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Clinical, Histopathologic, and Ultrastructural Characteristics of BIGH3(TGFBI) Amyloid Corneal Dystrophies are Supportive of the Existence of a New Type of LCD: The LCDi

2002; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Volume: 21; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1097/00003226-200207000-00006

1536-4798

Clair‐Florent Schmitt‐Bernard, Christelle Schneider, Àngel Argilés,

Glaucoma and retinal disorders

Purpose. To assess the morphologic differences of three types of lattice corneal dystrophies (LCDs) from histologic, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural studies. Methods. Corneas from three patients, one LCD1, one His626Arg-LCD, and one LCD3A were processed for Congo red, βig-h3541–564 antibodies immunostaining, and electron transmission microscopy studies. Control tissues were submitted to identical analyses and consisted of one cornea from a patient not having LCD and one skin biopsy from the patient suffering from LCD1. Results. The three corneas displayed birefringent congophilic deposits under polarized light, confirming their amyloid nature. The deposits differed regarding their shape and location in each of the corneas. A strong immunoreactivity for βig-h3 was shown in the LCD1 and His626Arg-LCD deposits, which was faint for the LCD3A deposits. Ultrastructural analysis confirmed the dissimilarity of the deposits among the different types of LCD. No amyloid deposits were observed in the skin from the LCD1 patient, whereas immunostaining showed the presence of high amounts of βig-h3. Conclusion. Our results show that βig-h3 is involved in amyloid deposition in all the LCDs included in the study (LCD1, His626Arg-LCD, and LCD3A). These three forms of LCD, clinically different, were also distinguishable histologically, confirming that they belong to distinctive groups of LCDs. The absence of amyloid deposition in skin from the LCD1 patient supports cornea-specific amyloid formation. In light of the present clinical, histologic, and ultrastructural data, His626Arg and related LCDs constitute a separate group of LCD that could be considered as of intermediate type on clinical grounds.