Whole-exome sequencing implicates UBE3D in age-related macular degeneration in East Asian populations

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of irreversible central blindness among the elderly worldwide. We use exome sequencing to analyse nonsynonymous single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) across the whole genome of 216 neovascular AMD cases and 1,553 controls. As a follow-up validation, we evaluate 3,772 neovascular AMD cases and 6,942 controls from five independent cohorts in the East Asian population. Here we show strong evidence of an association at a novel, missense SNV, rs7739323, which is located in the ubiquitin protein ligase E3D (UBE3D) gene (Pmeta=1.46 × 10−9, odds ratio (OR)=0.74, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.63–0.88). Furthermore, ablation of the UBE3D protein lead to an abnormal amount of pigment granules deposited in retinal pigment epithelium microvilli area and an abnormal response on electroretinography (ERG) in UBE3D+/− heterozygous mice. Our findings indicate that the ubiquitin-proteasome system may play a role in the pathogenesis of neovascular AMD. Age-related macular degeneration is a prominent cause of irreversible blindness among the elderly. Here Huang et al.identify a novel missense variant in UBE3D that sheds new light on the pathogenesis of the disease.