title: Quantitative multiplex real-time PCR for detection of PLP1 gene duplications in Pelizaeus-Merzbacher patients.
abstract: Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease (PMD) is an X-linked recessive disorder of central nervous system (CNS) myelination typically affecting males. A genomic duplication of variable size at Xq22.2, containing the entire proteolipid protein 1 gene (PLP1), is responsible for approximately 60-70% of PMD cases. The aim of this study was to develop a rapid and robust method for determination of PLP1 gene dosage. We optimized two multiplex real-time quantitative PCR (Q-PCR) assays targeting exons 3 and 6 of the PLP1 gene, and then validated these assays by retrospective analysis of a set of genomic DNAs from 67 previously tested patients and 43 normal controls. Samples were analyzed in multiplex PCR reactions using TaqMan chemistry and the ABI Prism 7000 Sequence Detection System. PLP1 dosage was determined by the relative quantitative comparative threshold cycle method (DeltaDeltaCt) using the human serum albumin gene as the endogenous reference gene. Three clearly non-overlapping ranges of results, corresponding to the presence of one, two, or three PLP1 copies, were detected in both assays. The results were completely concordant with gender and previous PLP1 gene dosage testing based on quantitative fluorescent multiplex PCR and analysis of a dinucleotide polymorphism in the first intron of the PLP1 gene. We conclude that multiplex real-time Q-PCR represents a fast and reliable tool for PLP1 duplication testing in PMD families.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Neurology, DNA Laboratory, 2nd School of Medicine, Charles University Prague, Prague, Czech Republic. emilie.mikesova@seznam.cz
authors.forename: Emilie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mikesová
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Baránková
authors.forename: Iva
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sakmaryová
authors.forename: Iva
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tatarková
authors.forename: Pavel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Seeman
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D020440:Gene Duplication; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D018991:Myelin Proteolipid Protein / Q000235:genetics*; D020371:Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D008565:Membrane Proteins; D018991:Myelin Proteolipid Protein; C472930:PLP1 protein, human