Associations between IL-1RN variable number of tandem repeat, IL-1β (-511) and IL-1β (+3954) gene polymorphisms and urolithiasis in Uighur children of China

Objective:Interleukin-1(IL-1)is a pro-inflammatory cytokine which may be related to urolithiasis.Genetic polymorphisms of the interleukin-1beta(IL-1β)have been proposed as markers for urolithiasis in some areas.Due to the high incidence of urolithiasis in Uighur children(Xinjiang,China)and existence of ethnic difference,our aim is to explore the potential of IL-1 gene polymorphisms and urolithiasis among these children.Methods:Genomic DNA extracted from peripheral blood of 115 patients and 98 controls were used for genotype polymorphisms analyses.IL-1 receptor antagonist(IL-1RN)gene variable number of tandem repeat(VNTR)gene polymorphisms were analyzed by PCR method.PCR-based restriction analysis was done for the IL-1β(-511)and IL-1β(+3954)gene polymorphisms by endonucleases Ava I and Taq I,respectively.The genotype distribution,allele frequencies,carriage rate,and haplotype frequencies were statistically analyzed.Results:No significant differences were observed in genotypic frequencies between pediatric urolithiasis patients and control group for IL-1RN gene(χ^(2)=1.906,p=0.605),IL-1β(-511)gene(χ^(2)=0.105,p=0.949),or IL-1β(+3954)gene(χ^(2)=3.635,p=0.169).There were yet no significant differences of the allele frequencies of IL-1RN VNTR gene(p=0.779),IL-1β(-511)gene(p=0.941),and IL-1β(+3954)gene(p=0.418)in the case and control groups,as well as the carriage rate and haplotype of them(all p>0.05).Conclusions:The associations between IL-1RN VNTR,IL-1β(-511)and IL-1β(+3954)genes polymorphisms and urolithiasis were not significant in Uighur children.The results need to be confirmed in studies with larger population sample size,as well as in other ethnic groups.

Mapping a Rice Glabrous Gene Using Simple Sequence Repeat Markers

Inheritance analysis and gene mapping of the glabrous trait were conducted using the crosses between a pubescent rice material Chuanxiang 29B （an aromatic elite maintainer line of hybrid rice）, and two glabrous rice materials, Lemont and R2 （R2 is a new restorer line of hybrid rice）. All F1 plants from the two crosses had pubescent leaves, confirming that the pubescence trait in Chuanxiang 29B is dominant over the glabrous trait. In F2 individuals, the segregation ratio of three pubescent to one glabrous plant suggests that a single glabrous gene was present in Lemont and R2. Using the bulked segregant analysis, the linkage analysis of the simple sequence repeat markers showed that the glabrous gene, gl-1, was flanked by GL311 and GL8 with the genetic distances of 0.19 and 0.92 cM on chromosome 5, respectively.

Marek’s disease virus challenge induced immune-related gene expression and chicken repeat 1 (CR1) methylation alterations in chickens

Marek’s disease virus (MDV) challenge induces lymphoma in susceptible chickens. Host genes, especially immune related genes, are activated by the virus. DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism that governs gene transcription. In the present study, we found that expression of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) was upregulated at 10 days post infection (dpi) in MD susceptible chickens, whereas interleukin 12A (IL12A) was elevated in both resistant and susceptible chickens. However, we did not observe MDV-induced DNA methylation variations at the promoter CpG islands (CGIs) in STAT1 and IL12A. Interestingly, the methylation levels at Chicken Repeat 1 (CR1), the transposable elements (TEs) located upstream of two genes, were different between resistant and susceptible chickens. Furthermore, a mutation was identified in the CR1 element near IL12A. The impact of the point mutation in transcriptional factor binding is to be examined in the near future.

