Methylization analysis of the FMR1 gene in carrier females
- Kingston General Hospital (Canada); and others
The fragile X syndrome mutation is associated with an expansion of a CGG repeat sequence and methylation of the CpG island in the promoter of the FMR1 gene. Methylation of the CpG island silences the FMR1 gene, thereby generating the disease phenotypes. Previous studies suggest that the normal FMR1 gene has the properties of an X-linked housekeeping gene that is subject to X inactivation, i.e., its CpG island is unmethylated on the active X chromosome and methylated on the inactive X. Because methylation of the mutant FMR1 gene occurs in both males and females with the full mutation, inactivating the FMR1 gene in these females might be a localized event independent from X inactivation. To test this hypothesis we compared the methylation pattern of two housekeeping genes, PGK1 and androgen receptor (AR) with that of the FMR1 in 46 female carriers of the fragile X syndrome. Twenty eight females were in the premutation range (63-193 repeats) and 16 were carriers of the full mutation (263-996 repeats). The data revealed complete correlation between the methylation pattern of PGK1 and AR. There was also a close correlation between X inactivation pattern detected by PGK1 and/or AR and that detected by FMR1 in female carriers of the premutation. In all female carriers of the full mutation there was complete methylation of the BssHII site in the expanded FMR1 allele. The X chromosome inactivation pattern in these females as detected by PGK1 and/or AR was as follows: in 10 cases the X inactivation was skewed in favor of the mutant FMR1, i.e. the mutant allele was on the inactive X chromosome, in 3 the inactivation was random and in 3 the inactivation was skewed in favor of the normal allele. These data suggest that the methylation of the FMR1 gene in females with the full mutation is a localized event and methylation of the FMR1 gene in these females cannot be used as a predictor of X inactivation.
- OSTI ID:
- 134267
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-941009-; ISSN 0002-9297; TRN: 95:005313-1003
- Journal Information:
- American Journal of Human Genetics, Vol. 55, Issue Suppl.3; Conference: 44. annual meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics, Montreal (Canada), 18-22 Oct 1994; Other Information: PBD: Sep 1994
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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