THE commonest form of tunnel vision is caused by a defect in a protein
that acts like a haulage contractor, shunting around other proteins inside cells
in the retina.
In the latest issue of Nature Genetics, researchers in Edinburgh,
Munich and Naples describe a defective gene that causes X-linked retinitis
pigmentosa, which eventually blinds its mostly male sufferers.
Alan Wright of the Medical Research Council鈥檚 Human Genetics Unit and his
colleagues say that the gene is similar to another human gene called
RCC1. This codes for one of a family of proteins called Ran, which move
proteins around within cells.
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Replacing the defective gene may be feasible, says Wright, particularly if
the cells affected are the retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells at the back of
the eye, which take nutrients from the blood and pass them to the retina鈥檚
light-sensitive cells. These cells readily gobble up any material in the eye, he
notes. 鈥淲hen you inject anything into the eye, it immediately goes into the RPE
肠别濒濒蝉.鈥