Horizontal gene transfer of plant-specific leucine-rich repeats between plants and bacteria

Leucine rich repeats (LRRs) are present in over 14,000 proteins that have been identified in viruses, bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes. Two to sixty-two LRRs occur in tandem forming an overall arc shaped domain. There are eight classes of LRRs. Plant specific LRRs (class: PS-LRR) had previously been recognized in only plant proteins. However, we find that PS-LRRs are also present in proteins from bacteria. We investigated the origin of bacterial PS-LRR domains. PSLRR proteins are widely distributed in most plants;they are found in only a few bacterial species. There are no PS-LRR proteins from archaea. Bacterial PS-LRRs in twenty proteins from eleven bacterial species (in the three phyla: Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Bacteroidetes) are significantly more similar to the PS-LRR class than to the other seven classes of LRR proteins. Not only amino acid sequences but also nucleotide sequences of the bacterial PS-LRR domains show highly significant similarity with those of many plant proteins. The program, EGID (Ensemble algorithm for Genomic Island Detection), predicts that Synechococcus sp. CYA_ 1022 came from another organism. Four bacterial PS-LRR proteins contain AhpC-TSA, IgA peptidase M64, the immunoglobulin domain, the Calx-b domain, and the He_PIG domain;these domains show no similarity with any eukaryotic (plant) proteins, in contrast to the similarities of their respective PS-LRRs. The present results indicate that horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of genes/gene fragments encoding PS-LRR domains occurred between bacteria and plants, and HGT among the eleven bacterial species, of the three phyla, as opposed to descent from a common ancestor. There is the possibility of the occurrence of one HGT event from plant to bacteria. A series of HGTs might then have occurred recently and rapidly among these eleven species of bacteria.

食蟹猴重复给予溶瘤病毒药物HSV-1/hPD-1的毒性研究

目的:考察食蟹猴重复给予溶瘤病毒药物HSV-1/hPD-1后的体内毒性,探索安全剂量范围,为后续临床试验提供参考信息。方法:30只食蟹猴随机分成3组,包括溶媒对照组和低、高剂量(1.0×10^(8)、4.0×10^(8)pfu)组,每组10只,雌雄各半。采用肌肉注射给药,每周给药2次,连续给药6周,恢复期8周。试验期间,每天观察动物的临床症状和摄食量,每次给药后1~2天观察注射部位症状,每周称量体重。分别在检疫期、首次给药后、给药期结束、恢复期结束的不同时间点进行安全药理(体温、血压、心电图)测定、临床病理(血液学、血凝、血清生化、尿生化)检查、免疫学(T淋巴细胞、细胞因子、免疫原性)测定、组织病理学检查和脏器称重。结果:给药后,动物未见异常症状、注射部位刺激性、体重和摄食量改变,未见安全药理和临床病理指标有意义的变化。与溶媒对照组比较,第41天,低剂量会引起动物CD3^(+)CD4^(+)T细胞比例升高,高剂量未见明显变化。第13至97天,低、高剂量均能引起动物产生抗载体结合抗体、抗抗体,以及个别动物检出hPD-1表达产物。证明药物在体内产生免疫活性和介导免疫原性。组织病理学检查显示,给药期结束时,低、高剂量组动物注射部位极轻度至中度混合细胞浸润,高剂量组动物坐骨神经极轻度髓鞘/轴突变性;恢复期结束时注射部位病变减为极轻度,坐骨神经病变未见恢复趋势。低、高剂量组动物未见组织脏器重量改变。结论:食蟹猴重复给予溶瘤病毒药物HSV-1/hPD-1后,动物体内耐受良好,受试物未见毒性反应剂量(NOAEL)是1.0×10^(8)pfu。上述研究结果为药物开展临床试验提供了数据支持。

鸡传染性喉气管炎病毒SYBR Green Ⅰ实时荧光定量PCR检测方法的建立与应用

鸡传染性喉气管炎病毒(Infectious laryngotracheitis virus,ILTV)以往多感染蛋鸡,近年来在蛋种鸡、商品肉鸡中连续多发,表明该病毒感染谱有扩大风险,因此有必要加强对ILTV的监测。为建立高效、灵敏的ILTV检测方法,本研究以ILTV的TK基因为靶基因设计引物,扩增并构建pMD18-T-TK质粒标准品,建立SYBR GreenⅠ实时荧光定量PCR检测方法和标准曲线,对其特异性、敏感性和重复性进行验证,并对临床疑似病例进行检测。结果发现,该检测方法特异性良好,与其他常见症状相似病原无交叉反应;最低检测浓度为1.55拷贝/μL,灵敏度是普通PCR方法的10倍;重复性好,批内、批间变异系数在0.79%~1.83%之间。表明本研究建立的ILTV实时荧光定量PCR方法特异性强、灵敏度高,可为ILTV的临床诊断和流行病学研究等提供有效的检测方法。

