@article {842, title = {Cell type-specific genetic regulation of gene expression across human tissues.}, journal = {Science}, volume = {369}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 09 11}, abstract = {

The Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project has identified expression and splicing quantitative trait loci in cis (QTLs) for the majority of genes across a wide range of human tissues. However, the functional characterization of these QTLs has been limited by the heterogeneous cellular composition of GTEx tissue samples. We mapped interactions between computational estimates of cell type abundance and genotype to identify cell type-interaction QTLs for seven cell types and show that cell type-interaction expression QTLs (eQTLs) provide finer resolution to tissue specificity than bulk tissue cis-eQTLs. Analyses of genetic associations with 87 complex traits show a contribution from cell type-interaction QTLs and enables the discovery of hundreds of previously unidentified colocalized loci that are masked in bulk tissue.

}, keywords = {Cells, Gene Expression Regulation, Humans, Organ Specificity, Quantitative Trait Loci, RNA, Long Noncoding, Transcriptome}, issn = {1095-9203}, doi = {10.1126/science.aaz8528}, author = {Kim-Hellmuth, Sarah and Aguet, Francois and Oliva, Meritxell and Mu{\~n}oz-Aguirre, Manuel and Kasela, Silva and Wucher, Valentin and Castel, Stephane E and Hamel, Andrew R and Vi{\~n}uela, Ana and Roberts, Amy L and Mangul, Serghei and Wen, Xiaoquan and Wang, Gao and Barbeira, Alvaro N and Garrido-Mart{\'\i}n, Diego and Nadel, Brian B and Zou, Yuxin and Bonazzola, Rodrigo and Quan, Jie and Brown, Andrew and Martinez-Perez, Angel and Soria, Jos{\'e} Manuel and Getz, Gad and Dermitzakis, Emmanouil T and Small, Kerrin S and Stephens, Matthew and Xi, Hualin S and Im, Hae Kyung and Guig{\'o}, Roderic and Segr{\`e}, Ayellet V and Stranger, Barbara E and Ardlie, Kristin G and Lappalainen, Tuuli} } @article {841, title = {The GTEx Consortium atlas of genetic regulatory effects across human tissues.}, journal = {Science}, volume = {369}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 09 11}, pages = {1318-1330}, abstract = {

The Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project was established to characterize genetic effects on the transcriptome across human tissues and to link these regulatory mechanisms to trait and disease associations. Here, we present analyses of the version 8 data, examining 15,201 RNA-sequencing samples from 49 tissues of 838 postmortem donors. We comprehensively characterize genetic associations for gene expression and splicing in cis and trans, showing that regulatory associations are found for almost all genes, and describe the underlying molecular mechanisms and their contribution to allelic heterogeneity and pleiotropy of complex traits. Leveraging the large diversity of tissues, we provide insights into the tissue specificity of genetic effects and show that cell type composition is a key factor in understanding gene regulatory mechanisms in human tissues.

}, keywords = {Datasets as Topic, Disease, Female, Gene Expression Regulation, Genome-Wide Association Study, Humans, Male, Organ Specificity, Quantitative Trait Loci, Sequence Analysis, RNA}, issn = {1095-9203}, doi = {10.1126/science.aaz1776} } @article {837, title = {The impact of sex on gene expression across human tissues.}, journal = {Science}, volume = {369}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 09 11}, abstract = {

Many complex human phenotypes exhibit sex-differentiated characteristics. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these differences remain largely unknown. We generated a catalog of sex differences in gene expression and in the genetic regulation of gene expression across 44 human tissue sources surveyed by the Genotype-Tissue Expression project (GTEx, v8 release). We demonstrate that sex influences gene expression levels and cellular composition of tissue samples across the human body. A total of 37\% of all genes exhibit sex-biased expression in at least one tissue. We identify cis expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) with sex-differentiated effects and characterize their cellular origin. By integrating sex-biased eQTLs with genome-wide association study data, we identify 58 gene-trait associations that are driven by genetic regulation of gene expression in a single sex. These findings provide an extensive characterization of sex differences in the human transcriptome and its genetic regulation.

}, keywords = {Chromosomes, Human, X, Disease, Epigenesis, Genetic, Female, Gene Expression, Gene Expression Regulation, Genetic Variation, Genome-Wide Association Study, Humans, Male, Organ Specificity, Promoter Regions, Genetic, Quantitative Trait Loci, Sex Characteristics, Sex Factors}, issn = {1095-9203}, doi = {10.1126/science.aba3066}, author = {Oliva, Meritxell and Mu{\~n}oz-Aguirre, Manuel and Kim-Hellmuth, Sarah and Wucher, Valentin and Gewirtz, Ariel D H and Cotter, Daniel J and Parsana, Princy and Kasela, Silva and Balliu, Brunilda and Vi{\~n}uela, Ana and Castel, Stephane E and Mohammadi, Pejman and Aguet, Francois and Zou, Yuxin and Khramtsova, Ekaterina A and Skol, Andrew D and Garrido-Mart{\'\i}n, Diego and Reverter, Ferran and Brown, Andrew and Evans, Patrick and Gamazon, Eric R and Payne, Anthony and Bonazzola, Rodrigo and Barbeira, Alvaro N and Hamel, Andrew R and Martinez-Perez, Angel and Soria, Jos{\'e} Manuel and Pierce, Brandon L and Stephens, Matthew and Eskin, Eleazar and Dermitzakis, Emmanouil T and Segr{\`e}, Ayellet V and Im, Hae Kyung and Engelhardt, Barbara E and Ardlie, Kristin G and Montgomery, Stephen B and Battle, Alexis J and Lappalainen, Tuuli and Guig{\'o}, Roderic and Stranger, Barbara E} } @article {828, title = {Loss of the neural-specific BAF subunit ACTL6B relieves repression of early response genes and causes recessive autism.}, journal = {Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A}, volume = {117}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 05 05}, pages = {10055-10066}, abstract = {

Synaptic activity in neurons leads to the rapid activation of genes involved in mammalian behavior. ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers such as the BAF complex contribute to these responses and are generally thought to activate transcription. However, the mechanisms keeping such "early activation" genes silent have been a mystery. In the course of investigating Mendelian recessive autism, we identified six families with segregating loss-of-function mutations in the neuronal BAF (nBAF) subunit (originally named ). Accordingly, was the most significantly mutated gene in the Simons Recessive Autism Cohort. At least 14 subunits of the nBAF complex are mutated in autism, collectively making it a major contributor to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Patient mutations destabilized ACTL6B protein in neurons and rerouted dendrites to the wrong glomerulus in the fly olfactory system. Humans and mice lacking showed corpus callosum hypoplasia, indicating a conserved role for in facilitating neural connectivity. knockout mice on two genetic backgrounds exhibited ASD-related behaviors, including social and memory impairments, repetitive behaviors, and hyperactivity. Surprisingly, mutation of relieved repression of early response genes including AP1 transcription factors (, , , and ), increased chromatin accessibility at AP1 binding sites, and transcriptional changes in late response genes associated with early response transcription factor activity. loss is thus an important cause of recessive ASD, with impaired neuron-specific chromatin repression indicated as a potential mechanism.

}, keywords = {Actins, Adenosine Triphosphate, Animals, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Behavior, Animal, Chromatin, Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly, Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone, Chromosome Pairing, Corpus Callosum, Dendrites, Disease Models, Animal, DNA-Binding Proteins, Gene Expression Regulation, Hippocampus, Humans, Mice, Mice, Knockout, Mutation, Neurons, Transcription Factors}, issn = {1091-6490}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.1908238117}, author = {Wenderski, Wendy and Wang, Lu and Krokhotin, Andrey and Walsh, Jessica J and Li, Hongjie and Shoji, Hirotaka and Ghosh, Shereen and George, Renee D and Miller, Erik L and Elias, Laura and Gillespie, Mark A and Son, Esther Y and Staahl, Brett T and Baek, Seung Tae and Stanley, Valentina and Moncada, Cynthia and Shipony, Zohar and Linker, Sara B and Marchetto, Maria C N and Gage, Fred H and Chen, Dillon and Sultan, Tipu and Zaki, MAH S and Ranish, Jeffrey A and Miyakawa, Tsuyoshi and Luo, Liqun and Malenka, Robert C and Crabtree, Gerald R and Gleeson, Joseph G} } @article {852, title = {Next Generation Sequencing of 134 Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Regression.}, journal = {Genes (Basel)}, volume = {11}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 07 25}, abstract = {

Approximately 30\% of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience developmental regression, the etiology of which remains largely unknown. We performed a complete literature search and identified 47 genes that had been implicated in such cases. We sequenced these genes in a preselected cohort of 134 individuals with regressive autism. In total, 16 variants in 12 genes with evidence supportive of pathogenicity were identified. They were classified as variants of uncertain significance based on ACMG standards and guidelines. Among these were recurring variants in and , variants in genes that were linked to syndromic forms of ASD (, , , , , and ), and variants in the form of oligogenic heterozygosity (, , and ).

