Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a maternally inherited form of retinal ganglion cell degeneration leading to optic atrophy in young adults. Several mutations in different genes can cause LHON (heterogeneity). The ND6 gene is one of the mitochondrial genes that encodes subunit 6 of complex I of the respiratory chain. This gene is a hot spot gene. Fourteen Persian LHON patients were analyzed with single-strand conformational polymorphism and DNA sequencing techniques. None of these patients had four primary mutations, G3460A, G11788A, T14484C, and G14459A, related to this disease. We identified twelve nucleotide substitutions, G13702C, T13879C, T14110C, C14167T, G14199T, A14233G, G14272C, A14290G, G14365C, G14368C, T14766C, and T14798C. Eleven of twelve nucleotide substitutions had already been reported as polymorphism. One of the nucleotide substitutions (A14290G) has not been reported. The A14290G nucleotide substitution does not change its amino acid (glutamic acid). We looked for base conservation using DNA star software (MEGALIGN program) as a criterion for pathogenic or nonpathogenic nucleotide substitution in A14290G. The results of ND6 gene alignment in humans and in other species (mouse, cow, elegans worm, and Neurospora crassa mold) revealed that the 14290th base was not conserved. Fifty normal controls were also investigated for this polymorphism in the Iranian population and two had A14290G polymorphism (4%). This study provides evidence that the mtDNA A14290G allele is a new nonpathogenic polymorphism. We suggest follow-up studies regarding this polymorphism in different populations.
Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy; ND6 gene; Mitochondrial DNA mutations; Single-strand conformational polymorphism; mtDNA A14290G allele
