nih-gov/www.nei.nih.gov/node/1837
2025-02-26 13:17:41 -05:00

678 lines
36 KiB
Text
Raw Permalink Blame History

This file contains ambiguous Unicode characters

This file contains Unicode characters that might be confused with other characters. If you think that this is intentional, you can safely ignore this warning. Use the Escape button to reveal them.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en" dir="ltr">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8" />
<meta name="description" content="An international study of more than 5,417 people helps pinpoint the genetic risk factors associated with Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy, the most common disorder requiring corneal transplantation." />
<meta name="keywords" content="Genetics,Corneal Conditions,Rare Diseases,Cornea,Bioinformatics" />
<meta name="google" content="vityevxlt8UuVFWvgz9_YwmJ5F0Nby_B3t54LLh-3Zw,lACaj571Gx_VdLF3HKSKUf1Wxx0H_bWxO3BYDZ_C1uw" />
<meta name="google-site-verification" content="vityevxlt8UuVFWvgz9_YwmJ5F0Nby_B3t54LLh-3Zw" />
<meta name="google-site-verification" content="lACaj571Gx_VdLF3HKSKUf1Wxx0H_bWxO3BYDZ_C1uw" />
<meta name="google-site-verification" content="UDfyeEAWNX_rJUHwog9j1kziEnByGwhkSJGLJclUWDA" />
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
<script type="application/ld+json">{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@graph": [
{
"@type": "NewsArticle",
"@id": "https://www.nei.nih.gov/about/news-and-events/news/nih-funded-team-identifies-genetic-underpinnings-fuchs-dystrophy",
"name": "NIH-funded team identifies genetic underpinnings of Fuchs dystrophy",
"headline": "NIH-funded team identifies genetic underpinnings of Fuchs dystrophy",
"image": {
"@type": "ImageObject",
"representativeOfPage": "False",
"url": "https://www.nei.nih.gov/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/news/Fuchs.jpg?itok=sLJixy8-",
"width": "800",
"height": "703"
},
"datePublished": "2017-03-30T00:00:00-0400",
"dateModified": "2025-01-21T12:03:12-0500",
"author": {
"@type": "GovernmentOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.nei.nih.gov/about/news-and-events/news/nih-funded-team-identifies-genetic-underpinnings-fuchs-dystrophy",
"name": "National Eye Institute",
"url": "https://www.nei.nih.gov"
},
"publisher": {
"@type": "GovernmentOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.nei.nih.gov/about/news-and-events/news/nih-funded-team-identifies-genetic-underpinnings-fuchs-dystrophy",
"name": "National Eye Institute",
"url": "https://www.nei.nih.gov"
}
},
{
"@type": "WebPage",
"@id": "https://www.nei.nih.gov/about/news-and-events/news/nih-funded-team-identifies-genetic-underpinnings-fuchs-dystrophy",
"breadcrumb": {
"@type": "BreadcrumbList",
"itemListElement": [
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 1,
"name": "Home",
"item": "https://www.nei.nih.gov/"
},
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 2,
"name": "About NEI",
"item": "https://www.nei.nih.gov/about"
},
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 3,
"name": "News and Events",
"item": "https://www.nei.nih.gov/about/news-and-events"
},
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 4,
"name": "NEI Research News",
"item": "https://www.nei.nih.gov/about/news-and-events/news"
},
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 5,
"name": "NIH-funded team identifies genetic underpinnings of Fuchs dystrophy",
"item": "https://www.nei.nih.gov/about/news-and-events/news/nih-funded-team-identifies-genetic-underpinnings-fuchs-dystrophy"
}
]
},
"author": {
"@type": "GovernmentOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.nei.nih.gov",
"name": "National Eye Institute",
"url": "https://www.nei.nih.gov"
},
"publisher": {
"@type": "GovernmentOrganization",
"@id": "https://www.nei.nih.gov",
"name": "National Eye Institute",
"url": "https://www.nei.nih.gov"
}
}
]
}</script>
<link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="/themes/custom/nei/images/favicon.png" />
<link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/themes/custom/nei/images/apple-touch-icon.png" />
<meta name="last-updated" content="Jan 21, 2025, 12:03:12 PM" />
<link rel="icon" href="/themes/custom/nei/favicon.ico" type="image/vnd.microsoft.icon" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="en" href="https://www.nei.nih.gov/about/news-and-events/news/nih-funded-team-identifies-genetic-underpinnings-fuchs-dystrophy" />
