Four mutations identified in Chinese families with autosomal dominant congenital cataracts by next-generation sequencing.

Background: Congenital cataracts, which can arise due to a combination of factors like environmental influences and genetic predisposition, significantly impact children's visual health globally. The occurrence rate of congenital cataracts varies from 0. 63 to 9.74 per 10,000 births. There are 7.4 instances per 10,000 children, with the highest occurrence seen in Asia. Symptoms of the disease include clouding of the lens and visual impairment. Timely identification of the condition plays a crucial role in the management and outlook of pediatric patients.

Objective: This investigation aimed to discover causative mutations in four separate Chinese family lineages.

Methods: The detailed clinical data and family history of four Chinese families with autosomal dominant congenital cataracts were carefully documented. Examination of the Whole Exome Sequencing was utilized to identify the genetic anomalies present in the familial cases. Subsequent validation of the identified mutations was carried out using PCR and Sanger sequencing. Following this, various computational predictive programs were utilized to evaluate how the mutations impact the structure and function of the protein.

Results: The sequencing results reveal four potential disease-causing mutations: c.436G > A (p.V146M) of CRYBB2 Family 1, c.26G > T (p.R9I) of GJA3 in family 2, c.227G > A (p.R76H) of GJA8 in family 3, c.-168G > T of FTL in family 4. Among them, the causative mutation in Family GJA3 is novel, and Family FTL is a rare cataract syndrome. These familial mutations showed complete co-segregation with the affected individuals, with no presence in unaffected family members or the 100 controls. Several bioinformatic prediction tools also support the likely pathogenicity of these mutations.

Conclusion: Our findings expand the mutational and phenotypic spectrum of genes associated with congenital cataracts and provide clues to the pathogenesis of congenital cataracts. These data also demonstrate the importance of NGS technology for the molecular diagnosis of congenital cataract patients.