Summary
Clinical characteristics.
Optic atrophy type 1 (OPA1, or Kjer type optic atrophy) is characterized by bilateral and symmetric optic nerve pallor associated with insidious decrease in visual acuity (usually between ages 4 and 6 years), visual field defects, and color vision defects. Visual impairment is usually moderate (6/10 to 2/10), but ranges from mild or even insignificant to severe (legal blindness with acuity <1/20). The visual field defect is typically centrocecal, central, or paracentral; it is often large in those with severe disease. The color vision defect is often described as acquired blue-yellow loss (tritanopia). Other findings can include auditory neuropathy resulting in sensorineural hearing loss that ranges from severe and congenital to subclinical (i.e., identified by specific audiologic testing only).
Visual evoked potentials are typically absent or delayed; pattern electroretinogram shows an abnormal N95:P50 ratio. Tritanopia is the classic feature of color vision defect, but more diffuse nonspecific dyschromatopsia is not uncommon. Ophthalmoscopic examination discloses temporal or diffuse pallor of the optic discs, sometimes associated with optic disc excavation. The neuroretinal rim shows some pallor in most cases, sometimes associated with a temporal pigmentary gray crescent.
Management.
Treatment of manifestations: Low-vision aids for decreased visual acuity.
Surveillance: Annual ophthalmologic evaluations (including measurement of visual acuity, visual fields, and optical coherence tomography) and hearing evaluations.
Agents/circumstances to avoid: Smoking, excessive alcohol intake, medications (antibiotics, antivirals) that interfere with mitochondrial metabolism.
Genetic counseling.
OPA1 is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner. Most individuals diagnosed with OPA1 have an affected parent; however, de novo pathogenic variants have been reported. Each child of an individual with OPA1 has a 50% chance of inheriting the pathogenic variant. Prenatal testing for a pregnancy at increased risk is possible if the pathogenic variant has been identified in an affected family member, but genetic counseling remains complicated by the incomplete penetrance and the markedly variable inter- and intrafamilial expressivity of the disease.
Diagnosis
Suggestive Findings
Optic atrophy type 1 (OPA1 or Kjer type optic atrophy) should be suspected in individuals with the following clinical, electrophysiologic, and family history findings:
Clinical findings
Childhood onset
Bilateral vision loss that is usually symmetric
Visual field defect that is typically centrocecal, central, or paracentral
Peripheral field that is usually normal, although inversion of red and blue isopters may occur.
Note: The isopters are lines joining points of equal sensitivity on a visual field chart. The red isopter represents the largest/brightest stimulus; the blue isopter represents the smallest/dimmest stimulus. Persons with OPA1 have scotomas (areas of impaired visual acuity) in the central visual fields and sparing of the peripheral visual fields.
Color vision defect, often described as acquired blue-yellow loss (tritanopia)
Opthalmoscopic examination that demonstrates:
Electrophysiology
Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) are typically absent or delayed, indicating a conduction defect in the optic nerve.
Pattern electroretinogram (PERG) shows an abnormal N95:P50 ratio, with reduction in the amplitude of the N95 waveform [
Holder et al 1998]. Since the N95 component of the PERG is thought to be specific for the retinal ganglion cell, this finding supports a ganglion cell origin for the optic atrophy.
Note: The PERG originates from the inner retinal layers, enabling an assessment of ganglion cell function, and is increasingly used in the assessment of anterior visual pathway dysfunction. The normal PERG consists of a prominent positive peak at 50 ms (P50), and a slow, broad trough with a minimum at 95 ms (N95). The positive P50 component is invariably affected in retinal and macular dysfunction, whereas the negative N95 component is principally affected in optic nerve disease. Furthermore, the ratio between N95 and P50 has been shown to be an effective measure of retinal ganglion cell function.
Family history is consistent with autosomal dominant inheritance. Absence of a family history of OPA1 does not preclude the diagnosis.
Establishing the Diagnosis
The diagnosis of optic atrophy type 1 (OPA1) is established in a proband with the above clinical findings and/or a heterozygous pathogenic (or likely pathogenic) variant in OPA1 identified by molecular genetic testing (see Table 1).
