Overview of Genomic technologies in Clinical diagnosis Flashcards
What are some different genomic technologies ?
- PCR
- Fragment analysis
- Sanger Sequencing
- Fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH)
- Array - comparative genomic hybridization (Array CGH)
- Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA)
- Next-Generation sequencing
Describe PCR
- PCR is used to amplify a specific region of DNA
- Design specific primers which are oligonucleotide sequences =complimentary to amplicon
- Primers flank the region you want to amplify.
- Each cycle doubles the amount of DNA copies of your target sequence
- Purpose: Amplify enough DNA molecules = have sufficient material for downstream applications
What are the three steps of PCR -
Denaturation -High temperature permits separation of DNA strands
Annealing- Cooler temperature allows primer to attach to ends of target sequence
Extension-Temperature allowing thermostable DNA polymerase to add nucleotides at the 3’ end of primers
1 PCR cycle doubles amount of DNA
What is Capillary electrophoresis (fragment analysis)
PCR based assay
Following PCR we carry out capillary electrophoresis
(This is a technique which separates DNA molecules based on electrophoretic mobility )
-We size the PCR product
-This can be used to detect small size changes (up to a few hundred bp)/repeat expansions
What is a repeat expansion disorder ?
Genetic diseases that are caused by expansions in DNA repeats.
Example- Huntington’s disease (severe neurodegenerative disorder )
Cause -CAG repeat expansion in the HTT gene
Normal - <27 copies
Intermediate-27-35
Pathogenic->35 copies
Expanded protein is toxic and accumulates in neurons causing cell death
Can be diagnosed using capillary electrophoresis (fragment analysis)
Describe Sanger sequencing
- Sequence the PCR product, modified PCR - dideoxy chain termination
- Each of the 4 DNA nucleotides has a different dye so we can determine the nucleotide sequence.
- Up to 800bp of sequence per reaction
- Good for sequencing single exons of genes
- Slow, low-throughput and costly to perform for large numbers of samples
What can sanger sequencing be used for?
We can identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), mutations, monogenic diseases
Describe FISH (Fluorescent in situ hybridisation)
It is used to detect (Microscopic) large chromosomal abnormalities
Cells from patients spread during metaphase + use FISH
Detects:
•Extra chromosomes
•Large deleted segments
•Translocations(chunks of chromosomes moving from one place to another)
How does FISH work?
- Design Fluorescent probe to chromosomal region of interest
- Denature probe and target DNA
- Mix probe and target DNA (hybridisation)
- Probe binds to target on DNA
- Target fluoresces/lights up so we can see our target
What type of observations can we make using FISH
Outline two ways FISH can be used
Special Karyotyping
-pairs of chromosomes are manipulated to have distinctive colours.
makes it easier to detect chromosomal abnormalities
(Trisomy 21)- 3 copies of 21 -Down syndrome
Target specific
- Probe for specific chromosomes
- 2 copies of chromosome 18, 3 copies of chromosome 21
What is Array CGH (comparative genomic hybridisation )
Used to detect sub-microscopic chromosomal abnormalities (too small to see with FISH)
Uses microarray:
Patients DNA labelled Green
Control DNA labelled Red
Mix together red + green samples + hybridise to microarray + detect green/red signal
Can see patient sample whether it has net DNA loss/gain
Increased green signal = gain
no net red/green = equal hybridisation = patient and control DNA sample is the same = no net loss/gain
Describe MLPA
Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification
- Variation of PCR that amplifies multiple targets
- Probe= two oligonucleotides -recognise adjacent target sits on DNA
What can MLPA be used to detect?
Use:
-To detect abnormal copy numbers at specific chromosomal locations
-Can detect sub-microscopic gene deletions/partial gene deletions (not genome-wide like array-CGH)
How does MLPA work?
Three step process
- Hybridisation
- Two probes are hybridised to denatured template DNA (1 forward primer+1 reverse primer) - Ligation
- The 2 forward and reverse probe oligonucleotides join together into a complete probe
3.Amplification
PCR amplification of the target to generate an amplified library
How can we analyse the amplified product library following MLPA?
Using capillary electrophoresis
(fragment analysis)
-Used to determine ploidy(how many chromosome copies of amplified target)-specific locations.
-Signal strength of the probes is compared to those obtained from reference DNA sample
(contains two copies of the chromosome )