DNA polymorphisms of the human CD46 gene in fetal and adult tissues.

DNA polymorphisms of the CD46 gene were investigated using a full length cDNA probe and five different restriction enzymes in genomic DNA samples from human fetal tissues and adult peripheral blood leukocytes. A HindIII polymorphism was observed and was classed as Types I, II and III at a ratio of approximately 3.5:2:1, depending on the presence or absence of two polymorphic fragments of 4.5 and 2.0 kb. No variation of polymorphic distribution was evident between the fetal and adult samples. Whether variation in CD46 expression between maternal and fetal tissue is relevant to fetal viability in pregnancy remains to be established.