High Resolution Melting analysis as a rapid and efficient method of screening for small mutations in the STK11 gene in patients with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome

Background: Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) is a rare hereditary syndrome characterized by the occurrence of hamartomatous polyps in the gastrointestinal tract, mucocutaneous pigmentation and increased risk of cancer in multiple internal organs. Depending on the studied population, its incidence has been estimated to range from 1: 200 000 even up to 1: 50 000 births. Being an autosomal disease, PJS is caused in most cases by mutations in the STK11 gene. Methods: The majority of causative DNA changes identified in patients with PJS are small mutations and, therefore, developing a method of their detection is a key aspect in the advancement of genetic diagnostics of PJS patients. We designed 13 pairs of primers, which amplify at the same temperature and enable examination of all coding exons of the STK11 gene by the HRM analysis. Results: In our group of 41 families with PJS small mutations of the STK11 gene were detected in 22 families (54%). In the remaining cases all of the coding exons were sequenced. However, this has not allowed to detect any additional mutations. Conclusions: The developed methodology is a rapid and cost-effective screening tool for small mutations in PJS patients and makes it possible to detect all the STK11 gene sequence changes occurring in this group.