<link rel="canonical" href="https://www.nei.nih.gov/about/news-and-events/news/nih-funded-team-identifies-genetic-underpinnings-fuchs-dystrophy" />
<link rel="shortlink" href="https://www.nei.nih.gov/node/1837" />
<title>NIH-funded team identifies genetic underpinnings of Fuchs dystrophy | National Eye Institute</title>
<link rel="preload" href="/themes/custom/nei/fonts/Aleo-Bold.woff2" as="font" type="font/woff2" crossorigin>
<link rel="preload" href="/themes/custom/nei/fonts/Lato-Regular.woff2" as="font" type="font/woff2" crossorigin>
<link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/sites/default/files/css/css_PGSk_7b88hq2qr_--_38MLvoj1ffr9jv3JhnNJTnKUM.css?delta=0&amp;language=en&amp;theme=nei&amp;include=eJw1ytEKgCAMRuEXsnwk-dMxrOliTqi3j4iuDnycfFCprpbyHK4tDb-FRvwSshrFYvOErNhxBUHnCaYEcbJ_61Qji26Q5ZXa-QH_YCJ9" />
<link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/themes/custom/nei/css/style.css?sraguf" />
<script type="application/json" data-drupal-selector="drupal-settings-json">{"path":{"baseUrl":"\/","pathPrefix":"","currentPath":"node\/1837","currentPathIsAdmin":false,"isFront":false,"currentLanguage":"en"},"pluralDelimiter":"\u0003","gtag":{"tagId":"","consentMode":false,"otherIds":[],"events":[],"additionalConfigInfo":[]},"suppressDeprecationErrors":true,"ajaxPageState":{"libraries":"eJxdjFsOwjAMBC8U6iNFbmKZgPNQ7BTK6SmgCsrPrndkTbhSTFa7D0OtZq-2Cil8yoWOj5WYYT8c18pC3pCBt_jfE17wfoTZCRYeyORRjPruLmhpIS-b2EvFmArD73CFErDUGeWkoadmekCb5fXVsCN3bGeF2EdDmb5kGqWNWZKeKTpd1SjDjEpuSXRTeOeUaxxCT9WYZ50","theme":"nei","theme_token":null},"ajaxTrustedUrl":{"form_action_p_pvdeGsVG5zNF_XLGPTvYSKCf43t8qZYSwcfZl2uzM":true},"gtm":{"tagId":null,"settings":{"data_layer":"dataLayer","include_classes":false,"allowlist_classes":"google\nnonGooglePixels\nnonGoogleScripts\nnonGoogleIframes","blocklist_classes":"customScripts\ncustomPixels","include_environment":false,"environment_id":"","environment_token":""},"tagIds":["GTM-TLVNS7W"]},"user":{"uid":0,"permissionsHash":"c48594e108b5c1c2bea409821b71477d5bc2724c8cae6d31f1d985af0daab85c"}}</script>
<script src="/sites/default/files/js/js_WgzMsgqb-MiW-Z2aLffGQHepZwX2hWrEHSrb46WqZrk.js?scope=header&amp;delta=0&amp;language=en&amp;theme=nei&amp;include=eJxdjEEOgCAMBD-E9kmkYrOpqdQAMerr5eBBvUx29jCp8HUKQOkZAe4wiY1B6Pj7yAsf33MNmZvuEq0nojnPmkFvCVmUYD6xDTUV3Vq9ATUbLxk"></script>
<script src="https://script.crazyegg.com/pages/scripts/0117/6571.js" async></script>
<script src="/modules/contrib/google_tag/js/gtag.js?sraguf"></script>
<script src="/modules/contrib/google_tag/js/gtm.js?sraguf"></script>
</head>
<body class="t-news_item t-node__1837 path-about-news-and-events-news-nih-funded-team-identifies-genetic-underpinnings-fuchs-dystrophy">
<a href="#main-content" class="u-skip-link">
Skip to content
</a>
<noscript><iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-TLVNS7W"
height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript>
<div class="dialog-off-canvas-main-canvas" data-off-canvas-main-canvas>
<div id="u-page-outer" class="u-outer">
<div class="views-element-container site-notice-block" id="block-views-block-site-notices-block-1">
<div>
<div class="js-view-dom-id-7e4c0681d0b2a7e6d08c7ad9fa7a799fa549a66c3676d06a475098a85f031812 site-notices">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<img src="/themes/custom/nei/images/NEI-logo-tagline.svg" alt="" width="200" height="48" class="u-print-only">
<div class="r-global-header">
<div id="r-header-outer" class="r-header">
<div class="r-header-inner">
<div id="block-nei-branding" class="o-block--logo" role="banner">
<div class="o-logo">
<a href="/" class="o-logo__link" title="Home" rel="home"><span class="o-logo__text">National Eye Institute</span> <span class="o-logo__tagline">Research Today&hellip; Vision Tomorrow</span></a>
</div>
</div>
<div id="block-neimenubutton-2">
<div class="o-menu-toggle"><button class="o-menu-toggle__btn" id="menu-toggle__btn" aria-controls="block-mainnavigation" aria-expanded="true">Menu</button></div>
</div>
<div class="language-switcher-language-url has-no-translation" id="block-languageswitcher" role="navigation" aria-label="Language switcher">
<ul class="links">
<li class="is-active">
<a href="/about/news-and-events/news/nih-funded-team-identifies-genetic-underpinnings-fuchs-dystrophy" class="language-link is-active" lang="en" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/1837" aria-current="page">English</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="/espanol/node/1837" class="language-link is-active" lang="es" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/1837" aria-current="page"> Español</a>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="search-global c-search--global" data-drupal-selector="search-global" id="block-globalsearchform" role="search">
