POTENTIAL FOR PREIMPLANTATION DETERMINATION OF HUMAN PLATELET ANTIGEN TYPE USING DNA AMPLIFICATION - A STRATEGY FOR PREVENTION OF ALLO-IMMUNE THROMBOCYTOPENIA

To demonstrate that fetal human platelet antigen (HPA1) type can be determined by amplification from picogram quantities of DNA, nested oligonucleotide DNA primers were designed to amplify a portion of the platelet glycoprotein GpIIIa gene which spans the polymorphic HPA site. Specific oligonucleotides were designed to hybridise either to the amplified HPA la allele or to the HPA1b allele. DNA dilutions were used as a template and HPA1 type, determined by this method from as little as 2 pg of DNA in 6 cases, was compared to direct typing of blood from the same individuals. In each case nested polymerase chain reaction amplified the specific HPA locus from as little as 2 pg of DNA and determination of HPA 1 type agreed with typing of blood.