Insights Into the FOXE3 Transcriptional Network and Disease Mechanisms From the Investigation of a Regulatory Variant Driving Complex Microphthalmia.

Purpose: FOXE3 encodes a highly conserved, lens-enriched transcription factor essential for eye development. Biallelic mutations in FOXE3 are associated with a spectrum of ocular anomalies, ranging from congenital cataracts to complex microphthalmia (CM), with severity and penetrance correlating with genotype. This study aimed to investigate the regulatory landscape of FOXE3 and its contribution to CM.

Methods: In a patient with CM, a truncating FOXE3 variation (p.Cys240*) was identified alongside a second, trans-acting regulatory variant (rv: rs745674596G>A) located 3 kb upstream of FOXE3. To investigate its functional impact, mouse models were generated carrying either the rv or a frameshift (fs) mutation in homozygosity (Foxe3rv/rv, Foxe3fs/fs) or in compound heterozygosity (Foxe3rv/fs). Ocular phenotypes were characterized, and molecular analyses were conducted to assess FOXE3 expression and transcriptional regulation.

Results: Phenotypic severity followed a progressive pattern from Foxe3rv/rv to Foxe3rv/fs, with Foxe3fs/fs consistently exhibiting CM, mirroring genotype-dependent effects observed in humans. Protein levels, but not mRNA levels, correlated with ocular phenotype, with the frameshift mutation leading to pronounced mRNA overexpression in embryos. In Foxe3fs/fs mice, CM resulted from early anterior lens epithelium disorganization, triggering progressive lens degeneration and ocular involution. Transcription factor binding studies identified USF2 as a key regulator of FOXE3 expression, positioning it as a novel candidate in ocular development and disease.

Conclusions: This study highlights the critical role of regulatory variants in ocular pathology, proposes a potentially novel mechanism for microphthalmia through lens degeneration, and identifies USF2 as a potential contributor to the FOXE3-regulatory network that remains largely unknown.