Dysregulation of NRXN1 by mutant MIR8485 leads to calcium overload in pre-synapses inducing neurodegeneration in Multiple sclerosis.

Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2018 Apr 09;22:153-156

Authors: Kattimani Y, Veerappa AM

Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To identify Damaging mutations in microRNAs (miRNAs) and 3' untranslated regions (UTRs) of target genes to establish Multiple sclerosis (MS) disease pathway.
METHODS: Female aged 16, with Relapsing Remitting Multiple sclerosis (RRMS) was reported with initial symptoms of blurred vision, severe immobility, upper and lower limb numbness and backache. Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) and disease pathway analysis was performed to identify mutations in miRNAs and UTRs.
RESULTS: We identified Deleterious/Damaging multibase mutations in MIR8485 and NRXN1. miR-8485 was found carrying frameshift homozygous deletion of bases CA, while NRXN1 was found carrying nonframeshift homozygous substitution of bases CT to TC in exon 8 replacing Serine with Leucine.
CONCLUSIONS: Mutations in miR-8485 and NRXN1 was found to alter calcium homeostasis and NRXN1/NLGN1 cell adhesion molecule binding affinities. The miR-8485 mutation leads to overexpression of NRXN1 altering pre-synaptic Ca2+ homeostasis, inducing neurodegeneration.

PMID: 29729524 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

12 new pubmed citations were retrieved for your search. Click on the search hyperlink below to display the complete search results:

(exome OR "exome sequencing") AND disease

These pubmed results were generated on 2018/05/07

PubMed comprises more than millions of citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites.

Discovery of four exonic and one intergenic novel susceptibility loci for leprosy.

Clin Genet. 2018 May 03;:

Authors: Wang Z, Mi Z, Wang H, Sun L, Yu G, Fu X', Wang C, Bao F, Yue Z, Zhao Q, Wang N, Cheng X, Liu H, Zhang F

Abstract
Seven new risk coding variants have been identified through an exome-wide association study (EWAS), which studied the contributions of protein-coding variants to leprosy susceptibility. But some potential susceptibility loci were not studied in the previous EWAS study because of the project consideration. Seventeen unstudied potential susceptibility loci of the previous EWAS were validated in 3,169 cases and 9,814 controls in this study. Four disease associated exonic loci were identified: rs671 in ALDH2 (P = 2.0 × 10-20 , odds ratio (OR) = 1.35), rs13259978 in SLC7A2 (P = 1.74 × 10-8 , OR = 1.28), rs925368 in GIT2 (P = 9.18 × 10-17 , OR = 1.44), and rs75680863 in TCN2 (P = 8.37 × 10-21 , OR = 0.74). Potentially implicating ZFP36L1 as a new susceptibility gene, one intergenic SNP, rs1465788 (P = 7.81 × 10-6 , OR = 0.88), was also suggested to be associated with leprosy. A luciferase reporter assay showed that the rs1465788 risk allele notably decreased the transcription activity of the flanking sequence. These findings suggest the possible involvement of lipid metabolism, NF-κB homeostasis and macrophage antimicrobial pathways in leprosy pathogenesis.

PMID: 29722023 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

A Mini-Review: Leber Congenital Amaurosis: Identification of Disease-Causing Variants and Personalised Therapies.

Adv Exp Med Biol. 2018;1074:265-271

Authors: Thompson JA, De Roach JN, McLaren TL, Lamey TM

Abstract
Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) encompasses a group of severe inherited retinal dystrophies (IRDs) responsible for early childhood blindness. There are currently 25 genes implicated in the pathogenesis of these diseases, and identification of disease-causing variants will be required for personalised therapies. Whole exome and whole genome sequencing is informative for detecting novel disease-causing genes, whilst next-generation sequencing has excelled at detecting novel variants in known disease-causing genes.A global effort will be required to identify patient populations for early intervention. At the Australian Inherited Retinal Disease Registry and DNA Bank, we seek to identify genetic variants in individuals with IRDs in the Australian population to identify potential candidates for clinical trials, to inform clinical management of patients including reproductive options and to expand existing knowledge of IRDs.Due to the diversity of genes implicated, personalised strategies are likely to be the benchmark for treating these diseases, and a combined approach of different therapies may be optimal in treating some of these diseases.

