title: A novel study of copy number variations in Hirschsprung disease using the multiple ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) technique.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) is a congenital malformation of the hindgut produced by a disruption in neural crest cell migration during embryonic development. HSCR has a complex genetic etiology and mutations in several genes, mainly the RET proto-oncogene, have been related to the disease. There is a clear predominance of missense/nonsense mutations in these genes whereas copy number variations (CNVs) have been seldom described, probably due to the limitations of conventional techniques usually employed for mutational analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study we have aimed to analyze the presence of CNVs in some HSCR genes (RET, EDN3, GDNF and ZFHX1B) using the Multiple Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification (MLPA) approach.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two alterations in the MLPA profiles of RET and EDN3 were detected, but a detailed inspection showed that the decrease in the corresponding dosages were due to point mutations affecting the hybridization probes regions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate that CNVs of the gene coding regions analyzed here are not a common molecular cause of Hirschsprung disease. However, further studies are required to determine the presence of CNVs affecting non-coding regulatory regions, as well as other candidate genes.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Genética, Reproducción y Medicina Fetal, Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, (Manuel Siurot s/n), Seville, (41013), Spain. rocio.nunez.exts@juntadeandalucia.es
authors.forename: Rocío
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Núñez-Torres
authors.forename: Raquel M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Fernández
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: López-Alonso
authors.forename: Guillermo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Antiñolo
authors.forename: Salud
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Borrego
mesh_terms: D056915:DNA Copy Number Variations / Q000235:genetics*; D019334:Endothelin-3 / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006627:Hirschsprung Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009154:Mutation; D021141:Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D051096:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret / Q000235:genetics; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D013030:Spain
chemical_list: D019334:Endothelin-3; C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D051096:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret; C099282:RET protein, human