A familiar case of recurrent hydatidiform molar pregnancies with biparental genomic contribution

Hydatidiform mole is a benign trophoblastic neoplasia characterized by an a bnormal development of the embryo and proliferation of placental villi. Usi ng microsatellite markers amplified by the polymerase chain reaction? we ha ve performed a genetic study on eight independent molar tissues occurring i n two sisters. Karyotype and genotype data demonstrate a diploid and bipare ntal constitution in seven of the analyzed moles suggesting a common mechan ism underlying the etiology of the various molar pregnancies in this family . The data reported here suggest that complete and partial hydatidiform mol es are not always separate entities and that women with familial recurrent hydatidiform moles are homozygous for an autosomal recessive mutation.