PMID: 29721952 [PubMed - in process]

Identification of Novel Deletions as the Underlying Cause of Retinal Degeneration in Two Pedigrees.

Adv Exp Med Biol. 2018;1074:229-236

Authors: Branham K, Guru AA, Kozak I, Biswas P, Othman M, Kishaba K, Mansoor H, Riazuddin S, Heckenlively JR, Riazuddin SA, Hejtmancik JF, Sieving PA, Ayyagari R

Abstract
Retinal dystrophies are a phenotypically and genetically complex group of conditions. Because of this complexity, it can be challenging in many families to determine the inheritance based on pedigree analysis alone. Clinical examinations were performed and blood samples were collected from a North American (M1186) and a consanguineous Pakistani (PKRD168) pedigree affected with two different retinal dystrophies (RD). Based on the structure of the pedigrees, inheritance patterns in the families were difficult to determine. In one family, linkage analysis was performed with markers on X-chromosome. In the second family, whole-exome sequencing (WES) was performed. Subsequent Sanger sequencing of genes of interest was performed. Linkage and haplotype analysis localized the disease interval to a 70 Mb region on the X chromosome that encompassed RP2 and RPGR in M1186 . The disease haplotype segregated with RD in all individuals except for an unaffected man (IV:3) and his affected son (V:1) in this pedigree. Subsequent analysis identified a novel RPGR mutation (p. Lys857Glu fs221X) in all affected members of M1186 except V:1. This information suggests that there is an unidentified second cause of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) within the family. A novel two-base-pair deletion (p. Tyr565Ter fsX) in CHM (choroideremia) was found to segregate with RD in PKRD168. This paper highlights the challenges of interpreting family history in families with RD and reports on the identification of novel mutations in two RD families.

PMID: 29721948 [PubMed - in process]

Whole-Exome Sequencing Identifies Novel Variants that Co-segregates with Autosomal Recessive Retinal Degeneration in a Pakistani Pedigree.

Adv Exp Med Biol. 2018;1074:219-228

Authors: Biswas P, Naeem MA, Ali MH, Assir MZ, Khan SN, Riazuddin S, Hejtmancik JF, Riazuddin SA, Ayyagari R

Abstract
PURPOSE: To identify the molecular basis of inherited retinal degeneration (IRD) in a familial case of Pakistani origin using whole-exome sequencing.
METHODS: A thorough ophthalmic examination was completed, and genomic DNA was extracted using standard protocols. Whole exome(s) were captured with Agilent V5 + UTRs probes and sequenced on Illumina HiSeq genome analyzer. The exomeSuite software was used to filter variants, and the candidate causal variants were prioritized, examining their allele frequency and PolyPhen2, SIFT, and MutationTaster predictions. Sanger dideoxy sequencing was performed to confirm the segregation with disease phenotype and absence in ethnicity-matched control chromosomes.
RESULTS: Ophthalmic examination confirmed retinal degeneration in all affected individuals that segregated as an autosomal recessive trait in the family. Whole-exome sequencing identified two homozygous missense variants: c.1304G > A; p.Arg435Gln in ZNF408 (NM_024741) and c.902G > A; p.Gly301Asp in C1QTNF4 (NM_031909). Both variants segregated with the retinal phenotype in the PKRD320 and were absent in ethnically matched control chromosomes.
CONCLUSION: Whole-exome sequencing coupled with bioinformatics analysis identified potential novel variants that might be responsible for IRD.

PMID: 29721947 [PubMed - in process]

Integration of genomics and metabolomics for prioritization of rare disease variants: a 2018 literature review.

J Inherit Metab Dis. 2018 May 02;:

Authors: Graham E, Lee J, Price M, Tarailo-Graovac M, Matthews A, Engelke U, Tang J, Kluijtmans LAJ, Wevers RA, Wasserman WW, van Karnebeek CDM, Mostafavi S

Abstract
Many inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs) are amenable to treatment; therefore, early diagnosis and treatment is imperative. Despite recent advances, the genetic basis of many metabolic phenotypes remains unknown. For discovery purposes, whole exome sequencing (WES) variant prioritization coupled with clinical and bioinformatics expertise is the primary method used to identify novel disease-causing variants; however, causation is often difficult to establish due to the number of plausible variants. Integrated analysis of untargeted metabolomics (UM) and WES or whole genome sequencing (WGS) data is a promising systematic approach for identifying disease-causing variants. In this review, we provide a literature-based overview of UM methods utilizing liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS), and assess approaches to integrating WES/WGS and LC-MS UM data for the discovery and prioritization of variants causing IEMs. To embed this integrated -omics approach in the clinic, expansion of gene-metabolite annotations and metabolomic feature-to-metabolite mapping methods are needed.

