title: [Molecular genetics and its clinical application in the diagnosis of spinocerebellar ataxias].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the strategy of applying molecular genetic methods and techniques in the diagnosis of spinocerebellar ataxias (SCA).
  
  
  METHODS
  This study included 43 patients with SCA from 36 families, 38 sporadic SCA patients, 60 healthy individuals from the SCA families and 44 normal controls. The trinucleotide repeats were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and silver staining technique. The repeat numbers were calculated by software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  SCA3 was the most common type in the Hans of south China, accounting for 42.0%, followed by SCA2 (7.4%), SCA1 (4.9%), SCA7 (3.7%), SCA6 (2.5%) and SCA12 (1.2%). No patient was found to have SCA8, SCA10, SCA17, and dentatorubro-pallidoluysian atrophy(DRPLA).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Molecular genetic detection is an effective way to confirmation of SCA subtype diagnosis and presymptomatic genetic diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510080 PR China. xqy7180@163.com
authors.forename: Qiu-you
authors.initials: QY
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Xiu-ling
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Xun-hua
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010375:Pedigree; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020754:Spinocerebellar Ataxias / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics*; D018911:Trinucleotide Repeats / Q000235:genetics*