A versatile method for gene dosage quantification: multiplex PCR and single base extension for copy number and gene-conversion identification of SMN genes

S. Radovic, G.Dubsky De Wittenau, N. Mandl, E. Betto, F. Curcio, M. Morgante, I.R. Lonigro

Article ID: 5032
Vol 32, Issue 1, 2018
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54517/jbrha5032
Received: 11 March 2018; Accepted: 11 March 2018; Available online: 11 March 2018; Issue release: 11 March 2018

Abstract

A comparison of the individual genomes within a species demonstrates that structural variation, including copy number variation (CNV), is a major contributor to phenotypic diversity and evolutionary adaptation. CNVs lead to the under/over-expression of a gene, according to the changes in the gene dosage, which account for the development of a number of genomic disorders. Thus, the development of efficient, rapid and accurate CNV screening is of fundamental importance. We report a method that enables the simultaneous determination of the copy numbers of several different targets as well as the discrimination among highly similar/almost identical targets that differ by only one single nucleotide variant, which establishes their copy numbers. The PCR co-amplification and single-base extension technologies are used to identify the copy number of a target sequence relative to a reference sequence of known genomic copy number in a given sample. This efficient and accurate quantification platform was successfully used to quantify the copy numbers of the primary spinal muscular atrophy-determining gene, SMN1, and the disease modifier gene, SMN2. The reliability, low-cost and potential for high-throughput make our method suitable for screening large populations as well as for use as a tool in clinical settings for genetic diagnosis/prognosis


Keywords

hereditary diseases;copy number variation, gene dosage;SNPs identification;multiplex-PCR;single base extension


References

Supporting Agencies



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