Preliminary results of fetal DNA determination in maternal serum by nested PCR

ABSTRACT

Background: Prenatal diagnosis has become a standard part of obstetrics care. Genetic diagnoses are established prenatally through the sampling of fetal genetic material. So that the presence of fetal DNA in maternal plasma has led to exciting possibilities of non-invasive prenatal diagnosis. Objectives:In order to provide a reliable non-invasive method for diagnostic of the sex linked disorders. Subjects and method: Fetal gender was determined in 10 pregnant women in which 6 male fetus and 4 female fetus. They are between 34 and 36 weeks of gestation using DNA extracted from 1.6ml of each maternal serum. Maternal serum was put into vacutainer SST before delivery while two pregnant women were implemented by caesarean section at Hanoi Hospital for Obstetricts and Gynecology. Results:The 198bp SRY gene-specific sequence on Y chromosome, 261 bp ATL1 gene specific sequence on X chromosome were amplified in nested PCR. The results were confirmed by examination of newborn child after delivery.The mean level of using DNA extracted from maternal serum was 8.73 \xb1 2.36 ng/\xb5l. The mean level extracted fromperipheral blood was 66.2 \xb1 7.07 ng/\xb5l. Conclusion: The 198 bpSRY specific sequence we detected in 6 serum sample from pregnant women with male fetus. In the remaining cases bearing female foetuses only the 261 bp ATL1 gene sequence was detected. The result was completely concordant with the examination of the newborn child after delivery.