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Title: Single-cell analysis of intercellular heteroplasmy of mtDNA in Leber hereditary optic neuropathy

Journal Article · · American Journal of Human Genetics; (United States)
OSTI ID:6822661

The authors have investigated the distribution of mutant mtDNA molecules in single cells from a patient with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON). LHON is a maternally inherited disease that is characterized by a sudden-onset bilateral loss of central vision, which typically occurs in early adulthood. More than 50% of all LHON patients carry an mtDNA mutation at nucleotide position 11778. This nucleotide change converts a highly conserved arginine residue to histidine at codon 340 in the NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase subunit 4 (ND4) gene of mtDNA. In the present study, the authors used PCR amplification of mtDNA from lymphocytes to investigate mtDNA heteroplasmy at the single-cell level in a LHON patient. They found that most cells were either homoplasmic normal or homoplasmic mutant at nucleotide position 11778. Some (16%) cells contained both mutant and normal mtDNA.

OSTI ID:
6822661
Journal Information:
American Journal of Human Genetics; (United States), Vol. 55:1; ISSN 0002-9297
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English