Polymerase chain reaction-mediated site-directed mutagenesis detection of Z and S alpha-1-antitrypsin alleles in family members

A Single multiplexed allele-specific polymerase chain reaction for simultaneous detection of alpha1-antitrypsin S and Z mutations

Alpha1-antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency is an inherited disorder that can cause lung disease in adults and liver disease in adults and children. The S and Z mutations are the two most common mutations found in the AAT-deficient patients. We have developed a simple multiplexed allele-specific-PCR to detect both the S and Z mutations and the corresponding wild-type alleles. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product could be resolved on an agarose gel or using any fluorescent gel detection system. We obtained accurate genotyping results for the four alleles; the S, Z, and their corresponding wild-type alleles for all investigated samples simultaneously. The approach described in this paper is rapid, cost effective, and reliable and can also be adaptable into any laboratory setting because of its simplicity.

A novel method for rapid genotypic identification of alpha 1-antitrypsin variants

There is worldwide growing awareness of alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), a major hereditary disorder in Caucasians. The gold standard for laboratory diagnosis of AATD is thin-layer isoelectrofocusing (IEF), which is labor intensive and should be performed in reference laboratories. The aim of this study was to find an easy, fast, and cheap method for detecting alpha1-antitrypsin S and Z variants, the most frequent variants associated with AATD. The novel method herein described is based on SexAI/Hpy99I RFLP. We studied samples from 90 subjects enrolled in the Italian National Registry for AATD, previously typed by isoelectrofocusing. We found a complete agreement among our results, IEF, and genotypes obtained by standard methods. We concluded that this novel method combines efficiency, ease, swiftness, and low cost.

Polymerase chain reaction detection of S and Z alpha-1-antitrypsin variants by duplex PCR assay

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was used to detect the two most common alpha-1-antitrypsin (A1AT) deficiency variants, S and Z. By co-amplification using primers for both the S and Z mutations, we were able to detect heterozygous and homozygous genotypes for both mutations and normal type M in a single duplex reaction. We validated our assay by comparison with phenotype studies obtained by the standard isoelectrofocusing technique.