title: Investigation of H19/RsaI Polymorphism in Children With Low Birth Weight in Pernambuco, Brazil.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  H19 is a strong candidate gene for influencing birth weight variation and is exclusively imprinted maternally. In an attempt to understand the relationship of this gene polymorphism with low birth weight children, we investigated association of H19/RsaI polymorphism with low birth weight and normal birth weight in children and their mothers.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of our study was to establish the association between H19 gene polymorphism and LW in children born in Pernambuco, state of Brazil.
  
  
  METHODS
  It were selected 89 children, 40 low birth weight (LW) and 49 normal birth weight (NW) and 71 mothers (40 mothers of newborns NW and 31 mothers of newborns LW) attended at Dom Malan Hospital, Petrolina, Pernambuco - Brazil. Peripheral blood samples were collected from patients and genomic DNA was extracted and detected by electrophoresis agarose gel, stained by Blue Green Loading Dye. DNA PCR amplification was done using the primers H1 (sense) and H3 (antisense). PCR products were digested with RsaI and electrophoresed on agarose gel stained by ethidium bromide. Statistical analyses were performed using the program BioEstat version 5.0.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The RsaI polymorphism in the H19 gene showed that genotype frequencies did not differ statistically between low birth weight (AA = 12.5%, AB = 45%, BB = 42.5%) and control (AA = 8.6% AB = 36.73%, BB= 55.10% groups) and the allele frequencies were not significantly different (P = 0.2897). We also did not observe any association between maternal H19 allele polymorphism and low birth weight newborns (P =0.7799) or normal birth weight children (P = 0.8976).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The small size of sample may be the explanation for these results; future studies with more patients are needed to confirm the effect of H19/RsaI polymorphism on birth weight of LW newborns.
authors.affiliation: Federal University of Vale do Sao Francisco, Petrolina, Brazil ; Dom Malan Hospital, Petrolina- Pernambuco, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maia
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Recife-Pernambuco, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paulo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.affiliation: Federal Institute of Pernambuco, Campus Garanhuns, Garanhuns- Pernambuco, Brazil ; Post-Graduated Program in Genetics, Federal University of Pernambuco Recife- Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil.
authors.forename: Hildson Dornelas
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Angelo
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Recife-Pernambuco, Brazil.
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Keizo Asami Immunopathology Laboratory, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife-Pernambuco, Brazil.
authors.forename: Danyelly
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.affiliation: Keizo Asami Immunopathology Laboratory, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife-Pernambuco, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jose
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lima Filho
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Recife-Pernambuco, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Mascena
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Maia
keywords: Alleles; Birth Weight; Genotype; Infant Low Birth Weight; Polymorphism Genetic