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Rapid detection of γT cell receptor gene rearrangements in acute lymphoblastic leukemia by electrophoresis and silver staining: Implications for detection of minimal residual disease
Author(s) -
Valetto Angelo,
Lanciotti Marina,
Martino Daniela Di,
Anselmi Giorgia,
Bottini Federico,
Mori Piergiorgio,
Candiano Giovanni
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
electrophoresis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.666
H-Index - 158
eISSN - 1522-2683
pISSN - 0173-0835
DOI - 10.1002/elps.1150190831
Subject(s) - heteroduplex , minimal residual disease , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , polymerase chain reaction , silver stain , ethidium bromide , staining , gel electrophoresis , gene , leukemia , genetics , dna
Minimal residual disease (MRD) in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) was studied using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). γT cell receptor (TCRG) genes are ideal targets for PCR‐based detection of MRD due to their molecular characteristics. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) analysis of PCR products followed by silver staining was performed for 72 children with ALL at the onset of disease. Silver staining is an effective technique to detect gene rearrangements without the use of ethidium bromide. Moreover, this method may show heteroduplex bands of a clonal nature when both TCRG alleles are rearranged. PCR products subjected to a rapid staining protocol were recovered from the gel, reamplified by a second PCR and directly sequenced. After sequencing, we identified the junctional region and obtained patient‐specific probes. In more than half of the patients we detected TCRG rearrangements that were used as molecular markers for residual disease.