Prenatal diagnosis in myotonic dystrophy type 1. Thirteen years of experience: implications for reproductive counselling in DM1 families.
OBJECTIVE
To analyse the results obtained from prenatal diagnoses in myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) performed in our hospitals during the last 13 years.


METHODS
Molecular analyses were conducted on chorionic villi or cultured amniotic fluid samples obtained for prenatal diagnosis of DM1. CTG expansion was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Southern blot techniques.


RESULTS
From 154 prenatal diagnoses performed in 13 years, 51% were found to be healthy and 49% affected. Considering the 75 carriers of the mutation, in 65.3% of the cases, the mother was the transmitting parent versus 36.5% of fathers. From these female transmissions, 31/49 foetuses had expansion in the neonatal form range, namely, congenital myotonic dystrophy (CMD).


CONCLUSIONS
In our series, no significant deviation of the 50% expected frequency of transmission in autosomal dominant disorder was seen. We show that when the disease is transmitted by a male, the mean intergenerational variation is minimal (mean = 56 CTG, SD = 177 CTG). However, this does not occur in the affected mothers, where the mean intergenerational expansion is very high (mean = 948 CTG, SD = 815 CTG) and the difference is statistically significant (t-Student p < 0.0001). Our data have important implications for the genetic counselling of DM1 families.
Martorell
Loreto
L
Molecular Genetics Section, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain. lmartorell@hsjdbcn.org
Cobo
Ana Maria
AM
Baiget
Montserrat
M
Naudó
Montserrat
M
Poza
Juan José
JJ
Parra
Juan
J
D000483:Alleles; D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000737:chemistry; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D005260:Female; D005817:Genetic Counseling; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009223:Myotonic Dystrophy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics; D065636:Myotonin-Protein Kinase; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics*
C585517:DMPK protein, human; D065636:Myotonin-Protein Kinase; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases