A human homolog of yeast pre-mRNA splicing gene, PRP31, underlies autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa on chromosome 19q13.4 (RP11)
E N Vithana, L Abu-Safieh, M J Allen, A Carey, M Papaioannou, C Chakarova, M Al-Maghtheh, N D Ebenezer, C Willis, A T Moore, A C Bird, D M Hunt, S S Bhattacharya, E N Vithana, L Abu-Safieh, M J Allen, A Carey, M Papaioannou, C Chakarova, M Al-Maghtheh, N D Ebenezer, C Willis, A T Moore, A C Bird, D M Hunt, S S Bhattacharya
Abstract
We report mutations in a gene (PRPF31) homologous to Saccharomyces cerevisiae pre-mRNA splicing gene PRP31 in families with autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa linked to chromosome 19q13.4 (RP11; MIM 600138). A positional cloning approach supported by bioinformatics identified PRPF31 comprising 14 exons and encoding a protein of 499 amino acids. The level of sequence identity to the yeast PRP31 gene indicates that PRPF31 is also likely to be involved in pre-mRNA splicing. Mutations that include missense substitutions, deletions, and insertions have been identified in four RP11-linked families and three sporadic RP cases. The identification of mutations in a pre-mRNA splicing gene implicates defects in the splicing process as a novel mechanism of photoreceptor degeneration.
Source: PubMed