A novel mutation (F71L) in αA-Crystallin with defective chaperone-like function associated with age-related cataract

Age-related cataract (ARC) is a multifactorial disease and the leading cause of blindness worldwide. Genetic predisposition in association with other etiological factors may contribute to ARC. However, gene mutation studies on ARC are scanty. In the present work, we identified a genetic variation (F71L) in the exon-2 of CRYAA (αA-crystallin) gene in three unrelated female sporadic cases among 711 ARC patients but not in 265 normal non-cataractous controls by SSCP and RFLP analysis. By comparing human recombinant wild-type and F71L-αA-crystallin, we characterized the functional significance of this missense mutation. Chromatography, fluorescence and far- and near-UV CD studies indicated that F71L missense mutation did not significantly affect the apparent molecular mass, secondary and tertiary structures and hydrophobicity of αA-crystallin. While the mutant αA-crystallin displayed significant (35–90%) loss of chaperone-like activity (CLA) in thermal aggregation of carbonic anhydrase, βL- and γ-crystallins, it showed moderate (10–50%) loss in CLA in DTT-induced aggregation of insulin and lysozyme. This is the first report of an αA-F71L mutation being associated with ARC and suggests that ARC in individuals carrying this mutation (F71L) might be due to the overall loss of in vivo chaperone activity due to interaction with other environmental factors.