PMID: 29721916 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

A pilot study of durvalumab and tremelimumab and immunogenomic dynamics in metastatic breast cancer.

Oncotarget. 2018 Apr 10;9(27):18985-18996

Authors: Santa-Maria CA, Kato T, Park JH, Kiyotani K, Rademaker A, Shah AN, Gross L, Blanco LZ, Jain S, Flaum L, Tellez C, Stein R, Uthe R, Gradishar WJ, Cristofanilli M, Nakamura Y, Giles FJ

Abstract
Immune checkpoint inhibitors produce modest responses in metastatic breast cancer, however, combination approaches may improve responses. A single arm pilot study was designed to determine the overall response rate (ORR) of durvalumab and tremelimumab, and evaluate immunogenomic dynamics in metastatic endocrine receptor (ER) positive or triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Simon two-stage design indicated at least four responses from the first 18 patients were needed to proceed with the second stage. T-cell receptor (TCR) sequencing and immune-gene expression profiling were conducted at baseline and two months, whole exome sequencing was conducted at baseline. Eighteen evaluable patients were accrued (11 ER-positive; seven TNBC). Only three patients had a response (ORR = 17%), thus the study did not proceed to the second stage. Responses were only observed in patients with TNBC (ORR = 43%). Responders versus non-responders had upregulation of CD8, granzyme A, and perforin 1 gene expression, and higher mutational and neoantigen burden. Patients with TNBC had an oligoclonal shift of the most abundant TCR-beta clonotypes compared to those with ER-positive disease, p = 0.004. We conclude responses are low in unselected metastatic breast cancer, however, higher rates of clinical benefit were observed in TNBC. Immunogenomic dynamics may help identify phenotypes most likely to respond to immunotherapy.

PMID: 29721177 [PubMed]

Genetic variation in 117 myelination-related genes in schizophrenia: Replication of association to lipid biosynthesis genes.

Sci Rep. 2018 May 02;8(1):6915

Authors: Stokowy T, Polushina T, Sønderby IE, Karlsson R, Giddaluru S, Le Hellard S, Bergen SE, Sullivan PF, Andreassen OA, Djurovic S, Hultman CM, Steen VM

Abstract
Schizophrenia is a serious psychotic disorder with high heritability. Several common genetic variants, rare copy number variants and ultra-rare gene-disrupting mutations have been linked to disease susceptibility, but there is still a large gap between the estimated and explained heritability. Since several studies have indicated brain myelination abnormalities in schizophrenia, we aimed to examine whether variants in myelination-related genes could be associated with risk for schizophrenia. We established a set of 117 myelination genes by database searches and manual curation. We used a combination of GWAS (SCZ_N = 35,476; CTRL_N = 46,839), exome chip (SCZ_N = 269; CTRL_N = 336) and exome sequencing data (SCZ_N = 2,527; CTRL_N = 2,536) from schizophrenia cases and healthy controls to examine common and rare variants. We found that a subset of lipid-related genes was nominally associated with schizophrenia (p = 0.037), but this signal did not survive multiple testing correction (FWER = 0.16) and was mainly driven by the SREBF1 and SREBF2 genes that have already been linked to schizophrenia. Further analysis demonstrated that the lowest nominal p-values were p = 0.0018 for a single common variant (rs8539) and p = 0.012 for burden of rare variants (LRP1 gene), but none of them survived multiple testing correction. Our findings suggest that variation in myelination-related genes is not a major risk factor for schizophrenia.

PMID: 29720671 [PubMed - in process]

Multifocal demyelinating motor neuropathy and hamartoma syndrome associated with a de novo PTEN mutation.

