Skip to main content
American Journal of Human Genetics logoLink to American Journal of Human Genetics
. 1998 Nov;63(5):1307–1315. doi: 10.1086/302101

A range of clinical phenotypes associated with mutations in CRX, a photoreceptor transcription-factor gene.

M M Sohocki 1, L S Sullivan 1, H A Mintz-Hittner 1, D Birch 1, J R Heckenlively 1, C L Freund 1, R R McInnes 1, S P Daiger 1
PMCID: PMC1377541  PMID: 9792858

Abstract

Mutations in the retinal-expressed gene CRX (cone-rod homeobox gene) have been associated with dominant cone-rod dystrophy and with de novo Leber congenital amaurosis. However, CRX is a transcription factor for several retinal genes, including the opsins and the gene for interphotoreceptor retinoid binding protein. Because loss of CRX function could alter the expression of a number of other retinal proteins, we screened for mutations in the CRX gene in probands with a range of degenerative retinal diseases. Of the 294 unrelated individuals screened, we identified four CRX mutations in families with clinical diagnoses of autosomal dominant cone-rod dystrophy, late-onset dominant retinitis pigmentosa, or dominant congenital Leber amaurosis (early-onset retinitis pigmentosa), and we identified four additional benign sequence variants. These findings imply that CRX mutations may be associated with a wide range of clinical phenotypes, including congenital retinal dystrophy (Leber) and progressive diseases such as cone-rod dystrophy or retinitis pigmentosa, with a wide range of onset.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (1.3 MB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Chen S., Wang Q. L., Nie Z., Sun H., Lennon G., Copeland N. G., Gilbert D. J., Jenkins N. A., Zack D. J. Crx, a novel Otx-like paired-homeodomain protein, binds to and transactivates photoreceptor cell-specific genes. Neuron. 1997 Nov;19(5):1017–1030. doi: 10.1016/s0896-6273(00)80394-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Finkelstein R., Boncinelli E. From fly head to mammalian forebrain: the story of otd and Otx. Trends Genet. 1994 Sep;10(9):310–315. doi: 10.1016/0168-9525(94)90033-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Freund C. L., Gregory-Evans C. Y., Furukawa T., Papaioannou M., Looser J., Ploder L., Bellingham J., Ng D., Herbrick J. A., Duncan A. Cone-rod dystrophy due to mutations in a novel photoreceptor-specific homeobox gene (CRX) essential for maintenance of the photoreceptor. Cell. 1997 Nov 14;91(4):543–553. doi: 10.1016/s0092-8674(00)80440-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Freund C. L., Wang Q. L., Chen S., Muskat B. L., Wiles C. D., Sheffield V. C., Jacobson S. G., McInnes R. R., Zack D. J., Stone E. M. De novo mutations in the CRX homeobox gene associated with Leber congenital amaurosis. Nat Genet. 1998 Apr;18(4):311–312. doi: 10.1038/ng0498-311. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Furukawa T., Morrow E. M., Cepko C. L. Crx, a novel otx-like homeobox gene, shows photoreceptor-specific expression and regulates photoreceptor differentiation. Cell. 1997 Nov 14;91(4):531–541. doi: 10.1016/s0092-8674(00)80439-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hittner H. M., Murphree A. L., Garcia C. A., Justice J., Jr, Chokshi D. B. Dominant cone-rod dystrophy. Doc Ophthalmol. 1975 Nov 21;39(1):29–52. doi: 10.1007/BF00578758. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Keen T. J., Inglehearn C. F., Kim R., Bird A. C., Bhattacharya S. Retinal pattern dystrophy associated with a 4 bp insertion at codon 140 in the RDS-peripherin gene. Hum Mol Genet. 1994 Feb;3(2):367–368. doi: 10.1093/hmg/3.2.367. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Li X., Chen S., Wang Q., Zack D. J., Snyder S. H., Borjigin J. A pineal regulatory element (PIRE) mediates transactivation by the pineal/retina-specific transcription factor CRX. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1998 Feb 17;95(4):1876–1881. doi: 10.1073/pnas.95.4.1876. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Nakazawa M., Kikawa E., Chida Y., Tamai M. Asn244His mutation of the peripherin/RDS gene causing autosomal dominant cone-rod degeneration. Hum Mol Genet. 1994 Jul;3(7):1195–1196. doi: 10.1093/hmg/3.7.1195. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Nakazawa M., Kikawa E., Chida Y., Wada Y., Shiono T., Tamai M. Autosomal dominant cone-rod dystrophy associated with mutations in codon 244 (Asn244His) and codon 184 (Tyr184Ser) of the peripherin/RDS gene. Arch Ophthalmol. 1996 Jan;114(1):72–78. doi: 10.1001/archopht.1996.01100130068011. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Swain P. K., Chen S., Wang Q. L., Affatigato L. M., Coats C. L., Brady K. D., Fishman G. A., Jacobson S. G., Swaroop A., Stone E. Mutations in the cone-rod homeobox gene are associated with the cone-rod dystrophy photoreceptor degeneration. Neuron. 1997 Dec;19(6):1329–1336. doi: 10.1016/s0896-6273(00)80423-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Weleber R. G., Carr R. E., Murphey W. H., Sheffield V. C., Stone E. M. Phenotypic variation including retinitis pigmentosa, pattern dystrophy, and fundus flavimaculatus in a single family with a deletion of codon 153 or 154 of the peripherin/RDS gene. Arch Ophthalmol. 1993 Nov;111(11):1531–1542. doi: 10.1001/archopht.1993.01090110097033. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Wells J., Wroblewski J., Keen J., Inglehearn C., Jubb C., Eckstein A., Jay M., Arden G., Bhattacharya S., Fitzke F. Mutations in the human retinal degeneration slow (RDS) gene can cause either retinitis pigmentosa or macular dystrophy. Nat Genet. 1993 Mar;3(3):213–218. doi: 10.1038/ng0393-213. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from American Journal of Human Genetics are provided here courtesy of American Society of Human Genetics

RESOURCES