Analysis of exon rearrangements in the parkin gene in patients with autosomal recessive early-onset parkinsonism using SYBR Green I Real-time PCR

Abstract

Objective To develop a method of detection exon rearrangements in the parkin gene (PARK2) using SYBR Green Ⅰ real-time PCR and to analyze PARK2 exon rearrangement mutations in families with autosomal recessive early-onset parkinsonism (AREP) using this method. Methods Exon rearrangement in PARK2 was screened by SYBR Green Ⅰ real-time PCR in 32 families with AREP. Results Exon rearrangement mutations were found in 14 families, including 3 compound heterozygous deletions;3 homozygous deletions;and 8 heterozygous deletions. No duplication mutation was found. Hotspot for exon rearrangements clustered in exons 2 through 4. Conclusions We have developed a gene test method using SYBR Green Ⅰ Real-time PCR to detect exon rearrangements in the gene PARK2. The frequency of PARK2 mutation is 43.8% in Chinese families with AREP. This frequency is similar to reported findings in other countries. Key words: Parkinsonian disorders; Ubiquitin-protein ligases; Mutation; Organic chemicals; Fluorescent dyes; Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction