@article {778, title = {KIAA1217: A novel candidate gene associated with isolated and syndromic vertebral malformations.}, journal = {Am J Med Genet A}, volume = {182}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 07}, pages = {1664-1672}, abstract = {

Vertebral malformations (VMs) are caused by alterations in somitogenesis and may occur in association with other congenital anomalies. The genetic etiology of most VMs remains unknown and their identification may facilitate the development of novel therapeutic and prevention strategies. Exome sequencing was performed on both the discovery cohort of nine unrelated probands from the USA with VMs and the replication cohort from China (Deciphering Disorders Involving Scoliosis \& COmorbidities study). The discovery cohort was analyzed using the PhenoDB analysis tool. Heterozygous and homozygous, rare and functional variants were selected and evaluated for their ClinVar, HGMD, OMIM, GWAS, mouse model phenotypes, and other annotations to identify the best candidates. Genes with candidate variants in three or more probands were selected. The replication cohort was analyzed by another in-house developed pipeline. We identified rare heterozygous variants in KIAA1217 in four out of nine probands in the discovery cohort and in five out of 35 probands in the replication cohort. Collectively, we identified 11 KIAA1217 rare variants in 10 probands, three of which have not been described in gnomAD and one of which is a nonsense variant. We propose that genetic variations of KIAA1217 may contribute to the etiology of VMs.

}, keywords = {Adolescent, Cervical Vertebrae, Child, Codon, Nonsense, Databases, Genetic, Female, Heterozygote, Homozygote, Humans, Male, Proteins, Spinal Diseases, Thoracic Vertebrae}, issn = {1552-4833}, doi = {10.1002/ajmg.a.61607}, author = {Al Dhaheri, Noura and Wu, Nan and Zhao, Sen and Wu, Zhihong and Blank, Robert D and Zhang, Jianguo and Raggio, Cathy and Halanski, Matthew and Shen, Jianxiong and Noonan, Ken and Qiu, Guixing and Nemeth, Blaise and Sund, Sarah and Dunwoodie, Sally L and Chapman, Gavin and Glurich, Ingrid and Steiner, Robert D and Wohler, Elizabeth and Martin, Renan and Sobreira, Nara Lygia and Giampietro, Philip F} } @article {785, title = {Landscape of multi-nucleotide variants in 125,748 human exomes and 15,708 genomes.}, journal = {Nat Commun}, volume = {11}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 05 27}, pages = {2539}, abstract = {

Multi-nucleotide variants (MNVs), defined as two or more nearby variants existing on the same haplotype in an individual, are a clinically and biologically important class of genetic variation. However, existing tools typically do not accurately classify MNVs, and understanding of their mutational origins remains limited. Here, we systematically survey MNVs in 125,748 whole exomes and 15,708 whole genomes from the Genome Aggregation Database (gnomAD). We identify 1,792,248 MNVs across the genome with constituent variants falling within 2 bp distance of one another, including 18,756 variants with a novel combined effect on protein sequence. Finally, we estimate the relative impact of known mutational mechanisms - CpG deamination, replication error by polymerase zeta, and polymerase slippage at repeat junctions - on the generation of MNVs. Our results demonstrate the value of haplotype-aware variant annotation, and refine our understanding of genome-wide mutational mechanisms of MNVs.

}, keywords = {CpG Islands, Databases, Genetic, DNA Mutational Analysis, Exome, Genetic Variation, Genome, Human, Humans, Mutation}, issn = {2041-1723}, doi = {10.1038/s41467-019-12438-5}, author = {Wang, Qingbo and Pierce-Hoffman, Emma and Cummings, Beryl B and Alf{\"o}ldi, Jessica and Francioli, Laurent C and Gauthier, Laura D and Hill, Andrew J and O{\textquoteright}Donnell-Luria, Anne H and Karczewski, Konrad J and MacArthur, Daniel G} } @article {784, title = {The mutational constraint spectrum quantified from variation in 141,456 humans.}, journal = {Nature}, volume = {581}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 05}, pages = {434-443}, abstract = {

Genetic variants that inactivate protein-coding genes are a powerful source of information about the phenotypic consequences of gene disruption: genes that are crucial for the function of an organism will be depleted of such variants in natural populations, whereas non-essential genes will tolerate their accumulation. However, predicted loss-of-function variants are enriched for annotation errors, and tend to be found at extremely low frequencies, so their analysis requires careful variant annotation and very large sample sizes. Here we describe the aggregation of 125,748 exomes and 15,708 genomes from human sequencing studies into the Genome Aggregation Database (gnomAD). We identify 443,769 high-confidence predicted loss-of-function variants in this cohort after filtering for artefacts caused by sequencing and annotation errors. Using an improved model of human mutation rates, we classify human protein-coding genes along a spectrum that represents tolerance to inactivation, validate this classification using data from model organisms and engineered human cells, and show that it can be used to improve the power of gene discovery for both common and rare diseases.

