Nonradioactive multiplex PCR screening strategy for the simultaneous detection of multiple low-density lipoprotein receptor gene mutations.

We have developed a rapid, nonradioactive screening test enabling the simultaneous analysis of three low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) gene mutations (D154N, D206E, and V408M), which together account for familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) in approximately 90% of the South African Afrikaner population. The assay is designed so that FH patients, negative for these founder-related mutations (found in descendants of European settlers), subsequently can be screened for unknown mutations in the mutation-rich exon 4 of the LDLR gene. Our screening assay consists of two steps: (1) multiplex allele-specific PCR amplification of exons 4 and 9, and (2) simultaneous analysis of single- and double-strand conformational polymorphisms in exon 4 by vertical electrophoresis on low cross-linked polyacrylamide gels. The simplicity, specificity, and versatility of the multiplex assay makes it an ideal system for routine screening of FH mutations in large population samples.