Methylation status of FHIT gene in plasma and expression of FHIT gene in cancer tissue of cervical cancer patients / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the methylation status of 5' CpG island of fragile histidine triad (FHIT) gene in plasma and the expression of FHIT protein in cancer tissue of cervical cancer patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Methylation-specific PCR (MS-PCR) was employed to examine methylation of FHIT gene in 151 plasma samples before treatment. The immunohistochemistry was used to the expression of FHIT protein in cancer tissues.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>CpG island methylation of FHIT was detected in 31.13% of plasma samples. The expression of FHIT protein was decreased or discarded in 59.60% of cervical cancer tissues. Among them 47.78% was included in methylation positive samples.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>CpG island methylation of FHIT gene in plasma plays an important role on cervical cancer, which results in decreased expression of FHIT protein. It can be used to diagnose and evaluate the effect of treatment to cervical cancers.</p>

Detection of fetal SRY gene in maternal plasma by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To isolate fetal DNA from maternal plasma and examine its fetal origin.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fetal DNA in maternal plasma was isolated from 150 samples in the first trimester and mid-trimester of pregnancy, respectively. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction PCR (FQ-PCR) was used to determine sex-determining region Y (SRY) gene on Y chromosome.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Eighty-two women in the first trimester and 90 women in the mid-trimester carried male fetuses,70 and 90 samples of them were positive, respectively. The mean concentrations were (58.82+/-20.90) copies/ml and (152.08+/-62.61) copies/ml. The results of FQ-PCR were negative in the women who carried female fetuses.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The results show that fetal SRY gene can be found at a time as early as 42 days of gestation in maternal plasma by the use of FQ-PCR. The number of fetal DNA increases with gestational age. The real-time FQ-PCR is of great value in the non-invasive prenatal diagnosis.</p>