Original Contributions |
From the Third Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo (K.O., S.I., J.i.-O., Y.Y., N.Y.), and the Third Department of Internal Medicine, Wakayama Medical College, Wakayama (M.Y., S.Y.), Japan.
Correspondence to Shun Ishibashi, MD, Third Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, 73-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113, Japan. E-mail ishibash-tky{at}umin.u-tokyo.ac.jp
| Abstract |
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T transition at
nucleotide 5472 that converts glutamine 1755 (CAA) to a
stop codon (TAA). We predict this novel nonsense mutation of the apoB
gene to produce a truncated protein that contains 1754 amino-terminal
amino acid residues of apoB-100. We designated this mutant form of apoB
apoB-38.7 by following the centile nomenclature of the apoB species.
The same mutation was found in both of her children. The proband
revealed clinical findings of retinitis pigmentosa, acanthocytosis, and
loss of deep tendon reflexes that are characteristic of severe
hypobetalipoproteinemia. In addition,
the proband had type II diabetes mellitus with nephropathy,
anemia, cholelithiasis, hepatic hemangioma, bronchiectasis, and
extensive calcification of major arteries including, the celiac,
splenic, and renal. In summary, we have found a novel truncated apoB,
apoB-38.7, in a patient with an unusual presentation of
hypobetalipoproteinemia that includes
diabetes mellitus and extensive arterial calcification.
Key Words: diabetes mellitus retinitis pigmentosa proteinuria arterial calcification peripheral neuropathy
| Introduction |
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Since Young and his colleagues5 6 demonstrated
that mutations in the apoB gene cause HBLP,
30 mutations have been
reported. Most of these mutations are nonsense or frameshift mutations
that prevent the translation of the full-length apoB-100 protein. In
this report, we describe a Japanese patient with homozygous HBLP caused
by a novel mutation in the apoB gene that gives rise to a truncated
apoB peptide, apoB-38.7.
| Methods |
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Physical examination revealed a lean, pale woman 145 cm tall and
weighing 37.5 kg. Pulse was 96 bpm and regular; blood pressure was
142/62 mm Hg. Visual acuity was lost in the right eye and
0.06/1.0 in the left with a narrow visual field. Intraocular pressure
was 40 mm Hg in the right eye and 15 mm Hg in the left.
Retinal pigmentation, hard exudates, and extensive photocoagulation
scars were noted in both optic fundi. Gross hearing loss was noted in
the right ear. Examination of the chest and abdomen was unremarkable.
Neurological examination revealed paresthesia in both hands,
"stocking-glove" type hypesthesia, absent deep tendon reflexes in
the lower extremities, and positive Romberg's sign. Examination
revealed no abnormal pyramidal, cerebellar, or posterior
column abnormalities. Laboratory tests revealed anemia (hemoglobin, 7
g/dL) with acanthocytosis, proteinuria (0.6 to 2.3 g/d), mild
hyperglycemia (fasting plasma glucose, 120 to 160 mg/dL; stable HbA1c,
6.9%), and reduced creatinine clearance (40 mL/min).
Plasma lipid analysis showed that she was moderately
hypocholesterolemic, with total cholesterol
(TC) levels of 2.17 mmol/L, plasma triglycerides (TGs)
of 0.64 mmol/L, HDL cholesterol of 1.99 mmol/L,
and plasma apoB of 0.03 g/L.7 Prothrombin time
was 10.7 seconds. Plasma concentrations of vitamins
K1 and K2 were normal: 0.27
and <0.05 ng/mL, respectively. Plasma cholesteryl ester transfer
activity was 3.98 nmol · mL-1 ·
min-1 (normal value,
2.39±0.32).8 A.Y. and H.H were also
hypocholesterolemic (3.2 to 3.3 mmol/L). The
results of lipid analysis of K.H., A.Y., and H.H. are
summarized in Table 1
. The
electroretinogram was flat in both eyes. Abdominal CT scan revealed
extensive calcification of the major arteries, including celiac,
splenic, common hepatic, renal, and superior mesenteric and a segment
of the abdominal aorta (Figure 1
).
Hepatic hemangioma and cholelithiasis were found on ultrasonography and
MRI. Liver biopsy revealed mild fatty changes. After a 12-hour fast,
the duodenal mucosa was biopsied endoscopically. Hematoxylin-eosin
staining of the biopsied specimen showed no evidence of lipid
accumulation in the enterocytes (Figure 2A
). Transmission electron microscopy
revealed moderate accumulation of fat droplets in the apical cytoplasm
of the enterocytes in some sections (Figure 2B
).
