[A molecular genetic study of Leber's disease]

That Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy is caused by a single nucleotide change in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was first verified by Wallace and his colleagues in 1988. The mtDNA of 11 patients with Leber's disease from different families and of normal persons are analyzed with polymerase chain reaction by the authors, with results that confirm those of Wallace. The procedure is simple and speedy, and hence recommended for clinical utilization.