This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
AMD-like gene mutation potentially identified
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Researchers believe they have identified a gene that, when mutated, is associated with a disease similar to age-related macular degeneration, according to a news release.
Radha Ayyagari, PhD, and colleagues at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center believe the gene RDS, when mutated via Tyr141Cys, may cause an unusual hereditary macular disease, the release said. Five generations of the same family had a high incidence of this macular disease that resembles AMD, according to the news release. Unlike AMD, however, this particular disease had an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance.
According to Dr. Ayyagari, the similarity between this disease and AMD will help researchers learn more about the molecular basis of AMD.
The study is published in the August issue of Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.