LDLR
protein-codinglow density lipoprotein receptor, the group of Low density lipoprotein receptors|MicroRNA protein coding host genes
Gene summary
The low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) gene family consists of cell surface proteins involved in receptor-mediated endocytosis of specific ligands. The encoded protein is normally bound at the cell membrane, where it binds low density lipoprotein/cholesterol and is taken into the cell. Lysosomes release the cholesterol, which is made available for repression of microsomal enzyme 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG CoA) reductase, the rate-limiting step in cholesterol synthesis. At the same time, a reciprocal stimulation of cholesterol ester synthesis takes place. Mutations in this gene cause the autosomal dominant disorder, familial hypercholesterolemia. Alternate splicing results in multiple transcript variants.[provided by RefSeq, May 2022]
MANE transcript
Inheritance
ClinVar variants
Top phenotype
gnomAD constraint
Max pathogenic AF
Genomic locus
External References & Databases
Transcript & Mutation Effects
hg38 • Region Span ~44.4 kbGenCC Phenotypes & Disease Associations
Curated gene-disease validity assertions and inheritance patterns
Inheritance Pattern: SD
Disease ID:MONDO:0007750
Submitter: ClinGen
Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an inborn error of lipid metabolism that leads to deficiency or disrupted internalization of the low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), elevated serum low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, and subsequent increased risk for coronary artery disease and other complications. From 1976-1986 multiple studies implicated a causative role for LDLR in familial hypercholesterolemia, including at the protein level (PMID: 189940) and finally at the genome level (e.g. PMIDs:3924410, 3549308). Monoallelic variation in the LDLR gene is associated with 2-3 fold increased plasma LDL levels with typical onset around the third decade of life, whereas biallelic variation is associated with 6-8 fold increased plasma LDL with onset as early as childhood and coronary artery disease by the second decade of life or earlier (PMID: 24404629/BookshelfID: NBK174884). Xanthomas can also be observed in individuals with biallelic LDLR variants. Familial hypercholesterolemia due to genetic variation in the LDLR gene therefore follows a dosage dependent pattern, consistent with semidominant inheritance, in which the presence of biallelic variants results in an earlier onset, more severe phenotype than individuals with a monoallelic variant. As such, a semidominant mode of inheritance was chosen and this curation includes evidence from individuals reported to have autosomal dominant and recessive inheritance. Thousands of variants in LDLR have been described including nonsense, missense, frameshift, large and small deletions, duplications, and more, per ClinVar and LOVD databases. Evidence supporting this gene-disease relationship includes case-level data, segregation data, functional data, and model organisms. This gene-disease relationship has been studied for more than 40 years, therefore a significant amount of case-level data, segregation data, and experimental data is available and the maximum score for genetic evidence (12 points) and experimental evidence (6 points) has been reached. Note, this curation effort may not be exhaustive of all literature related to this gene-disease relationship. The mechanism of pathogenicity for this gene-disease relationship is loss of function, in which the receptor is not able to effectively bind and/or internalize plasma LDL for degradation, thus resulting in increased levels of LDL in the arteries (PMID:189940). This gene-disease association is also supported by animal models, biochemical studies, protein interaction, in vitro functional assays, and rescue assays (PMIDS:2280177, 8349823, 17080197). In summary, LDLR is definitively associated with familial hypercholesterolemia in a semidominant inheritance pattern. This has been repeatedly demonstrated in both the research and clinical diagnostic settings, and has been upheld over time. This gene-disease relationship was approved on Feb 24, 2021 by the General Gene Curation Expert Panel.
Inheritance Pattern: AD
Disease ID:MONDO:0007750
Submitter: Genomics England PanelApp
Inheritance Pattern: AD
Disease ID:MONDO:0007750
Submitter: Laboratory for Molecular Medicine
This gene-disease relationship has undergone rapid assessment. Classifications are based on preliminary review of gene-disease validity during analysis of genomic sequencing results.