}, keywords = {Autism Spectrum Disorder, Child, Child, Preschool, Cohort Studies, Disease Progression, Female, Gene Expression Regulation, Genetic Markers, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing, Humans, Infant, Male, Mutation}, issn = {2073-4425}, doi = {10.3390/genes11080853}, author = {Yin, Jiani and Chun, Chun-An and Zavadenko, Nikolay N and Pechatnikova, Natalia L and Naumova, Oxana Yu and Doddapaneni, Harsha V and Hu, Jianhong and Muzny, Donna M and Schaaf, Christian P and Grigorenko, Elena L} } @article {844, title = {Type 2 and interferon inflammation regulate SARS-CoV-2 entry factor expression in the airway epithelium.}, journal = {Nat Commun}, volume = {11}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 10 12}, pages = {5139}, abstract = {

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by SARS-CoV-2, an emerging virus that utilizes host proteins ACE2 and TMPRSS2 as entry factors. Understanding the factors affecting the pattern and levels of expression of these genes is important for deeper understanding of SARS-CoV-2 tropism and pathogenesis. Here we explore the role of genetics and co-expression networks in regulating these genes in the airway, through the analysis of nasal airway transcriptome data from 695 children. We identify expression quantitative trait loci for both ACE2 and TMPRSS2, that vary in frequency across world populations. We find TMPRSS2 is part of a mucus secretory network, highly upregulated by type 2 (T2) inflammation through the action of interleukin-13, and that the interferon response to respiratory viruses highly upregulates ACE2 expression. IL-13 and virus infection mediated effects on ACE2 expression were also observed at the protein level in the airway epithelium. Finally, we define airway responses to common coronavirus infections in children, finding that these infections generate host responses similar to other viral species, including upregulation of IL6 and ACE2. Our results reveal possible mechanisms influencing SARS-CoV-2 infectivity and COVID-19 clinical outcomes.

}, keywords = {Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2, Betacoronavirus, Child, Coronavirus Infections, COVID-19, Epithelial Cells, Gene Expression Profiling, Gene Expression Regulation, Genetic Variation, Host-Pathogen Interactions, Humans, Inflammation, Interferons, Interleukin-13, Middle Aged, Nasal Mucosa, Pandemics, Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A, Pneumonia, Viral, SARS-CoV-2, Serine Endopeptidases, Virus Internalization}, issn = {2041-1723}, doi = {10.1038/s41467-020-18781-2}, author = {Sajuthi, Satria P and DeFord, Peter and Li, Yingchun and Jackson, Nathan D and Montgomery, Michael T and Everman, Jamie L and Rios, Cydney L and Pruesse, Elmar and Nolin, James D and Plender, Elizabeth G and Wechsler, Michael E and Mak, Angel C Y and Eng, Celeste and Salazar, Sandra and Medina, Vivian and Wohlford, Eric M and Huntsman, Scott and Nickerson, Deborah A and Germer, Soren and Zody, Michael C and Abecasis, Gon{\c c}alo and Kang, Hyun Min and Rice, Kenneth M and Kumar, Rajesh and Oh, Sam and Rodriguez-Santana, Jose and Burchard, Esteban G and Seibold, Max A} } @article {576, title = {Complex Compound Inheritance of Lethal Lung Developmental Disorders Due to Disruption of the TBX-FGF Pathway.}, journal = {Am J Hum Genet}, volume = {104}, year = {2019}, month = {2019 02 07}, pages = {213-228}, abstract = {

Primary defects in lung branching morphogenesis, resulting in neonatal lethal pulmonary hypoplasias, are incompletely understood. To elucidate the pathogenetics of human lung development, we studied a unique collection of samples obtained from deceased individuals with clinically and histopathologically diagnosed interstitial neonatal lung disorders: acinar dysplasia (n = 14), congenital alveolar dysplasia (n = 2), and other lethal lung hypoplasias (n = 10). We identified rare heterozygous copy-number variant deletions or single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) involving TBX4 (n = 8 and n = 2, respectively) or FGF10 (n = 2 and n = 2, respectively) in 16/26 (61\%) individuals. In addition to TBX4, the overlapping \~{}2 Mb recurrent and nonrecurrent deletions at 17q23.1q23.2 identified in seven individuals with lung hypoplasia also remove a lung-specific enhancer region. Individuals with coding variants involving either TBX4 or FGF10 also harbored at least one non-coding SNV in the predicted lung-specific enhancer region, which was absent in 13 control individuals with the overlapping deletions but without any structural lung anomalies. The occurrence of rare coding variants involving TBX4 or FGF10 with the putative hypomorphic non-coding SNVs implies a complex compound inheritance of these pulmonary hypoplasias. Moreover, they support the importance of TBX4-FGF10-FGFR2 epithelial-mesenchymal signaling in human lung organogenesis and help to explain the histopathological continuum observed in these rare lethal developmental disorders of the lung.

