Low-density lipoprotein receptor gene mutation analysis and structure-function correlation in an Omani arab family with familial hypercholesterolemia.

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an autosomal dominant disorder typified by elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels caused by mutations in the LDL receptor (LDLR), apolipoprotein B (ApoB), or proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) genes. Previously, we reported a novel mutation in the exon-3 of LDLR gene, observed in a 9-year-old Omani Arab female. Here, we investigated the mode of inheritance of this mutation and confirmed that FH in this family is due to mutation only in the LDLR and not PCSK9 and ApoB genes.

Mutation in the PCSK9 Gene in Omani Arab Subjects with Autosomal Dominant Hypercholesterolemia and its Effect on PCSK9 Protein Structure.

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type (PCSK9) is a crucial protein in LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) metabolism by virtue of its pivotal role in the degradation of the LDL receptor. Mutations in the PCSK9 gene have previously been found to segregate with autosomal dominant familial hypercholesterolemia (ADFH). In this study, DNA sequencing of the 12 exons of the PCSK9 gene has been performed for two patients with a clinical diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolemia where mutation in the LDL-receptor gene hasn't been excluded.

Distribution of the lactase persistence-associated variant alleles -13910* T and -13915* G among the people of Oman and Yemen.

The high prevalence of lactase persistence (LP) among the people of Saudi Arabia is associated with the -13915(*)G variant allele upstream of the lactase gene (LCT). We, therefore, examined the frequency of the commonly known LP associated SNPs among randomly collected samples from Omani and Yemeni adult populations and obtained further data on the distribution of the two most common LP-associated variants, -13910(*)T and -13915T(*)G, in the Arabian Peninsula. The DNA fragment containing all the reported LP- associated SNPs was amplified and genotyped.