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Study identifies genetic component of myopia, hypermetropia
Ophthalmol. 2010;117(2):239-245.
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Variance in the gene coding for hepatocyte growth factor may explain phenotypic expression of myopia or hypermetropia, according to a study.
The study sought to confirm a genotype-phenotype relationship between a specific single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) identified in a study of a Chinese cohort and low or moderate myopia in a population of individuals of Caucasian heritage. Although the study did not confirm the association with the targeted SNP, other SNPs in the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) gene were associated with phenotypic low or moderate myopia, suggesting a definitive role of the HGF gene in refraction, regardless of ethnicity.
The study also identified for the first time SNPs in the HGF gene associated with the phenotypic expression of hypermetropia.
"These findings indicate that the HGF gene is likely to play an important role in disruption of the emmetropization process within the eye," the study authors wrote.
Additionally, according to the study, "the SNP associations may also reflect different extremes of myopia; thus, replication of these findings should be undertaken in different ethnic groups."
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