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Updated: Nov 26, 2025
Cell-based Assay Protocol for the Prognostic Prediction of Idiopathic Scoliosis Using Cellular Dielectric Spectroscopy
Published on: October 16, 2013
Altered Circulating Cell-free Mitochondrial DNA of Patients with Congenital Scoliosis
Guanteng Yang1,2, Mingxing Tang1,2, Hongqi Zhang1,2
1Department of Spine Surgery and Orthopedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Study Design:
Case-control study.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to estimate the relationship between circulating cell-free DNA (ccf DNA) and clinical parameters of patients with congenital scoliosis (CS).
Summary Of Background Data:
CS is a complex spinal deformity characteristic of congenital vertebral malformations. Although numerous studies have centered on the etiology of CS, the cause of CS remains unclear. Previously, we reported that circulating cell-free DNA (ccf DNA) is altered in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). However, the relationship between ccf DNA and the clinical parameters of patients with CS remains unclear.
Methods:
The plasma of peripheral blood from 35 patients with CS and 32 age-matched controls was collected for ccf DNA analysis. Quantitative PCR was used to detect ccf n-DNA and ccf mt-DNA levels, and correlation analyses between ccf n-DNA and ccf mt-DNA levels were conducted. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to analyze the sensitivity and specificity of ccf n-DNA and ccf mt-DNA levels to different characteristics.
Results:
The plasma ccf mt-DNA levels of both ND1 and CYTC were significantly decreased in patients with CS compared with levels in controls both in total and by sex, whereas the plasma ccf n-DNA levels showed no significant difference. There is no difference in both ccf mt-DNA and ccf n-DNA between S-SDV and M-SDV according to The International Consortium for Vertebral Anomalies and Scoliosis (ICVAS) classification. The ROC curve analyses showed a reliable sensitivity and specificity of CS predicted by ccf mt-DNA levels in total but failed to distinguish different ICVAS types.
Conclusion:
Significantly decreased plasma ccf mt-DNA levels were observed in patients with CS compared with those in controls. Although this finding has limited significance for clinical practice, it indicates that ccf mt-DNA may predict the onset or development of CS. Further studies should focus on the role of ccf mt-DNA in embryo development and whether ccf mt-DNAs could be considered as a marker for prenatal screening in development disorder like CS.Level of Evidence: 4.
