De novo double mutation in PAX6 and mtDNA tRNA(Lys) associated with atypical aniridia and mitochondrial disease

We report on the clinical, molecular and biochemical findings of a patient with the rare event (<4.02 x 10(-9) per generation) of coinciding de novo mutations in the nuclear PAX6 (c.1252-1267del16) and the mitochondrial mt.RNA (Lys) (8347A-->G) genes. The boy suffers from exercise intolerance, ptosis, nystagmus, macular hypoplasia and anterior segment abnormalities evocative of Axenfeld-Rieger anomaly. The PAX6 mutation is predicted to cause haploinsufficiency. The novel mt.RNA (Lys) mutation is located close to the classic myoclonic epilepsy with ragged-red-fibers mutation, but the patient exhibits neither myoclonic epilepsy nor ragged-red-fibers. The degree of mutant mtDNA heteroplasmy, as determined by a very accurate pyrosequencing assay, varies between 31% (muscle) and 38% (fibroblasts). We discuss a potential effect of the PAX6 mutation on the mtDNA mutation rate.