Age-related macular degeneration is associated with an unstable ARMS2 (LOC387715) mRNA.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a prevalent multifactorial disorder of the central retina. Genetic variants at two chromosomal loci, 1q31 and 10q26, confer major disease risks, together accounting for more than 50% of AMD pathology. Signals at 10q26 center over two nearby genes, ARMS2 (age-related maculopathy susceptibility 2, also known as LOC387715) and HTRA1 (high-temperature requirement factor A1), suggesting two equally probable candidates. Here we show that a deletion-insertion polymorphism in ARMS2 (NM_001099667.1:c.(*)372_815del443ins54) is strongly associated with AMD, directly affecting the transcript by removing the polyadenylation signal and inserting a 54-bp element known to mediate rapid mRNA turnover. As a consequence, expression of ARMS2 in homozygous carriers of the indel variant is not detectable. Confirming previous findings, we demonstrate a mitochondrial association of the normal protein and further define its retinal localization to the ellipsoid region of the photoreceptors. Our data suggest that ARMS2 has a key role in AMD, possibly through mitochondria-related pathways.
Institute of Human Genetics, University of Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee 11, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
Lars G
LG
Fritsche
Thomas
T
Loenhardt
Andreas
A
Janssen
Sheila A
SA
Fisher
Andrea
A
Rivera
Claudia N
CN
Keilhauer
Bernhard H F
BH
Weber
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005838:Genotype; D000074289:High-Temperature Requirement A Serine Peptidase 1; D006801:Humans; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D020871:RNA Stability / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000235:genetics; D014018:Tissue Distribution
C514392:ARMS2 protein, human; D011506:Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D000074289:High-Temperature Requirement A Serine Peptidase 1; C474012:HTRA1 protein, human; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases