A Heterozygous Putative Null Mutation in ROM1 without a Mutation in Peripherin/RDS in a Family with Retinitis Pigmentosa

ROM1 is a 351-amino-acid, 37-kDa outer segment membrane protein of rod photoreceptors. ROM1 is related to peripherin/RDS, another outer segment membrane protein found in both rods and cones. The precise function of ROM1 or peripherin/RDS is not known, but they have been suggested to play important roles in the function and/or structure of the rod photoreceptor outer segment disks. A recent report implicated ROM1 in disease by suggesting that RP can be caused by a heterozygous null mutation in ROM1 but only in combination with another heterozygous mutation in peripherin/RDS. Screening of the ROM1 gene using polymerase chain reaction amplification, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, and direct DNA sequencing identified the same heterozygous putative null mutation in a family with RP.