Identification of new families and variants in autosomal dominant macular dystrophy associated with THRB

Abstract THRB encodes thyroid hormone receptor β which produces two human isoforms (TRβ1 and TRβ2) by alternative splicing. The first THRB variant associated with autosomal dominant macular dystrophy (ADMD), NM_001354712.2:c.283 + 1G > A, was recently described. This study aims to refine the opht...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Lidia Fernández-Caballero, Fiona Blanco-Kelly, Saoud Tahsin Swafiri, María Inmaculada Martín-Mérida, Mathieu Quinodoz, Mukhtar Ullah, Ester Carreño, María Pilar Martin-Gutierrez, Blanca García-Sandoval, Pablo Minguez, Carlo Rivolta, Marta Corton, Carmen Ayuso
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-04-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-97768-9
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Abstract THRB encodes thyroid hormone receptor β which produces two human isoforms (TRβ1 and TRβ2) by alternative splicing. The first THRB variant associated with autosomal dominant macular dystrophy (ADMD), NM_001354712.2:c.283 + 1G > A, was recently described. This study aims to refine the ophthalmologic phenotype, report a novel THRB variant, and investigate the impact of these splicing variants at the protein level. THRB variants were identified by re-analysis of next-generation sequencing data from the FJD database. Family segregation was performed using Sanger sequencing. Clinical data were collected from self-reported ophthalmic history questionnaires and ophthalmic exams. Functional splicing test was performed by in vitro minigene approach. We identified 12 patients with ADMD from 3 families carrying variants in THRB. Two families carried the variant NM_001354712.2:c.283 + 1G > A, and one the novel variant NM_001354712.2:c.283G > A. Patients exhibited common ophthalmologic findings with disruption of subfoveal ellipsoid layers, and variable onset of symptoms. Splicing assays showed complete exon 5 skipping or a 6 bp deletion in both variants. Our results support the association of THRB with ADMD. The high intra-familial variability could be influenced by phenotype modifiers. Aberrant TRβ1/TRβ2 proteins could lead to a gain-of-function mechanism. Including THRB in inherited retinal dystrophy genetic panels could enhance diagnoses and clinical patient management.
ISSN:2045-2322