Association between genotype and phenotype in families with mutations in the ABCA4 gene

PURPOSE: To investigate the genotype and phenotype in families with adenosine triphosphate–binding cassette, sub-family A, member 4 (ABCA4)–associated retinal degeneration. METHODS: Three families with at least one family member with known homozygous or compound heterozygote mutations in the ABCA4 gene were studied. The investigations included full field electroretinography (ff-ERG), multifocal ERG (mERG), Goldmann visual fields, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and standard ophthalmological examination. Microarray (Asper) was used for ABCA4 genotyping. RESULTS: In family 1, the proband (age 23) was homozygote for the c768 G>T mutation. She was diagnosed with cone rod dystrophy (CRD) while her aunt (age 69) was compound heterozygote for the c768 G>T and c2894 A>G mutations and had autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa (arRP). The father (age 61) and the mother (age 60) of the proband were asymptomatic carriers of the c768 G>T mutation. In family 2, the proband (age 25) was homozygote for the c5917del. She was diagnosed with CRD. Her father and two sisters were compound heterozygote for the c5917del and c5882 G>A mutations. The eldest sister (age 23) suffered from Stargardt disease (STGD) while the youngest sister (age 12) and their father (age 48) had no visual complaints. Anyhow, their ERG measurements indicated changes corresponding to STGD. The mother (age 42), (heterozygote for the c5917 delG mutation) and the youngest child (age 9; heterozygote for the c5882 G>A mutation) had a normal phenotype. In family 3, the proband (age 43) was compound heterozygote for c768 G>T and c3113 C>T and had been diagnosed with STGD. Her son (age 12), who was homozygote for the c768 G>T mutation, had wider scotomas with earlier onset (age 6), ff-ERG cone responses in the lower range of normality, and reduced mERG. At the moment, he is classified as having STGD but may progress to CRD. The father (age 45) was asymptomatic and heterozygote for the c768 G>T mutation. The patients with progressive disorders (CRD or arRP) had prolonged implicit times for the 30 Hz flicker ff-ERG and the mERG. All patients with two mutations in the ABCA4 gene demonstrated attenuation of retinal thickness on the OCT macular map. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that ABCA4 mutations lead to a spectrum of retinal degenerations ranging from STGD to CRD or arRP. At the time of diagnosis, it is not possible to predict the severity of the condition only from genotyping. Our results suggest that prolongation of implicit times for the ff-ERG and/or mERG seem to be associated with progressive conditions such as CRD and arRP. Since ABCA4 mutations are common in the general population, different family members can harbor various combinations of mutations resulting in diverse phenotype and prognosis in the same family, further emphasizing the importance of a combination of genetic and electrophysiological tests at the first visit and follow-up.