<form action="/about/news-and-events/news/nih-funded-team-identifies-genetic-underpinnings-fuchs-dystrophy" method="post" id="search-global" accept-charset="UTF-8">
<div class="c-form__inner">
<div class="js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textfield form-item-global-terms js-form-item-global-terms">
<label for="edit-global-terms">Search the site</label>
<input data-drupal-selector="edit-global-terms" type="text" id="edit-global-terms" name="global-terms" value="" size="30" maxlength="128" placeholder="Search the site" class="form-text" />
</div>
<input data-drupal-selector="form-dfed7rhoymc36ka5qjgwih5v-pmexwm6w3-i7b6bveo" type="hidden" name="form_build_id" value="form-DFEd7RhOyMC36kA5QjGWIH5v_PmeXWM6w3-i7b6BVeo" />
<input data-drupal-selector="edit-search-global" type="hidden" name="form_id" value="search_global" />
<div data-drupal-selector="edit-global-actions" class="form-actions js-form-wrapper form-wrapper" id="edit-global-actions"><input data-drupal-selector="edit-global-submit" type="submit" id="edit-global-submit" name="op" value="Search" class="button js-form-submit form-submit" />
</div>
</div>
</form>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="r-menu-primary">
<nav aria-label="Main navigation" id="block-mainnavigation" class="o-menu-main__outer">
<ul class="o-menu o-menu-main"> <li class="o-menu-main__item o-menu-main__item--expanded o-menu-main__item--no-js"> <a href="/learn-about-eye-health" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/39">Learn About Eye Health</a>
<ul class="o-menu o-menu-main__submenu"> <li class="o-menu-main__item o-menu-main__item--collapsed"> <a href="/learn-about-eye-health/healthy-vision" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/788">Healthy Vision</a>
</li>
<li class="o-menu-main__item o-menu-main__item--collapsed"> <a href="/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases">Eye Conditions and Diseases</a>
</li>
<li class="o-menu-main__item o-menu-main__item--collapsed"> <a href="/learn-about-eye-health/eye-health-data-and-statistics" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/825">Eye Health Data and Statistics</a>
</li>
<li class="o-menu-main__item o-menu-main__item--collapsed"> <a href="/learn-about-eye-health/campaigns" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/3859">Campaigns</a>
</li>
<li class="o-menu-main__item"> <a href="/learn-about-eye-health/vision-rehabilitation" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/3865">Vision Rehabilitation</a>
</li>
<li class="o-menu-main__item"> <a href="/learn-about-eye-health/nei-for-kids" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/162">NEI for Kids</a>
</li>
<li class="o-menu-main__item o-menu-main__item--collapsed"> <a href="/learn-about-eye-health/outreach-resources" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/125">Outreach Resources</a>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="o-menu-main__item o-menu-main__item--expanded o-menu-main__item--no-js"> <a href="/grants-and-training" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/143">Grants and Training</a>
<ul class="o-menu-main__submenu o-menu"> <li class="o-menu-main__item"> <a href="/grants-and-training/how-apply" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/145">How to Apply</a>
</li>
<li class="o-menu-main__item o-menu-main__item--collapsed"> <a href="/grants-and-training/funding-opportunities" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/144">Funding Opportunities</a>
</li>
<li class="o-menu-main__item o-menu-main__item--collapsed"> <a href="/grants-and-training/training-nei" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/146">Training at NEI</a>
</li>
<li class="o-menu-main__item o-menu-main__item--collapsed"> <a href="/grants-and-training/funding-training-and-career-development" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/152">Funding for Training and Career Development</a>
</li>
<li class="o-menu-main__item o-menu-main__item--collapsed"> <a href="/grants-and-training/policies-and-procedures" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/149">Policies and Procedures</a>
</li>
<li class="o-menu-main__item"> <a href="/grants-and-training/Prior-Approval-Requests" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/3918">Prior Approval Requests</a>
