scholarly journals Diagnosis of thalassemia using cDNA amplification of circulating erythroid cell mRNA with the polymerase chain reaction [published erratum appears in Blood 1992 Jun 15;79(12):3397]

Blood ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 78 (9) ◽  
pp. 2433-2437
Author(s):  
SZ Huang ◽  
GP Rodgers ◽  
FY Zeng ◽  
YT Zeng ◽  
AN Schechter

We have developed a technique to diagnose the alpha- and beta- thalassemia (thal) syndromes using the polymerase chain reaction to amplify cDNA copies of circulating erythroid cell messenger RNA (mRNA) so as to quantitate the relative amounts of alpha-, beta-, and gamma- globin mRNA contained therein. Quantitation, performed by scintillation counting of 32P-dCTP incorporated into specific globin cDNA bands, showed ratios of alpha/beta-globin mRNA greater than 10-fold and greater than fivefold increased in patients with beta 0- and beta (+)- thal, respectively, as well as a relative increase in gamma-globin mRNA levels. Conversely, patients with alpha-thalassemia showed a decreased ratio of alpha/beta-globin mRNA proportional to the number of alpha- globin genes deleted. This methodology of ascertaining ratios of globin mRNA species provides a new, simplified approach toward the diagnosis of thalassemia syndromes, and may be of value in other studies of globin gene expression at the transcription level.

Blood ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 78 (9) ◽  
pp. 2433-2437 ◽  
Author(s):  
SZ Huang ◽  
GP Rodgers ◽  
FY Zeng ◽  
YT Zeng ◽  
AN Schechter

Abstract We have developed a technique to diagnose the alpha- and beta- thalassemia (thal) syndromes using the polymerase chain reaction to amplify cDNA copies of circulating erythroid cell messenger RNA (mRNA) so as to quantitate the relative amounts of alpha-, beta-, and gamma- globin mRNA contained therein. Quantitation, performed by scintillation counting of 32P-dCTP incorporated into specific globin cDNA bands, showed ratios of alpha/beta-globin mRNA greater than 10-fold and greater than fivefold increased in patients with beta 0- and beta (+)- thal, respectively, as well as a relative increase in gamma-globin mRNA levels. Conversely, patients with alpha-thalassemia showed a decreased ratio of alpha/beta-globin mRNA proportional to the number of alpha- globin genes deleted. This methodology of ascertaining ratios of globin mRNA species provides a new, simplified approach toward the diagnosis of thalassemia syndromes, and may be of value in other studies of globin gene expression at the transcription level.


Blood ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 83 (5) ◽  
pp. 1412-1419 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Furukawa ◽  
G Zitnik ◽  
K Leppig ◽  
T Papayannopoulou ◽  
G Stamatoyannopoulos

Abstract We developed a method detecting globin gene expression in single cells using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. epsilon and gamma globin cDNAs are coamplified by an epsilon gamma primer set whereas gamma and beta globin cDNAs are coamplified by a gamma beta primer set and the individual globin cDNAs are distinguished by restriction enzyme digestion. Analysis of RNA preparations from human fetal liver, neonatal red blood cells (RBCs), or adult RBCs showed the expected mRNA species for each stage of human development. Analysis of single cells from a human erythroleukemia line coexpressing gamma and beta globin chains showed heterogeneity in gamma and beta mRNA contents. The method was subsequently used to test whether only one or more than one globin genes are expressed in cells that contain a single human beta globin locus. We found that about 50% of single cells from MEL x fetal erythroid cell hybrids containing a single human beta globin locus coexpressed gamma and beta globin mRNA. This finding is best explained by assuming that both gamma and beta genes are simultaneously transcribed from the same beta globin locus implying that the LCR can simultaneously interact with more than one globin gene promoter.