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Plasma Lipoprotein and Apolipoprotein Analyses
Blood samples were collected in EDTA-containing tubes. After
separation of blood cells for isolation of genomic DNA, the plasma was
mixed immediately with a protease inhibitor cocktail
containing EDTA, benzamidine, NaN3, and PMSF. For
determination of the lipid contents in each lipoprotein fraction, VLDL
(d<1.006 g/mL), IDL (d=1.006 to 1.019 g/mL), LDL
(d=1.019 to 1.063 g/mL), HDL2
(d=1.063 to 1.125 g/mL), and HDL3
(d=1.125 to 1.21 g/mL) were isolated by sequential
ultracentrifugation as previously
described.9 TC, free cholesterol, and
TGs were measured enzymatically. For the apolipoprotein
analyses, VLDL+IDL (d<1.019 g/mL), LDL, and HDL
(d=1.063 to 1.21 g/mL) were isolated.
After dialysis against a saline solution containing 10 mmol/L phosphate buffer, pH 7.4, 0.15 mol/L NaCl, 1 mmol/L EDTA, and 1 mmol/L PMSF, each lipoprotein fraction was delipidated and subjected to SDSpolyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE, 3% to 15%). Proteins were visualized by staining with Coomassie brilliant blue R-250.
Haplotype Analyses and DNA Sequences of ApoB
Genomic DNA was prepared from blood cells with the use of
a QIAamp blood kit (Qiagen). The DNA fragments of a variable number
of tandemly repeated short DNA sequences (VNTR) in the 3' end of the
apoB gene and CA repeats in intron 10 of the MTP gene were prepared as
described.10 11 A 581-nucleotide (nt)
DNA (nts 5271 to 5852) of the apoB gene was prepared by polymerase
chain reaction (PCR) with the following primers: primer A (sense nts
5271 to 5294), 5'-CAGGCCATGATTCTGGGTGTCGAC-3' and primer B (antisense
nts 5873 to 5852), 5'-CCCATTGCCATTTG-TATGTGCATC-3'
according to Collins et al.12 The amplified DNAs
were directly sequenced by the dideoxy chain-termination method with
the use of an ABI 373 DNA sequencer (Perkin-Elmer Cetus, Applied
Biosystems).
Other Mutations
The common cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) gene
mutations, an intron 14 splicing defect and an exon 15 missense
mutation, Asp442Gly, were evaluated as
described.13 14
| Results |
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We sought to identify the cause of K.H.'s
hypocholesterolemia. We genotyped the 3' VNTR
of the patient's apoB gene and the CA repeats in intron 10 of the MTP
locus. The patient was homozygous for the apoB locus (ß37/ß37) and
heterozygous for the MTP locus. This finding is consistent with
the level of plasma TC found in homozygous HBLP and the presence of
immunoreactive apoB in plasma (Table 1
).
Lipoproteins subjected to SDS-PAGE and Coomassie staining revealed a
protein of apparent Mr of 195 kDa in VLDL,
LDL, and HDL fractions but not in the d>1.21 g/mL fraction
(Figure 3
). Neither apoB-100 nor apoB-48
was detectable. Based on the apparent molecular weight of the apoB
moiety, we estimated a protein size of 1700 to 1800 amino acids. We
prepared DNAs by PCR of the apoB gene flanking the site of the
predicted mutation. Sequencing of the prepared DNAs revealed a single
C
T transition at position 5472 that converts glutamine 1755 (CAA) to
a stop codon (TAA) (Figure 4
). The
calculated centile fraction of the mutant apoB is 38.7%, ie, 1754 of
4536 amino acids. We designated this truncated apoB species apoB38.7,
by following the centile nomenclature of the apoB species
classification.15 We confirmed that both of the
proband's sons were heterozygous for the identical mutation.