Note: (1) Per ACMG/AMP variant interpretation guidelines, the terms "pathogenic variants" and "likely pathogenic variants" are synonymous in a clinical setting, meaning that both are considered diagnostic and both can be used for clinical decision making [Richards et al 2015]. Reference to "pathogenic variants" in this section is understood to include any likely pathogenic variants. (2) Identification of a heterozygous OPA1 variant of uncertain significance does not establish or rule out the diagnosis.
Molecular testing approaches can include single-gene testing, use of a multigene panel, and genomic testing.
Single-gene testing
A multigene panel that includes OPA1 and other genes of interest (see Differential Diagnosis) may also be considered. Note: (1) The genes included in the panel and the diagnostic sensitivity of the testing used for each gene vary by laboratory and are likely to change over time. (2) Some multigene panels may include genes not associated with the condition discussed in this GeneReview; thus, clinicians need to determine which multigene panel is most likely to identify the genetic cause of the condition while limiting identification of variants of uncertain significance and pathogenic variants in genes that do not explain the underlying phenotype. (3) In some laboratories, panel options may include a custom laboratory-designed panel and/or custom phenotype-focused exome analysis that includes genes specified by the clinician. (4) Methods used in a panel may include sequence analysis, deletion/duplication analysis, and/or other non-sequencing-based tests.
For an introduction to multigene panels click here. More detailed information for clinicians ordering genetic tests can be found here.
More comprehensive genomic testing (when available) including exome sequencing, genome sequencing, and mitochondrial sequencing may be considered if serial single-gene testing (and/or use of a multigene panel) fails to confirm a diagnosis in an individual with features of optic atrophy type 1.
For an introduction to comprehensive genomic testing click here. More detailed information for clinicians ordering genomic testing can be found here.
Table 1.
Molecular Genetic Testing Used in Optic Atrophy Type 1
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Gene 1 | Method | Proportion of Probands with a Pathogenic Variant 2 Detectable by Method |
---|
Familial | Simplex 3 |
---|
OPA1
| Sequence analysis 4 | 8/9 5 10/14 6 17/19 7 | 4/8 5 |
Gene-targeted deletion/duplication analysis 8 | Unknown 9 | Unknown |
Targeted analysis for pathogenic variants 10 | Unknown | Unknown |
Unknown 11 | NA | |
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
Simplex = a single occurrence in a family
- 4.
- 5.
- 6.
- 7.
- 8.
Gene-targeted deletion/duplication analysis detects intragenic deletions or duplications. Methods used may include a range of techniques such as quantitative PCR, long-range PCR, multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA), and a gene-targeted microarray designed to detect single-exon deletions or duplications.
- 9.
- 10.
Detects the Danish founder pathogenic c.2826delT variant. Note: Pathogenic variants included in a panel may vary by laboratory.
- 11.
Because the detection rate for pathogenic variants in OPA1 is less than 100%, it is possible that families in which a pathogenic variant is not detected are not linked to the OPA1 locus; however, no evidence currently supports this possibility.
Clinical Characteristics
Clinical Description
Vision loss. OPA1 usually presents as insidious decrease in visual acuity between ages four and six years; in mild cases visual acuity may remain normal until early adult life. Visual acuity usually declines slowly with age. Although rare, rapid decline in visual acuity has been reported in adults [Kjer et al 1996].
The visual impairment is usually moderate (6/10 to 2/10), but ranges from severe (legal blindness with acuity <1/20) to mild or even insignificant, and consequently can be underestimated.
The vision loss is occasionally asymmetric.
The visual field defect is typically centrocecal, central, or paracentral; it is often large in those with severe disease. The color vision defect is often described as acquired blue-yellow loss (tritanopia).
