Detection of factor VIII gene mutations by high-resolution melting analysis

Single base-pair substitution mutations in the gene for coagulation factor VIII, procoagulant component (hemophilia A) (F8) account for approximately 50% of severe cases of hemophilia A (HA), and almost all moderate or mild cases. Because F8 is a large gene, mutation screening using denaturing HPLC or DNA sequencing is time-consuming and expensive.

We evaluated high-resolution melting analysis as an option for screening for F8 gene mutations. The melting curves of amplicons heterozygous for known F8 gene mutations were compared with melting curves of the corresponding normal amplicons to assess whether melting analysis could detect these variants. We examined 2 platforms, the Roche LightCycler 480 (LC480) and the Idaho Technology LightScanner.

On both instruments, 18 (90%) of the 20 F8 gene variants we examined were resolved by melting analysis. For the other 2 mutations, the melting curves of the heterozygous amplicons were similar to the corresponding normal amplicons, suggesting these variants may not be detected by this approach in a mutation-scanning screen.

High-resolution melting analysis is an appealing technology for F8 gene screening. It is rapid and quickly identifies mutations in the majority of HA patients; samples in which no mutation is detected require further testing by DNA sequencing. The LC480 and LightScanner platforms performed similarly.