Two novel compound heterozygous SAG mutations in an Italian patient with Oguchi disease: A genetic and multimodal retinal imaging study

Abstract

Background: Oguchi disease is a rare autosomal recessive retinal dystrophy, characterized by congenital stationary blindness and caused by pathogenic variants in SAG and GRK1 genes. The present study aimed to report an Italian patient affected by Oguchi disease, evaluated by means of a multimodal retinal imaging study and harboring two novel heterozygous pathogenic variants in the SAG gene. Materials and methods: A 60-year-old female complaining congenital stationary night blindness was investigated through fundus photograph, optical coherence tomography (OCT), electroretinography (ERG), and genetic testing. Results: Fundus examination showed a golden-grayish fundus aspect. The rod response of the scotopic ERG was undetectable and mixed rod-cone response was electronegative. Fundus photographs obtained in light and in prolonged dark-adapted conditions allowed to detect the Mizuo-Nakamura phenomenon. Light condition OCT over the abnormal retinal regions showed high-intensity areas in the outer photoreceptor segment layer, that reduced with prolonged dark adaption. Genetic testing identified two rare heterozygous sequence variants in the SAG gene: NM_000541.5:c.807delA p.(Glu270Lysfs*9) and NM_000541.5:c.1047-1G>C confirming the diagnosis of Oguchi disease. Conclusions: We identified the first Italian compound heterozygous patient harboring two novel alterations in the SAG gene (a frameshift deletion and a splicing variant). The involvement of the SAG gene in Oguchi disease is a common finding in Japanese population, but rarely identified in Caucasians. Clinical suspicion should prompt the molecular analysis of genes associated with this condition.