Prenatal diagnosis of metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) due to arylsulphatase A (ASA) deficiency can be performed by amniocentesis with the disadvantage of a late pregnancy termination. Whether chorionic villi (CV) obtained by trophoblast biopsy during the first trimester of pregnancy can be useful for diagnosis depends on the reliability of results. The complexity of arylsulphatase expression in CV and the existence of several isozymes make diagnosis difficult. However, the use of an anti-ASA antiserum enabled us to discriminate between ASA and a comigrating contaminant isozyme, and the antigen-antibody (Ag-Ab) complex gave better evidence of the presence or absence of ASA after enhancement of activity with 4-methylumbelliferyl sulphate (4-MUS). We propose that immunoprecipitation followed by electrophoresis could be a valuable method of MLD prenatal diagnosis on chorionic villi.
Glycogenosis type II (Pompe's disease) has been diagnosed using cultured amniotic cells for several years. In this paper, we present three prenatal diagnoses based on chorionic villi biopsy in three families at risk for Pompe's disease juvenile form: a normal fetus that was diagnosed and confirmed by enzymatic assay on amniotic cells; two affected fetuses that were diagnosed and confirmed on post‐abortion fetal tissues. In one case a residual acid a‐glucosidase activity was found; we concluded that the residual activity was due to maternal contamination. Prenatal diagnosis of Pompe's disease is therefore possible using chorionic villi biopsy.
We studied a family at risk for atypical TSD in which the index case showed, clinically, a late onset and a gradual psychomotor deterioration and biochemically, a residual hex. A activity in leucocytes. Two prenatal diagnoses of affected fetuses were made in this family. The first one on amniotic cells, the second one on trophoblast biopsy samples. Both of them were confirmed after abortion on cultured cells. Prenatal diagnosis of TSD, even of some atypical forms is possible using trophoblast biopsy, but formal confirmation should be obtained on cultured trophoblasts.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.