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. 1996 Jul 15;98(2):358–364. doi: 10.1172/JCI118800

An intronic mutation in a lariat branchpoint sequence is a direct cause of an inherited human disorder (fish-eye disease).

J A Kuivenhoven 1, H Weibusch 1, P H Pritchard 1, H Funke 1, R Benne 1, G Assmann 1, J J Kastelein 1
PMCID: PMC507438  PMID: 8755645

Abstract

The first step in the splicing of an intron from nuclear precursors of mRNA results in the formation of a lariat structure. A distinct intronic nucleotide sequence, known as the branchpoint region, plays a central role in this process. We here describe a point mutation in such a sequence. Three sisters were shown to suffer from fish-eye disease (FED), a disorder which is caused by mutations in the gene coding for lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT). Sequencing of the LCAT gene of all three probands revealed compound heterozygosity for a missense mutation in exon 4 which is reported to underlie the FED phenotype, and a point mutation located in intron 4 (IVS4:T-22C). By performing in vitro expression of LCAT minigenes and reverse transcriptase PCR on mRNA isolated from leukocytes of the patient, this gene defect was shown to cause a null allele as the result of complete intron retention. In conclusion, we demonstrated that a point mutation in a lariat branchpoint consensus sequence causes a null allele in a patient with FED. In addition, our finding illustrates the importance of this sequence for normal human mRNA processing. Finally, this report provides a widely applicable strategy which ensures fast and effective screening for intronic defects that underlie differential gene expression.

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Selected References

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