Blood ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 83 (5) ◽  
pp. 1412-1419 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Furukawa ◽  
G Zitnik ◽  
K Leppig ◽  
T Papayannopoulou ◽  
G Stamatoyannopoulos

We developed a method detecting globin gene expression in single cells using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. epsilon and gamma globin cDNAs are coamplified by an epsilon gamma primer set whereas gamma and beta globin cDNAs are coamplified by a gamma beta primer set and the individual globin cDNAs are distinguished by restriction enzyme digestion. Analysis of RNA preparations from human fetal liver, neonatal red blood cells (RBCs), or adult RBCs showed the expected mRNA species for each stage of human development. Analysis of single cells from a human erythroleukemia line coexpressing gamma and beta globin chains showed heterogeneity in gamma and beta mRNA contents. The method was subsequently used to test whether only one or more than one globin genes are expressed in cells that contain a single human beta globin locus. We found that about 50% of single cells from MEL x fetal erythroid cell hybrids containing a single human beta globin locus coexpressed gamma and beta globin mRNA. This finding is best explained by assuming that both gamma and beta genes are simultaneously transcribed from the same beta globin locus implying that the LCR can simultaneously interact with more than one globin gene promoter.


Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (11) ◽  
pp. 4102-4102
Author(s):  
Vladan P. Cokic ◽  
Bojana B. Beleslin-Cokic ◽  
Constance Tom Noguchi ◽  
Alan N. Schechter

Abstract We have previously shown that nitric oxide (NO) is involved in the hydroxyurea-induced increase of gamma-globin gene expression in cultured human erythroid progenitor cells and that hydroxyurea increases NO production in endothelial cells via endothelial NO synthase (NOS). Here we report that co-culture of human bone marrow endothelial cells with erythroid progenitor cells induced gamma-globin mRNA expression (1.8 fold), and was further elevated (2.4 fold) in the presence of hydroxyurea (40 μM). Based on these results, NOS-dependent stimulation of NO levels by bradykinin and lipopolysaccharide has been observed in endothelial (up to 0.3 μM of NO) and macrophage cells (up to 6 μM of NO), respectively. Bradykinin slightly increased gamma-globin mRNA levels in erythroid progenitor cells, but failed to increase gamma-globin mRNA levels in endothelial/erythroid cell co-cultures indicating that stimulation of endothelial cell production of NO alone is not sufficient to induce gamma-globin expression. In contrast, lipopolysaccharide and interferon-gamma mutually increased gamma-globin gene expression (2 fold) in macrophage/erythroid cell co-cultures. In addition, hydroxyurea (5–100 μM) induced NOS-dependent production of NO in human (up to 0.7 μM) and mouse macrophages (up to 1.2 μM). Co-culture studies of macrophages with erythroid progenitor cells also resulted in induction of gamma-globin mRNA expression (up to 3 fold) in the presence of hydroxyurea (20–100 μM). These results demonstrate a mechanism by which hydroxyurea may induce globin genes and affect changes in the phenotype of hematopoietic cells via the common paracrine effect of bone marrow stromal cells.


2007 ◽  
Vol 40 (18) ◽  
pp. 1373-1377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chulaporn Chaisue ◽  
Suttiphan Kitcharoen ◽  
Prapon Wilairat ◽  
Arunee Jetsrisuparb ◽  
Goonnapa Fucharoen ◽  
...  

1985 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 649-658
Author(s):  
G M Veldman ◽  
S Lupton ◽  
R Kamen

Sequences that comprise the 244-base-pair polyomavirus enhancer region are also required in cis for viral DNA replication (Tyndall et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 9:6231-6250, 1981). We have studied the relationship between the sequences that activate replication and those that enhance transcription in two ways. One approach, recently described by de Villiers et al. (Nature [London], 312:242-246, 1984), in which the polyomavirus enhancer region was replaced with other viral or cellular transcriptional enhancers suggested that an enhancer function is required for polyomavirus DNA replication. The other approach, described in this paper, was to analyze a series of deletion mutants that functionally dissect the enhancer region and enabled us to localize four sequence elements in this region that are involved in the activation of replication. These elements, which have little sequence homology, are functionally redundant. Element A (nucleotides 5108 through 5130) was synthesized as a 26-mer with XhoI sticky ends, and one or more copies were introduced into a plasmid containing the origin of replication, but lacking the enhancer region. Whereas one copy of the 26-mer activated replication only to 2 to 5% of the wild-type level, two copies inserted in either orientation completely restored replication. We found that multiple copies of the 26-mer were also active as a transcriptional enhancer by measuring the beta-globin mRNA levels expressed from a plasmid that contained either the polyomavirus enhancer or one or more copies of the 26-mer inserted in a site 3' to the beta-globin gene. We observed a correlation between the number of inserted 26-mers and the level of beta-globin RNA expression.


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