Familial plasma lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase deficiency. A new family with partial LCAT activity.

A 43-year-old woman and her 47-year-old brother were studied because of corneal opacity. They showed a marked decrease in plasma high density lipoproteins (HDL) and a decrease in the ester ratio of plasma total cholesterol. Discoidal particles were found in the HDL2 fraction (d 1.063-1.125). A marked heterogeneity of low density lipoproteins was disclosed in both patients by electron microscopy. Apoprotein analysis revealed an increase in apo E and a decrease in apo A-I and A-II in both patients. These abnormalities were similar to the data reported in other cases with hereditary lecithin : cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) deficiency. However, several interesting dissimilarities have been disclosed as compared with the previously reported cases. Neither patient had proteinuria, and their kidney functions were within the normal limits. The ester ratios of plasma cholesterol of both patients were the highest among the cases reported thus far. Their plasma LCAT activities were 14.4 and 15% of the normal mean values determined by Glomset-Wright's common-substrate method. The enzyme activities determined by Stokke-Norum's self-substrate method were 40.2 and 29% respectively. These results may indicate that this inherited disorder is not characterized by absence of plasma LCAT or presence of inhibitory factors in plasma, but by the presence of partially inactive LCAT in patients' plasma.