Project description:Autosomal Dominant Optic Atrophy (ADOA) is characterized by the selective degeneration of retinal ganglion cells. The occurrence of mutations in the gene encoding the dynamin-like GTPase protein Optic Atrophy 1 (OPA1) has been observed in about 60-70% of ADOA cases. A subset of missense mutations, mostly within the GTPase domain, has recently been associated with a syndromic ADOA form called "OPA1 plus" phenotype presenting, at muscle level, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) instability. In this study we disclosed two OPA1 gene mutations in independent probands from two families affected by OPA1 plus phenotype: the previously reported c.985-2A>G substitution and a novel microdeletion (c.2819-1_2821del). The correlation between genotype and phenotype and the effects of these variants at the transcript level and in the muscle tissue were investigated, confirming the broad complexity in the phenotypic spectrum associated with these OPA1 mutations.
Project description:PURPOSE:Autosomal dominant optic atrophy (DOA) is a major cause of visual impairment in young adults that is characterized by selective retinal ganglion cell loss. To define the prevalence and natural history of this optic nerve disorder, we performed a population-based epidemiologic and molecular study of presumed DOA cases in the north of England. DESIGN:Case series. PARTICIPANTS:Seventy-six affected probands with a clinical diagnosis of DOA were identified from our neuro-ophthalmology and neurogenetics database. METHODS:OPA1 genetic testing was performed using a polymerase chain reaction-based sequencing strategy. OPA1-negative cases were then screened for large-scale OPA1 rearrangements and OPA3 mutations. Additional affected family members identified through contact tracing were examined, and longitudinal visual data were analyzed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:The prevalence and molecular characteristics of DOA in the north of England. Visual function and disease progression among patients with OPA1-positive mutations. RESULTS:The detection rate of OPA1 mutations was 57.6% among probands with a positive family history of optic atrophy (19/33) and 14.0% among singleton cases (6/43). Approximately two thirds of our families with DOA harbored OPA1 mutations (14/22, 63.6%), and 5 novel OPA1 mutations were identified. Only 1 family carried a large-scale OPA1 rearrangement, and no OPA3 mutations were found in our optic atrophy cohort. The minimum point prevalence of DOA in the north of England was 2.87 per 100,000 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.54-3.20), or 2.09 per 100,000 (95% CI, 1.95-2.23) when only OPA1-positive cases were considered. Snellen visual acuity varied markedly between OPA1-positive cases with a mean of 20/173 (range 20/20 to hand movements), and visual function worsened in 67.4% of patients during follow-up. The mean rate of visual loss was 0.032 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution per year, but some patients experienced faster visual decline (range = 0-0.171 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution/year). OPA1 missense mutations were associated with a significantly worse visual outcome compared with other mutational subtypes (P=0.0001). CONCLUSIONS:Dominant optic atrophy causes significant visual morbidity and affects at least 1 in 35,000 of the general population.
Project description:PurposeThe majority of patients with autosomal dominant optic atrophy (DOA) harbour pathogenic OPA1 mutations. Although DOA is characterised by the preferential loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), about 20% of patients with OPA1 mutations will develop a more severe disease variant (DOA+), with additional neuromuscular features. In this prospective, observational case series, optical coherence tomography (OCT) was used to define the pattern of retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) loss in patients with both the pure and syndromal forms of DOA.MethodsForty patients with a molecular diagnosis of DOA due to OPA1 mutations were prospectively recruited from our neuro-ophthalmology clinic: 26 patients with isolated optic atrophy and 14 patients manifesting DOA+ features. Peripapillary RNFL thickness was measured with the Fast RNFL (3.4) acquisition protocol on a Stratus OCT.ResultsThere was a statistically significant reduction in average RNFL thickness in the OPA1 group compared with normal controls (P<0.0001). The percentage decrease was greatest in the temporal quadrant (59.0%), followed by the inferior (49.6%), superior (41.8%), and nasal (25.9%) quadrants. Patients with DOA+ features had worse visual outcomes compared with patients with pure DOA. Except in the temporal quadrant, RNFL measurements were significantly thinner for the DOA+ group. There was an inverse correlation between average RNFL thickness and logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (LogMAR) visual acuity (P<0.0001).ConclusionsRGC loss in DOA is characterised by severe involvement of the temporal papillomacular bundle, with relative sparing of the nasal fibres. RNFL thinning is more pronounced in patients with DOA+ phenotypes.
