Investigation on the deletion and duplication of PMP22 gene in patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth using Real-time PCR in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari and Isfahan Provinces

Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) is a common sensory-motor polyneuropathy with a prevalence of 1/2500. It is divided into different subgroups and has various hereditary patterns. Among the different subgroups of CMT, type 1A is the most prevalent form of the disease, which is created due to the duplication of the PMP22 gene. In patients has a deletion in the PMP22 gene, the hereditary neuropathic disease is known to be liable to pressure. The aim of this study was to identify the patients affected by the disease with the new, simple, and fast qPCR method and to investigate the appropriateness of this method in evaluating these types of mutations.

In this analytical-descriptive study (code:IR.SKUMS.REC.1394.152), gene duplication and deletion in the patients were studied using the Excel software. The blood samples of 15 families afflicted with CMT and 49 healthy individuals were collected in EDTA anticoagulant tubes and analyzed. DNA extraction and quantitative real-time PCR method were applied for the PMP22 gene as the target gene and the albumin gene as the internal control gene.

Two genes were compared in each patient, and it was found that 46% of the subjects had duplication in the PMP22 gene.

The qPCR method is an easy and fast way to detect gene duplication and deletion in CMT patients. It does not require any statistical software and can be performed without needing for parental DNA. In addition, the results of this study are consistent with the results of various studies in some countries of the world where the highest levels of deletion and duplication in PMP22 gene are seen.