Typical OPA1 is associated with a progressive and irreversible loss of vision. However, Cornille et al [2008] reported a man age 23 years who developed unexplained isolated, progressive, painless bilateral optic neuropathy as a result of central scotomas (visual acuity 20/200 in the right eye and 20/100 in the left eye) three months after the first signs of visual loss. Six months later he had spontaneous and durable partial recovery of visual acuity (20/30 in the right eye and 20/25 in the left eye). He was the first affected individual described with a heterozygous pathogenic variant in one of the three alternative OPA1 exons (see Genotype-Phenotype Correlations).
Extra-ophthalmogic findings. Up to 10% of persons with a heterozgyous OPA1 pathogenic variant have additional extra-ophthalmologic abnormalities, most commonly sensorineural hearing loss, ataxia, and myopathy, suggesting that pathogenic variants in OPA1 may be responsible for a continuum of phenotypes ranging from mild disorders affecting only the retinal ganglion cells to a severe and multisystemic disease.
Sensorineural hearing loss that ranges from severe and congenital to subclinical (requiring specific testing for detection) is the most frequently extra-ocular feature observed. Such hearing loss appears to be due to auditory neuropathy [Amati-Bonneau et al 2005]. Seven pathogenic variants in OPA1 have been found to be associated with optic atrophy and hearing loss (see Genotype-Phenotype Correlations). Both intra- and interfamilial variation in the presence of hearing loss with optic atrophy has been observed.
Ataxia and myopathy. Some individuals developed proximal myopathy (35%), a combination of cerebellar and sensory ataxia in adulthood (29%), and axonal sensory and/or motor neuropathy (29%). These features became manifest from the third decade of life onwards.
Muscle biopsy revealed features diagnostic of mitochondrial myopathy. In these individuals approximately 10% of all fibers were deficient in histochemical COX activity and several fibers showed evidence of subsarcolemmal accumulation of abnormal mitochondria.
Pathology
The cardinal sign of OPA1 is optic atrophy that appears as bilateral and generally symmetric temporal pallor of the optic disc, implying the loss of central retinal ganglion cells.
Histopathology shows a normal outer retina and loss of retinal ganglion cells, primarily in the macula and in the papillo-macular bundle of the optic nerve.
Genotype-Phenotype Correlations
No correlation has been observed between the degree of visual impairment and the location or type of pathogenic variant [Puomila et al 2005].
Complete deletion of OPA1 results in typical dominant optic atrophy without predictable severity or other deficits [Marchbank et al 2002]. However, it appears that pathogenic in-frame deletions involve loss of visual acuity (1/10 on average) that is statistically slightly more severe than that resulting from pathogenic truncating variants or pathogenic missense substitutions (2/10 on average) [Ait Ali et al, unpublished].
Optic atrophy and hearing loss. Seven different pathogenic variants in OPA1 have been reported in individuals with both optic atrophy and hearing loss: p.Arg445His, p.Gly401Asp, p.Leu243Ter, c.983A>G, p.Ile463_Phe464dup, p.Gln437Arg, and p.Ala357LeufsTer4 [Leruez et al 2013].
In an individual with the
p.Arg445His pathogenic variant, auditory brain stem responses (ABRs) were absent and both ears had normal evoked otoacoustic emissions [
Amati-Bonneau et al 2005]. Because evoked otoacoustic emissions reflect the functional state of presynaptic elements (the outer hair cells), and the ABRs reflect the integrity of the auditory pathway from the auditory nerve to the inferior colliculus, the presence of evoked otoacoustic emissions and the lack of ABRs support the diagnosis of auditory neuropathy.
In contrast, the
p.Arg445His pathogenic variant was associated with optic atrophy
without hearing loss in a Japanese individual age 21 years; no other family member was clinically affected or had the
OPA1 pathogenic variant [
Shimizu et al 2003].
Alternate OPA1 transcripts.
Cornille et al [2008] reported a young man with unexplained isolated, progressive, painless bilateral optic neuropathy as a result of central scotomas (see Clinical Description, Visual loss) who harbored a heterozygous pathogenic variant in exon 5b (c.740G>A). This was the first report of a pathogenic variant in one of the three alternative OPA1 exons, leading to an amino acid change in the N-terminal coiled coil domain (p.Arg247His) from isoform 8. This individual had spontaneous and durable partial recovery of visual acuity (20/30 in the right eye and 20/25 in the left eye) six months later.