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We suspected that the proband had a CETP deficiency based on the elevated plasma HDL-C level (1.99 mmol/L) and the increased HDL2-C/HDL3-C ratio (3.3).16 We genotyped K.H.'s CETP gene for the common CETP gene mutations, an intron 14 splicing defect and an exon 15 missense mutation, Asp442Gly, but neither mutation was detected, supporting the finding of normal plasma CETP activity in K.H.
| Discussion |
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Approximately 30 different mutations have been reported to cause HBLP
(see Reference 11 for a review and References 17 through 1917 18 19 ), and only 6
were found to be present in the homozygous
state.12 18 19 20 21 22 Patients with the most severe
phenotype were siblings who were compound heterozygotes for
apoB-2 and apoB-9.23 The siblings' LDL-C levels
were undetectable, and they presented with steatorrhea,
neurological deficits, and retinitis pigmentosa, a complex of symptoms
clinically indistinguishable from that of abetalipoproteinemia. An
8-year-old patient homozygous for apoB-50 also exhibited neurological
abnormalities resulting from a nearly complete absence of vitamin E in
the plasma.21 Neither neurological symptoms nor
retinal degeneration was reported in patients homozygous for
apoB-25,20 apoB-27.6,18
apoB-29,12 apoB-39,12 and
apoB-45.219 or compound heterozygous for
apoB-40/apoB-89.24 In particular, a 48-year-old
patient homozygous for apoB-45.2 had a normal plasma level of vitamin
E.19 In this context, it is noteworthy that K.H.
is homozygous for apoB-38.7 and has neurological deficits, retinal
pigmentation, and a flat electroretinogram, the latter 2 of which are
indicative of retinitis pigmentosa, despite a normal plasma level of
vitamin E (Table 1
). Other confounding factors, such as long-standing
diabetes mellitus and advancing age, may account for the relatively
severe clinical presentation of HBLP in K.H.
In addition to this complex of classic symptoms typical of severe HBLP, K.H. had a wide variety of conditions, such as type II diabetes mellitus, hepatic hemangioma, cholelithiasis, proteinuria, and a history of retinal hemorrhage, hemoptysis, and arterial calcification. Except for cholelithiasis, which has been reported to be prevalent in the affected members of an apoB-83 kindred,25 the significance of the constellation of these diseases within this patient is currently unknown. These florid complications may be attributable to other recessive mutations. Because HBLP is thought to be protective against atherosclerosis, it is important to note that K.H. had severe calcification of major arteries. One report indicates a relative paucity of coronary artery morbidity and mortality among first-degree relatives of patients with heterozygous HBLP26 ; furthermore, the virtual absence of atherosclerosis was reported in a 76-year-old subject with HBLP.27
According to her medical history, K.H. had received photocoagulation therapy for "hemorrhagic glaucoma," which presumably resulted from proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Her renal disease and peripheral neuropathy are also compatible with the clinical picture of diabetic microangiopathy. Because hyperlipidemia is a risk factor for diabetic retinopathy28 and cholesterol-lowering therapy retards the progression of diabetic nephropathy,29 it is noteworthy that she had advanced complications due to long-standing diabetes.
Another remarkable finding is the unusually high plasma TC and HDL-C
levels of K.H. when compared with other HBLP homozygotes. The high
HDL2-C/HDL3-C ratio (Table 2
)16 and the association with
atherosclerosis30 in K.H. are
consistent with the clinical features of CETP deficiency, which
is a common cause of hyperhighdensitylipoproteinemia in the
Japanese.13 However, CETP activity was not
decreased, and mutations in either intron 14 or exon 15 of the CETP
gene, the most common mutations causing CETP deficiency in the
Japanese,13 were not found in the patient.
Therefore, it is unlikely that K.H. had CETP deficiency. The associated
proteinuria may, at least in part, account for the exceptionally high
TC levels in K.H.
We detected apoB-38.7 from VLDL through HDL but not in the
d<1.21 g/mL fraction (Figure 3
). Previous studies have
shown that the buoyant density of the apoB-containing lipoproteins is
largely proportional to the size of apoB between apoB-31 and apoB-37.
It has been reported that apoB-31,31
apoB-32,32 and apoB-32.533
are present in the d>1.21 g/mL fraction, but apoB-37 is
not,5 suggesting that a portion of the apoB
proteins between apoB-32.5 and apoB-37 is critical for the distribution
to the d>1.21 g/mL fraction. This finding is in agreement
with our observation that apoB-38.7 was not present in the
d>1.21 g/mL fraction. ApoB-37,5
apoB-38.9,17 apoB-40,34 and
apoB-4635 were reported to be present in HDL,
but apoB-39,12 apoB-50,21
and the other species larger than apoB-50 were not, indicating that a
portion of the apoB between apoB-37 and apoB-46 is essential for
distribution in HDL. This finding is consistent with our
observation that apoB-38.7 was distributed in HDL.
In summary, we have found a novel, truncated apoB, apoB-38.7, in a patient with an unusual presentation of HBLP, including diabetes mellitus and extensive arterial calcification.
| Acknowledgments |
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Received September 17, 1997; accepted March 17, 1998.
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