Neurology. 2018 May 02;:

Authors: Bansagi B, Phan V, Baker MR, O'Sullivan J, Jennings MJ, Whittaker RG, Müller JS, Duff J, Griffin H, Miller JAL, Gorman GS, Lochmüller H, Chinnery PF, Roos A, Swan LE, Horvath R

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To describe a patient with a multifocal demyelinating motor neuropathy with onset in childhood and a mutation in phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), a tumor suppressor gene associated with inherited tumor susceptibility conditions, macrocephaly, autism, ataxia, tremor, and epilepsy. Functional implications of this protein have been investigated in Parkinson and Alzheimer diseases.
METHODS: We performed whole-exome sequencing in the patient's genomic DNA validated by Sanger sequencing. Immunoblotting, in vitro enzymatic assay, and label-free shotgun proteomic profiling were performed in the patient's fibroblasts.
RESULTS: The predominant clinical presentation of the patient was a childhood onset, asymmetric progressive multifocal motor neuropathy. In addition, he presented with macrocephaly, autism spectrum disorder, and skin hamartomas, considered as clinical criteria for PTEN-related hamartoma tumor syndrome. Extensive tumor screening did not detect any malignancies. We detected a novel de novo heterozygous c.269T>C, p.(Phe90Ser) PTEN variant, which was absent in both parents. The pathogenicity of the variant is supported by altered expression of several PTEN-associated proteins involved in tumorigenesis. Moreover, fibroblasts showed a defect in catalytic activity of PTEN against the secondary substrate, phosphatidylinositol 3,4-trisphosphate. In support of our findings, focal hypermyelination leading to peripheral neuropathy has been reported in PTEN-deficient mice.
CONCLUSION: We describe a novel phenotype, PTEN-associated multifocal demyelinating motor neuropathy with a skin hamartoma syndrome. A similar mechanism may potentially underlie other forms of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease with involvement of the phosphatidylinositol pathway.

PMID: 29720545 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Exome-Wide Association Study of Pancreatic Cancer Risk.

Gastroenterology. 2018 02;154(3):719-722.e3

Authors: Grant RC, Denroche RE, Borgida A, Virtanen C, Cook N, Smith AL, Connor AA, Wilson JM, Peterson G, Roberts NJ, Klein AP, Grimmond SM, Biankin A, Cleary S, Moore M, Lemire M, Zogopoulos G, Stein L, Gallinger S

Abstract
We conducted a case-control exome-wide association study to discover germline variants in coding regions that affect risk for pancreatic cancer, combining data from 5 studies. We analyzed exome and genome sequencing data from 437 patients with pancreatic cancer (cases) and 1922 individuals not known to have cancer (controls). In the primary analysis, BRCA2 had the strongest enrichment for rare inactivating variants (17/437 cases vs 3/1922 controls) (P = 3.27x10-6; exome-wide statistical significance threshold P < 2.5x10-6). Cases had more rare inactivating variants in DNA repair genes than controls, even after excluding 13 genes known to predispose to pancreatic cancer (adjusted odds ratio, 1.35; P = .045). At the suggestive threshold (P < .001), 6 genes were enriched for rare damaging variants (UHMK1, AP1G2, DNTA, CHST6, FGFR3, and EPHA1) and 7 genes had associations with pancreatic cancer risk, based on the sequence-kernel association test. We confirmed variants in BRCA2 as the most common high-penetrant genetic factor associated with pancreatic cancer and we also identified candidate pancreatic cancer genes. Large collaborations and novel approaches are needed to overcome the genetic heterogeneity of pancreatic cancer predisposition.

PMID: 29074453 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

In-depth comparison of somatic point mutation callers based on different tumor next-generation sequencing depth data.

Sci Rep. 2016 11 22;6:36540

Authors: Cai L, Yuan W, Zhang Z, He L, Chou KC

Abstract
Four popular somatic single nucleotide variant (SNV) calling methods (Varscan, SomaticSniper, Strelka and MuTect2) were carefully evaluated on the real whole exome sequencing (WES, depth of ~50X) and ultra-deep targeted sequencing (UDT-Seq, depth of ~370X) data. The four tools returned poor consensus on candidates (only 20% of calls were with multiple hits by the callers). For both WES and UDT-Seq, MuTect2 and Strelka obtained the largest proportion of COSMIC entries as well as the lowest rate of dbSNP presence and high-alternative-alleles-in-control calls, demonstrating their superior sensitivity and accuracy. Combining different callers does increase reliability of candidates, but narrows the list down to very limited range of tumor read depth and variant allele frequency. Calling SNV on UDT-Seq data, which were of much higher read-depth, discovered additional true-positive variations, despite an even more tremendous growth in false positive predictions. Our findings not only provide valuable benchmark for state-of-the-art SNV calling methods, but also shed light on the access to more accurate SNV identification in the future.

