In findings that could lead to curing some forms of congenital blindness through gene therapy, researchers at UCLA have discovered that RPE65, a gene missing in infants born with the blinding disease Leber congenital amaurosis, is also a key enzyme in the visual cycle. The identity of this enzyme has long been a mystery to scientists. The study, “Rpe65 is the Retinoid Isomerase in Bovine Retinal Pigment Epithelium,” is published in the Aug. 12 issue of Cell magazine.
