Giant dystrophin deletion associated with congenital cataract and mild muscular dystrophy

We report a patient with a large intragenic dystrophin deletion of exons 17-51 inclusive associated with congenital cataract and mild Becker muscular dystrophy. The cataract was similar to the congenital cataract described in the mdx mouse. The loss of 68% of the rod domain including hinge 2 and 3 regions did not adversely affect the correct localization of the dystrophin and the association with the dystrophin-associated glycoprotein complex. This observation may have implications for minigenes suitable for gene therapy.