Rapid, accurate detection of TMPRSS6 gene causative mutations with a high-resolution melting assay

Mutations of the TMPRSS6 gene are considered the major genetic factors for iron-refractory iron deficiency anemia (IRIDA). Artificial clone libraries containing 17 known mutations of the TMPRSS6 gene were used to develop a high-resolution melting (HRM) assay for the detection of 17 TMPRSS6 gene mutations. The melting temperatures and melting curves were able to distinguish the different genotypes of the 17 TMPRSS6 gene mutations. We used replicate experiments to evaluate the reproducibility of the assay, and the coefficients of variation were in the range 0.0091% to 0.0873%. A total of 145 Chinese patients with IDA were screened with this assay and no TMPRSS6 gene causative mutation was found in any patient. The HRM assay was proved to be rapid, accurate and cost-effective method to identify the TMPRSS6 gene mutations and can be used in the clinical diagnosis of IRIDA.