Abstract
Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2D6, a major contributor to the metabolism and bioactivation of many clinically used drugs, is encoded by a complex, highly polymorphic gene locus. To aid in the characterization of CYP2D6 allelic variation, we developed allele-specific long-range PCR (ASXL-PCR) to amplify only the allele of interest for further characterization by PCR. This development was achieved utilizing single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the upstream region of CYP2D6 and a universal CYP2D6-specific reverse primer. This approach was assessed and optimized on samples with known genotypes. The application of ASXL-PCR clarified a case with a complex genotype (CYP2D6*2x2/*4N+*4) by amplifying the duplicated gene units separately for subsequent analysis. Furthermore, ASXL-PCR and subsequent sequence analysis also resolved genotype discord in a mother/daughter relationship by revealing the presence of the CYP2D6*59 allelic variant in both individuals. Finally, we demonstrated that the 2939G>A single-nucleotide polymorphism present on CYP2D6*59 interfered with the TaqMan genotype assay that detected 2850C>T, causing false genotype assignments. Assay interference was resolved using an alternative TaqMan genotype assay currently available as a custom-made assay. These examples demonstrate the utility of ASXL-PCR for improved CYP2D6 allele/haplotype characterization. This fast, easy-to-perform method is not limited to CYP2D6 but can be adapted to any gene locus for which polymorphic sites are known.