Department of General Pediatrics, Center for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical Centre- University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Laboratory of Clinical Biochemistry and Metabolism, Center for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Mathildenstrasse 1, D-79106, Freiburg, Germany.
J Inherit Metab Dis. 2018 Nov;41(6):1169-1178. doi: 10.1007/s10545-018-0245-5. Epub 2018 Sep 7.
Very long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (VLCADD) is the most common defect of mitochondrial β-oxidation of long-chain fatty acids. However, the unambiguous diagnosis of true VLCADD patients may be challenging, and a high rate of false positive individuals identified by newborn screening undergo confirmation diagnostics. In this study, we show the outcome of enzyme testing in lymphocytes as a confirmatory tool in newborns identified by screening, and the correlation with molecular sequencing of the ACADVL gene. From April 2013 to March 2017, in 403 individuals with characteristic acylcarnitine profiles indicative of VLCADD, palmitoyl-CoA oxidation was measured followed by molecular genetic analysis in most of the patients with residual activity (RA) <50%. In almost 50% of the samples (209/403) the RA was >50%, one-third of the individuals (125/403) displayed a RA of 30-50% and 69/403 individuals showed a residual activity of 0-30%. Sequencing of the ACADVL gene revealed that all individuals with activities below 24% were true VLCADD patients, individuals with residual activities between 24 and 27% carried either one or two mutations. Twenty new mutations could be identified and functionally classified based on their effect on enzyme function. Finally, we observed an up-regulation of MCAD-activity in many patients. However, this did not correlate with the degree of VLCAD RA. Although the likely clinical phenotype cannot be fully foreseen by genetic and functional tests as it depends on many factors, our data demonstrate the strength of this functional enzyme test in lymphocytes as a quick and reliable method for confirmation diagnostics of VLCADD.
极长链酰基辅酶 A 脱氢酶缺乏症(VLCADD)是长链脂肪酸线粒体β氧化中最常见的缺陷。然而,真正的 VLCADD 患者的明确诊断可能具有挑战性,并且通过新生儿筛查确定的大量假阳性个体需要进行确认诊断。在这项研究中,我们展示了在通过筛查确定的新生儿中作为确认工具的淋巴细胞酶测试的结果,以及与 ACADVL 基因的分子测序的相关性。从 2013 年 4 月到 2017 年 3 月,在 403 名具有特征性酰基肉碱谱提示 VLCADD 的个体中,在大多数残留活性(RA)<50%的患者中测量了棕榈酰-CoA 氧化,随后进行了分子遗传分析。在近 50%的样本(209/403)中,RA>50%,三分之一的个体(125/403)显示 RA 为 30-50%,69/403 个体显示 RA 为 0-30%。ACADVL 基因的测序显示,所有活性低于 24%的个体均为真正的 VLCADD 患者,活性在 24%至 27%之间的个体携带一个或两个突变。可以鉴定出 20 个新突变,并根据其对酶功能的影响进行功能分类。最后,我们观察到许多患者的 MCAD-活性上调。然而,这与 VLCAD RA 的程度没有相关性。尽管遗传和功能测试无法完全预测可能的临床表型,因为它取决于许多因素,但我们的数据证明了淋巴细胞中这种快速、可靠的功能性酶测试在 VLCADD 确认诊断中的强大作用。