Nomenclature
Optic atrophy type 1 was formerly known as Kjer type optic atrophy.
Prevalence
OPA1 is believed to be the most common of the hereditary optic neuropathies.
The estimated prevalence of OPA1 is 1:50,000 in most populations, or as high as 1:10,000 in Denmark. The relatively high frequency of OPA1 in Denmark may be attributable to a founder effect [Thiselton et al 2002].
Differential Diagnosis
OPA3.
OPA3 consists of three exons and encodes for an inner mitochondrial membrane protein. The function of this protein is not well known. Two disorders are associated with pathogenic variants in OPA3:
Costeff optic atrophy syndrome
(3-methylglutaconic aciduria type 3). Pathogenic truncating variants are responsible for this neuroophthalmologic syndrome consisting of early-onset bilateral optic atrophy and later-onset spasticity, extrapyramidal dysfunction, and cognitive deficit. Urinary excretion of 3-methylglutaconic acid and of 3-methglutaric acid is increased. Inheritance is
autosomal recessive.
Autosomal optic atrophy and cataract (ADOAC, OPA3) (OMIM
165300).
Reynier et al [2004] have identified two pathogenic variants in
OPA3 (p.Gly93Ser and p.Gln105Glu) that change one of the amino acids. Inheritance is
autosomal dominant.
Leber hereditary optic neuropathy
(LHON) is the major differential diagnosis for optic atrophy type 1 (OPA1). LHON typically presents in young adults as painless subacute bilateral visual failure. Males are more commonly affected than females. Women tend to develop the disorder slightly later in life and may be more severely affected. The acute phase begins with blurring of central vision and color desaturation that affect both eyes simultaneously in up to 25% of cases. After the initial symptoms, both eyes are usually affected within six months. The central visual acuity deteriorates to the level of counting fingers in the majority of cases. After the acute phase, the optic discs become atrophic. Significant improvements in visual acuity are rare. Individuals then proceed into the atrophic phase and are usually legally blind for the rest of their lives with a permanent large centrocecal scotoma. Neurologic abnormalities such as postural tremor, peripheral neuropathy, nonspecific myopathy, and movement disorders have been reported to be more common in individuals with LHON than in controls. Some individuals with LHON, usually women, also have a multiple sclerosis (MS)-like illness.
LHON is transmitted by maternal inheritance. In one large study, 90% of individuals with LHON were found to have one of three pathogenic variants in mtDNA: m.11778G>A, m.14484T>C, m.3460G>A.
Autosomal dominant optic atrophy (ADOA). Two other loci associated with autosomal dominant optic atrophy have been identified:
OPA4 (OMIM
605293) was mapped to 8q12.2-q12.3 in a single large family by
Kerrison et al [1999]; however, the
locus has not been confirmed and the
gene in which mutation is causative is unknown.
The phenotype of the three families with OPA4 or OPA5 is comparable to the phenotype seen in OPA1: optic nerve pallor, decreased visual acuity, color vision defects, impaired VEP, and normal ERG. No extraocular findings were described in these families.
Another OPA locus for autosomal dominant optic atrophy (OPA8) was mapped to 16q21-q22 in one Italian family with extraophthalmologic features extending to the auditory system [Carelli et al 2007]. The gene in which mutation is causative is unknown.
Deafness-dystonia-optic neuronopathy syndrome
(DDON). Males with DDON have prelingual or postlingual sensorineural hearing impairment in early childhood, slowly progressive dystonia or ataxia in the teens, slowly progressive decreased visual acuity from optic atrophy beginning about age 20 years, and dementia beginning at about age 40 years. Psychiatric symptoms such as personality change and paranoia may appear in childhood and progress. The hearing impairment phenotype is a progressive auditory neuropathy, while the neurologic, visual, and neuropsychiatric signs vary in degree of severity and rate of progression. Females may have mild hearing impairment and focal dystonia.