Inheritance Pattern: AD
Disease ID:MONDO:0007750
Submitter: Labcorp Genetics (formerly Invitae)
Inheritance Pattern: SD
Disease ID:MONDO:0007750
Submitter: Natera
Inheritance Pattern: AR
Disease ID:MONDO:0018328
Submitter: Orphanet
Clinical Genomic Database (CGD)
Manifestation: Cardiovascular
Intervention: Cardiovascular
Rationale: Dietary and medical measures (eg, with statins) to lower cholesterol levels may be beneficial, with evidence that early diagnosis and management improves outcomes; In severe instances, therapy may include plasma apharesis, and gene therapy has been described; In Hypercholesterolemia, familial, 1, medical management (with inclisiran, a small interfering RNA), has shown evidence of benefit related to parameters such as LDL levels
ClinVar Associated Diseases & Phenotypes
Reported disease conditions connected to LDLR variants in ClinVar
ClinVar Variants & Pathogenicity by Type
Statistics based on transcript NM_000527.5. Only rare variants are included.
We include only reliable ClinVar variants with their consequences to MANE Select, MANE Plus Clinical transcripts, or transcripts with TSL equal to 1. Click a count to filter the variants table below.
Slight differences between displayed counts and ClinVar may occur due to a different transcript/consequence chosen by our variant effect predictor, or because we classify Benign/Likely benign as Likely benign and Pathogenic/Likely pathogenic as Likely pathogenic.
| Effect | PathogenicP | Likely pathogenicLP | VUS | Likely benignLB | BenignB | Sum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| synonymous | 3 | 10 | 22 | 553 | 12 | 600 |
| missense | 156 | 790 | 903 | 68 | 6 | 1923 |
| nonsense | 189 | 43 | 2 | 234 | ||
| start loss | 3 | 4 | 7 | |||
| frameshift | 589 | 112 | 6 | 1 | 708 | |
| splice donor/acceptor (+/-2bp) | 65 | 115 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 186 |
| Total | 1005 | 1074 | 937 | 623 | 19 | 3658 |
Highest pathogenic variant AF is 0.00009174846
Transcript Catalog
Annotated transcript isoforms across RefSeq and Ensembl databases
| Transcript ID | Source | Protein ID | Coding Exons | MANE Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RefSeq | NP_000518.1 | 18 | MANE Select | |
| Ensembl | ENSP00000454071.1 | 18 | MANE Select | |
| RefSeq | NP_001182727.1 | 18 | Standard | |
| RefSeq | NP_001182728.1 | 17 | Standard |
Model Organisms & Knockout Phenotypes
Observed phenotypic effects in mouse and zebrafish models
| Gene / Model | Organism | Observed Phenotype |
|---|---|---|
| ldlra | Danio rerio | Structure: blood plasma Quality: decreased amount abnormal |
Gene Ontology (GO) Annotations & Pathways
Biological processes, molecular functions, cellular components and pathways
Pathways ConsensusPathDB
- Cortisol synthesis and secretion - Homo sapiens (human)
- Aldosterone synthesis and secretion - Homo sapiens (human)
- Cushing,s syndrome - Homo sapiens (human)
- Endocytosis - Homo sapiens (human)
- Bile secretion - Homo sapiens (human)
Biological Process
- lipid metabolic process
- endocytosis
- receptor-mediated endocytosis
- long-term memory
- cholesterol metabolic process
Molecular Function
- amyloid-beta binding
- virus receptor activity
- protease binding
- low-density lipoprotein particle receptor activity
- calcium ion binding
Cellular Component
- lysosome
- early endosome
- late endosome
- Golgi apparatus
- plasma membrane
gnomAD Constraint
Source:
- Gene type
- protein_coding
- Transcript type
- protein_coding
- Transcript
- ENST00000558518
- Coding exons
- 18
- Length
- 44455
- Individuals with no LoFs
- 125659
- Homozygous LoFs
- 1
- Heterozygous LoFs
- 88
- Defined
- 125748
- p
- 0.000354
| Z-Score | Observed | Expected | Observed/Expected | Mutation Rate | Total Possible | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missense | 0.124 | 505 | 513 | 0.985 | 0.0000351 | 5729 |
