Clinical Significance of Gene Mutation Detection for Female Heterozygotes with Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency

Abstract

To explore the clinical significance of G6PD gene mutation detection in female heterozygote with G6PD deficiency. G6PD activity and fourteen common G6PD gene mutations in female blood samples were detected by biochemical phenotype detection and PCR-reverse dot blotting, respectively. Unidentified genotype of G6PD positive samples was further ascertained by direct DNA sequencing. The results from two methods were compared and analyzed. A total of 493 unrelated females were enrolled, and the G6PD activity and G6PD mutations was detected. Among them, 473 females were found to be normal in G6PD activity and 20 females with G6PD deficiency, and the detection rate by G6PD activity method was 4.06%. In all enrolled females, G6PD gene mutations, including the mutation of c.1311 C＞T, were identified in 130 females, and the detection rate was 26.3%. Detection rate of the mutations that can lead to G6PD deficiency was 8.11%. The detection rates between the two methods were significantly different (P＜0.01). The misdiagnosis rate of the G6PD activity detection reached 49. 94% for the female heterozygotes. Eight G6PD mutations and 13 mutation patterns were identified in the research, and most of mutation patterns were single nucleotide missense mutation. In addition to c.1311C＞T mutation, the most common mutations were c.1376G＞T, c.1388G＞A and c.95 A＞G. G6PD mutations were identified in 19 of 20 females with G6PD deficiency, and were also detected in 21 of 473 females with normal G6PD activity, of which the rate of heterozygous mutation was 90.88%. The phenotype detection based on G6PD enzyme activity alone is not sufficient for the diagnosis of female heterozygotes. The detection of G6PD mutations that covers the common mutations in specified region can effectively identify the female heterozygotes with normal G6PD activity.