}, keywords = {DNA Copy Number Variations, Female, Fibroblast Growth Factor 10, Gene Expression Regulation, Gestational Age, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Infant, Newborn, Diseases, Lung, Lung Diseases, Male, Maternal Inheritance, Organogenesis, Paternal Inheritance, Pedigree, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 2, Signal Transduction, T-Box Domain Proteins}, issn = {1537-6605}, doi = {10.1016/j.ajhg.2018.12.010}, author = {Karolak, Justyna A and Vincent, Marie and Deutsch, Gail and Gambin, Tomasz and Cogn{\'e}, Benjamin and Pichon, Olivier and Vetrini, Francesco and Mefford, Heather C and Dines, Jennifer N and Golden-Grant, Katie and Dipple, Katrina and Freed, Amanda S and Leppig, Kathleen A and Dishop, Megan and Mowat, David and Bennetts, Bruce and Gifford, Andrew J and Weber, Martin A and Lee, Anna F and Boerkoel, Cornelius F and Bartell, Tina M and Ward-Melver, Catherine and Besnard, Thomas and Petit, Florence and Bache, Iben and T{\"u}mer, Zeynep and Denis-Musquer, Marie and Joubert, Madeleine and Martinovic, Jelena and B{\'e}n{\'e}teau, Claire and Molin, Arnaud and Carles, Dominique and Andr{\'e}, Gwenaelle and Bieth, Eric and Chassaing, Nicolas and Devisme, Louise and Chalabreysse, Lara and Pasquier, Laurent and Secq, V{\'e}ronique and Don, Massimiliano and Orsaria, Maria and Missirian, Chantal and Mortreux, J{\'e}r{\'e}mie and Sanlaville, Damien and Pons, Linda and K{\"u}ry, S{\'e}bastien and B{\'e}zieau, St{\'e}phane and Liet, Jean-Michel and Joram, Nicolas and Bihou{\'e}e, Tiphaine and Scott, Daryl A and Brown, Chester W and Scaglia, Fernando and Tsai, Anne Chun-Hui and Grange, Dorothy K and Phillips, John A and Pfotenhauer, Jean P and Jhangiani, Shalini N and Gonzaga-Jauregui, Claudia G and Chung, Wendy K and Schauer, Galen M and Lipson, Mark H and Mercer, Catherine L and van Haeringen, Arie and Liu, Qian and Popek, Edwina and Coban Akdemir, Zeynep H and Lupski, James R and Szafranski, Przemyslaw and Isidor, Bertrand and Le Caignec, Cedric and Stankiewicz, Pawe{\l}} } @article {464, title = {Truncating Variants in NAA15 Are Associated with Variable Levels of Intellectual Disability, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Congenital Anomalies.}, journal = {Am J Hum Genet}, volume = {102}, year = {2018}, month = {2018 05 03}, pages = {985-994}, abstract = {

N-alpha-acetylation is a common co-translational protein modification that is essential for normal cell function in humans. We previously identified the genetic basis of an X-linked infantile lethal Mendelian disorder involving a c.109T>C (p.Ser37Pro) missense variant in NAA10, which encodes the catalytic subunit of the N-terminal acetyltransferase A (NatA) complex. The auxiliary subunit of the NatA complex, NAA15, is the dimeric binding partner for NAA10. Through a genotype-first approach with whole-exome or genome sequencing (WES/WGS) and targeted sequencing analysis, we identified and phenotypically characterized 38 individuals from 33 unrelated families with 25 different de novo or inherited, dominantly acting likely gene disrupting (LGD) variants in NAA15. Clinical features of affected individuals with LGD variants in NAA15 include variable levels of intellectual disability, delayed speech and motor milestones, and autism spectrum disorder. Additionally, mild craniofacial dysmorphology, congenital cardiac anomalies, and seizures are present in some subjects. RNA analysis in cell lines from two individuals showed degradation of the transcripts with LGD variants, probably as a result of nonsense-mediated decay. Functional assays in yeast confirmed a deleterious effect for two of the LGD variants in NAA15. Further supporting a mechanism of haploinsufficiency, individuals with copy-number variant (CNV) deletions involving NAA15 and surrounding genes can present with mild intellectual disability, mild dysmorphic features, motor delays, and decreased growth. We propose that defects in NatA-mediated N-terminal acetylation (NTA) lead to variable levels of neurodevelopmental disorders in humans, supporting the importance of the NatA complex in normal human development.