Inheritance is X-linked. The DDON syndrome occurs as either a single-gene disorder resulting from pathogenic variants in TIMM8A or a contiguous gene deletion syndrome at Xq22, which also includes X-linked agammaglobulinemia caused by disruption of BTK, located telomeric to TIMM8A.
WFS1. Biallelic pathogenic variants in WFS1 are generally associated with optic atrophy (OPA) as part of the autosomal recessive Wolfram syndrome phenotype (DIDMOAD [diabetes insipidus, diabetes mellitus, optic atrophy, deafness]). Heterozygous pathogenic variants in WFS1 cause autosomal dominant progressive low-frequency sensorineural hearing loss (LFSNHL) without ophthalmologic abnormalities [Cryns et al 2003]. However, Eiberg et al [2006] identified a WFS1 heterozygous pathogenic variant associated with autosomal dominant optic atrophy, hearing loss, and impaired glucose regulation in one family, supporting the notion that heterozygous pathogenic variants in WFS1 as well as in OPA1 may lead to optic atrophy combined with hearing impairment (see WFS1-Related Disorders).
MFN2.
Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) neuropathy type 2A with visual impairment resulting from optic atrophy has been designated as hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy type VI (HMSN VI) [Voo et al 2003]. Züchner et al [2006] described six families with HMSN VI with a subacute onset of optic atrophy and subsequent slow recovery of visual acuity in 60% of affected individuals. In each pedigree a unique heterozygous pathogenic variant in MFN2, encoding mitofusin 2, was identified. Inheritance is autosomal dominant.
Other optic neuropathies. The acquired blue-yellow loss (tritanopia) helps differentiate OPA1 from other optic neuropathies in which the axis of confusion is red-green:
OPA2 (OMIM
311050). A
gene for
X-linked optic atrophy (OPA2) has been mapped to
chromosome Xp11.4-p11.21; to date no gene has been identified.
OPA7 (OMIM
612989).
Hanein et al [2009] identified an
autosomal recessive juvenile-onset optic atrophy in a large multiplex
consanguineous Algerian family and subsequently in three other Maghreb families. This form of optic atrophy is caused by
biallelic pathogenic variants in
TMEM126A, which encodes a mitochondrial protein found in higher eukaryotes that has four transmembrane domains and a central
domain conserved with the related protein encoded by
TMEM126B.
Acquired optic neuropathy can be caused by the following:
Nutritional deficiencies of protein, or of the B vitamins and folate, associated with starvation, malabsorption, or alcoholism
Toxic exposures. The most common is "tobacco-alcohol amblyopia," thought to be caused by exposure to cyanide from tobacco smoking, and by low levels of vitamin B12 caused by poor nutrition and poor absorption associated with drinking alcohol. Other possible toxins include ethambutol, methyl alcohol, ethylene glycol, cyanide, lead, and carbon monoxide.
Certain medications
See OMIM Optic Atrophy Phenotypic Series to view genes associated with this phenotype in OMIM.
Management
Evaluations Following Initial Diagnosis
To establish the extent of disease and needs in an individual with optic atrophy type 1 (OPA1), the following evaluations are recommended:
Assessment of visual acuity, color vision, and visual fields
Assessment of extraocular muscles (the affected individual is asked to follow the ophthalmoscope with the eyes without moving the head)
Hearing evaluation: auditory brain stem responses (ABRs), auditory evoked potentials (AEPs), and evoked otoacoustic emissions
Oral glucose tolerance test
Consultation with a clinical geneticist and/or genetic counselor
Surveillance
Appropriate surveillance includes:
Annual ophthalmologic examination, including measurement of visual acuity and visual fields and optical coherence tomography (OCT);
Annual hearing evaluation.
Agents/Circumstances to Avoid
Individuals with an OPA1 pathogenic variant are advised:
Not to smoke;
To moderate their alcohol intake;
To use sunglasses to limit UV exposure;
Note: While limiting UV exposure is a good practice, no evidence for its effectiveness exists.
To avoid medications (antibiotics, antivirals) that interfere with mitochondrial metabolism.