Project description:ObjectiveTo characterize the phenotype in individuals with OPA3-related autosomal dominant optic atrophy and cataract (ADOAC) and peripheral neuropathy (PN).MethodsTwo probands with multiple affected relatives and one sporadic case were referred for evaluation of a PN. Their phenotype was determined by clinical ± neurophysiological assessment. Neuropathologic examination of sural nerve and skeletal muscle, and ultrastructural analysis of mitochondria in fibroblasts were performed in one case. Exome sequencing was performed in the probands.ResultsThe main clinical features in one family (n = 7 affected individuals) and one sporadic case were early-onset cataracts (n = 7), symptoms of gastrointestinal dysmotility (n = 8), and possible/confirmed PN (n = 7). Impaired vision was an early-onset feature in another family (n = 4 affected individuals), in which 3 members had symptoms of gastrointestinal dysmotility and 2 developed PN and cataracts. The less common features among all individuals included symptoms/signs of autonomic dysfunction (n = 3), hearing loss (n = 3), and recurrent pancreatitis (n = 1). In 5 individuals, the neuropathy was axonal and clinically asymptomatic (n = 1), sensory-predominant (n = 2), or motor and sensory (n = 2). In one patient, nerve biopsy revealed a loss of large and small myelinated fibers. In fibroblasts, mitochondria were frequently enlarged with slightly fragmented cristae. The exome sequencing identified OPA3 variants in all probands: a novel variant (c.23T>C) and the known mutation (c.313C>G) in OPA3.ConclusionsA syndromic form of ADOAC (ADOAC+), in which axonal neuropathy may be a major feature, is described. OPA3 mutations should be included in the differential diagnosis of complex inherited PN, even in the absence of clinically apparent optic atrophy.
Project description:Optic Atrophy 1 (OPA1) gene mutations cause diseases ranging from isolated dominant optic atrophy (DOA) to various multisystemic disorders. OPA1, a large GTPase belonging to the dynamin family, is involved in mitochondrial network dynamics. The majority of OPA1 mutations encodes truncated forms of the protein and causes DOA through haploinsufficiency, whereas missense OPA1 mutations are predicted to cause disease through deleterious dominant-negative mechanisms. We used 3D imaging and biochemical analysis to explore autophagy and mitophagy in fibroblasts from seven patients harbouring OPA1 mutations. We report new genotype-phenotype correlations between various types of OPA1 mutation and mitophagy. Fibroblasts bearing dominant-negative OPA1 mutations showed increased autophagy and mitophagy in response to uncoupled oxidative phosphorylation. In contrast, OPA1 haploinsufficiency was correlated with a substantial reduction in mitochondrial turnover and autophagy, unless subjected to experimental mitochondrial injury. Our results indicate distinct alterations of mitochondrial physiology and turnover in cells with OPA1 mutations, suggesting that the level and profile of OPA1 may regulate the rate of mitophagy.
Project description:PURPOSE: To specify thickness values of various retinal layers on macular spectral domain Optical Coherence Tomography (SDOCT) scans in patients with autosomal dominant optic atrophy (ADOA) compared to healthy controls. METHODS: SDOCT volume scans of 7 patients with ADOA (OPA-1 mutation) and 14 healthy controls were quantitatively analyzed using manual grading software. Mean thickness values for the ETDRS grid subfields 5-8 were calculated for the spaces neurosensory retina, retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), ganglion cell layer (GCL), a combined space of inner plexiform layer/outer plexiform layer/inner nuclear layer (IPL+INL+OPL), and a combined space of outer nuclear layer/photoreceptor layers (ONL+PL). RESULTS: ADOA patients showed statistically significant lower retinal thickness values than controls (P < 0.01). RNFL (P < 0.001) and GCL thicknesses (P < 0.001) were significantly lower in ADOA patients. There was no difference in IPL+INL+OPL and in ONL+PL thickness. CONCLUSION: Manual subanalysis of macular SDOCT volume scans allowed detailed subanalysis of various retinal layers. Not only RNFL but also GCL thicknesses are reduced in the macular area of ADOA patients whereas subjacent layers are not involved. Together with clinical findings, macular SDOCT helps to identify patients with suspicion for hereditary optic neuropathy before genetic analysis confirms the diagnosis.