}, keywords = {Abnormalities, Multiple, Adolescent, Adult, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cell Line, Child, Exons, Female, Gene Expression Regulation, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Genetic Variation, Humans, Intellectual Disability, Male, Middle Aged, Mutation, N-Terminal Acetyltransferase A, N-Terminal Acetyltransferase E, Pedigree, Phenotype, RNA, Messenger, Saccharomyces cerevisiae}, issn = {1537-6605}, doi = {10.1016/j.ajhg.2018.03.004}, author = {Cheng, Hanyin and Dharmadhikari, Avinash V and Varland, Sylvia and Ma, Ning and Domingo, Deepti and Kleyner, Robert and Rope, Alan F and Yoon, Margaret and Stray-Pedersen, Asbj{\o}rg and Posey, Jennifer E and Crews, Sarah R and Eldomery, Mohammad K and Akdemir, Zeynep Coban and Lewis, Andrea M and Sutton, Vernon R and Rosenfeld, Jill A and Conboy, Erin and Agre, Katherine and Xia, Fan and Walkiewicz, Magdalena and Longoni, Mauro and High, Frances A and van Slegtenhorst, Marjon A and Mancini, Grazia M S and Finnila, Candice R and van Haeringen, Arie and den Hollander, Nicolette and Ruivenkamp, Claudia and Naidu, Sakkubai and Mahida, Sonal and Palmer, Elizabeth E and Murray, Lucinda and Lim, Derek and Jayakar, Parul and Parker, Michael J and Giusto, Stefania and Stracuzzi, Emanuela and Romano, Corrado and Beighley, Jennifer S and Bernier, Raphael A and K{\"u}ry, S{\'e}bastien and Nizon, Mathilde and Corbett, Mark A and Shaw, Marie and Gardner, Alison and Barnett, Christopher and Armstrong, Ruth and Kassahn, Karin S and Van Dijck, Anke and Vandeweyer, Geert and Kleefstra, Tjitske and Schieving, Jolanda and Jongmans, Marjolijn J and de Vries, Bert B A and Pfundt, Rolph and Kerr, Bronwyn and Rojas, Samantha K and Boycott, Kym M and Person, Richard and Willaert, Rebecca and Eichler, Evan E and Kooy, R Frank and Yang, Yaping and Wu, Joseph C and Lupski, James R and Arnesen, Thomas and Cooper, Gregory M and Chung, Wendy K and Gecz, Jozef and Stessman, Holly A F and Meng, Linyan and Lyon, Gholson J} } @article {341, title = {Biallelic mutations in IRF8 impair human NK cell maturation and function.}, journal = {J Clin Invest}, volume = {127}, year = {2017}, month = {2017 01 03}, pages = {306-320}, abstract = {

Human NK cell deficiencies are rare yet result in severe and often fatal disease, particularly as a result of viral susceptibility. NK cells develop from hematopoietic stem cells, and few monogenic errors that specifically interrupt NK cell development have been reported. Here we have described biallelic mutations in IRF8, which encodes an interferon regulatory factor, as a cause of familial NK cell deficiency that results in fatal and severe viral disease. Compound heterozygous or homozygous mutations in IRF8 in 3 unrelated families resulted in a paucity of mature CD56dim NK cells and an increase in the frequency of the immature CD56bright NK cells, and this impairment in terminal maturation was also observed in Irf8-/-, but not Irf8+/-, mice. We then determined that impaired maturation was NK cell intrinsic, and gene expression analysis of human NK cell developmental subsets showed that multiple genes were dysregulated by IRF8 mutation. The phenotype was accompanied by deficient NK cell function and was stable over time. Together, these data indicate that human NK cells require IRF8 for development and functional maturation and that dysregulation of this function results in severe human disease, thereby emphasizing a critical role for NK cells in human antiviral defense.

}, keywords = {Alleles, Animals, CD56 Antigen, Female, Gene Expression Regulation, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Humans, Interferon Regulatory Factors, Killer Cells, Natural, Male, Mice, Mice, Knockout, Mutation, Virus Diseases}, issn = {1558-8238}, doi = {10.1172/JCI86276}, author = {Mace, Emily M and Bigley, Venetia and Gunesch, Justin T and Chinn, Ivan K and Angelo, Laura S and Care, Matthew A and Maisuria, Sheetal and Keller, Michael D and Togi, Sumihito and Watkin, Levi B and LaRosa, David F and Jhangiani, Shalini N and Muzny, Donna M and Stray-Pedersen, Asbj{\o}rg and Coban Akdemir, Zeynep and Smith, Jansen B and Hern{\'a}ndez-Sanabria, Mayra and Le, Duy T and Hogg, Graham D and Cao, Tram N and Freud, Aharon G and Szymanski, Eva P and Savic, Sinisa and Collin, Matthew and Cant, Andrew J and Gibbs, Richard A and Holland, Steven M and Caligiuri, Michael A and Ozato, Keiko and Paust, Silke and Doody, Gina M and Lupski, James R and Orange, Jordan S} } @article {338, title = {Mutations in EBF3 Disturb Transcriptional Profiles and Cause Intellectual Disability, Ataxia, and Facial Dysmorphism.}, journal = {Am J Hum Genet}, volume = {100}, year = {2017}, month = {2017 Jan 05}, pages = {117-127}, abstract = {

