Objective: To employ single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) microarray to detect copy number variations (CNVs) for the diagnosis of disease and molecular classification.
Methods: For a patient with split-hand/split-foot malformation, genome-wide copy number variants SNP microarray was applied. Tiny copy number variations were verified by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR.
Results: The results of SNP microarray has revealed that the patient has carried a 0.39 Mb duplication in 10q24.31-24.32 (102 955 122-103 348 688), which has encompassed genes including LBX1, BTRC and POLL. By real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR, duplicate area encompassing the pathogenic genes have been verified. The results for LBX1, BTRC, POLL genes were all consistent with the SNP microarray test. Moreover, a duplication was detected in exon 9 of FBXW4 gene which is in nearby.
Conclusion: SNP chips can efficiently identify tiny CNVs (< 1.0 Mb). In combination with real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, this may provide valuable information for prenatal diagnosis.