</li>
<li class="o-menu-main__item o-menu-main__item--collapsed"> <a href="/grants-and-training/resources-researchers" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/150">Resources for Researchers</a>
</li>
<li class="o-menu-main__item o-menu-main__item--collapsed"> <a href="/grants-and-training/contact-grants-and-funding-staff" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/151">Contact Grants and Funding Staff</a>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="o-menu-main__item o-menu-main__item--expanded o-menu-main__item--no-js"> <a href="/research" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/41">Research at NEI</a>
<ul class="o-menu-main__submenu o-menu"> <li class="o-menu-main__item"> <a href="/about/news-and-events/news" title="Research News" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="about/news-and-events/news">Research News</a>
</li>
<li class="o-menu-main__item o-menu-main__item--collapsed"> <a href="/research/clinical-trials" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/132">Clinical Trials</a>
</li>
<li class="o-menu-main__item o-menu-main__item--collapsed"> <a href="/research/research-labs-and-branches" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/270">Research Labs and Branches</a>
</li>
<li class="o-menu-main__item"> <a href="/research/jobs-and-training-opportunities-nei" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/564">Jobs and Training Opportunities at NEI</a>
</li>
<li class="o-menu-main__item"> <a href="/research/seminars" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/4048">NEI Research Seminars</a>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="o-menu-main__item o-menu-main__item--expanded o-menu-main__item--no-js"> <a href="/about" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/275">About NEI</a>
<ul class="o-menu-main__submenu o-menu"> <li class="o-menu-main__item"> <a href="/about/strategic-planning" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/2857">Strategic Planning</a>
</li>
<li class="o-menu-main__item o-menu-main__item--collapsed"> <a href="/about/news-and-events" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/131">News and Events</a>
</li>
<li class="o-menu-main__item o-menu-main__item--collapsed"> <a href="/about/goals-and-accomplishments" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/281">Goals and Accomplishments</a>
</li>
<li class="o-menu-main__item o-menu-main__item--collapsed"> <a href="/about/nei-history" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/282">NEI History</a>
</li>
<li class="o-menu-main__item o-menu-main__item--collapsed"> <a href="/about/nei-leadership" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/415">NEI Leadership</a>
</li>
<li class="o-menu-main__item o-menu-main__item--collapsed"> <a href="/about/budget-and-congress" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/395">Budget and Congress</a>
</li>
<li class="o-menu-main__item o-menu-main__item--collapsed"> <a href="/about/advisory-committees" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/285">Advisory Committees</a>
</li>
<li class="o-menu-main__item"> <a href="/learn-about-eye-health/outreach-resources/national-eye-health-education-program" title="National Eye Health Education Program" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/265">National Eye Health Education Program</a>
</li>
<li class="o-menu-main__item"> <a href="/about/donate-nei" class="o-menu-main__link" data-drupal-link-system-path="node/286">Donate to NEI</a>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</nav>
</div>
</div>
<div class="o-overlay" aria-hidden="true"></div>
<div class="r-breadcrumb">
<div id="block-nei-breadcrumbs">
<nav aria-label="Breadcrumb">
<ol class="c-breadcrumb">
<li>
<a href="/">Home</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="/about">About NEI</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="/about/news-and-events">News and Events</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="/about/news-and-events/news">NEI Research News</a>
</li>
<li>
NIH-funded team identifies genetic underpinnings of Fuchs dystrophy
</li>
</ol>
</nav>
</div>
</div>
<div class="r-page-header">
<div class="o-page-header">
<div id="block-nei-page-title">
<h1>
<span>NIH-funded team identifies genetic underpinnings of Fuchs dystrophy</span>
</h1>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="r-highlighted">
