The p. Arg555Trp mutation of the TGFBI gene was associated with TBCD, which revealed a novel phenotype-genotype correlation within the mutational spectrum of phenotypically diverse corneal dystrophies.
To gain insight into the mechanisms underlying the transforming growth factor-beta induced (TGFBI)-related corneal dystrophies and the influence of the Arg555Trp and Thr538Pro, TGFBI mutations on C-terminal cleavage and cell endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress were investigated.
Five mutations of TGFBI were identified in 21 families with CDs, including one novel small deletion mutation, c.delta1838-1849 (p.Delta613-616VAEP), responsible for one variant lattice CD (LCD) family and 4 known mutations, R555W mutation for 10 granular cornea dystrophy type I (GCD1) families, R124H for 5 GCD type II (GCD2), R124C for 4 LCD1, and H626R for one variant LCD.
In our study, 5 previously reported mutations of the TGFBI gene - R124C, R124H, R124L (exon 4), R555W, R555Q (exon 12) - were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction digestion in 48 individuals from 19 unrelated families with different forms of corneal dystrophy from different regions of Ukraine.
Diagnoses included Thiel-Benhke CD (TBCD/R555Q) (13 eyes), classic granular CD (CGCD/R555W) (28 eyes), superficial variant of granular dystrophy (SVGD/R124 l) (27 eyes), lattice CD type I (LCDI/R124C) (20 eyes), Avellino CD (ACD/R124H) (2 eyes), H626R-lattice dystrophy (LCD/H626R) (6 eyes), and two novel dystrophies: a French variant of granular dystrophy (FVGD/R124 l+DT125-DE126) (9 eyes) and a French lattice CD type IIIA (LCDIIIA/A546T) (5 eyes).
Records of patients carrying this mutation were compared with those from three unrelated patients with corneal dystrophy of Bowman's layer (CDB) type 2 (R555Q mutation) and from three unrelated patients with classic corneal granular dystrophy (R555W mutation).