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M C Wapenaar

Publications and source records attributed to M C Wapenaar.

28 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

High resolution deletion breakpoint mapping in the DMD gene by whole cosmid hybridization.

The locus DXS269 (P20) defines a deletion hotspot in the distal part of the Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy gene. We have cloned over 90 kilobase-pairs of genomic DNA from this region in overlapping cosmids. The use of whole cosmids as probes in a competitive DNA hybridization analysis proves a fast and convenient method for identifying rearrangements in this region. A rapid survey of P20-deletion patients is carried out to elucidate the nature of the propensity to deletions in this region. Using this technique, deletion breakpoints are pinpointed to individual restriction fragments in patient DNAs without the need for tedious isolation of single copy sequences. Simultaneously, the deletion data yield a consistent restriction map of the region and permit detection of several RFLPs. A 176 bp exon was identified within the cloned DNA, located 3' of an intron exceeding 150 Kb in length. Its deletion causes a frameshift in the dystrophin reading frame and produces the DMD phenotype. This exon is one of the most frequently deleted exons in BMD/DMD patients and its sequence is applied in a pilot study for diagnostic deletion screening using Polymerase Chain Reaction amplification.

Base Sequence↗

Molecular-genetic study of Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies: deletion analyses of 45 Japanese patients and segregation analyses in their families with RFLPs based on the data from normal Japanese females.

This study consisted of 1) molecular deletion analyses in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) using the entire cDNA for the DMD gene as hybridization probes, 2) RFLP analyses in a large number of Japanese normal women using 11 DMD-linked cloned DNAs as probes, and 3) segregation analyses with these RFLP data in 17 DMD families in which prenatal or carrier diagnosis was required. The deletion study showed that 18 (43%) of 42 male DMD patients had a deletion within the DMD gene, while no detectable deletion was found in 3 BMD patients. These deletions were preferentially observed at the 5' end of the DMD gene, while no deletion was found in the 3' portion of the gene. Of a total of 15 RFLPs detected with the 11 probes, one was a new RFLP (probe/enzyme: P20/MspI). In 6 RFLPs, the allele frequencies in the Japanese were statistically different from those in the Caucasian. Based on the RFLP data combined with the result of the deletion study, an estimated diagnostic rate for prenatal diagnosis and/or carrier detection in the Japanese DMD families was 63%. The real diagnostic rate obtained from the prenatal and carrier diagnoses, which were practically performed in 17 families, corresponded to the estimation. A protocol useful for the diagnosis in Japanese DMD families is presented.

Chromosome Deletion↗

Deletion screening in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

DNA of 35 patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) from 27 unrelated families from the northern part of GDR, Czechoslovakia and Hungary were analysed by means of 9 genomic probes and cDNA probes Cf 23a and Cf 56a, which detect exons of the central part of the DMD gene. Of the unrelated DMD patients, 63% have deletions for one or more intragenic and/or cDNA probes and 33% have deletions for genomic probes, mostly for pERT 87 (15%) and P 20 (15%). 48% of the DMD patients have deletions for one or more exon regions detected by Cf 56a and Cf 23a. The deletions were mapped. The genomic probe P 20 and the distal part of the cDNA probe Cf 23a detected the same part in the centre of the DMD gene. The deletions are heterogeneous in size and extent. In patients of the same family, identical deletions were detected in the DMD gene. The detection of deletions is useful for prenatal diagnosis and carrier detection.

Chromosome Deletion↗

Molecular deletions in the Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophy gene.

To gain further information relating to the frequency, position and size of DNA deletions in the Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophy (D/BMD) gene region, and to detect any correlation of these deletions with phenotype, a large clinic-based population of DMD and BMD patients has been investigated using 13 cloned intragenic sequences. Our of 263 separate patients studied, 75 showed a deletion of at least one locus (28.5%). These represented 25.6% (55/215) of DMD patients and 41.7% (20/48) of BMD patients, suggesting that the milder phenotype is more often likely to be due to a deletion. The deletions range from 6 kilobases (kb) to greater than 1000 kb in size. The distribution of deletions across the gene region shows at least one region (detected by P20) prone to deletion mutations in both DMD and BMD patients. There is no simple correlation of position or extent of deletions with DMD or BMD, although deletion of a specific region towards the 5' end of the gene may be more often associated with a milder phenotype. Apparently similar deletions can give rise to phenotypes differing significantly in severity, presumably indicating further complexities in the molecular or cellular pathology.

Chromosome Deletion↗

Topography of the Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) gene: FIGE and cDNA analysis of 194 cases reveals 115 deletions and 13 duplications.

