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Updated: Jun 4, 2025

In Vitro Biochemical Assays using Biotin Labels to Study Protein-Nucleic Acid Interactions
Published on: July 17, 2019
Evaluating reproductive carrier screening using biotinidase deficiency as a model: Variants identified, variant
Peter Benn1, Yang Wang2, Josie Gray2
1University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT.
Purpose:
To review biotinidase gene (BTD) variants identified in a large, diverse, reproductive carrier screening (RCS) cohort and outline management of heterozygotes with pathogenic or likely pathogenic (P/LP) variants.
Methods:
This retrospective observational study included samples tested from January 2020 to September 2022 in a 274-gene panel. The study involved females aged 18 to 55 years. Screening was performed using next-generation sequencing covering exons and 10 base-pair flanking introns. The heterozygote frequency was calculated for P/LP variants for the entire population and individual racial/ethnic groups.
Results:
Of the 91,637 women tested, 5625 (6.1%) had a P/LP variant in BTD. NM_000060.4:c.1330G>C p.(Asp444His) (referred to as D444H or D424H) alone, or in combination with another variant, accounted for 5193 (92.3%) of the positive tests. P/LP heterozygote rates differed between racial and ethnic groups. We ascertained 7 novel P/LP variants not previously recorded in databases.
Conclusion:
The BTD P/LP variants identified through RCS were substantially compatible with those found through positive newborn screening. Therefore, RCS provides a potential for earlier diagnosis. We observed significant differences in P/LP heterozygote rates for biotinidase deficiency among different racial and ethnic groups. Most reported variants can be interpreted without requiring determination of serum biotinidase activity.

