Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Background
The gene CHEK2 encodes a checkpoint kinase playing a key role in the DNA damage pathway. Though CHEK2 has been identified as an intermediate breast cancer susceptibility gene, only a small proportion of high-risk families have been explained by genetic variants located in its coding region. Alteration in gene expression regulation provides a potential mechanism for generating disease susceptibility. The detection of differential allelic expression (DAE) represents a sensitive assay to direct the search for a functional sequence variant within the transcriptional regulatory elements of a candidate gene. We aimed to assess whether CHEK2 was subject to DAE in lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) from high-risk breast cancer patients for whom no mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2 had been identified.Methods
We implemented an assay based on high-resolution melting (HRM) curve analysis and developed an analysis tool for DAE assessment.Results
We observed allelic expression imbalance in 4 of the 41 LCLs examined. All four were carriers of the truncating mutation 1100delC. We confirmed previous findings that this mutation induces non-sense mediated mRNA decay. In our series, we ruled out the possibility of a functional sequence variant located in the promoter region or in a regulatory element of CHEK2 that would lead to DAE in the transcriptional regulatory milieu of freely proliferating LCLs.Conclusions
Our results support that HRM is a sensitive and accurate method for DAE assessment. This approach would be of great interest for high-throughput mutation screening projects aiming to identify genes carrying functional regulatory polymorphisms.
SUBMITTER: Nguyen-Dumont T
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3112061 | biostudies-literature | 2011 May
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Nguyen-Dumont Tú T Jordheim Lars P LP Michelon Jocelyne J Forey Nathalie N McKay-Chopin Sandrine S Sinilnikova Olga O Le Calvez-Kelm Florence F Southey Melissa C MC Tavtigian Sean V SV Lesueur Fabienne F
BMC medical genomics 20110511
<h4>Background</h4>The gene CHEK2 encodes a checkpoint kinase playing a key role in the DNA damage pathway. Though CHEK2 has been identified as an intermediate breast cancer susceptibility gene, only a small proportion of high-risk families have been explained by genetic variants located in its coding region. Alteration in gene expression regulation provides a potential mechanism for generating disease susceptibility. The detection of differential allelic expression (DAE) represents a sensitive ...[more]