by use of different approaches. Subsequently, we investigated four disease groups for association with these haplogroups: (i) LHON patients (n = 55) carrying at least one of the primary/intermediate LHON mutations at nt 3460, 11778, 14484 and/or 15257; (ii) patients suffering from Wolfram or DIDMOAD syndrome (n = 8); (iii) MELAS patients (n = 9); (iv) a group of children, who died from 'sudden infant death syndrome' (SIDS) (n = 9). The distribution patterns among the haplogroups of the disease groups (LHON, DIDMOAD and SIDS) differed considerably from the control population. LHON and DIDMOAD were significantly under-represented in the most frequent German haplogroup DC, but were concentrated in a mtDNA lineage defined by polymorphisms at nt 4216 + 11251 + 16126. As this lineage diverged into two precisely defined haplogroups, LHON and DIDMOAD could be assigned to the two haplogroups separately. Strikingly, SIDS was often found in association with two rare German haplogroups. MELAS patients were equally distributed among German haplogroups and, moreover, did not reveal any accumulation of specific D loop variants. We conclude that certain European mtDNA haplogroups define a genetic susceptibility basis for various disorders.      

线粒体tRNAThr A15951G可能是与Leber遗传性视神经病变相关的基因突变

目的 进一步分析中国汉族Leber遗传性视神经病变(Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy,LHON)家系的临床和分子遗传学特征,阐明LHON的分子致病机制.方法 对2例具有典型LHON临床特征的先证者和家系其他成员进行眼科学及其临床检查.对这2个家系先证者使用24对有部分重叠的引物进行线粒体DNA(mitochondrial DNA,mtDNA)全序列扩增分析.结果 检查发现这些家系成员中视力损害的外显率分别为5.3％(1/19)、18.2％(4/22).经mtDNA测序分析,并没有发现mtDNA G11778A、G3460A和T14484C 3个常见的突变,在tRNAThr上发现了A15951G同质性突变位点.线粒体DNA全序列分析显示2个家系呈现mtDNA多态性,都属于东亚单倍型D4b1.A15951G突变位于线粒体tRNAThr高度保守区(通用位点为71位),可能导致tRNA空间结构和稳定性发生改变,线粒体蛋白合成功能受损,最终发生视力损害.结论 线粒体tRNAThr A15951G可能是与Leber遗传性视神经病变相关的致病性线粒体基因突变.     

Mitochondrial DNA background modulates the assembly kinetics of OXPHOS complexes in a cellular model of mitochondrial disease

Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON), the most frequent mitochondrial disorder, is mostly due to three mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations in respiratory chain complex I subunit genes: 3460/ND1, 11778/ND4 and 14484/ND6. Despite considerable clinical evidences, a genetic modifying role of the mtDNA haplogroup background in the clinical expression of LHON remains experimentally unproven. We investigated the effect of mtDNA haplogroups on the assembly of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) complexes in transmitochondrial hybrids (cybrids) harboring the three common LHON mutations. The steady-state levels of respiratory chain complexes appeared normal in mutant cybrids. However, an accumulation of low molecular weight subcomplexes suggested a complex I assembly/stability defect, which was further demonstrated by reversibly inhibiting mitochondrial protein translation with doxycycline. Our results showed differentially delayed assembly rates of respiratory chain complexes I, III and IV amongst mutants belonging to different mtDNA haplogroups, revealing that specific mtDNA polymorphisms may modify the pathogenic potential of LHON mutations by affecting the overall assembly kinetics of OXPHOS complexes.     

Molecular epidemiology of mtDNA mutations in 903 Chinese families suspected with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy

We report the molecular epidemiology of three primary mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) responsible for Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) based on analysis of probands suspected with LHON from 903 Chinese families. Most of them had optic neuropathy of unknown cause, and only 128 had a family history of optic neuropathy. Mutations in the mtDNA were detected in 346 probands. Of the 346 cases, 340 were homoplasmic and only six were heteroplasmic; 284 were male and 62 were female; 120 had a family history and 226 were sporadic. G11778A, T14484C and G3460A mutations were detected in 312 (90.2%), 30, and four families, respectively. The majority (226/346, 65.3%) of all LHON cases in Chinese are sporadic. These 226 probands (29.2%) were identified from 775 probands with sporadic optic neuropathy. Affected male-to-female ratio was 4.6:1 for all probands but was 2.2:1 for family members. Average age at onset was 18.5 years, ranging from 4.5 to 47 years old.     

