Copy number variants detection by microarray and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification in congenital heart diseases.

Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) are the most common birth defects among life births, which could be presented as isolated or syndromic with other congenital malformations. The etiology of CHD largely unknown, genetic and environmental factors contribute to the disease. Recurrent copy number variants (CNVs) have been reported in the pathogenesis of CHD. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical utility of multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) and microarray analyses on isolated and syndromic CHD cases and to explore the relationship between identified CNVs and CHD. Eighteen prenatal samples, 16 isolated and 33 syndromic patients with mild to severe CHD phenotype were tested. Prenatal and isolated CHD cases did not show pathogenic CNVs. Clinically significant CNVs were detected in 7/33 (21%) syndromic CHD patients: del 22q11.2 (n = 2), 8p23.1 duplication (n = 2), deletion 5p (n = 1), deletion 6q21q22 (n = 1), unbalanced translocation causing partial deletion of 4q34.3 and duplication of 6q25.1 (n = 1). These genomic imbalances contain genes that has been associated with human CHD before. The present study demonstrates that using microarray and MLPA analysis increase the detection rate of causal CNVs in individuals with syndromic CHD.