@article {102, title = {Multiallelic Positions in the Human Genome: Challenges for Genetic Analyses.}, journal = {Hum Mutat}, volume = {37}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 Mar}, pages = {231-234}, abstract = {

As the amount of human genomic sequence available from personal genomes and exomes has increased, so too has the observation of genomic positions having two or more alternative alleles, so-called multiallelic sites. For portions of the haploid genome that are present in more than one copy, including segmental duplications, variation at such multisite variant positions becomes even more complex. Despite the frequency of multiallelic variants, a number of commonly used resources and tools in genomic research and diagnostics do not support these multiallelic variants all together or require special modifications. Here, we explore the frequency of multiallelic sites in large samples with whole exome sequencing and discuss potential outcomes of failing to account for multiple variant alleles. We also briefly discuss some commonly utilized resources that fully support multiallelic sites.

}, keywords = {Alleles, Exome, Genome, Human, Humans}, issn = {1098-1004}, doi = {10.1002/humu.22944}, author = {Campbell, Ian M and Gambin, Tomasz and Jhangiani, Shalini and Grove, Megan L and Veeraraghavan, Narayanan and Muzny, Donna M and Shaw, Chad A and Gibbs, Richard A and Boerwinkle, Eric and Yu, Fuli and Lupski, James R} } @article {176, title = {PacBio-LITS: a large-insert targeted sequencing method for characterization of human disease-associated chromosomal structural variations.}, journal = {BMC Genomics}, volume = {16}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Mar 19}, pages = {214}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Generation of long (>5 Kb) DNA sequencing reads provides an approach for interrogation of complex regions in the human genome. Currently, large-insert whole genome sequencing (WGS) technologies from Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) enable analysis of chromosomal structural variations (SVs), but the cost to achieve the required sequence coverage across the entire human genome is high.

RESULTS: We developed a method (termed PacBio-LITS) that combines oligonucleotide-based DNA target-capture enrichment technologies with PacBio large-insert library preparation to facilitate SV studies at specific chromosomal regions. PacBio-LITS provides deep sequence coverage at the specified sites at substantially reduced cost compared with PacBio WGS. The efficacy of PacBio-LITS is illustrated by delineating the breakpoint junctions of low copy repeat (LCR)-associated complex structural rearrangements on chr17p11.2 in patients diagnosed with Potocki-Lupski syndrome (PTLS; MIM$\#$610883). We successfully identified previously determined breakpoint junctions in three PTLS cases, and also were able to discover novel junctions in repetitive sequences, including LCR-mediated breakpoints. The new information has enabled us to propose mechanisms for formation of these structural variants.

CONCLUSIONS: The new method leverages the cost efficiency of targeted capture-sequencing as well as the mappability and scaffolding capabilities of long sequencing reads generated by the PacBio platform. It is therefore suitable for studying complex SVs, especially those involving LCRs, inversions, and the generation of chimeric Alu elements at the breakpoints. Other genomic research applications, such as haplotype phasing and small insertion and deletion validation could also benefit from this technology.

}, keywords = {Chromosome Aberrations, Gene Library, Gene Rearrangement, Genetic Association Studies, Genomics, High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing, Humans, Workflow}, issn = {1471-2164}, doi = {10.1186/s12864-015-1370-2}, author = {Wang, Min and Beck, Christine R and English, Adam C and Meng, Qingchang and Buhay, Christian and Han, Yi and Doddapaneni, Harsha V and Yu, Fuli and Boerwinkle, Eric and Lupski, James R and Muzny, Donna M and Gibbs, Richard A} } @article {270, title = {Launching genomics into the cloud: deployment of Mercury, a next generation sequence analysis pipeline.}, journal = {BMC Bioinformatics}, volume = {15}, year = {2014}, month = {2014 Jan 29}, pages = {30}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Massively parallel DNA sequencing generates staggering amounts of data. Decreasing cost, increasing throughput, and improved annotation have expanded the diversity of genomics applications in research and clinical practice. This expanding scale creates analytical challenges: accommodating peak compute demand, coordinating secure access for multiple analysts, and sharing validated tools and results.

RESULTS: To address these challenges, we have developed the Mercury analysis pipeline and deployed it in local hardware and the Amazon Web Services cloud via the DNAnexus platform. Mercury is an automated, flexible, and extensible analysis workflow that provides accurate and reproducible genomic results at scales ranging from individuals to large cohorts.

CONCLUSIONS: By taking advantage of cloud computing and with Mercury implemented on the DNAnexus platform, we have demonstrated a powerful combination of a robust and fully validated software pipeline and a scalable computational resource that, to date, we have applied to more than 10,000 whole genome and whole exome samples.

}, keywords = {Genome, Genomics, High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing, Humans, Internet, Software}, issn = {1471-2105}, doi = {10.1186/1471-2105-15-30}, author = {Reid, Jeffrey G and Carroll, Andrew and Veeraraghavan, Narayanan and Dahdouli, Mahmoud and Sundquist, Andreas and English, Adam and Bainbridge, Matthew and White, Simon and Salerno, William and Buhay, Christian and Yu, Fuli and Muzny, Donna and Daly, Richard and Duyk, Geoff and Gibbs, Richard A and Boerwinkle, Eric} }