We have studied 34 Becker and 160 Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients with the dystrophin cDNA, using conventional blots and FIGE analysis. One hundred twenty-eight mutations (65%) were found, 115 deletions and 13 duplications, of which 106 deletions and 11 duplications could be precisely mapped in relation to both the mRNA and the major and minor mutation hot spots. Junction fragments, ideal markers for carrier detection, were found in 23 (17%) of the 128 cases. We identified eight new cDNA RFLPs within the DMD gene. With the use of cDNA probes we have completed the long-range map of the DMD gene, by the identification of a 680-kb SfiI fragment containing the gene's 3' end. The size of the DMD gene is now determined to be about 2.3 million basepairs. The combination of cDNA hybridizations with long-range analysis of deletion and duplication patients yields a global picture of the exon spacing within the dystrophin gene. The gene shows a large variability of intron size, ranging from only a few kilobases to 160-180 kb for the P20 intron.

Chromosome Deletion↗

A deletion hot spot in the Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene.

We have made a detailed study of a deletion hot spot in the distal half of the Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) gene, using intragenic probe P20 (DXS269), isolated by a hybrid cell-mediated cloning procedure. P20 detects 16% deletions in patients suffering from either DMD or Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD), in sharp contrast to the adjacent intragenic markers JBir (7%) and J66 (less than 1%), mapping respectively 200-320 kb proximal and 380-500 kb distal to P20. Of the P20 deletions, 30% start within a region of 25-40 kb, the majority extending distally. P20 was confirmed to map internal to a distal intron of the DMD gene. This region was recently shown by both cDNA analysis (M. Koenig et al., 1987; Cell 50: 509-517), and field inversion electrophoresis studies (J.T. Den Dunnen et al., 1987, Nature (London) 329: 640-642) to be specifically prone to deletions. In addition, P20 detects MspI and EcoRV RFLPs, informative in 48% of the carrier females. Together, these properties make P20 useful for carrier detection, prenatal diagnosis, and the study of deletion induction in both DMD and BMD.

Cell Line↗

Duchenne muscular dystrophy: high frequency of deletions.

DNA probes are available for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) carrier detection and prenatal diagnosis. With probes for about 25% of the proximal portion of the gene, we found the proximal probes detected deletions in 23% of nonselected DMD boys, while a single distal probe detected 17% more as deletions. The combined percentage was 39% for all probes tested. Prenatal diagnosis and carrier detection are more accurate if deletions are mapped rather than by use of restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. The effort involved in screening all affected boys for deletions is considerably less, and provides an accurate genetic marker for subsequent prenatal diagnosis in the family and prospective counseling for female relatives. It seems likely that, once the entire gene (cDNA) is available for screening, most DMD boys will show deletions.

Child↗

The X chromosome shows less genetic variation at restriction sites than the autosomes.

Using a standard technique, 122 single-copy probes were screened for their ability to detect restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) in the human genome. The use of a standardized RFLP screening enables the introduction of statistical methods in the analysis of differences in RFLP content between chromosomes and enzymes. RFLPs were detected from panels containing at least 17 unrelated chromosomes, digested with TaqI, MspI, BglII, HindIII, EcoRI, and PstI. Forty autosomal probes, representing a sample of 2,710 base pairs (bp) per haploid genome, were tested, and 24 RFLPs were found. With 82 X-chromosomal probes, 17 RFLPs were found in 6,228 bp per haploid genome. The frequency of X-chromosomal RFLPs is three times less than that of the autosomes; this difference is highly significant (P = less than .001). The frequency of RFLPs revealed by various restriction enzymes and the possibility that the X chromosome is a "low mutation" niche in the human genome are discussed.

Chromosome Mapping↗

Isolation of probes detecting restriction fragment length polymorphisms from X chromosome-specific libraries: potential use for diagnosis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

We have isolated 23 human X chromosome-specific DNA fragments from lambda libraries, prepared from flow-sorted X chromosomes. To increase diagnostic potential for X-linked genetic disorders, including Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), the fragments were tested for restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) with six restriction enzymes. All fragments were regionally mapped to segments of the X chromosome with a panel of somatic cell hybrids and with human cell lines carrying unbalanced chromosomal abnormalities. Two of the isolated probes detected a high frequency RFLP. One, 754, maps between Xp11.3 and Xp21 and detects a PstI polymorphism with an allele frequency of 0.38. The other, 782, maps between Xp22.2 and Xp22.3 and reveals an EcoRI polymorphism with an allele frequency of 0.40. According to a pilot linkage study of families at risk for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, 754 gives a maximum Lod score of 7.6 at a recombination fraction of 0.03. Probe 782 lies telomeric to DMD with a maximum Lod score of 2.2 at a recombination fraction of 0.17. Using our X-chromosomal probes and a set of autosomal probes, isolated and examined in an identical way, we found a significantly lower RFLP frequency for the X chromosome as compared to the autosomes.

Animals↗