title: Evaluation of whole genome amplification methods using postmortem brain samples.
abstract: The importance of examining genomic DNA derived from human brain has been highlighted by recent findings such as the possible link between DNA methylation and behavior or mental disorders, as well as the possible genomic differences between neurons from the same individual caused by transposons and aneuploidy. Consequently, obtaining a sufficient amount of genomic DNA derived from human brain is a critical issue for further research. Whole genome amplification (WGA) methods, by which genomic DNA is typically amplified on the order of 10(4)-10(6), will be a valuable tool for providing a sufficient amount of DNA for various molecular genetic studies. Here we evaluated three methods, including both PCR-based and non-PCR based WGA, as well as DNA extraction methods using frozen postmortem brain tissue. We found that WGA products from postmortem brains can be used in molecular genetic analysis, if a particular protocol for DNA extraction is used, and the most appropriate method for WGA depends on the state of the genomic DNA to be amplified.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Molecular Dynamics of Mental Disorders, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iwamoto
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.forename: Miki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bundo
authors.forename: Wataru
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ukai
authors.forename: Eri
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.forename: Toshikazu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Tadafumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kato
mesh_terms: D001344:Autopsy; D001921:Brain; D004247:DNA / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015894:Genome, Human; D006801:Humans; D021141:Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D004247:DNA