title: Mutations in the SORT1 gene are unlikely to cause autosomal dominant hypercholesterolemia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study whether mutations in the SORT1 gene could be a cause of autosomal dominant hypercholesterolemia and to study the effect of sortilin on the binding and internalization of low density lipoprotein (LDL).
  
  
  METHODS
  842 unrelated hypercholesterolemic subjects without mutations in genes known to cause autosomal dominant hypercholesterolemia, were screened for mutations in the SORT1 gene by DNA sequencing. Transfections of wild-type or mutant SORT1 plasmids in HeLa T-REx cells and the use of siRNA were used to study the effect of sortilin on the number of cell-surface LDL receptors and on the binding and internalization of LDL.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 45 mutations in the SORT1 gene were identified of which 15 were missense mutations. Eight of these were selected for in vitro studies, of which none had a major impact on the amount of LDL bound to the cell surface. There was a positive correlation between the amount of sortilin on the cell surface and the amount of LDL bound. The observation that a mutant sortilin which is predominantly found on the cell surface rather than in post-Golgi compartments, bound very high amounts of LDL, indicates that sortilin does not increase the binding of LDL through an intracellular mechanism. Rather, our data indicate that sortilin binds LDL on the cell surface.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Even though sortilin binds and internalizes LDL by receptor-mediated endocytosis, mutations in the SORT1 gene are unlikely to cause autosomal dominant hypercholesterolemia and may only have a marginal effect on plasma LDL cholesterol levels.
authors.affiliation: Unit for Cardiac and Cardiovascular Genetics, Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Kristian
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tveten
authors.forename: Thea Bismo
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Strøm
authors.forename: Jamie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cameron
authors.forename: Knut Erik
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Berge
authors.forename: Trond P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Leren
mesh_terms: D033942:Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism*; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood*; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D004705:Endocytosis; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D006938:Hyperlipoproteinemia Type II / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009154:Mutation; D010641:Phenotype; D011485:Protein Binding; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D034622:RNA Interference; D011973:Receptors, LDL / Q000378:metabolism; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014162:Transfection; D000099183:Sortilin
chemical_list: D033942:Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D011973:Receptors, LDL; D000099183:Sortilin; C573412:LDLR protein, human