The unique characteristics of Thai Leber hereditary optic neuropathy: analysis of 30 G11778A pedigrees

Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is characterized by acute or subacute bilateral visual loss, and affects mostly young males. The most common mitochondrial DNA mutation responsible for LHON worldwide is G11778A. Despite different genetic backgrounds, which are believed to influence the disease expression, most features of LHON are quite common in different populations. However, there seem to be a few ethnic-specific differences. Analyses of our 30 G11778A LHON pedigrees in Thailand showed some characteristics different from those of Caucasians and Japanese. In particular, our pedigrees showed a lower male to female ratio of affected persons (2.6:1) and much higher prevalence of G11778A blood heteroplasmy (37% of the pedigrees contained at least one heteroplasmic G11778A individual). Heteroplasmicity seemed to influence disease manifestation in our patients but did not appear to alter the onset of the disease. The estimated overall penetrance of our G11778A LHON population was 37% for males and 13% for females. When each of our large pedigrees were considered separately, disease penetration varied from 9 to 45% between the pedigrees, and also varied between different branches of the same large pedigree. Survival analysis showed that the secondary LHON mutations G3316A and C3497T had a synergistic deleterious effect with the G11778A mutation, accelerating the onset of the disease in our patients.     

伴有mtDNA14484位点突变的Leber病一大家系

目的 研究Leber病一大家系的遗传因素,探讨其外显率、遗传早现、自发视力恢复,以及与mtDNA的关联性.方法 对家系中18例患者进行调查,并行视力、眼底等常规检查;5例患者作了视觉诱发电位(visual evoked potential,VEP)及视野检查;应用聚合酶链反应对6例患者外周血液进行mtDNA11778、3460及144843个位点检查.结果 (1)本家系第Ⅰ代娶二妻,前妻后代皆无明显诱因出现双眼视力下降,经眼底镜检查符合视神经萎缩诊断.后妻无眼病,其后代均无眼病.(2)6例患者的mtDNA检查显示11778、3460位点未发现突变,而在14484位点出现同质性突变.结论 该家系Leber病呈典型母系遗传,该病的临床表现可能与mtDNA14484位点突变密切关联.     

Poor outcome in Down syndrome fetuses with cardiac anomalies or growth retardation

The penetrance in Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) pedigrees is determined primarily by a mutation in the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA), but secondary factors are also necessary for manifestation of the disorder. It has been proposed that mtDNA polymorphisms affect penetrance in LHON pedigrees. In particular, it has been postulated that one or more polymorphisms associated with European haplogroup J mtDNAs substantially increase the penetrance of the primary LHON mutation at nucleotide 14484. We report here a haplogroup H matrilineal pedigree (VIC14) in which the single affected member carries the 14484 LHON mutation, but who manifested a milder and atypical optic nerve disorder. In addition, during a population screen, we identified an individual who carried the 14484 mutation but who had normal vision. Finally, the 14484 mutation is under-represented among haplogroup H mtDNAs that carry a LHON mutation. These results, in conjunction with other studies that are reviewed, indicate that 14484 LHON mutations have a low penetrance when they arise in a haplogroup H mtDNA background.     

Leber hereditary optic neuropathy

Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a mitochondrial genetic disease that preferentially causes blindness in young adult males, affecting about 1 in 25 000 of the British population. It is characterised by bilateral subacute loss of central vision owing to focal degeneration of the retinal ganglion cell layer and optic nerve. Over 95% of LHON cases are primarily the result of one of three mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) point mutations, G3460A, G11778A, and T14484C, which all involve genes encoding complex I subunits of the respiratory chain. An intriguing feature of LHON is that only approximately 50% of males and approximately 10% of females who harbour a pathogenic mtDNA mutation actually develop the optic neuropathy. This marked incomplete penetrance and gender bias imply that additional mitochondrial and/or nuclear genetic factors must be modulating the phenotypic expression of LHON. It is also likely that environmental factors contribute to the onset of visual failure. However, these secondary precipitating factors remain poorly defined at present. In this review, we describe the natural history of this optic nerve disorder and highlight issues relating to clinical diagnosis, management, and genetic counselling. We also discuss the findings of recently published studies and the light they shed on the complex aetiology and pathophysiology of LHON.     

Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy with 3460 mitochondrial DNA mutation

Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a maternally transmitted disease causing acute or subacute, bilateral optic atrophy mainly in young men. It is found to be a mitochondrial disorder with the primary mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations at 11,778, 3460, and 14,484. The incidence of each mutation is reported to be race-dependent. Point mutations at mtDNA nucleotide position 11,778 and 14,484 have been reported in Korean patients with LHON, however there has been no report of mtDNA mutation at nucleotide position 3460. Molecular genetic analyses at four primary sites (11,778, 14,484, 15,257, and 3460) of mitochondrial DNA using the polymerase chain reaction, restriction enzyme digestion, and direct sequencing were performed in a 35-yr-old man with severe visual loss. A point mutation in the mtDNA at nucleotide position 3460 was identified and a conversion of a single alanine to a threonine was confirmed. To our knowledge, this is the first report confirming mtDNA mutation at nucleotide position 3460 in Korean patients with LHON. Detailed molecular analyses would be very helpful for the correct diagnosis of optic neuropathy of unknown etiology and for genetic counseling.