May 2008
Volume 49, Issue 13
Free
ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract  |   May 2008
Genetic Variants of Complement Genes and Systemic Alterations of Complement Protein Markers in Age-Related Macular Degeneration
H. P. Scholl; P. Charbel Issa; S. Janzer; L. Fritsche; N. V. Chong; R. Fimmers; T. Wienker; F. G. Holz; B. H. F. Weber; M. Oppermann
Author Affiliations & Notes
  • H. P. Scholl
    University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
    Dept of Ophthalmology,
  • P. Charbel Issa
    University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
    Dept of Ophthalmology,
  • S. Janzer
    University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
    Dept of Ophthalmology,
  • L. Fritsche
    Institute for Human Genetics, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
  • N. V. Chong
    Retinal Research Unit, King’s College Hospital, London, United Kingdom
  • R. Fimmers
    University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
    Institute of Medical Biometry, Informatics and Epidemiology,
  • T. Wienker
    University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
    Institute of Medical Biometry, Informatics and Epidemiology,
  • F. G. Holz
    University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
    Dept of Ophthalmology,
  • B. H. F. Weber
    Institute for Human Genetics, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
  • M. Oppermann
    Department of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
  • Footnotes
    Commercial Relationships  H.P. Scholl, None; P. Charbel Issa, None; S. Janzer, None; L. Fritsche, None; N.V. Chong, None; R. Fimmers, None; T. Wienker, None; F.G. Holz, None; B.H.F. Weber, None; M. Oppermann, None.
  • Footnotes
    Support  Pro Retina Foundation Pro-Re/Seed/Issa.1; EU FP6, Integrated Project "EVI-GENORET" (LSHG-CT-2005-512036); DFG Heisenberg Fellowship SCHO 734/2-1; DFG WE 1259/14-3; Ruth and Milton Steinbach Foundation
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science May 2008, Vol.49, 5067. doi:
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      H. P. Scholl, P. Charbel Issa, S. Janzer, L. Fritsche, N. V. Chong, R. Fimmers, T. Wienker, F. G. Holz, B. H. F. Weber, M. Oppermann; Genetic Variants of Complement Genes and Systemic Alterations of Complement Protein Markers in Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2008;49(13):5067.

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Abstract

Purpose: : To investigate genetic variants within genes coding for proteins involved in the alternative pathway of the complement (APC), complement factor H (CFH), factor B and complement component C2 (CFB-C2) and complement component C3, and to correlate these with plasma levels of complement proteins in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and controls. To compare the discriminative accuracy of genetic and protein markers.

Methods: : AMD patients (n=112) and control subjects (n=67) were analyzed for six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in CFH, five SNPs in CFB-C2 and rs2230199 in C3. Blood levels of APC substrates (CFB, C3, C4), markers for acute (C3a, C5a) and chronic APC activation (C3d, Ba, C5b-9) and APC regulators (CFH, factor D) were measured.

Results: : Four markers in CFH (rs800292, rs1061170, rs2274700, rs412852), two markers in CFB-C2 (rs547154, rs641153) and rs2230199 in C3 were significantly associated with AMD. For CFH, one haplotype conferring risk and two protective haplotypes were found. All protein markers of APC activation were significantly increased in the case cohort (see Abstract Charbel Issa et al.). Controls carrying the CFH risk alleles showed increased Ba levels (p=0.03), whereas AMD patients carrying the protective allele at rs2274700 exhibited reduced C3d levels (p=0.02). The controls carrying the protective CFH haplotypes showed reduced levels of Ba (p=0.04) and C3d (p=0.006), whereas AMD patients carrying the CFH risk haplotype exhibited increased Ba levels (p=0.03). Logistic regression analysis revealed that the discriminative accuracy of a model including only protein markers (82%) was considerably larger than that including only genetic markers (73%).

Conclusions: : This study provides first evidence for a link between genetic variants of complement genes and complement protein markers. Therefore, to describe such variants as conferring risk for AMD or being protective appears to be biologically meaningful. The high discriminative accuracy of the APC proteins may suggest that such protein markers could have larger predictive ability for AMD than genetic markers.

Keywords: age-related macular degeneration • immunomodulation/immunoregulation • genetics 
© 2008, The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc., all rights reserved. Permission to republish any abstract or part of an abstract in any form must be obtained in writing from the ARVO Office prior to publication.
Copyright © 2025 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.
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