Structural Alterations from Multiple Displacement Amplification of a Human Genome Revealed by Mate-Pair Sequencing
2011

Impact of Whole Genome Amplification on DNA Sequencing

Sample size: 2 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Jiao Xiang, Rosenlund Magnus, Hooper Sean D., Tellgren-Roth Christian, He Liqun, Fu Yutao, Mangion Jonathan, Sjöblom Tobias

Primary Institution: Uppsala University

Hypothesis

Does phi29-mediated whole genome amplification introduce false positive structural mutations in DNA sequencing?

Conclusion

Whole genome amplification using phi29 polymerase introduces false positive structural alterations, particularly inversions, which complicates cancer genomics.

Supporting Evidence

  • MDA led to a decrease in clone coverage and a significant increase in the prevalence of inversions.
  • The study found that MDA did not increase the prevalence of translocations.
  • MDA introduced a large number of structural alterations, particularly inversions, in the amplified genome.

Takeaway

When scientists make copies of DNA to study it, sometimes they accidentally create mistakes that can make it look like there are changes when there aren't any.

Methodology

The study involved whole genome amplification of DNA from two healthy volunteers, followed by mate-pair sequencing to analyze structural mutations.

Potential Biases

Potential bias in the detection of structural mutations due to the amplification method used.

Limitations

The study's findings may not be generalizable due to the small sample size and the specific conditions of the amplification process.

Participant Demographics

Two healthy volunteers, one female donor for reference DNA.

Statistical Information

P-Value

3.9 * 10−9

Statistical Significance

p=3.9 * 10−9

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0022250

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