<div data-drupal-messages-fallback class="hidden"></div>
</div>
<div class="r-help">
</div>
<main id="main-content" class="r-main">
<div class="r-pre-content">
</div>
<div class="r-splitter">
<div class="r-content">
<div id="block-nei-content">
<article data-history-node-id="1837">
<div>
<div class="c-item__subtitle">
Findings point to potential risk prediction tool
</div>
<div class="c-item__date">
March 30, 2017
</div>
<div class="c-item__tag c-item__tag--topic">
<a href="/about/news-and-events/news?topic=393" hreflang="en">Bioinformatics</a>
<a href="/about/news-and-events/news?topic=397" hreflang="en">Cornea</a>
<a href="/about/news-and-events/news?topic=243" hreflang="en">Corneal Conditions</a>
<a href="/about/news-and-events/news?topic=402" hreflang="en">Genetics</a>
<a href="/about/news-and-events/news?topic=56" hreflang="en">Rare Diseases</a>
</div>
<div class="c-item__tag c-item__tag--research-type">
<a href="/about/news-and-events/news?research=25" hreflang="en">Basic Research</a>
</div>
<div class="c-item__tag c-item__tag--source">
<a href="/about/news-and-events/news?source=123" hreflang="en">NEI</a>
</div>
<div class="o-news__content">
<div class="c-image c-image--has-caption c-image--left">
<div class="c-image__src">
<img src="https://www.nei.nih.gov/sites/default/files/styles/small/public/news/Fuchs.jpg?itok=O6izrlUd" alt="Corneal section from a person with Fuchs dystrophy shows the presence of ATP1B1 in the corneal endothelium." width="1029" height="904">
</div>
<div class="c-image__caption">
<p>Corneal section from a person with Fuchs dystrophy shows the presence of ATP1B1 in the corneal endothelium.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="c-text">
<p>An international study of more than 5,417 people helps pinpoint the genetic risk factors associated with Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy, the most common disorder requiring corneal transplantation. The discovery of gene variants illuminates the biological mechanisms for the disorder, which affects 4 percent of people age 40 and older. The study appears in Nature Communications and was funded by the National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.</p><p>Researchers from 16 collaborating study sites compared genomic data from 2,075 people with and 3,342 without Fuchs dystrophy. Analyses found novel associations with three loci—regions of the genetic code—and the disorder at genes KANK4, LAMC1 and ATP1B1. These loci had not been linked previously to Fuchs or other corneal dystrophies. In addition, they confirmed the relevance of a fourth locus at the gene TCF4, which had been linked to Fuchs dystrophy in earlier studies.</p><p>Importantly, the investigators detected the first known sex-specific genetic association with Fuchs dystrophy. Specifically, they found that LAMC1 variants confer a significantly elevated risk of Fuchs dystrophy among women, while TCF4 variants confer a greater risk in men.</p><p>Together the four loci predict the risk of an individual developing Fuchs dystrophy with an accuracy of about 78 percent, said one of the studys lead authors, Sudha K Iyengar, Ph.D., Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland. “Considering that there is currently no clinical screening tool other than family history, this is a significant advance for development of molecular diagnostic tests,” she said.“The identification of these genes paves the way for the development of a test to identify individuals who are at risk of getting Fuchs dystrophy, and also for the development of drugs to slow disease progression or to potentially delay or prevent it from occurring,” said George A. McKie, D.V.M., PhD., director of the NEIs cornea research program.</p>
</div>
<div class="c-image c-image--has-caption c-image--left">
<div class="c-image__src">
<img src="https://www.nei.nih.gov/sites/default/files/styles/small/public/2020-02/Fuchs_sections.jpg?itok=0PyuUKR2" alt="Corneal sections from a person with Fuchs dystrophy (left), normal with staining (center), and normal no staining (right)" width="281" height="90">
</div>
<div class="c-image__caption">
<p>Corneal sections from a person with Fuchs dystrophy (left) show the presence of ATP1B1 in the corneal endothelium. Findings were similar for the normal control (center). The negative control (with no staining for antibodies to ATP1B1) is shown right. Photos courtesy of Sudha K Iyengar, Ph.D.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="c-text">
