Quantitative aberrations of hypermethylated RASSF1A gene sequences in maternal plasma in pre-eclampsia

Objective To study if quantitative aberrations in circulating placental‐derived hypermethylated RASSF1A DNA in maternal plasma are associated with pre‐eclamptic pregnancies. Method Maternal plasma and placental tissues from third‐trimester pre‐eclamptic women and gestational‐age matched normotensive controls were studied. Real‐time PCR was performed to quantify RASSF1A concentrations before and after methylation‐sensitive restriction digestion in a duplex assay, where ß‐actin concentrations were quantified as an internal control to confirm complete enzyme digestion. Results The median concentrations of hypermethylated RASSF1A were 4.3‐fold higher in maternal plasma of pre‐eclamptic subjects than in controls. There was no significant difference between the extent of RASSF1A hypermethylation in placental tissues obtained from pre‐eclamptic and control pregnancies. Conclusion This study demonstrated the potential utility of hypermethylated RASSF1A sequences in maternal plasma as a gender‐ and polymorphism‐independent marker for pre‐eclampsia. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.