PMID: 27874022 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Identification of a Novel Keratin 9 Missense Mutation in a Chinese Family with Epidermolytic Palmoplantar Keratoderma.

Cell Physiol Biochem. 2018 Apr 26;46(5):1919-1929

Authors: Xiao H, Guo Y, Yi J, Xia H, Xu H, Yuan L, Hu P, Yang Z, He Z, Lu H, Deng H

Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Epidermolytic palmoplantar keratoderma (EPPK) is an autosomal dominant genodermatosis. It is characterized by diffuse yellow keratoses on the palmoplantar epidermis, with an erythematous border. The keratin 9 gene (KRT9) and less frequently the keratin 1 gene (KRT1) are responsible for EPPK. This study aims to identify and analyse genetic defects responsible for EPPK in a Han Chinese pedigree.
METHODS: A four-generation Han Chinese pedigree containing five individuals affected with EPPK was recruited. Exome sequencing, Sanger sequencing, and bioinformatics tools were conducted to identify the mutation in this pedigree. HaCaT cells were transfected with either wild-type or mutated KRT9. Confocal laser immunofluorescence assay, imaging processing, and statistical analysis were performed to evaluate wild-type and mutant KRT9 groups.
RESULTS: A novel heterozygous c.1369C>T transition (p.Leu457Phe) in exon 6 of the KRT9 gene was identified in four patients. It co-segregated with the disorder in the family. Functional analysis showed that withdrawal of the filament network from the cell periphery and particle formation were present in about 10% of Leu457Phe-transfected HaCaT cells, while approximately 3% of cells transfected with wild-type KRT9 showed this phenotype. The particles in mutant group were larger than that in wild-type group (P-value < 0.05).
CONCLUSION: The variant may be the disease-causing missense mutation and produce dominant negative effects by interrupting keratin network formation. This study indicates the pathogenic role of the KRT9 gene mutation in this pedigree with EPPK, and may be helpful in genetic counseling, prenatal diagnosis and gene-targeted therapies of EPPK.

PMID: 29719290 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

CEP250 mutations associated with mild cone-rod dystrophy and sensorineural hearing loss in a Japanese family.

Ophthalmic Genet. 2018 May 02;:1-8

Authors: Kubota D, Gocho K, Kikuchi S, Akeo K, Miura M, Yamaki K, Takahashi H, Kameya S

Abstract
BACKGROUND: CEP250 encodes the C-Nap1 protein which belongs to the CEP family of proteins. C-Nap1 has been reported to be expressed in the photoreceptor cilia and is known to interact with other ciliary proteins. Mutations of CEP250 cause atypical Usher syndrome which is characterized by early-onset sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and a relatively mild retinitis pigmentosa. This study tested the hypothesis that the mild cone-rod dystrophy (CRD) and SNHL in a non-consanguineous Japanese family was caused by CEP250 mutations.
METHODS: Detailed ophthalmic and auditory examinations were performed on the proband and her family members. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was used on the DNA obtained from the proband.
RESULTS: Electrophysiological analysis revealed a mild CRD in two family members. Adaptive optics (AO) imaging showed reduced cone density around the fovea. Auditory examinations showed a slight SNHL in both patients. WES of the proband identified compound heterozygous variants c.361C>T, p.R121*, and c.562C>T, p.R188* in CEP250. The variants were found to co-segregate with the disease in five members of the family.
CONCLUSIONS: The variants of CEP250 are both null variants and according to American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) standards and guideline, these variants are classified into the very strong category (PVS1). The criteria for both alleles will be pathogenic. Our data indicate that mutations of CEP250 can cause mild CRD and SNHL in Japanese patients. Because the ophthalmological phenotypes were very mild, high-resolution retinal imaging analysis, such as AO, will be helpful in diagnosing CEP250-associated disease.

PMID: 29718797 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

DNAp: A Pipeline for DNA-seq Data Analysis.

