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Chromosome breakage in Prader-Willi and Angelman syndrome deletions may involve recombination between a repeat at the proximal and distal breakpoints

Journal Article · · American Journal of Human Genetics
OSTI ID:133420
;  [1];  [2]
  1. Case Western Reserve Univ., Cleveland, OH (United States)
  2. Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States); and others

Prader-Willi (PWS) and Angelman (AS) syndromes most commonly arise from large deletions of 15q11-q13. Deletions in PWS are paternal in origin, while those in AS are maternal in origin, clearly demonstrating genomic imprinting in these clinically distinct neurobehavioural disorders. In at least 90% of PWS and AS deletion patients, the same 4 Mb region within 15q11-q13 is deleted with breakpoints clustering in single YAC clones at the proximal and distal ends. To study the mechanism of chromosome breakage in PWS and AS, we have previously isolated 25 independent clones from these three YACs using Alu-vector PCR. Four clones were selected that appear to detect a low copy repeat that is located in the proximal and distal breakpoint regions of chromosome 15q11-q13. Three clones detect the same 4 HindIII bands in genomic DNA, all from 15q11-q13, with differing intensities for the probes located at the proximal or distal breakpoints region, respectively. This suggests that these probes detect related members of a low-copy repeat at either location. Moreover, the 254RL2 probe detects a novel HindIII band in two unrelated PWS deletion patients, suggesting that this may represent a breakpoint fragment, with recombination occurring within a similar interval in both patients. A fourth clone, 318RL3 detects 5 bands in HindIII-digested genomic DNA, all from 15q11-q13. This YAC endclone itself is not deleted in PWS and AS deletion patients, as seen by an invariant strong band. Two other strong bands are variably intact or deleted in different PWS or AS deletion patients, suggesting a relationship of this sequence to the breakpoints. Moreover, PCR using 318RL3 primers from the distal 93C9 YAC led to the isolation of a related clone with 96% identity, demonstrating the existence of a low-copy repeat with members close to the proximal and distal breakpoints. Taken together, our data suggest a complex, low-copy repeat with members at both the proximal and distal boundaries.

OSTI ID:
133420
Report Number(s):
CONF-941009--
Journal Information:
American Journal of Human Genetics, Journal Name: American Journal of Human Genetics Journal Issue: Suppl.3 Vol. 55; ISSN AJHGAG; ISSN 0002-9297
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English