Age-Associated Differences in Optic Disc Findings of Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy

We aimed to investigate the relationship between age and acute-phase optic disc findings in Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON). We examined 27 LHON patients (27 eyes) with the m.11778 G>A mutation within two months of onset, with acute-phase optic disc findings. We analyzed the relationship between age and three key optic disc features: peripapillary telangiectasia, disc hyperemia, and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) swelling. The median age of onset was 37 years (range: 10-68), with 22…

A Case of Late-Onset Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy in Association with Heteroplasmic m.11778G>A/ND4 Mutation

A 68-year-old man described a progressive, painless, and bilateral reduction of visual acuity, with greater difficulties in central vision, over a period of 3 years. His past medical history was unremarkable, and he admitted a long exposure to tobacco smoking and moderate daily alcohol intake. The first ophthalmological evaluation confirmed a bilateral reduction of visual acuity, without other major findings. Visual fields showed a central scotoma in the right eye and a temporal…

Whole mitochondrial genome sequencing in individuals with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy negative for the common pathogenic mitochondrial DNA variants

CONCLUSION: Our study of a well-characterized Indian LHON cohort uncovered rare mtDNA variants that should be considered when assessing undiagnosed optic neuropathy cases. Additionally, it underscores the effectiveness of NGS in identifying heteroplasmic mtDNA variants. This indicates that whole mitochondrial genome sequencing via NGS is a more efficient and preferred approach for routine molecular genetic testing.

Structural insights into DdCBE in action enable high-precision mitochondrial DNA editing

DddA-derived cytosine base editor (DdCBE) couples transcription activator-like effector (TALE) arrays and the double-stranded DNA (dsDNA)-specific cytidine deaminase DddA to target mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) for editing. However, structures of DdCBE in action are unavailable, impeding its mechanistic-based optimization for high-precision-demanding therapeutic applications. Here, we determined the cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of DdCBE targeting two native mitochondrial gene loci…

Estradiol alleviates disease phenotypes caused by m.3635G > a mutations by activating mitochondrial biogenesis and PINK1-Parkin mediated mitophagy in iPSC-derived retinal pigment epithelium cells

Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON), a mitochondrial disorder marked by central vision loss, exhibits incomplete penetrance and male predominance. Since there are no adequate models for understanding the rapid vision loss associated with LHON, we generated induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from LHON patients carrying the pathogenic m.3635G > A mutation and differentiated them into retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells. The mutation disrupted mitochondrial dynamics, suppressing…