Lebercilin is a family of eukaryotic ciliary proteins. Mutations in the gene, LCA5, are implicated in the disease Leber congenital amaurosis. In photoreceptors, lebercilin is uniquely localised at the cilium that bridges the inner and outer segments. Lebercilin functions as an integral element of selective protein transport through photoreceptor cilia. Lebercilin specifically interacts with the intraflagellar transport (IFT), and disruption of IFT can lead to Leber congenital amaurosis.

1: Mutations in LCA5, encoding the ciliary protein lebercilin, cause Leber congenital amaurosis. den Hollander AI, Koenekoop RK, Mohamed MD, Arts HH, Boldt K, Towns KV, Sedmak T, Beer M, Nagel-Wolfrum K, McKibbin M, Dharmaraj S, Lopez I, Ivings L, Williams GA, Springell K, Woods CG, Jafri H, Rashid Y, Strom TM, van der Zwaag B, Gosens I, Kersten FF, van Wijk E, Veltman JA, Zonneveld MN, van Beersum SE, Maumenee IH, Wolfrum U, Cheetham ME, Ueffing M, Cremers FP, Inglehearn CF, Roepman R; Nat Genet. 2007;39:889-895. PMID:17546029

2: Mutations in LCA5 are an uncommon cause of Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) type II. Gerber S, Hanein S, Perrault I, Delphin N, Aboussair N, Leowski C, Dufier JL, Roche O, Munnich A, Kaplan J, Rozet JM; Hum Mutat. 2007;28:1245. PMID:18000884

3: Usher syndrome and Leber congenital amaurosis are molecularly linked via a novel isoform of the centrosomal ninein-like protein. van Wijk E, Kersten FF, Kartono A, Mans DA, Brandwijk K, Letteboer SJ, Peters TA, Marker T, Yan X, Cremers CW, Cremers FP, Wolfrum U, Roepman R, Kremer H; Hum Mol Genet. 2009;18:51-64. PMID:18826961

4: OFD1 is mutated in X-linked Joubert syndrome and interacts with LCA5-encoded lebercilin. Coene KL, Roepman R, Doherty D, Afroze B, Kroes HY, Letteboer SJ, Ngu LH, Budny B, van Wijk E, Gorden NT, Azhimi M, Thauvin-Robinet C, Veltman JA, Boink M, Kleefstra T, Cremers FP, van Bokhoven H, de Brouwer AP; Am J Hum Genet. 2009;85:465-481. PMID:19800048

5: Disruption of intraflagellar protein transport in photoreceptor cilia causes Leber congenital amaurosis in humans and mice. Boldt K, Mans DA, Won J, van Reeuwijk J, Vogt A, Kinkl N, Letteboer SJ, Hicks WL, Hurd RE, Naggert JK, Texier Y, den Hollander AI, Koenekoop RK, Bennett J, Cremers FP, Gloeckner CJ, Nishina PM, Roepman R, Ueffing M; J Clin Invest. 2011;121:2169-2180. PMID:21606596