Impact of BRCA1 and BRCA2 variants on splicing: clues from an allelic imbalance study

Eur J Hum Genet. 2009 Nov;17(11):1471-80. doi: 10.1038/ejhg.2009.89. Epub 2009 May 27.

Abstract

Nearly one-half of BRCA1 and BRCA2 sequence variations are variants of uncertain significance (VUSs) and are candidates for splice alterations for example, by disrupting/creating splice sites. As out-of-frame splicing defects lead to a marked reduction of the level of the mutant mRNA cleared through nonsense-mediated mRNA decay, a cDNA-based test was developed to show the resulting allelic imbalance (AI). Fifty-four VUSs identified in 53 hereditary breast/ovarian cancer (HBOC) patients without BRCA1/2 mutation were included in the study. Two frequent exonic single-nucleotide polymorphisms on both BRCA1 and BRCA2 were investigated by using a semiquantitative single-nucleotide primer extension approach and the cDNA allelic ratios obtained were corrected using genomic DNA ratios from the same sample. A total of five samples showed AI. Subsequent transcript analyses ruled out the implication of VUS on AI and identified a deletion encompassing BRCA2 exons 12 and 13 in one sample. No sequence abnormality was found in the remaining four samples, suggesting implication of cis- or trans-acting factors in allelic expression regulation that might be disease causative in these HBOC patients. Overall, this study showed that AI screening is a simple way to detect deleterious splicing defects and that a major role for VUSs and deep intronic mutations in splicing anomalies is unlikely in BRCA1/2 genes. Methods to analyze gene expression and identify regulatory elements in BRCA1/2 are now needed to complement standard approaches to mutational analysis.

Publication types

  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Allelic Imbalance*
  • Breast Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Female
  • Genes, BRCA1*
  • Genes, BRCA2*
  • Humans
  • Mutation
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / genetics*
  • RNA Splicing*
  • Regulatory Elements, Transcriptional