Simple and rapid detection of cholesteryl ester transfer protein deficiency by using nonradioisotopic single-strand...

We developed a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis technique by using silver staining to detect the G-->A point mutation of intron 14 of the cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) gene, which is a common mutation in CETP deficiency. After conventional PCR, amplified DNA was heated and subjected to electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel containing glycerol. The gel was then stained with silver to identify DNA bands. With this technique, we examined 40 subjects with high concentrations of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (> or = 1 g/L) and found one homozygote and eight heterozygotes. The procedure is suitable for screening because it is quick and does not require radioactive materials or restriction enzymes.