R elatively little progress has been made in developing therapies for mitochondrial diseases in modern medicine as a result of the exquisite complexity of the structural proteins and pathways associated with mitochondrial functions and our incomplete understanding of pathophysiology (1). Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON), in particular, provides a unique model for understanding molecular...

BACKGROUND The onset of Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is relatively rare in childhood. This study describes the clinical and molecular genetic features observed in this specific LHON subgroup. METHODS Our retrospective study consisted of a UK paediatric LHON cohort of 27 patients and 69 additional cases identified from a systematic review of the literature. Patients were included i...

We have analysed the heteroplasmy level in 11 individuals from 3 families harbouring the mitochondrial 11778A mutation responsible for Leber hereditary optic neuropathy using last cycle hot PCR. The mutation level exceeded 90% both in affected and in unaffected individuals. We also checked whether any of the families belonged to the J haplogroup of mitochondrial DNA and obtained a negative result.

PURPOSE Autosomal dominant optic atrophy (ADOA, OMIM 165500), an inherited optic neuropathy that leads to retinal ganglion cell degeneration and reduced visual acuity during the early decades of life, is mainly associated with mutations in the OPA1 gene. Here we report a novel ADOA phenotype associated with a new pathogenic OPA1 gene mutation. METHODS The patient, a 62-year-old woman, was ref...

Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is one of the most common inherited optic neuropathies causing bilateral central vision loss. The disorder results from point mutations in mitochondrial DNA and subsequent mitochondrial dysfunction. The primary cell type that is lost in LHON is the retinal ganglion cell, which is highly susceptible to disrupted ATP production and oxidative stress. Inheri...

Leber hereditary optic neuropathy is due to mitochondrial DNA mutations; in ~70% of all cases, a point mutation in the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4, ND4, gene leads to central vision loss. We optimized allotopic expression (nuclear transcription of a gene that is normally transcribed inside the mitochondria) aimed at designing a gene therapy for ND4; its coding sequence was associ...