Sci Rep. 2018 May 01;8(1):6793

Authors: Causey JL, Ashby C, Walker K, Wang ZP, Yang M, Guan Y, Moore JH, Huang X

Abstract
Next-generation sequencing is empowering genetic disease research. However, it also brings significant challenges for efficient and effective sequencing data analysis. We built a pipeline, called DNAp, for analyzing whole exome sequencing (WES) and whole genome sequencing (WGS) data, to detect mutations from disease samples. The pipeline is containerized, convenient to use and can run under any system, since it is a fully automatic process in Docker container form. It is also open, and can be easily customized with user intervention points, such as for updating reference files and different software or versions. The pipeline has been tested with both human and mouse sequencing datasets, and it has generated mutations results, comparable to published results from these datasets, and reproducible across heterogeneous hardware platforms. The pipeline DNAp, funded by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), was developed for analyzing DNA sequencing data of FDA. Here we make DNAp an open source, with the software and documentation available to the public at http://bioinformatics.astate.edu/dna-pipeline/ .

PMID: 29717215 [PubMed - in process]

Exome sequencing identifies targets in the treatment-resistant ophthalmoplegic subphenotype of myasthenia gravis.

Neuromuscul Disord. 2017 Sep;27(9):816-825

Authors: Nel M, Jalali Sefid Dashti M, Gamieldien J, Heckmann JM

Abstract
Treatment-resistant ophthalmoplegia (OP-MG) is not uncommon in individuals with African genetic ancestry and myasthenia gravis (MG). To identify OP-MG susceptibility genes, extended whole exome sequencing was performed using extreme phenotype sampling (11 OP-MG vs 4 control-MG) all with acetylcholine receptor-antibody positive MG. This approach identified 356 variants that were twice as frequent in OP-MG compared to control-MG individuals. After performing probability test estimates and filtering variants according to those 'suggestive' of association with OP-MG (p < 0.05), only three variants remained which were expressed in extraocular muscles. Validation in 25 OP-MG and 50 control-MG cases supported the association of DDX17delG (p = 0.014) and SPTLC3insACAC (p = 0.055) with OP-MG, but ST8SIA1delCCC could not be verified by Sanger sequencing. A parallel approach, using a semantic model informed by current knowledge of MG-pathways, identified an African-specific interleukin-6 receptor (IL6R) variant, IL6R c.*3043 T>C, that was more frequent in OP-MG compared to control-MG cases (p = 0.069) and population controls (p = 0.043). A weighted genetic risk score, derived from the odds ratios of association of these variants with OP-MG, correlated with the OP-MG phenotype as opposed to control MG. This unbiased approach implicates several potentially functional gene variants in the gangliosphingolipid and myogenesis pathways in the development of the OP-MG subphenotype.

PMID: 28673556 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Utilizing next-generation sequencing in the management of multiple myeloma.

Expert Rev Mol Diagn. 2017 Jul;17(7):653-663

Authors: Lionetti M, Neri A

Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Multiple myeloma (MM) is a bone marrow plasma cell malignancy characterized by wide clinical presentation and heterogeneous genetic background. Despite the recent advances in patient outcome, new markers are needed for improving risk prediction and choice of a more appropriate therapy. In this perspective, the genetic makeup of MM cells is being better characterized by means of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies. Areas covered: The authors discuss how the application of NGS has improved our knowledge of MM biology by discovering its mutational landscape, identifying the operating mutational processes, and revealing the clonal composition of tumors and the dynamics of its evolution; and how this can have important clinical implications in terms of prognostication, therapeutic choices, and response assessment. Finally, the authors provide a quick outlook of future applications of these technologies that could help in the management of the disease in the next years. Expert commentary: The clinical exploitation of NGS-based characterization of MM patients has as its ultimate goal the precision medicine. Considerable obstacles to its implementation in myeloma management exist; therefore, the concerted effort of all involved stakeholders is mandatory to ensure that it will become a reality in routine clinical practice in the next future.

PMID: 28524737 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

iFish: predicting the pathogenicity of human nonsynonymous variants using gene-specific/family-specific attributes and classifiers.