<p>Fuchs dystrophy is a progressive disease that affects the clear covering of the eye called the cornea. Affecting both eyes, Fuchs occurs when cells die in the endothelium, the innermost layer of the cornea, and the body fails to replace them. Death of corneal endothelial cells is a normal part of aging, however, Fuchs accelerates this cell death, Iyengar said.</p><p>The endotheliums primary task is to pump excess fluid out of the cornea to keep hydration levels optimal. Under normal conditions, fluid from the center of the eye slowly leaks into the outer layers of cornea and is pumped back into the eye by a healthy endothelium. As the endothelium layer dies, <a href="/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/corneal-conditions">fluid accumulates in the central or stromal layer of the cornea</a> leading to edema or swelling. This edema causes people in the early stages of Fuchs dystrophy to wake up with blurry vision that resolves later in the day once the cornea dries. As the disease progresses, painful erosions and blisters form within the corneal layers and the ability to focus sharply is permanently lost.</p><p>Early in the disease, people can manage their symptoms by pointing a hairdryer at their eyes at arms length to accelerate drying the corneal surface. Such strategies no longer work as the disease progresses. Eventually a corneal transplant—most often from a deceased organ donor—is necessary.</p><p>The investigators confirmed the activity of genes at the newly identified loci by probing discarded corneal tissue from deceased individuals with and without Fuchs. They also used immunohistochemistry to look at protein expression from living people with Fuchs using the part of the cornea that is removed during the transplant procedure. Based on studies of other tissues, the genes very well could play an essential role in the health of the corneal endothelium, according to the study authors. “Disruption of these activities could conceivably lead to Fuchs,” Iyengar said. For example, <em>ATP1B1</em> encodes a sub-unit of the sodium-potassium plasma membrane pump, which is essential for water and ion transport. In other cases, the genes were found to be vital for the maintenance of membranes, tissue integrity and cell-to-cell contact.</p><p>Future studies will investigate the role of these genes in the underlying biology of Fuchs dystrophy.</p><p>This work was funded in part by NEI grants R01 EY023196, R01 EY016482, R01 EY016514, R01 EY016835, R21 EY015145 and P30 EY11373.</p><p><strong>Reference</strong>: Natalie A. Afshari, “Genome-wide association study identifies three novel loci in Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy” Nature Communications, March 30, 2017, <a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms14898">DOI:10.1038/NCOMMS14898</a> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28358029">Pubmed</a></p><p><em>###</em></p><p><em>NEI leads the federal governments research on the visual system and eye diseases. NEI supports basic and clinical science programs to develop sight-saving treatments and address special needs of people with vision loss. For more information, visit</em> <a href="/"><em>https://www.nei.nih.gov</em></a><em>.</em></p><p><em>About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nations medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit</em> <a href="https://www.nih.gov/"><em>https://www.nih.gov</em></a><em>/.</em></p><p><em>NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health®</em></p>
</div>
<div class="c-contact">
<h2 class="c-contact__heading">Contact</h2>
<div class="c-contact__label c-contact__name"><strong>Kathryn DeMott</strong></div>
<div class="c-contact__label c-contact__email">
<a href="mailto:neinews@nei.nih.gov">Email</a>
</div>
<div class="c-contact__label c-contact__phone">301-496-5248</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</article>
</div>
</div>
<aside class="r-sidebar" role="complementary">
<div class="views-element-container" id="block-views-block-nei-sidebar-block-1">
<div>
<div class="js-view-dom-id-08dd4bca802a74fbeb603c9675e63fbfa562417edd9289d28ecf342994101455 nei-sidebar">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</aside>
</div>
</main>
<div class="r-footer">
<footer class="o-footer" role="contentinfo">
<div id="block-footer-2">
<div class="o-footer__row">
<div class="o-footer__group o-footer__group--logo"><a class="o-logo__link" href="/" rel="home" title="Home"><span class="o-logo__text">National Eye Institute</span></a>
