Cited by 33Complement system in diseasesRetinal Diseases and TreatmentsOcular Diseases and Behçet’s Syndrome

Revisiting the role of factor H in age-related macular degeneration: Insights from complement-mediated renal disease and rare genetic variants

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Tzoumas, Nikolaos, Hallam, Dean, Harris, Claire L., Lako, Majlinda, Kavanagh, David, Steel, David H.W.·2021·Survey of Ophthalmology

Abstract

Ophthalmologists are long familiar with the eye showing signs of systemic disease, but the association between age-related macular degeneration and abnormal complement activation, common to several renal disorders, has only recently been elucidated. Although complement activation products were identified in drusen almost three decades ago, it was not until the early 21st century that a single-nucleotide polymorphism in the complement factor H gene was identified as a major heritable determinant of age-related macular degeneration, galvanizing global efforts to unravel the pathogenesis of this common disease. Advances in proteomic analyses and familial aggregation studies have revealed distinctive clinical phenotypes segregated by the functional effects of common and rare genetic variants on the mature protein and its splice variant, factor H-like protein 1. The predominance of loss-of-function, N-terminal mutations implicate age-related macular degeneration as a disease of general complement dysregulation, offering several therapeutic avenues for its modulation. Here, we explore the molecular impact of these mutations/polymorphisms on the ability of variant factor H/factor H-like protein 1 to localize to polyanions, pentraxins, proinflammatory triggers, and cell surfaces across ocular and renal tissues and exert its multimodal regulatory functions and their clinical implications. Finally, we critically evaluate key therapeutic and diagnostic efforts in this rapidly evolving field.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.survophthal.2020.10.008

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Authors
Tzoumas, N., Hallam, D., Harris, C. L., Lako, M., Kavanagh, D., & Steel, D. H. W.
Affiliations
  • Newcastle University (GB)
  • Royal Victoria Infirmary (GB)
  • Sunderland Eye Infirmary (GB)
Corresponding author
Tzoumas, Nikolaos
Venue
Survey of Ophthalmology
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2021-03
Volume
66
Issue
2
Pages
378-401
ISSN
0039-6257 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3095970076
Cited by
33
References
266
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 7
FWCI
0.46
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Survey of Ophthalmology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Newcastle University ePrints (Newcastle Univesity)
Funders
Macular Society
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Complement system in diseases
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Ophthalmology › Retinal Diseases and Treatments
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Ophthalmology › Ocular Diseases and Behçet’s Syndrome
Keywords
complement factor H, age-related macular degeneration, complement activation, complement dysregulation, factor H-like protein 1, single nucleotide polymorphisms, rare variants, loss-of-function mutations, drusen, pentraxins, polyanions, complement regulation, therapeutic target, diagnosis
MeSH terms
Complement System Proteins, Humans, Macular Degeneration, Phenotype, Complement Factor H, Proteomics

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