Therapies Under Investigation
A study using the antioxidant EPI-743 in individuals with autosomal dominant optic atrophy (ADOA), including persons with OPA1, is in preparation in Italy (Dr. Valerio Carelli, University of Bologna).
Search ClinicalTrials.gov in the US and EU Clinical Trials Register in Europe for access to information on clinical studies for a wide range of diseases and conditions. Note: There may not be clinical trials for this disorder.
Genetic Counseling
Genetic counseling is the process of providing individuals and families with
information on the nature, mode(s) of inheritance, and implications of genetic disorders to help them
make informed medical and personal decisions. The following section deals with genetic
risk assessment and the use of family history and genetic testing to clarify genetic
status for family members; it is not meant to address all personal, cultural, or
ethical issues that may arise or to substitute for consultation with a genetics
professional. —ED.
Mode of Inheritance
Optic atrophy type 1 (OPA1) is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner.
Risk to Family Members
Parents of a proband
Sibs of a proband
The risk to the sibs of the
proband depends on the genetic status of the proband's parents.
If a parent of the
proband is affected, the risk to the sibs is 50%.
When the parents are found on the basis of visual acuity study, color vision evaluation, fundus examination, VEP, and PERG to be clinically unaffected, the risk to the sibs of a
proband appears to be low.
The sibs of a
proband with clinically unaffected parents are still at increased risk for OPA1 because of the possibility of reduced
penetrance in a parent.
Offspring of a proband. Each child of an individual with OPA1 is at a 50% risk of inheriting the OPA1 pathogenic variant.
Other family members of a proband
The risk to other family members depends on the status of the
proband's parents.
If a parent is affected or has an
OPA1 pathogenic variant, the parent's family members are at risk.
Prenatal Testing and Preimplantation Genetic Testing
Once the OPA1 pathogenic variant has been identified in an affected family member, prenatal and preimplantation genetic testing for OPA1 are possible.
Differences in perspective may exist among medical professionals and within families regarding the use of prenatal testing. While most centers would consider use of prenatal testing to be a personal decision, discussion of these issues may be helpful.
Molecular Genetics
Information in the Molecular Genetics and OMIM tables may differ from that elsewhere in the GeneReview: tables may contain more recent information. —ED.
Table A.
Optic Atrophy Type 1: Genes and Databases
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Data are compiled from the following standard references: gene from
HGNC;
chromosome locus from
OMIM;
protein from UniProt.
For a description of databases (Locus Specific, HGMD, ClinVar) to which links are provided, click
here.
Molecular Pathogenesis
Because OPA1 expression is ubiquitous, and it was recently proposed that neither the pattern nor the abundance of OPA1 mRNA and dynamin-like 120-kd protein variants are specific to retinal ganglion cell (RGC) [Kamei et al 2005], a plausible hypothesis as to why these neurons may be more vulnerable to OPA1 inactivation could be a particular susceptibility to mitochondrial membrane disorders inducing mitochondrial dysfunction or mislocalization. While the former point is in agreement with reports that describe altered mitochondrial ATP synthesis and respiration in OPA1-inactivated cells [Lodi et al 2004, Amati-Bonneau et al 2005, Chen et al 2005], the latter may relate to the particular distribution of the mitochondria in retinal ganglion cells. These show an accumulation of mitochondria in the cell bodies and in the intraretinal unmyelinated axons, where they accumulate in the varicosities, and a relative paucity of mitochondria in the myelinated parts of axons [Andrews et al 1999, Bristow et al 2002, Wang et al 2003]. Furthermore, the effect of mitochondrial dynamics on the correct intracellular distribution of the mitochondria and its influence on neuronal plasticity and function was recently highlighted by inactivation of DRP1 in live hippocampal neurons [Li et al 2004]. A link between axonal transport of mitochondria [Hollenbeck & Saxton 2005] and mitochondrial dynamics was also enlightened by a recent study showing that Drosophila mutants lacking the ortholog of human DRP1 protein failed to populate the distal axon with mitochondria, affecting the mobilization of the synaptic vesicle reserve pool [Hollenbeck 2005]. Moreover, pathogenic variants in the pro-fusion protein encoded by MFN2, which cause a peripheral neuropathy (see CMT2A) [Züchner et al 2006], significantly impaired the transport of mitochondria in axons in neurons expressing disease-causing forms of MFN2 [Baloh et al 2007]. These data suggest that proper localization of mitochondria is critical for axonal and synaptic function.
