One of the earliest changes in the retina of AMD patients is the loss of CD46 expression in the retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells in the course of geographic atrophy.
We carried out a case-control study to test for association between AMD and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) spanning the genes encoding complement factor P (CFP, properdin), CD46 (membrane cofactor protein, MCP), CD55 (decay accelerating factor, DAF) and CD59 (protectin).