From a GeneMatcher-enabled international collaboration, we identified ten individuals affected by intellectual disability, speech delay, ataxia, and facial dysmorphism and carrying a deleterious EBF3 variant detected by whole-exome sequencing. One 9-bp duplication and one splice-site, five missense, and two nonsense variants in EBF3 were found; the mutations occurred de novo in eight individuals, and the missense variant c.625C>T (p.Arg209Trp) was inherited by two affected siblings from their healthy mother, who is mosaic. EBF3 belongs to the early B cell factor family (also known as Olf, COE, or O/E) and is a transcription factor involved in neuronal differentiation and maturation. Structural assessment predicted that the five amino acid substitutions have damaging effects on DNA binding of EBF3. Transient expression of EBF3 mutant proteins in HEK293T cells revealed mislocalization of all but one mutant in the cytoplasm, as well as nuclear localization. By transactivation assays, all EBF3 mutants showed significantly reduced or no ability to activate transcription of the reporter gene CDKN1A, and in~situ subcellular fractionation experiments demonstrated that EBF3 mutant proteins were less tightly associated with chromatin. Finally, in RNA-seq and ChIP-seq experiments, EBF3 acted as a transcriptional regulator, and mutant EBF3 had reduced genome-wide DNA binding and gene-regulatory activity. Our findings demonstrate that variants disrupting EBF3-mediated transcriptional regulation cause intellectual disability and developmental delay and are present in \~{}0.1\% of individuals with unexplained neurodevelopmental disorders.

}, keywords = {Adolescent, Adult, Amino Acid Substitution, Ataxia, Child, Child, Preschool, Chromatin, Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21, Developmental Disabilities, Exome, Face, Female, Gene Expression Regulation, Genes, Reporter, HEK293 Cells, Humans, Intellectual Disability, Language Development Disorders, Male, Models, Molecular, Mosaicism, Mutation, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Protein Transport, Syndrome, Transcription Factors, Transcription, Genetic}, issn = {1537-6605}, doi = {10.1016/j.ajhg.2016.11.012}, author = {Harms, Frederike Leonie and Girisha, Katta M and Hardigan, Andrew A and Kort{\"u}m, Fanny and Shukla, Anju and Alawi, Malik and Dalal, Ashwin and Brady, Lauren and Tarnopolsky, Mark and Bird, Lynne M and Ceulemans, Sophia and Bebin, Martina and Bowling, Kevin M and Hiatt, Susan M and Lose, Edward J and Primiano, Michelle and Chung, Wendy K and Juusola, Jane and Akdemir, Zeynep C and Bainbridge, Matthew and Charng, Wu-Lin and Drummond-Borg, Margaret and Eldomery, Mohammad K and El-Hattab, Ayman W and Saleh, Mohammed A M and B{\'e}zieau, St{\'e}phane and Cogn{\'e}, Benjamin and Isidor, Bertrand and K{\"u}ry, S{\'e}bastien and Lupski, James R and Myers, Richard M and Cooper, Gregory M and Kutsche, Kerstin} } @article {58, title = {Association of MTOR Mutations With Developmental Brain Disorders, Including Megalencephaly, Focal Cortical Dysplasia, and Pigmentary Mosaicism.}, journal = {JAMA Neurol}, volume = {73}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 07 01}, pages = {836-845}, abstract = {

IMPORTANCE: Focal cortical dysplasia (FCD), hemimegalencephaly, and megalencephaly constitute a spectrum of malformations of cortical development with shared neuropathologic features. These disorders are associated with significant childhood morbidity and mortality.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the underlying molecular cause of FCD, hemimegalencephaly, and diffuse megalencephaly.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Patients with FCD, hemimegalencephaly, or megalencephaly (mean age, 11.7 years; range, 2-32 years) were recruited from Pediatric Hospital A. Meyer, the University of Hong Kong, and Seattle Children{\textquoteright}s Research Institute from June 2012 to June 2014. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) was performed on 8 children with FCD or hemimegalencephaly using standard-depth (50-60X) sequencing in peripheral samples (blood, saliva, or skin) from the affected child and their parents and deep (150-180X) sequencing in affected brain tissue. Targeted sequencing and WES were used to screen 93 children with molecularly unexplained diffuse or focal brain overgrowth. Histopathologic and functional assays of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-AKT (serine/threonine kinase)-mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway activity in resected brain tissue and cultured neurons were performed to validate mutations.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Whole-exome sequencing and targeted sequencing identified variants associated with this spectrum of developmental brain disorders.

