Cystic fibrosis in Afro-Brazilians: XK haplotypes analysis supports the European origin of p.F508del mutation.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a common autosomal recessive disorder, being the p.F508del the most frequent mutation. Also, a nearby restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) named XK (KM19 and XV2C) is non-randomly associated with specific CF alleles. Our aim was to analyze the occurrence of the p.F508del mutation and XK haplotypes in Afro-Brazilians CF patients and controls, since these data is available for the other two main ethnic groups found in Brazil (Euro-Brazilians and Brazilian Amerindians), contributing for the whole comprehension of these haplotypes in the Brazilian population. A total of 103 patients and 54 controls were studied. PCR and PCR-RFLP methodologies were used to identify the presence of the p.F508del and the XK haplotype in the subjects. The combined data show that 84.2% of p.F508del mutation is associated with haplotype B and only 15.8% with haplotype A; no other haplotypes were found to be associated with this mutation. Our data suggest that the occurrence of p.F508del mutation and haplotype B in Afro-Brazilian patients occurs probably due to admixture with Euro-descendants. Therefore this mutation and haplotype could be used as a admixture marker.

Prion protein gene polymorphisms in sheep in the state of Paraná, Brazil.

To determine the polymorphisms of the prion protein gene in sheep from the state of Paraná, Brazil, 323 animals of meat breeds (Suffolk, Hampshire Down, Texel, Ile de France, Dorper, Dorset, Santa Inês and crossbreds) were genotyped by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. The most frequent allele was ARQ, with a frequency of 0.61, followed by ARR (0.30). VRQ and AHQ alleles were present at very low frequencies (0.13 and 0.05 respectively), and the ARH allele was not found. Seven genotypes were identified (ARR/ARR, ARR/ARQ, ARQ/ARQ, ARR/VRQ, ARR/AHQ, ARQ/VRQ and ARQ/AHQ), of which ARQ/ARQ was the most frequent (0.41). The Santa Inês breed and crossbred animals showed the highest genotypic variability.

Congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens as an atypical form of cystic fibrosis: reproductive implications and genetic counseling.

Congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens (CBAVD) is found in 1% to 2% of males with infertility and is present in 6% of obstructive azoospermia cases. Nearly 95% of men with cystic fibrosis (CF, an autosomal recessive disorder) have CBAVD. There are genetic links between CBAVD and CF. Some mutations in the gene encoding cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) can lead to CBAVD as a monosymptomatic form of CF. With the use of assisted reproductive techniques (ART), especially testicular or epididymal sperm aspiration, intracytoplasmic sperm injection, and in vitro fertilization, it is possible that men with CBAVD can produce offspring. Therefore, genetic counseling should be offered to couples undergoing ART to discuss the probability of having offspring that carry CFTR gene mutations. The aim of this review was to present the main cause of CBAVD, to call attention to its implications for assisted reproduction, and to show the importance of genetic counseling for couples where men have CBAVD, as they can have offspring with a lethal disease.

Huntington disease: DNA analysis in Brazilian population.

Huntington disease (HD) is associated with expansions of a CAG trinucleotide repeat in the HD gene. Accurate measurement of a specific CAG repeat sequence in the HD gene in 92 Brazilian controls without HD, 44 Brazilian subjects with clinical findings suggestive of HD and 40 individuals from 6 putative HD families, showed a range from 7 to 33 repeats in normal subjects and 39 to 88 repeats in affected subjects. A trend between early age at onset of first symptoms and increasing number of repeats was seen. Major increase of repeat size through paternal inheritance than through maternal inheritance was observed. Data generated from this study may have significant implications for the etiology, knowledge of the incidence, diagnosis, prognosis, genetic counseling and treatment of HD Brazilian patients.

The HLA polymorphism of two distinctive South-American Indian tribes: the Kaingang and the Guarani.

The HLA-A, B, C, DR and DQ antigens of 240 Kaingang and 98 Guarani individuals have been characterized. The most frequent antigens found among the Kaingang are A31, 2, 24; B35, 51, 39, 48; Cw4, 7, 3, 1; DR8, 4, 2; DQ blank, 3. In the Guarani, they are A2, 28, 31; B40, 62, "53G"; Cw3, 4; DR2, 4, 8, 6; DQ3, blank. B " 53G" is an unusual antigen of the B5 cross-reactive group. DQ blank possibly corresponds to DQ4, not tested in this study. The reaction patterns of B35, B40 and DR4 indicate intra-tribal (of B35 and B40), and inter-tribal (DR4, B40 and B35) heterogeneity of these antigens. 408 Kaingang and 141 Guarani haplotypes were defined by segregation analysis. Of the commonest 10 Guarani and 9 Kaingang haplotypes, only one is shared by both tribes. Significant, positive linkage disequilibrium values for HLA-A,B; HLA-A,C; HLA-B,DR and most HLA-B,C antigen pairs were also different for the two populations. Genetic distance estimates between these two and another seven South-American Indian populations, and relative to the major human races (negroids, caucasoids, and mongoloids) reveal a comparatively high degree of divergence between the Kaingang and the Guarani, which is uncommon for Amerindian populations living close one to another.

HLA-DQA1 and HLA-DQB1 alleles and haplotypes in two Brazilian Indian tribes: evidence of conservative evolution of HLA-DQ.

Nucleotide sequence polymorphism of the HLA-DQA1 and HLA-DQB1 class II genes was analyzed in the Kaingang and Guarani Amerindians from southern Brazil using PCR sequence-specific oligonucleotide typing methods. Four different DQA1-DQB1 haplotypes were found: DQA1*0401-DQB1*0402 (associated with DRB1*0802, DRB1*08041, and DRB1*0807), DQA1*0501-DQB1*0301 (associated with DRB1*1602, DRB1*1413, and DRB1*1402), DQA1*03-DQB1*0302 (associated with DRB1*0404 and DRB1*0411), and DQA1*03-DQB1*03032 (associated with DRB1*09012). These HLA-DQA1 and HLA-DQB1 alleles and haplotypes are common in many other populations of all major ethnic groups. Alleles and haplotypes introduced into the populations by post-Columbian admixture were seen at low frequency both in the Kaingang (3.2%) and in the Guarani (3.8%). No novel HLA-DQA1 and HLA-DQB1 alleles have thus far been identified in Amerindians. This differs from previous results for HLA-DRB1, another class II locus presenting novel alleles (i.e., alleles not found in other ethnic groups and probably generated after migration of paleo-Indians to the Americas) in the Guarani and in other South American Indian populations. The distribution of the HLA-DQ alleles and haplotypes in Amerindians indicates a weaker diversifying selective pressure on the HLA-DQ genes compared with HLA-DRB1 and HLA-B. The more conservative evolution of HLA-DQA1 and HLA-DQB1 compared with HLA-DRB1 is strong evidence of (still not well-defined) functional differences of these class II genes.