Purpose: The study intended to define the underlying genetic defects for 21 index patients affected with different forms of anterior segment dysgenesis. Sequence analysis for the PAX6, PITX2, FOXC1, and CYP1B1 genes has been implemented for this purpose.
Methods: Ten patients affected with Peters anomaly, 8 with Rieger anomaly, and 3 with aniridia were included in this study. All patients underwent a complete eye examination, including anterior segment evaluation, with slit-lamp microsocopy, fundoscopy, tonography, and gonioscopy. Twenty-one intronic primer pairs were used to amplify the coding exons of the FOXC1, CYP1B1, PITX2, and PAX6 genes for sequence analysis on an automated sequencer (ABI 3730).
Results: We were able to detect mutations in 5 of 21 patients with anterior segment malformations. We found mutations in individuals suffering from Rieger anomaly and aniridia, in CYP1B1 and PAX6, respectively. None of the 10 Peters anomaly patients had causative mutations in any of the 4 genes we screened.
Conclusions: Our results suggest primary congenital glaucoma and the anterior segment dysgenesis disorders may share a common molecular pathophysiology in the CYP1B1 pathway.