RESULTS: Low-level mosaic mutations of MTOR were identified in brain tissue in 4 children with FCD type 2a with alternative allele fractions ranging from 0.012 to 0.086. Intermediate-level mosaic mutation of MTOR (p.Thr1977Ile) was also identified in 3 unrelated children with diffuse megalencephaly and pigmentary mosaicism in skin. Finally, a constitutional de novo mutation of MTOR (p.Glu1799Lys) was identified in 3 unrelated children with diffuse megalencephaly and intellectual disability. Molecular and functional analysis in 2 children with FCD2a from whom multiple affected brain tissue samples were available revealed a mutation gradient with an epicenter in the most epileptogenic area. When expressed in cultured neurons, all MTOR mutations identified here drive constitutive activation of mTOR complex 1 and enlarged neuronal size.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this study, mutations of MTOR were associated with a spectrum of brain overgrowth phenotypes extending from FCD type 2a to diffuse megalencephaly, distinguished by different mutations and levels of mosaicism. These mutations may be sufficient to cause cellular hypertrophy in cultured neurons and may provide a demonstration of the pattern of mosaicism in brain and substantiate the link between mosaic mutations of MTOR and pigmentary mosaicism in skin.

}, keywords = {Adolescent, Adult, Amino Acids, Animals, Cells, Cultured, Cerebral Cortex, Child, Child, Preschool, Developmental Disabilities, Embryo, Mammalian, Female, Gene Expression Regulation, Genetic Association Studies, Humans, Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins, Male, Malformations of Cortical Development, Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1, Megalencephaly, Mosaicism, Multiprotein Complexes, Mutation, Nerve Tissue Proteins, Neurons, Rats, Retrospective Studies, TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases, Young Adult}, issn = {2168-6157}, doi = {10.1001/jamaneurol.2016.0363}, author = {Mirzaa, Ghayda M and Campbell, Catarina D and Solovieff, Nadia and Goold, Carleton and Jansen, Laura A and Menon, Suchithra and Timms, Andrew E and Conti, Valerio and Biag, Jonathan D and Adams, Carissa and Boyle, Evan August and Collins, Sarah and Ishak, Gisele and Poliachik, Sandra and Girisha, Katta M and Yeung, Kit San and Chung, Brian Hon Yin and Rahikkala, Elisa and Gunter, Sonya A and McDaniel, Sharon S and Macmurdo, Colleen Forsyth and Bernstein, Jonathan A and Martin, Beth and Leary, Rebecca and Mahan, Scott and Liu, Shanming and Weaver, Molly and Doerschner, Michael and Jhangiani, Shalini and Muzny, Donna M and Boerwinkle, Eric and Gibbs, Richard A and Lupski, James R and Shendure, Jay and Saneto, Russell P and Novotny, Edward J and Wilson, Christopher J and Sellers, William R and Morrissey, Michael and Hevner, Robert F and Ojemann, Jeffrey G and Guerrini, Renzo and Murphy, Leon O and Winckler, Wendy and Dobyns, William B} } @article {103, title = {Chimeric transcripts resulting from complex duplications in chromosome Xq28.}, journal = {Hum Genet}, volume = {135}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 Feb}, pages = {253-6}, abstract = {

Gene fusions have been observed in somatic alterations in cancer and in schizophrenia. However, the underlying mechanism(s) for their formation are poorly understood. We experimentally demonstrated the expression of splicing variants of in silico predicted chimeric genes F8/CSAG1 and BCAP31/TEX28 in two individuals with de novo complex genomic rearrangements of Xq28; F8/CSAG1 includes exonization of an ERVL-MaLR intronic repetitive element. We provide evidence that replicative repair may contribute to exon shuffling processes and diversify the repertoire of expressed transcripts.

}, keywords = {Antigens, Neoplasm, Base Sequence, Cell Line, Chromosomes, Human, X, Exons, Gene Duplication, Gene Expression Regulation, Gene Rearrangement, Humans, Introns, Male, Membrane Proteins, Molecular Sequence Data, Neoplasm Proteins, RNA Splicing, RNA, Messenger, Transcription, Genetic}, issn = {1432-1203}, doi = {10.1007/s00439-015-1614-x}, author = {Zuccherato, Luciana W and Alleva, Benjamin and Whiters, Marjorie A and Carvalho, Claudia M B and Lupski, James R} } @article {198, title = {Global transcriptional disturbances underlie Cornelia de Lange syndrome and related phenotypes.}, journal = {J Clin Invest}, volume = {125}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Feb}, pages = {636-51}, abstract = {

Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) is a genetically heterogeneous disorder that presents with extensive phenotypic variability, including facial dysmorphism, developmental delay/intellectual disability (DD/ID), abnormal extremities, and hirsutism. About 65\% of patients harbor mutations in genes that encode subunits or regulators of the cohesin complex, including NIPBL, SMC1A, SMC3, RAD21, and HDAC8. Wiedemann-Steiner syndrome (WDSTS), which shares CdLS phenotypic features, is caused by mutations in lysine-specific methyltransferase 2A (KMT2A). Here, we performed whole-exome sequencing (WES) of 2 male siblings clinically diagnosed with WDSTS; this revealed a hemizygous, missense mutation in SMC1A that was predicted to be deleterious. Extensive clinical evaluation and WES of 32 Turkish patients clinically diagnosed with CdLS revealed the presence of a de novo heterozygous nonsense KMT2A mutation in 1 patient without characteristic WDSTS features. We also identified de novo heterozygous mutations in SMC3 or SMC1A that affected RNA splicing in 2 independent patients with combined CdLS and WDSTS features. Furthermore, in families from 2 separate world populations segregating an autosomal-recessive disorder with CdLS-like features, we identified homozygous mutations in TAF6, which encodes a core transcriptional regulatory pathway component. Together, our data, along with recent transcriptome studies, suggest that CdLS and related phenotypes may be "transcriptomopathies" rather than cohesinopathies.

}, keywords = {Adolescent, Adult, Cell Cycle Proteins, Child, Child, Preschool, Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycans, Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone, Codon, Nonsense, De Lange Syndrome, Exome, Exonucleases, Gene Expression Profiling, Gene Expression Regulation, Genome-Wide Association Study, Heterozygote, Histone Deacetylases, Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase, Humans, Infant, Male, Myeloid-Lymphoid Leukemia Protein, Phenotype, Proteins, Repressor Proteins, Transcriptome}, issn = {1558-8238}, doi = {10.1172/JCI77435}, author = {Yuan, Bo and Pehlivan, Davut and Karaca, Ender and Patel, Nisha and Charng, Wu-Lin and Gambin, Tomasz and Gonzaga-Jauregui, Claudia and Sutton, V Reid and Yesil, G{\"o}zde and Bozdogan, Sevcan Tug and Tos, Tulay and Koparir, Asuman and Koparir, Erkan and Beck, Christine R and Gu, Shen and Aslan, Huseyin and Yuregir, Ozge Ozalp and Al Rubeaan, Khalid and Alnaqeb, Dhekra and Alshammari, Muneera J and Bayram, Yavuz and Atik, Mehmed M and Aydin, Hatip and Geckinli, B Bilge and Seven, Mehmet and Ulucan, Hakan and Fenercioglu, Elif and Ozen, Mustafa and Jhangiani, Shalini and Muzny, Donna M and Boerwinkle, Eric and Tuysuz, Beyhan and Alkuraya, Fowzan S and Gibbs, Richard A and Lupski, James R} } @article {296, title = {ARMC4 mutations cause primary ciliary dyskinesia with randomization of left/right body asymmetry.}, journal = {Am J Hum Genet}, volume = {93}, year = {2013}, month = {2013 Aug 08}, pages = {357-67}, abstract = {

The motive forces for ciliary movement are generated by large multiprotein complexes referred to as outer dynein arms (ODAs), which are preassembled in the cytoplasm prior to transport to the ciliary axonemal compartment. In humans, defects in structural components, docking complexes, or cytoplasmic assembly factors can cause primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), a disorder characterized by chronic airway disease and defects in laterality. By using combined high resolution copy-number variant and mutation analysis, we identified ARMC4 mutations in twelve PCD individuals whose cells showed reduced numbers of ODAs and severely impaired ciliary beating. Transient suppression in zebrafish and analysis of an ENU mouse mutant confirmed in both model organisms that ARMC4 is critical for left-right patterning. We demonstrate that ARMC4 is an axonemal protein that is necessary for proper targeting and anchoring of ODAs.

}, keywords = {Amino Acid Sequence, Animals, Armadillo Domain Proteins, Axoneme, Body Patterning, Cilia, DNA Copy Number Variations, DNA Mutational Analysis, Dyneins, Gene Expression Regulation, Humans, Kartagener Syndrome, Mice, Microtubule-Associated Proteins, Molecular Sequence Data, Mutation, Respiratory System, Zebrafish}, issn = {1537-6605}, doi = {10.1016/j.ajhg.2013.06.009}, author = {Hjeij, Rim and Lindstrand, Anna and Francis, Richard and Zariwala, Maimoona A and Liu, Xiaoqin and Li, You and Damerla, Rama and Dougherty, Gerard W and Abouhamed, Marouan and Olbrich, Heike and Loges, Niki T and Pennekamp, Petra and Davis, Erica E and Carvalho, Claudia M B and Pehlivan, Davut and Werner, Claudius and Raidt, Johanna and K{\"o}hler, Gabriele and H{\"a}ffner, Karsten and Reyes-Mugica, Miguel and Lupski, James R and Leigh, Margaret W and Rosenfeld, Margaret and Morgan, Lucy C and Knowles, Michael R and Lo, Cecilia W and Katsanis, Nicholas and Omran, Heymut} }