Gene structure.
OPA1 consists of 31 exons spanning more than 114 kb of genomic DNA. Eight isoforms have been described as a result of alternative splicing of exons 4, 4b, and 5b [Delettre et al 2001]. For details see Table A, Gene.
Pathogenic variants. There is a wide spectrum of pathogenic variants, with more than 213 reported to date (see Table A, Locus-Specific Databases and ClinVar). The OPA1 pathogenic variants are distributed throughout the coding sequence, but most are localized in exons 8-16 encoding the GTPase domain and in the last two coding exons: 27 and 28); fewer pathogenic variants are found in exons 1 to 7. To date no pathogenic variants have been found in exons 4 and 4b, which are alternatively spliced. However, a heterozygous pathogenic variant in exon 5b (c.740G>A) has been described in one affected individual [Cornille et al 2008].
An ~325-bp Alu-element insertion located in intron 7 of OPA1 [NM_015560.2] has been described as causing an in-frame deletion of exon 8 in a family with autosomal dominant optic atrophy (ADOA) [Gallus et al 2010].
Table 2.
OPA1 Pathogenic Variants Discussed in This GeneReview
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Variants listed in the table have been provided by the authors. GeneReviews staff have not independently verified the classification of variants.
GeneReviews follows the standard naming conventions of the Human Genome Variation Society (varnomen.hgvs.org). See Quick Reference for an explanation of nomenclature.
- 1.
Variant designation that does not conform to current naming conventions
- 2.
In exon 5b of alternative transcript that encodes isoform 8 (Table A, Gene)
- 3.
Normal gene product. Dynamin-like 120-kd protein (OPA1), encoded by OPA1, is a mitochondrial dynamin-related GTP protein of 960 amino acids. This is the first dynamin-related protein found to be involved in human disease. The dynamin-like 120-kd protein comprises a highly basic amino-terminal that provides mitochondrial targeting sequence (MTS), a dynamin-GTPase domain, and a C-terminus of unknown function; the C-terminus differs from that of other dynamin family members in lacking a proline-rich region, a dynamin GTPase effector domain, and a pleckstrin homology domain; the C-terminus may therefore determine the specific functions of the dynamin-like 120-kd protein.
OPA1 appears to exert its function in mitochondrial biogenesis and stabilization of mitochondrial membrane integrity. Downregulation of OPA1 leads to fragmentation of the mitochondrial network and dissipation of the mitochondrial membrane potential with cytochrome c release and caspase-dependent apoptosis [Olichon et al 2003]. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) deletions have been identified in families with autosomal dominant optic atrophy who have complex multisystem involvement in addition to the optic neuropathy [Amati-Bonneau et al 2008, Ferraris et al 2008, Hudson et al 2008] suggesting a role of OPA1 in mtDNA maintenance.
Abnormal gene product. The functional consequences of pathogenic variants in OPA1 are unknown. Since almost 50% of pathogenic variants predict protein truncation, dominant inheritance of the disease may result from haploinsufficiency of dynamin-like 120-kd protein. However, pathogenic missense variants can also cause disease by a dominant-negative mechanism.
Interestingly, evidence for a dominant-negative mechanism has been reported in all the multisystemic forms of the disease (ADOAD and "ADOA plus"). These disease forms have pathogenic missense variants affecting the GTPase domain [Amati-Bonneau et al 2008]. In addition, one person with ADOA, who had biallelic pathogenic OPA1 missense variants located in exon 8, was severely affected by the disease [Pesch et al 2001], whereas her heterozygous parents and sibs were less severely affected, suggesting a semi-dominant mode of inheritance in this family.