脆性X综合征遗传学诊断方法研究进展

脆性X综合征(FXS)是导致智力障碍和发育障碍的主要单基因病之一,呈X连锁不完全显性遗传。FXS的病因是FMR1基因内(CGG)n重复序列的不稳定扩展及其上游CpG岛的异常甲基化,进而导致脆性X智力低下蛋白(FMRP)减少或缺乏,FMRP的水平直接关系到临床表型的严重程度。临床表现和基因检测是诊断FXS的主要依据。然而,FMR1基因分子结构和遗传模式的特殊性使得FXS的分子诊断和遗传咨询面临挑战。因此,如何简便而准确地进行FMR1基因检测一直是临床关注的焦点。文章针对FXS遗传学诊断方法的研究进展进行综述,旨在促进FXS的规范诊断,为临床提供帮助。

产气荚膜梭菌α-毒素基因数字PCR方法的建立及其在标准物质研制方面的应用

产气荚膜梭菌(Clostridium perfringens)是一种重要的人兽共患病原菌,α-毒素是其分子生物学检测的主要靶标。试验选取Clper引物及探针建立微滴式数字PCR(droplet digtial PCR,ddPCR)方法,最佳引物浓度0.85μmol/L,探针浓度为0.3μmol/L,退火温度为60℃。利用建立的ddPCR方法检测单核细胞增生李斯特菌、沙门氏菌、大肠杆菌、肠球菌、金黄色葡萄球菌、弯曲杆菌的DNA,结果均为阴性,表明该方法具有较好的特异性。合成产气荚膜梭菌α-毒素基因,制成DNA标准品,选取3个稀释梯度的标准品进行重复试验,组内和组间变异系数均小于5%,证明该方法具有较好的重复性。采用7个稀释梯度的标准品进行重复检测,计算出该方法的检测限为12.39 copies/μL,定量限为33.97 copies/μL。通过对68份临床样品进行检测,证实该方法可用于临床,且用于检测质粒DNA时无明显的基质效应。应用ddPCR方法对标准品进行均匀性和稳定性检验,并联合9家实验室进行定值,最终获得了国家市场监督管理总局颁发的标准物质证书(GBW(E)091237)。α-毒素基因ddPCR方法的建立和DNA标准物的研制,为产气荚膜梭菌分子生物学检测试剂的标准化奠定了基础。

Kankl抑制肿瘤的机制研究进展

KN基序和锚蛋白重复结构域1(Kank1)与肿瘤关系密切,其在大多数肿瘤中表达下降或缺失,而启动子甲基化是Kank1表达下降或缺失的重要原因。Kank1在不同组织来源的恶性肿瘤中发挥抑制作用,其可以通过各种信号通路、下游分子抑制肿瘤的增殖、转移、侵袭,促进肿瘤的凋亡。因此,Kank1的低表达与肿瘤的不良预后密切相关,其可能成为恶性肿瘤预后、早期诊断的分子指标以及肿瘤靶向药物的治疗靶点。未来对Kank1进行深入研究,不仅有助于更好地了解肿瘤的发生和发展机制,也为恶性肿瘤的诊断和治疗提供了新的思路和方法。

Genetic Analysis and Preliminary Mapping of Two Recessive Resistance Genes to Brown Planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens Stl in Rice

An F2 population derived from the cross of WB01, an introgression line resistant to brown planthopper (BPH) originated from Oryza rufipogon Griff. and a susceptible indica variety 9311, was developed for genetic analysis and gene mapping. The population with 303 F2:3 families was genotyped by 141 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and used for gene mapping. Two softwares, Mapmaker/Exp 3.0 and Windows QTL Cartographer V2.0 were applied to detect QTLs. Totally, two QTLs resistant to BPH, named temporarily as bph22(t) and bph23(t), were identified to locate on chromosomes 4 and 8, individually had LOD values of 2.92 and 3.15, and explained 11.3% and 14 .9% of the phenotypic variation, respectively.

