Variable Number Tandem Repeat (VNTR) Genotyping of Hydatidiform Mole in Iranian Patients

BACKGROUND: Classification of molar gestation into Complete Hydatidiform Mole (CHM) and Partial Hydatidiform Mole (PHM) is done according to clinical, ultrasonographic, histologic and genetic criteria. However, making a distinction between CHM and PHM using histologic criteria alone may be difficult and several studies have shown that misclassifications are frequent, even for experienced pathologists. CHM is the most common precursor to choriocarcinoma and heterozygous moles carry an increased predisposition to transformation. METHODS: Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections of patients as well as peripheral blood of patients and their partners’ were collected in EDTA tubes. Tissue samples were obtained by curettage. Histological evaluation was performed on routine section stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin. Variable Number Tandem Repeats (VNTRs) genotyping was performed for 30 cases in two groups of CHM (n=21) and PHM (n=9), with Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplification of 2 different polymorphic loci, namely the Col2A1 and D1S80. RESULTS: The results of DNA analysis by VNTR genotyping showed that in 16 cases of CHM, amplification of the VNTR polymorphic loci showed androgenetic mono-spermic moles (homozygote) and in 5 cases of CHM androgenetic dispermic moles (heterozygote) in molar tissue. In cases of PHM, 6 samples were triploid dispermic and 3 samples were diploid biparental. CONCLUSION: This study confirmed that VNTR genotyping can identify the parental source of polymorphic alleles in hydatidiform mole. Compared to STR genotyping, VNTR genotyping was performed by PCR amplification of several minisatellite markers of DNA. This method significantly requires less time and is cost-effective.