Sci Rep. 2016 08 16;6:31321

Authors: Wang M, Wei L

Abstract
Accurate prediction of the pathogenicity of genomic variants, especially nonsynonymous single nucleotide variants (nsSNVs), is essential in biomedical research and clinical genetics. Most current prediction methods build a generic classifier for all genes. However, different genes and gene families have different features. We investigated whether gene-specific and family-specific customized classifiers could improve prediction accuracy. Customized gene-specific and family-specific attributes were selected with AIC, BIC, and LASSO, and Support Vector Machine classifiers were generated for 254 genes and 152 gene families, covering a total of 5,985 genes. Our results showed that the customized attributes reflected key features of the genes and gene families, and the customized classifiers achieved higher prediction accuracy than the generic classifier. The customized classifiers and the generic classifier for other genes and families were integrated into a new tool named iFish (integrated Functional inference of SNVs in human, http://ifish.cbi.pku.edu.cn). iFish outperformed other methods on benchmark datasets as well as on prioritization of candidate causal variants from whole exome sequencing. iFish provides a user-friendly web-based interface and supports other functionalities such as integration of genetic evidence. iFish would facilitate high-throughput evaluation and prioritization of nsSNVs in human genetics research.

PMID: 27527004 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Mutations in SURF1 are important genetic causes of Leigh syndrome in Slovak patients.

Endocr Regul. 2018 Apr 01;52(2):110-118

Authors: Danis D, Brennerova K, Skopkova M, Kurdiova T, Ukropec J, Stanik J, Kolnikova M, Gasperikova D

Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Leigh syndrome is a progressive early onset neurodegenerative disease typically presenting with psychomotor regression, signs of brainstem and/or basal ganglia disease, lactic acidosis, and characteristic magnetic resonance imaging findings. At molecular level, deficiency of respiratory complexes and/or pyruvate dehydrogenase complex is usually observed. Nuclear gene SURF1 encodes an assembly factor for cytochrome c-oxidase complex of the respiratory chain and autosomal recessive mutations in SURF1 are one of the most frequent causes of cytochrome c-oxidase-related Leigh syndrome cases. Here, we aimed to elucidate the genetic basis of Leigh syndrome in three Slovak families.
METHODS AND RESULTS: Three probands presenting with Leigh syndrome were selected for DNA analysis. The first proband, presenting with atypical LS onset without abnormal basal ganglia magnetic resonance imaging findings, was analyzed with whole exome sequencing. In the two remaining probands, SURF1 was screened by Sanger sequencing. Four different heterozygous mutations were identified in SURF1: c.312_321delinsAT:p.(Pro104Profs*1), c.588+1G>A, c.823_833+7del:p. (?) and c.845_846del:p.(Ser282Cysfs*9). All the mutations are predicted to have a loss-of-function effect.
CONCLUSIONS: We identified disease-causing mutations in all three probands, which points to the important role of SURF1 gene in etiology of Leigh syndrome in Slovakia. Our data showed that patients with atypical Leigh syndrome phenotype without lesions in basal ganglia may benefit from the whole exome sequencing method. In the case of probands presenting the typical phenotype, Sanger sequencing of the SURF1 gene seems to be an effective method of DNA analysis.

PMID: 29715184 [PubMed - in process]

Systematic analysis of copy number variation associated with congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018 Apr 30;:

Authors: Zhu Q, High FA, Zhang C, Cerveira E, Russell MK, Longoni M, Joy MP, Ryan M, Mil-Homens A, Bellfy L, Coletti CM, Bhayani P, Hila R, Wilson JM, Donahoe PK, Lee C

Abstract
Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), characterized by malformation of the diaphragm and hypoplasia of the lungs, is one of the most common and severe birth defects, and is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. There is growing evidence demonstrating that genetic factors contribute to CDH, although the pathogenesis remains largely elusive. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms have been studied in recent whole-exome sequencing efforts, but larger copy number variants (CNVs) have not yet been studied on a large scale in a case control study. To capture CNVs within CDH candidate regions, we developed and tested a targeted array comparative genomic hybridization platform to identify CNVs within 140 regions in 196 patients and 987 healthy controls, and identified six significant CNVs that were either unique to patients or enriched in patients compared with controls. These CDH-associated CNVs reveal high-priority candidate genes including HLX, LHX1, and HNF1B We also discuss CNVs that are present in only one patient in the cohort but have additional evidence of pathogenicity, including extremely rare large and/or de novo CNVs. The candidate genes within these predicted disease-causing CNVs form functional networks with other known CDH genes and play putative roles in DNA binding/transcription regulation and embryonic development. These data substantiate the importance of CNVs in the etiology of CDH, identify CDH candidate genes and pathways, and highlight the importance of ongoing analysis of CNVs in the study of CDH and other structural birth defects.

PMID: 29712845 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]