Prenatal diagnostic testing for infantile and late-infantile neuronal ceroid lipofusinoses (NCL) using allele specific primer extension (ASPE) / 北京大学学报(医学版)

ABSTRACT

SUMMARY Infantile (INCL, NCL1) and late-infantile (LINCL, NCL2) neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses have been found to result from genetic deficiency of genes CLN1 and CLN2, respectively. The application of molecular analyses can facilitate prenatal diagnosis for families affected by NCL1 or NCL2, in which the familial mutation(s) have been identified. Molecular testing with allele-specific primer extension and DNA sequencing was performed in nine pregnancies, four from two NCL1 families and five from five NCL2 families. Lysosomal enzyme activity assays were carried out as well.Four fetuses from three pregnancies in NCL1 families were found to be carriers for a mutation 451C-T in the CLN1 gene and one was normal. Prenatal testing of three NCL2 families who carried mutation R208X in the CLN2 gene showed that all fetuses were carriers. In NCL2 families who carried either mutation IVS5-1C or/and IVS5-1A two normal pregnancies were detected. Our studies indicate that DNA testing, which may provide definitive prenatal diagnosis for NCL, may be used in combination with lysosomal enzyme activity analyses.