RHO

Rhodopsin (definition: A light-sensitive protein in rod photoreceptors, produced by the RHO gene, that's essential for seeing in dim light.)-mediated autosomal dominant (definition: An inheritance pattern where a single altered copy of a gene, from just one parent, is enough to cause the condition.) retinitis pigmentosa (RHO-adRP) is a hereditary disease that causes a gradual loss of vision in the retina. It's caused by mutations in the rhodopsin (RHO) gene, which encodes a light-sensitive protein that helps with vision in dim light. RHO-adRP is the most common type of autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (adRP), accounting for 25–30% of cases. Symptoms of RHO-adRP include difficulty seeing in dim light or at night, difficulty adjusting to dim light after being in bright light, and loss of side vision, also known as tunnel vision. There's no cure for RHO-adRP, but medications can help treat complications. Gene therapy (definition: A treatment that delivers a working copy of a gene into cells to take over for a copy that isn't functioning properly.) and genome surgery strategies are also being developed to treat RHO-adRP. One study used CRISPR (definition: A gene-editing technology that can find and change a specific, targeted spot in a cell's DNA.)/Cas9 to selectively target a variant of the RHO gene, which resulted in partial recovery of photoreceptor (definition: A light-sensing cell in the retina. Rods (used for night and peripheral vision) and cones (used for color and detail) are the two types.) function in a mouse model. Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of hereditary retinal diseases that cause blindness. It's characterized by the degeneration of photoreceptors, including rod and cone cells. Symptoms usually begin in childhood.