Abstract
Background/Aims Corneal dystrophies (CDs) belong to a group of hereditary heterogeneous corneal diseases which result in visual impairment due to the progressive accumulation of deposits in different corneal layers. So far, mutations in several genes have been responsible for various CDs. The purpose of this study is to identify gene mutations in a three-generation Hui-Chinese family associated with granular corneal dystrophy type I (GCD1). Methods A three-generation Hui-Chinese pedigree with GCD1 was recruited for this study. Slit-lamp biomicroscopy, optical coherence tomography, and confocal microscopy were performed to determine the clinical features of available members. Whole exome sequencing was performed on two patients to screen for potential disease-causing variants in the family. Sanger sequencing was used to test the variant in the family members. Results Clinical examinations demonstrated bilaterally abundant multiple grayish-white opacities in the basal epithelial and superficial stroma layers of corneas of the two patients. Whole exome sequencing revealed that a heterozygous missense mutation (c.1663C > T, p.Arg555Trp) in the transforming growth factor beta-induced gene (TGFBI) was shared by the two patients, and it cosegregated with this disease in the family confirmed by Sanger sequencing. Conclusions The results suggested that the heterozygous TGFBI c.1663C > T (p.Arg555Trp) mutation was responsible for GCD1 in the Hui-Chinese family, which should be of great help in genetic counseling for this family.
Highlights
Corneal dystrophies (CDs) belong to a group of hereditary and noninflammatory corneal disorders that give rise to corneal transparency loss and visual impairment due to the progressive accumulation of extracellular amyloid and nonamyloid deposits in different corneal layers [1,2,3]
All patients in this family were diagnosed as GCD, and the clinical features of patients were presented below. e patient I : 2 was a 61-year-old woman who complained of bilateral poor vision and hyperdacryosis for about 20 years and presented with grayish-white granular c.1663C > T
GCD1, termed as classic granular CD or Groenouw CD, is one of the most common phenotypes of the transforming growth factor beta-induced gene (TGFBI) gene associated with CDs in China, which has an autosomal dominant trait [13, 24]
Summary
Corneal dystrophies (CDs) belong to a group of hereditary and noninflammatory corneal disorders that give rise to corneal transparency loss and visual impairment due to the progressive accumulation of extracellular amyloid and nonamyloid deposits in different corneal layers [1,2,3]. Pathologic exams, and genetic data, CDs were subcategorized as epithelial and subepithelial dystrophies, epithelial-stromal TGFBI dystrophies, stromal dystrophies, and endothelial dystrophies [5, 6]. CDs are highly heterogeneous disorders, both clinically and genetically [1]. A certain subtype could result from different genetic defects, and mutations in a definite gene could cause different subtypes [5, 13]
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