A 5' splice-region mutation and a dinucleotide deletion in the lysosomal acid lipase gene in two patients with cholesteryl ester storage disease

Cholesteryl ester storage disease (CESD) results from inherited deficiencies of the lysosomal hydrolase, acid lipase (LAL; E.C. 3.1.1.13). To establish the molecular defects in LAL deficiency, two unrelated probands with severely reduced LAL activity were examined. DNA amplification by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and subsequent sequence analysis of LAL cDNA identified two mutant alleles. Patient 1, presenting with hepatosplenomegaly, mildly elevated liver function tests, and hyperlipidemia, was homozygous for a deletion of nucleotides 823 to 894 of the LAL cDNA. This 72-bp deletion maintained the reading frame and resulted in a loss of 24 amino acids from the LAL protein. Analysis of genomic DNA revealed that the 72 bp corresponded to an exon of the LAL gene. A single G to A point mutation at the last exon position was observed in the genomic DNA of patient 1, indicating a splicing defect with consecutive exon skipping underlying the 72-bp deletion. Patient 2 was a compound heterozygote for the 72-bp deletion and a dinucleotide deletion at positions 967 and 968. This deletion resulted in a shifted reading frame carboxy-terminal of codon 296, and 43 random amino acids followed the frame shift. A premature stop at codon 339 truncated the mutant LAL protein by 34 amino acids. Allele-specific hybridization confirmed that patient I was homozygous for the 72-bp deletion mutation, and that patient 2 was a compound heterozygote for the 72-bp deletion and the 2-bp deletion.