1] Department of Genetics, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U781, Université Paris Descartes-Sorbonne Paris Cité, Imagine Institute, Paris, France. [2].
Abstract:
In addition to its activity in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(+)) synthesis, the nuclear nicotinamide mononucleotide adenyltransferase NMNAT1 acts as a chaperone that protects against neuronal activity-induced degeneration. Here we report that compound heterozygous and homozygous NMNAT1 mutations cause severe neonatal neurodegeneration of the central retina and early-onset optic atrophy in 22 unrelated individuals. Their clinical presentation is consistent with Leber congenital amaurosis and suggests that the mutations affect neuroprotection of photoreceptor cells.