A Single Multiplexed Allele-Specific Polymerase Chain Reaction For Simultaneous Detection Of Alpha(1)-Antitrypsin S And Z Mutations

alpha(1)-Antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency is an inherited disorder that can cause lung disease in adults and liver disease in adults and children. The S and Z mutations are the two most common mutations found in the AAT-deficient patients. We have developed a simple multiplexed allele-specific-PCR to detect both the S and Z mutations and the corresponding wild-type alleles. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product could be resolved on an agarose gel or using any fluorescent gel detection system. We obtained accurate genotyping results for the four alleles; the S, Z, and their corresponding wild-type alleles for all investigated samples simultaneously. The approach described in this paper is rapid, cost effective, and reliable and can also be adaptable into any laboratory setting because of its simplicity.