Differential DNA methylation as a tool for noninvasive prenatal diagnosis (NIPD) of X chromosome aneuploidies

J Mol Diagn. 2010 Nov;12(6):797-807. doi: 10.2353/jmoldx.2010.090199. Epub 2010 Sep 16.

Abstract

The demographic tendency in industrial countries to delay childbearing, coupled with the maternal age effect in common chromosomal aneuploidies and the risk to the fetus of invasive prenatal diagnosis, are potent drivers for the development of strategies for noninvasive prenatal diagnosis. One breakthrough has been the discovery of differentially methylated cell-free fetal DNA in the maternal circulation. We describe novel bisulfite conversion- and methylation-sensitive enzyme digestion DNA methylation-related approaches that we used to diagnose Turner syndrome from first trimester samples. We used an X-linked marker, EF3, and an autosomal marker, RASSF1A, to discriminate between placental and maternal blood cell DNA using real-time methylation-specific PCR after bisulfite conversion and real-time PCR after methylation-sensitive restriction digestion. By normalizing EF3 amplifications versus RASSF1A outputs, we were able to calculate sex chromosome/autosome ratios in chorionic villus samples, thus permitting us to correctly diagnose Turner syndrome. The identification of this new marker coupled with the strategy outlined here may be instrumental in the development of an efficient, noninvasive method of diagnosis of sex chromosome aneuploidies in plasma samples.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aneuploidy*
  • Biomarkers / blood
  • Chromosomes, Human, X / genetics*
  • DNA / analysis
  • DNA Methylation*
  • Female
  • Fetus / metabolism
  • Fetus / physiology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Placenta / physiology
  • Pregnancy / blood
  • Prenatal Diagnosis / methods*
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins / blood
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins / genetics
  • Turner Syndrome / blood
  • Turner Syndrome / genetics

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • RASSF1 protein, human
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins
  • DNA