Screening of mutL homolog 1 (MLH1) gene polymorpidsm using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method

Incidence for colorectal cancer (CRC) a malignant tumor is rapidly increasing worldwide. The cancer arises may be influenced by many risk factors, including lifestyle and genetic inherited. In this study, the main interest is to screen the inheritance of polymorphism in Mutl Homolog 1 (MLH1) gene associated with the cancer. This would benefit the risk population as prompt prevention and better treatment can be given, because usually, detection is at a late stage and at older ages. Polymorphism of MLH1 gene in Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colorectal Cancer (HNPCC) or also known as Lynch syndrome is genetically inherited form of CRC. The incidence on HNPCC is three to five percent of all CRCs. Defective MLH1 gene affects uncontrolled proliferation of cells leading to the tumor growth due to the methylation of MLH1 promoter and the gene forming heterodimeric with other genes and interferes with the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) excision and repair synthesis. The commonest symptoms presented in CRC patient include abdominal pain, bowel habit changes, anemia due to rectal bleeding and bloody stool. Inherited mutation in MLHI may increase the descendent potential to engage with the CRC. Ethics approval was obtained and ten subjects were involved in this research that consists of healthy and susceptible subjects. Three mL (3 mL) of blood samples was withdrawn into an ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) tube and kept at -20 °C unti I further use. Then the DNA was extracted from the blood sample by using NucleoSpin® Blood Kit.