BACKGROUND The genetic characterization of chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells correlates with the behavior, progression and response to treatment of the disease. DESIGN AND METHODS Our aim was to investigate the role of ATM gene alterations, their biological consequences and their value in predicting disease progression. The ATM gene was analyzed by denaturing high performance liquid chromato...

Background: Targeted next generation sequencing (NGS) panels are increasingly being used in clinical genomics to increase capacity, throughput and affordability of gene testing. Identifying whole exon deletions or duplications (termed exon copy number variants, 'exon CNVs') in exon-targeted NGS panels has proved challenging, particularly for single exon CNVs.  Methods: We developed a tool for t...

Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer is caused by inactivating mutations in the genes of the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) system. Studies have shown that large-fragment aberrations in MMR genes are responsible for a considerable proportion of hereditary colorectal cancer (CRC), but it has been rarely reported in Chinese patients. Here we used multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification t...

CONTEXT Pseudohypoparathyroidism type Ib (PHP-Ib) is a rare disorder resulting from genetic and epigenetic aberrations in the GNAS complex. PHP-Ib, usually defined by renal resistance to parathyroid hormone, is due to a maternal loss of GNAS exon A/B methylation and leads to decreased expression of the stimulatory G protein α (Gsα) in specific tissues. OBJECTIVE To clarify the usefulness of m...

Although currently available strategies for the preparation of exome-enriched libraries are well established, a final validation of the libraries in terms of exome enrichment efficiency prior to the sequencing step is of considerable importance. Here, we present a strategy for the evaluation of exome enrichment, i.e., the Multipoint Test for Targeted-enrichment Efficiency (MTTE), PCR-based appr...

We applied a novel method to detect single or multiple exon deletions and amplifications in the BRCA1 gene. The test, called multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA), uses probes designed to hybridize adjacently to the target sequence. After ligation, the joined probes are amplified and quantified. Our two diagnostic laboratories have tested in the recent years 805 families by co...

Purpose Aniridia is a congenital disorder caused by variants in the PAX6 gene. In this study, we assessed the involvement of PAX6 in patients with aniridia from Australasia and Southeast Asia. Methods Twenty-nine individuals with aniridia from 18 families originating from Australia, New Caledonia, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan were included. The PAX6 gene was investigated for sequence varia...

PURPOSE To identify the gene mutations causing X-linked infantile nystagmus in two Chinese families (NYS003 and NYS008), of which the NYS003 family was assigned to the FERM domain-containing 7 (FRMD7) gene linked region in our previous study, and no mutations were found by direct sequencing. METHODS Two microsatellites, DXS1047 and DXS1001, were amplified using a PCR reaction for the linkage ...

BACKGROUND Cell-free fetal DNA (cff DNA) and RNA can be detected in maternal plasma and used for non-invasive prenatal diagnostics. Recent technical advances have led to a drastic change in the clinical applicability and potential uses of free fetal DNA and RNA. This review summarizes the latest clinical developments in non-invasive prenatal diagnosis in the context of the latest technical deve...

BACKGROUND Streptococcus pneumoniae has more than 95 distinct serotypes described to date. However, only certain serotypes are more likely to cause pneumococcal diseases. Thus serotype surveillance is important for vaccine formula design as well as in post-vaccine serotype shift monitor. The goal of this study was to develop a practical screening assay for ten Shenzhen China common pneumococcal...