Project description:Mutations in the opa1 (optic atrophy 1) gene lead to autosomal dominant optic atrophy (ADOA), a hereditary eye disease. This gene encodes the Opa1 protein, a mitochondrial dynamin-related GTPase required for mitochondrial fusion and the maintenance of normal crista structure. The majority of opa1 mutations encode truncated forms of the protein, lacking a complete GTPase domain. It is unclear whether the phenotype results from haploinsufficiency or rather a deleterious effect of truncated Opa1 protein. We studied a heterozygous Opa1 mutant mouse carrying a defective allele with a stop codon in the beginning of the GTPase domain at residue 285, a mutation that mimics human pathological mutations. Using an antibody raised against an N-terminal portion of Opa1, we found that the level of wild-type protein was decreased in the mutant mice, as predicted. However, no truncated Opa1 protein was expressed. In embryonic fibroblasts isolated from the mutant mice, this partial loss of Opa1 caused mitochondrial respiratory deficiency and a selective loss of respiratory Complex IV subunits. Furthermore, partial Opa1 deficiency resulted in a substantial resistance to endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced death. On the other hand, the enforced expression of truncated Opa1 protein in cells containing normal levels of wild-type protein did not cause mitochondrial defects. Moreover, cells expressing the truncated Opa1 protein showed reduced Bax activation in response to apoptotic stimuli. Taken together, our results exclude deleterious dominant-negative or gain-of-function mechanisms for this type of Opa1 mutation and affirm haploinsufficiency as the mechanism underlying mitochondrial dysfunction in ADOA.
Project description:BACKGROUND: Autosomal dominant optic atrophy (ADOA, Kjer disease, MIM #165500) is the most common form of hereditary optic neuropathy. Mutations in OPA1 located at chromosome 3q28 are the predominant cause for ADOA explaining between 32 and 89% of cases. Although deletions of OPA1 were recently reported in ADOA, the frequency of OPA1 genomic rearrangements in Denmark, where ADOA has a high prevalence, is unknown. The aim of the study was to identify copy number variations in OPA1 in Danish ADOA patients. METHODS: Forty unrelated ADOA patients, selected from a group of 100 ADOA patients as being negative for OPA1 point mutations, were tested for genomic rearrangements in OPA1 by multiplex ligation probe amplification (MLPA). When only one probe was abnormal results were confirmed by additional manually added probes. Segregation analysis was performed in families with detected mutations when possible. RESULTS: Ten families had OPA1 deletions, including two with deletions of the entire coding region and eight with intragenic deletions. Segregation analysis was possible in five families, and showed that the deletions segregated with the disease. CONCLUSION: Deletions in the OPA1 gene were found in 10 patients presenting with phenotypic autosomal dominant optic neuropathy. Genetic testing for deletions in OPA1 should be offered for patients with clinically diagnosed ADOA and no OPA1 mutations detected by DNA sequencing analysis.
Project description:Mitochondrial quality control is fundamental to all neurodegenerative diseases, including the most prominent ones, Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinsonism. It is accomplished by mitochondrial network dynamics - continuous fission and fusion of mitochondria. Mitochondrial fission is facilitated by DRP1, while MFN1 and MFN2 on the mitochondrial outer membrane and OPA1 on the mitochondrial inner membrane are essential for mitochondrial fusion. Mitochondrial network dynamics are regulated in highly sophisticated ways by various different posttranslational modifications, such as phosphorylation, ubiquitination, and proteolytic processing of their key-proteins. By this, mitochondria process a wide range of different intracellular and extracellular parameters in order to adapt mitochondrial function to actual energetic and metabolic demands of the host cell, attenuate mitochondrial damage, recycle dysfunctional mitochondria via the mitochondrial autophagy pathway, or arrange for the recycling of the complete host cell by apoptosis. Most of the genes coding for proteins involved in this process have been associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Mutations in one of these genes are associated with a neurodegenerative disease that originally was described to affect retinal ganglion cells only. Since more and more evidence shows that other cell types are affected as well, we would like to discuss the pathology of dominant optic atrophy, which is caused by heterozygous sequence variants in OPA1, in the light of the current view on OPA1 protein function in mitochondrial quality control, in particular on its function in mitochondrial fusion and cytochrome C release. We think OPA1 is a good example to understand the molecular basis for mitochondrial network dynamics.
Project description:Dominant congenital spinal muscular atrophy (DCSMA) is a disorder of developing anterior horn cells and shows lower-limb predominance and clinical overlap with hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP), a lower-limb-predominant disorder of corticospinal motor neurons. We have identified four mutations in bicaudal D homolog 2 (Drosophila) (BICD2) in six kindreds affected by DCSMA, DCSMA with upper motor neuron features, or HSP. BICD2 encodes BICD2, a key adaptor protein that interacts with the dynein-dynactin motor complex, which facilitates trafficking of cellular cargos that are critical to motor neuron development and maintenance. We demonstrate that mutations resulting in amino acid substitutions in two binding regions of BICD2 increase its binding affinity for the cytoplasmic dynein-dynactin complex, which might result in the perturbation of BICD2-dynein-dynactin-mediated trafficking, and impair neurite outgrowth. These findings provide insight into the mechanism underlying both the static and the slowly progressive clinical features and the motor neuron pathology that characterize BICD2-associated diseases, and underscore the importance of the dynein-dynactin transport pathway in the development and survival of both lower and upper motor neurons.