Spizzo,G.; Gastl,G.; Obrist,P.; Fong,D.; Haun,M.; Grünewald,K.; Parson,W.; Eichmann,C.; Millinger,S.; Fiegl,H.; Margreiter,R.; Amberger,A.; We examined the methylation status of the Ep-CAM promoter region of human breast cancer cell lines and breast cancer tissue using MethyLight technology and bisulfite sequencing. We found the promoter of Ep-CAM-negative breast cancer cell lines Hs 578T to be methylated to a higher degree as compared to positive cell lines MCF-7. Demethylation of cell lines was performed using 5-aza-2’-deoxycytidine. [Read More]

Brandstätter,A.; Egyed,B.; Zimmermann,B.; Duftner,N.; Parson,W.; Transylvania’s ethnic mosaic is composed of Romanians, German Saxons and Hungarians. The ethnic groups of the Hungarian minority that settled in Romania show differences in dialects, customs and religious affiliations. In this study entire mtDNA control region sequences from 360 individuals of Hungarian ethnicity from two populations (the Csángó and the Székely), settled in the historical region of Transylvania in Romania, were generated and analyzed following high quality sequencing standards. [Read More]

Egyed,B.; Brandstätter,A.; Irwin,J.; Padar,Z.; Parsons,T.; Parson,W.; To assess the mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms of the Hungarian population in the Carpathian basin and to facilitate forensic mtDNA testing a collection of control region sequences were generated from two population samples from Hungary and from two Hungarian speaking populations from Transylvania (Romania). Entire control region sequencing was performed by an automated laboratory process and data export without any manual transcription. The random match probability and pairwise comparisons within and between the datasets is reported. [Read More]

Zimmermann,B.; Brandstatter,A.; Duftner,N.; Niederwieser,D.; Spiroski,M.; Arsov,T.; Parson,W.; Mitochondrial DNA sequences of the entire control region were analyzed in 200 unrelated individuals from Macedonia. A total of 163 different haplotypes were found as determined by 177 polymorphic sites. The probability of a random match was calculated as 1:121 (0.83%). The basic phylogenetic structure of the Macedonian population as derived from its haplogroup distribution is in agreement with other West-Eurasian populations. Upon publication, the population data are going to be available in the EMPOP database (www. [Read More]

Tetzlaff,S.; Brandstätter,A.; Wegener,R.; Parson,W.; Weirich,V.; Mitochondrial DNA sequences of the control region’s two hypervariable regions HVS-I and HVS-II were determined for 213 unrelated west Eurasian individuals from northeast Germany (Mecklenburg). A total of 174 different mtDNA haplotypes were found, 25 of which were shared by more than 1 individual. The most frequent haplotypes were 263G-309.1C-315.1C, found in seven individuals, 263G-309.1C-309.2C-315.1C, found in six individuals and 263G-315.1C, found in five individuals. These sequences are also the most common haplotypes in other published European data sets. [Read More]