Characterization and Molecular Mapping of a Stripe Rust Resistance Gene in Synthetic Wheat CI110

Stripe rust,caused by Puccinia striiformis f.sp.tritici（Pst）,is one of the most destructive diseases of wheat（Triticum aestivum L.）.To diversify stripe rust-resistant resources for wheat breeding programs,a CIMMYT synthetic wheat line CI110 was identified to be resistant to 28 isolates of Pst,including 6 Chinese prevalent races CYR28-CYR33.Genetic analysis indicated that a single dominant gene was responsible for the stripe rust resistance in CI110,temporarily designated YrC110.A molecular map,harboring YrC110 and 9 linked SSR markers,was constructed through simple sequence repeat（SSR）,and bulked segregant analysis.These linked markers and YrC110 were assigned on the short arm of chromosome 1B using the Chinese Spring nullisomic-tetrasomic and ditelosomic stocks.Gene postulation based on seedling reaction patterns to 30 Pst isolates suggested that the resistance gene YrC110 seemed different from the other known resistance genes tested,such as Yr9,Yr10,Yr15,Yr24,and Yr26/YrCH42.Four SSR markers Xbarc187150,Xgwm18227,Xgwm11223,and Xbarc240292 distinguished YrC110 from Yr10,Yr15,Yr24,and Yr26/YrCH42,and could be used as diagnostic ones for YrC110 in wheat resistant breeding programs against stripe rust.

Carrier Detection and Presymptomatic Identification of Wilson Disease in Chinese by Non-Isotopic Linkage Analysis with Four Short Tandem Repeat Polymorphisms

Summary: Wilson disease (WD) is an autosomal recessive disorder of copper metabolism. To establish an efficient, accurate and fast diagnostic method for carrier detection and presymptomatic identification of WD in Chinese population, we studied haplotypes of short tandem repeat (STR) polymorphisms flanking the WD gene in 40 Chinese WD families. The results suggested that this genetic diagnosis system based on the four STR polymorphisms is of high value for the detection of potential carriers and WD homozygotes in families with at least one previously affected child. It is an efficient, accurate and fast diagnostic method that can be well suited for routine use in clinical laboratories.

Cloning and Characterization of Full Length cDNA of a CC-NBS-LRR Resistance Gene in Sweetpotato

Conserved domain such as nucleotide binding site （NBS） was found in several cloned plant disease resistance genes. Based on the NBS domain, resistance gene analogues （RGAs） have been isolated. A full-length cDNA, SPR1 was obtained by rapid amplification of cDNA ends （RACE） method. Sequence analysis indicated that the length of SPR1 was 3 066 bp, including a complete open reading frame of 2 667 bp encoding SPR1 protein of 888 amino acids. Compared with known NBS-LRR genes, it presented relatively high amino acid sequence identity. The polypeptide has a typical structure of nonT1R-NBS-LRR genes, with NB-ARC, CC, and LRR domains. The SPR1-related sequences belonged to multicopy gene family in sweetpotato genome according to the result of Southern blotting. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed SPR1 expressed in all tested tissues. The cloning of putative resistance gene from sweetpotato provides a basis for studying the structure and function of sweetpotato disease-resistance relating genes and disease resistant genetic breeding in sweetpotato. The gene has been submitted to the GenBank database, and the accession number is EF428453.

利用CRISPR/Cas9系统制备斑马鱼cbsb敲除模型

目的 采用成簇的规律性间隔的短回文重复序列(CRISPR)/Cas9系统对斑马鱼胱硫醚-β-合成酶b基因(cbsb)进行编辑,并制备稳定的斑马鱼cbsb敲除品系。方法 使用ClustalX软件分析斑马鱼cbsb编码蛋白(Cbsb)的保守结构域,利用生物信息学选取向导RNA(gRNA)靶点,体外合成并纯化gRNA和密码子优化的Cas9 mRNA,在刚受精的斑马鱼胚胎(1-cell期)中显微注射混合的gRNA和Cas9 mRNA,提取受精后3 d的斑马鱼幼鱼基因组,通过PCR扩增并测序分析靶点的切割效率,通过基因组扩增和测序筛选并获得cbsb敲除的稳定品系。结果 斑马鱼Cbsb与人、小鼠胱硫醚-β-合成酶(CBS)高度同源。在斑马鱼Cbsb保守结构域的编码序列处设计4个靶点,其中4#靶点具有高效的切割效率,利用该靶点制备并筛选获得多个cbsb敲除斑马鱼,选取-3+13 bps和-228 bps移码突变的两种品系,进一步筛选获得稳定的cbsb敲除品系。结论 利用CRISPR/Cas9系统成功制备了两种斑马鱼cbsb敲除的稳定品系,为进一步在斑马鱼活体中研究Cbsb的功能奠定了基础。

Mapping a Novel Gene of Cold Tolerance at Booting Stage by Using Near-Isogenic Lines in japonica Rice

Genetic analysis showed that cold tolerance at booting stage of near-isogenic lines （NILs） of Kunmingxiaobaigu was controlled by a gene with large phenotypic variance. One hundred and sixty-four simple sequence repeats （SSR） distributed over 12 chromosomes were used to screen polymorphism between Towata （recurrent parent, RP） and near-isogenic line pool （NILP）, and two SSR markers at the long arm of chromosome 5 showed polymorphism in comparison with RP genome. Of the two markers, RM31 was found possibly linked with the cold tolerance gene at booting stage through one-way ANOVA. Twelve SSR markers around RM31 were then used to detect polymorphism between RP and NIL, and only RM7452 had polymorphism. The gene of cold tolerance at booting stage was further mapped on chromosome 5 between RM7452 and RM31 with genetic distances of 4.8 cM and 8.0 cM, respectively. This gene explained 10.50% of phenotypic variance and 5.10% of phenotypic variance of fully filled grains, and was tentatively designated as Ctb（t）.

Comparative analysis of common CFTR polymorphisms poly-T, TG-repeats and M470V in a healthy Chinese population

AIM: To investigate the three important cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) haplotypes poly-T, TG-repeats and the M470V polymorphisms in the Chinese population, and to compare their distribution with that in Caucasians and other Asian populations. METHODS: Genomic DNA was extracted from blood leukocytes. Exons 9 and 10 of the CFTR gene were obtained through polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Exon 9 DNA sequences were directly detected by an automated sequencer and poly-T and TG-repeats were identified by direct sequence analysis. Pure exon 10 PCR-amplified products were digested by HphⅠ restriction enzyme and the M470V mutation was detected by the AGE photos of digestion products. RESULTS: T7 was the most common (93.6%) haplotype and the (TG)11 frequency of 57.2% and (TG)12 frequency of 40.9% were dominant haplotypes in the junction of intron 8 (IVS-8) and exon 9. The frequency of T5 was 3.8% and all T5 allele tracts (10 alleles) were joined with (TG)12. Four new alleles of T6 (1.5%) were found in three healthy individuals. In exon 10, the V allele (56.1%) was slightly more frequent than the M allele (43.9%), and the M/V (45.5%) was the dominant genotype in these individuals. The three major haplotypes T7-(TG)11-V470, T7-(TG)12-M470 and T7-TG11-M470 were related to nearly 86.0% of the population. CONCLUSION: The polymorphisms of poly-T, TG-repeats, and M470V distribution were similar to those in other East Asians, but they had marked differences in frequency from those single haplotype polymorphisms or linkage haplotypes in Caucasians. Thus, they may be able to explain the low incidence of CF and CF-like diseases in Asians.

Microsatellite-Aided Screening for Fertility Restoration Genes (Rf) Facilitates Hybrid Improvement

DNA markers enabled to determine the chromosomal locations of the two Rf genes(Rf3 and Rf4) in the wild-abortive cytoplasmic male sterility(WA-CMS) system. Four simple sequence repeats(SSRs) RM171, RM258, RM315 and RM443 were used to detect the allelic status with respect to the fertility restoration genes(Rf3 and Rf4) in 300 rice cultivars or breeding lines. The results revealed that out of 300 lines, 90 lines screened had Rf3, 65 lines had Rf4, and 45 lines had Rf3 and Rf4 alleles. Furthermore, 45 lines selected using SSR markers were mated with a CMS line(IR58025A) to analyze their restoring ability. Offspring of all the test lines except HHZ8-SAL9DT1-Y1, HHZ5-SAL9-Y3-1 and IDSA77 exhibited higher pollen and spikelet fertility(> 80%), thus confirming they bear the Rf alleles. The hybrid offspring of ARH12-6-1-1-B-3-1, IR32307-10-3-2-1 and Sahel 329 had the highest pollen fertility(97.39%, 98.30% and 97.10%, respectively) and spikelet fertility(95.10%, 97.07% and 96.10%, respectively).

Genetic Polymorphism of Wx Gene and Its Correlation with Main Grain Quality Characteristics in Rice

The allelic variation of the Wx gene in 50 non-glutinous rice varieties （lines） was analyzed by using the microsatellite marker RM190 [for （CT）n simple sequence repeat （SSR）] and cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence（CAPS） marker 484/W2R-ACCⅠ[for G/T single nucleotide polymorphism （SNP）]. Six homozygous （CT）n types, namely （CT）20, （CT）19, （CT）18, （CT）17, （CT）16, （CT）14, （CT）11 and （CT）10, and a heterozygous genotype （CT）11/（CT）18 were detected for RM190, of which （CT）11 and （CT）18 were predominant. Two homozygous Wx genotypes （G/G and T/T） and one heterozygous （G/T） were detected using 484/W2R-ACC Ⅰ. Most of the materials with a RM190 of （CT）11 were G/G for SNP of 484/W2R-ACC Ⅰ, while T/T for SNP was predominantly appeared in materials with （CT）18. The materials tested could be grouped into 10 categories using the two markers together. Results indicated that 59.3% variance of amylose content was attributed to the polymorphism of Wx gene revealed by RM190, while 56.1% and 24.6% of the variances in amylose content and gel consistency were respectively to the polymorphism of Wx gene revealed by 484/W2R-ACC Ⅰ. Furthermore, with both SSR and CAPS markers, 72.4% of the variance in amylose content could be explained. In addition, the application prospects of the two markers in breeding were also discussed.

Characterization of WAP2 gene in Aegilops tauschii and comparison with homoeologous loci in wheat

The Q/q gene, also known as WAP2, is an important gene for wheat domestication and is a member of the AP2 （APETALA2） class of transcription factors. In the present study, we first isolated the WRAP2 allele （where the superscript ＂t＂ refers to the speciese source, in this case ＂tauschii＂） on chromosome 5D from Aegilops tauschii Coss., the D-genome donor species of common wheat. We found that WRAP2 and the AP2 gene from Arabidopsis share a central core of the AP2 polypeptide, a highly basic 10-amino acid domain, and an AASSGF box, although there are many differences in the 37-amino acid serine-rich acidic domain and the remaining regions. In addition, WRAP2 was highly homologous to the homoeologous loci on 5A and 5B of wheat at both the nucleotide and amino acid level. However, there were some variations that are probably related to gene function. In the first AP2 domain, the amino acids VYL on the 5D and 5A loci were replaced with LLR on 5B. In the 37-amino acid serine-rich acidic domain, WRAP2 on 5D had an extra amino acid insertion. There was also a variation at the 329 amino acid position, which is thought to be related to the appearance of free-threshing wheat. At this position, the amino acid is isoleucine on 5A for the Q allele and valine for the q allele, whereas the amino acid is leucine on 5D and 5B. Furthermore, a Stowaway miniature terminal inverted repeat element （MITE） insertion was present in the ninth intron of WAP2 on 5B of all common wheats and partial tetraploid Triticum turgidum wheats. These results provide new clues for studies into the evolutionary biology of WAP2 and the origin of common wheat.

Molecular Analysis of the Huntington's Disease with Expanded CAG Trinucleotide Repeat in Chinese

The polymorphic CAG repeats in the IT15 gene in Chinese normal and Huntington’s dis-ease(HD)chromosomes were determined by using nested PCR and denaturing polyacry-lamide gel electrophoretic autoradiography as well as direct sequencing analysis.A total of40 normal individuals and 122 members of 13 unrelated HD families originating from Shang-hai,Jiangsu,Zhejiang,Anhui,Shandong,Guangdong and Henan,respectively,were in-volved in this study.The results showed that the(CAG)n repeat numbers in 270 normal al-leles ranged from 13 to 26 but most in 16;while in 54 HD alleles,the CAG repeats from 40to 94,with an unstable inheritance of expanded repeats in some families.There was no over-lap between the normal and affected alleles.Additionally,the presymptomatic diagnosis in103 family members at risk for HD disclosed that 35 individuals had HD alleles,which were-in accordance with the pedigree analysis and clinical investigation.All these results indicatedthat the dynamic mutation in IT15 gene was responsible for the genetic defect in the ChineseHD patients and that a correlation existed between the numbers of(CAG)n repeat and theonset age of the disease.All-of these provide valuable data for HD molecular diagnosis,ge-netic counselling and genetic health.