Is the frameshift codons 8/9 (+G) [FSC 8/9 (+G)] beta-thalassemia mutation, detected by the polymerase chain reaction-amplification refractory mutation system, really FSC 8/9 (+G)?
There are several polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based approaches for the analysis of known mutations. The PCR-amplification refractory mutation system (PCR-ARMS) is one of the best known and frequently used for the detection of beta-thalassemia (beta-thal) mutations. However, there is an important point to be considered when searching for the frameshift codon (FSC) 8 (-AA) and FSC 8/9 (+G) mutations. Whereas the primer is specific for the FSC 8 mutation only, the primer for the FSC 8/9 mutation does not discriminate between the FSC 8/9 and FSC 8 mutations. Thus, the high number of FSC8/9 mutations reported in countries like India, Pakistan and some regions of Iran may be due to the use of the FSC 8/9 primer, without taking the FSC 8 mutation into account. It is thus advisable to test for FSC 8 before the FSC 8/9 mutation whenever PCR-ARMS is the method of investigation for these two mutations.
Haghi
Mehdi
M
Department of Biology-Genetics, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran. mehdihaghi@yahoo.com
Feizi
Abbas Ali Hosseinpour
AA
Feizi
Mohammad Ali Hosseinpour
MA
Pouladi
Nasser
N
Basak
A Nazli
AN
D003062:Codon / Q000235:genetics*; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D016368:Frameshift Mutation; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D017086:beta-Thalassemia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*
D003062:Codon; D017931:DNA Primers