Purpose: We investigated the reliability of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) genotype analyses performed on single cells for the purposes of preimplantation genetic analysis.
Methods: We performed blind analysis of 130 single skin fibroblasts heterozygous for the delta-F508 mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR) gene and 73 single skin fibroblasts from an individual heterozygous for the XbaI polymorphic site of the Factor VIII gene.
Results: Amplification was successful for 116 cells and 52 cells respectively and in all but one case (a CFTR analysis) both alleles were amplified. The incidence of diagnostic error was 1 out of 203 analyses or 0.0043. We conclude that PCR is a reliable method for determining the genotype of single cells for the purposes of preimplantation genetic analysis.