<ul class="o-menu-social">
<li class="o-menu-social__item"><a class="o-menu-social__link o-menu-social__link--facebook outlink-ignore" href="https://www.facebook.com/NationalEyeInstitute">Facebook</a></li>
<li class="o-menu-social__item"><a class="o-menu-social__link o-menu-social__link--twitter outlink-ignore" href="https://twitter.com/NatEyeInstitute">Twitter</a></li>
<li class="o-menu-social__item"><a class="o-menu-social__link o-menu-social__link--linkedin outlink-ignore" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-eye-institute-nei">LinkedIn</a></li>
<li class="o-menu-social__item"><a class="o-menu-social__link o-menu-social__link--youtube outlink-ignore" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/neinih">YouTube</a></li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
</div>
<div class="o-footer__group o-footer__group--contact">
<h2 class="o-footer__title">Contact NEI</h2>
<ul class="o-menu-footer">
<li class="o-menu-footer__item"><a class="o-menu-footer__link" href="/contact-us/">Contact Us</a></li>
<li class="o-menu-footer__item"><a class="o-menu-footer__link" href="https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/visitor-information">Visit NIH</a></li>
<li class="o-menu-footer__item"><a class="o-menu-footer__link" href="https://list.nih.gov/cgi-bin/wa.exe?SUBED1=insidenei&amp;A=1">Get Email Updates from NEI</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="o-footer__group o-footer__group--policies">
<h2 class="o-footer__title">Policies</h2>
<ul class="o-menu-footer">
<li class="o-menu-footer__item"><a class="o-menu-footer__link" href="/accessibility-information">Accessibility</a></li>
<li class="o-menu-footer__item"><a class="o-menu-footer__link" href="https://www.nih.gov/nondiscrimination-notice-language-assistance-services">Information in Other Languages</a></li>
<li class="o-menu-footer__item"><a class="o-menu-footer__link" href="/nei-website-privacy-policy">Privacy</a></li>
<li class="o-menu-footer__item"><a class="o-menu-footer__link" href="/freedom-information-act">Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)</a></li>
<li class="o-menu-footer__item"><a class="o-menu-footer__link" href="/disclaimers">Disclaimers</a></li>
<li class="o-menu-footer__item"><a class="o-menu-footer__link" href="/web-policies ">Web Policies</a></li>
<li class="o-menu-footer__item"><a class="o-menu-footer__link" href="https://www.hhs.gov/vulnerability-disclosure-policy/index.html ">Vulnerability Disclosure</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="o-footer__group o-footer__group--employees">
<h2 class="o-footer__title">For NEI Employees</h2>
<ul class="o-menu-footer">
<li class="o-menu-footer__item"><a class="o-menu-footer__link" href="https://intranet.nei.nih.gov">Intranet</a></li>
<li class="o-menu-footer__item"><a class="o-menu-footer__link" href="https://intranet.nei.nih.gov/hr/Pages/emergency.aspx">Emergency Information</a></li>
<li class="o-menu-footer__item"><a class="o-menu-footer__link" href="https://ned.nih.gov/search/search.aspx">NIH Staff Directory</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div class="o-footer__row">
<div class="o-footer__full o-footer__full--parent">
<ul class="o-menu-footer o-menu-footer--swing">
<li class="o-menu-footer__item"><a class="o-menu-footer__link" href="https://www.nih.gov/">NIH.gov</a></li>
<li class="o-menu-footer__item"><a class="o-menu-footer__link" href="https://hhs.gov/">HHS.gov</a></li>
<li class="o-menu-footer__item"><a class="o-menu-footer__link" href="https://usa.gov/">USA.gov</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</footer>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="c-lb-wrapper" id="lb-wrapper" aria-hidden="true">
<div class="c-lb-overlay" tabindex="-1"></div>
<div role="dialog" class="c-lb" id="lb">
<div class="c-lb-header">
<button class="c-lb-close-btn"><span class="c-lb-close-btn-text">Close</span><span class="c-lb-close-btn-text times" aria-hidden="true">&times;</span></button>
</div>
<figure class="c-lb-figure">
<figcaption class="c-lb-caption"></figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
</div>
<script src="/sites/default/files/js/js_agazM-qm5cOcplNZo9kNIWFtUrwt0V1xgAKtLyM44Us.js?scope=footer&amp;delta=0&amp;language=en&amp;theme=nei&amp;include=eJxdjEEOgCAMBD-E9kmkYrOpqdQAMerr5eBBvUx29jCp8HUKQOkZAe4wiY1B6Pj7yAsf33MNmZvuEq0nojnPmkFvCVmUYD6xDTUV3Vq9ATUbLxk"></script>
<script src="/themes/custom/nei/js/scripts.js?sraguf"></script>
</body>
</html>