| Missense (PolyPhen) | 184 | 194.02 | 0.94834 | 2266 | ||
| Synonymous | -1.12 | 243 | 222 | 1.10 | 0.0000185 | 1598 |
| Loss of Function | 0.848 | 39 | 45.2 | 0.864 | 0.00000228 | 489 |
Population LoF Frequency
| Population | CAF | p-value | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| African | 0.00013 | 0.00012 | rare |
| Latino/Admixed American | 0.00020 | 0.00020 | rare |
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 0 | 0.0 | absent |
| East Asian | 0.00033 | 0.00033 | rare |
| Finnish | 0.00032 | 0.00032 | rare |
| European (Non-Finnish) | 0.00046 | 0.00045 | rare |
| South Asian | 0.00052 | 0.00049 | rare |
| Other | 0.00016 | 0.00016 | rare |
dbNSFP Gene Annotations
Source:
- Function
- FUNCTION: Binds LDL, the major cholesterol-carrying lipoprotein of plasma, and transports it into cells by endocytosis. In order to be internalized, the receptor-ligand complexes must first cluster into clathrin-coated pits. {ECO:0000269|PubMed:3005267, ECO:0000269|PubMed:6091915}.; FUNCTION: (Microbial infection) Acts as a receptor for Vesicular stomatitis virus. {ECO:0000269|PubMed:23589850}.;
- Disease
- DISEASE: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) [MIM:143890]: A common autosomal dominant disorder characterized by elevated serum low- density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, which result in excess deposition of cholesterol in tissues and leads to xanthelasma, xanthomas, accelerated atherosclerosis and increased risk of premature coronary heart disease. The disorder occurs in 2 clinical forms: a mild form that becomes evident in the fourth or fifth decade in individuals carrying heterozygous LDLR mutations; a more severe form that usually manifests in the first two decades of life in individuals with homozygous LDLR mutations. {ECO:0000269|PubMed:10090484, ECO:0000269|PubMed:10206683, ECO:0000269|PubMed:10422803, ECO:0000269|PubMed:10447263, ECO:0000269|PubMed:10532689, ECO:0000269|PubMed:10660340, ECO:0000269|PubMed:10882754, ECO:0000269|PubMed:10978268, ECO:0000269|PubMed:10980548, ECO:0000269|PubMed:11298688, ECO:0000269|PubMed:11462246, ECO:0000269|PubMed:1446662, ECO:0000269|PubMed:1464748, ECO:0000269|PubMed:17142622, ECO:0000269|PubMed:17347910, ECO:0000269|PubMed:1867200, ECO:0000269|PubMed:19318025, ECO:0000269|PubMed:19319977, ECO:0000269|PubMed:22160468, ECO:0000269|PubMed:22509010, ECO:0000269|PubMed:2318961, ECO:0000269|PubMed:24529145, ECO:0000269|PubMed:25378237, ECO:0000269|PubMed:25545329, ECO:0000269|PubMed:2569482, ECO:0000269|PubMed:2726768, ECO:0000269|PubMed:3263645, ECO:0000269|PubMed:3955657, ECO:0000269|PubMed:7550239, ECO:0000269|PubMed:7573037, ECO:0000269|PubMed:7583548, ECO:0000269|PubMed:7635461, ECO:0000269|PubMed:7635482, ECO:0000269|PubMed:7649546, ECO:0000269|PubMed:7649549, ECO:0000269|PubMed:8168830, ECO:0000269|PubMed:8347689, ECO:0000269|PubMed:8462973, ECO:0000269|PubMed:8664907, ECO:0000269|PubMed:8740918, ECO:0000269|PubMed:9026534, ECO:0000269|PubMed:9104431, ECO:0000269|PubMed:9143924, ECO:0000269|PubMed:9254862, ECO:0000269|PubMed:9259195, ECO:0000269|PubMed:9452094, ECO:0000269|PubMed:9452095, ECO:0000269|PubMed:9452118, ECO:0000269|PubMed:9654205, ECO:0000269|PubMed:9678702, ECO:0000269|PubMed:9852677, ECO:0000269|Ref.71}. Note=The disease is caused by mutations affecting the gene represented in this entry.;
Recessive Scores
- pRec
- 0.943
Intolerance Scores
- LoFtool
- 0.0737
- RVIS EVS
- -1.85
- RVIS percentile EVS
- 2.03
Essentials
- Essential (CRISPR)
- N
- Essential (CRISPR2)
- N
- Essential (gene trap)
- E
- Indispensability pred.
- E
- Indispensability score
- 0.965
Gene Damage Prediction
| All | Recessive | Dominant | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mendelian | Medium | Medium | Medium |
| Primary Immunodeficiency | Medium | Medium | Medium |
| Cancer | Medium | Medium | Medium |