}, keywords = {Adult, Brain, Cardiovascular Diseases, Cohort Studies, Databases, Genetic, Exome, Female, Genes, Essential, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Genetic Variation, Genome, Human, Genome-Wide Association Study, Humans, Loss of Function Mutation, Male, Mutation Rate, Proprotein Convertase 9, Reproducibility of Results, RNA, Messenger, Whole Exome Sequencing, Whole Genome Sequencing}, issn = {1476-4687}, doi = {10.1038/s41586-020-2308-7}, author = {Karczewski, Konrad J and Francioli, Laurent C and Tiao, Grace and Cummings, Beryl B and Alf{\"o}ldi, Jessica and Wang, Qingbo and Collins, Ryan L and Laricchia, Kristen M and Ganna, Andrea and Birnbaum, Daniel P and Gauthier, Laura D and Brand, Harrison and Solomonson, Matthew and Watts, Nicholas A and Rhodes, Daniel and Singer-Berk, Moriel and England, Eleina M and Seaby, Eleanor G and Kosmicki, Jack A and Walters, Raymond K and Tashman, Katherine and Farjoun, Yossi and Banks, Eric and Poterba, Timothy and Wang, Arcturus and Seed, Cotton and Whiffin, Nicola and Chong, Jessica X and Samocha, Kaitlin E and Pierce-Hoffman, Emma and Zappala, Zachary and O{\textquoteright}Donnell-Luria, Anne H and Minikel, Eric Vallabh and Weisburd, Ben and Lek, Monkol and Ware, James S and Vittal, Christopher and Armean, Irina M and Bergelson, Louis and Cibulskis, Kristian and Connolly, Kristen M and Covarrubias, Miguel and Donnelly, Stacey and Ferriera, Steven and Gabriel, Stacey and Gentry, Jeff and Gupta, Namrata and Jeandet, Thibault and Kaplan, Diane and Llanwarne, Christopher and Munshi, Ruchi and Novod, Sam and Petrillo, Nikelle and Roazen, David and Ruano-Rubio, Valentin and Saltzman, Andrea and Schleicher, Molly and Soto, Jose and Tibbetts, Kathleen and Tolonen, Charlotte and Wade, Gordon and Talkowski, Michael E and Neale, Benjamin M and Daly, Mark J and MacArthur, Daniel G} } @article {726, title = {PEHO syndrome caused by compound heterozygote variants in ZNHIT3 gene.}, journal = {Eur J Med Genet}, volume = {63}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 Feb}, pages = {103660}, abstract = {

PEHO syndrome is characterized by Progressive Encephalopathy with Edema, Hypsarrhythmia, and Optic atrophy, which was first described in Finnish patients. A homozygous missense substitution p.Ser31Leu in ZNHIT3 was recently identified as the primary cause of PEHO syndrome in Finland. Variants in ZNHIT3 have not been identified in patients with PEHO or PEHO-like syndrome in other populations. It has therefore been suggested that PEHO syndrome caused by ZNHIT3 variants does not occur outside of the Finnish population. We describe the first patient outside Finland who carries compound heterozygous variants in ZNHIT3 gene causing PEHO syndrome. Trio genome sequencing was carried out and the identified variants were confirmed by Sanger sequencing. The patient filled all diagnostic clinical criteria of PEHO syndrome. We identified biallelic missense variants in ZNHIT3 gene: the c.92C > T p.(Ser31Leu) variant (NM_004773.3), which is described previously as causing PEHO syndrome and the second novel variant c.41G > T p.(Cys14Phe). There are only eight heterozygous carriers of c.41G > T variant in the gnomAD database and it is predicted damaging by multiple in silico algorithms. The ZNHIT3-associated PEHO syndrome exists outside of the Finnish population.

}, keywords = {Brain Edema, Databases, Genetic, Edema, Epileptic Syndromes, Female, Finland, Heterozygote, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Mutation, Missense, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Nuclear Proteins, Optic Atrophy, Phenotype, Spasms, Infantile, Transcription Factors, Whole Exome Sequencing, Whole Genome Sequencing}, issn = {1878-0849}, doi = {10.1016/j.ejmg.2019.04.017}, author = {{\~O}unap, Katrin and Muru, Kai and {\~O}iglane-Shlik, Eve and Ilves, Pilvi and Pajusalu, Sander and Kuus, Imbi and Wojcik, Monica H and Reimand, Tiia} } @article {940, title = {Polymicrogyria is Associated With Pathogenic Variants in PTEN.}, journal = {Ann Neurol}, volume = {88}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 12}, pages = {1153-1164}, abstract = {

OBJECTIVE: Congenital structural brain malformations have been described in patients with pathogenic phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN) variants, but the frequency of cortical malformations in patients with PTEN variants and their impact on clinical phenotype are not well understood. Our goal was to systematically characterize brain malformations in patients with PTEN variants and assess the relevance of their brain malformations to clinical presentation.

METHODS: We systematically searched a local radiology database for patients with PTEN variants who had available brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The MRI scans were reviewed systematically for cortical abnormalities. We reviewed electroencephalogram (EEG) data and evaluated the electronic medical record for evidence of epilepsy and developmental delay.

RESULTS: In total, we identified 22 patients with PTEN pathogenic variants for which brain MRIs were available (age range 0.4-17 years). Twelve among these 22 patients (54\%) had polymicrogyria (PMG). Variants associated with PMG or atypical gyration encoded regions of the phosphatase or C2 domains of PTEN. Interestingly, epilepsy was present in only 2 of the 12 patients with PMG. We found a trend toward higher rates of global developmental delay (GDD), intellectual disability (ID), and motor delay in individuals with cortical abnormalities, although cohort size limited statistical significance.

INTERPRETATION: Malformations of cortical development, PMG in particular, represent an under-recognized phenotype associated with PTEN pathogenic variants and may have an association with cognitive and motor delays. Epilepsy was infrequent compared to the previously reported high risk of epilepsy in patients with PMG. ANN NEUROL 2020;88:1153-1164.

}, keywords = {Adolescent, Brain, Child, Child, Preschool, Comorbidity, Databases, Genetic, Developmental Disabilities, Electroencephalography, Female, Humans, Infant, Intellectual Disability, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Massachusetts, Neuroimaging, Polymicrogyria, PTEN Phosphohydrolase}, issn = {1531-8249}, doi = {10.1002/ana.25904}, author = {Shao, Diane D and Achkar, Christelle M and Lai, Abbe and Srivastava, Siddharth and Doan, Ryan N and Rodan, Lance H and Chen, Allen Y and Poduri, Annapurna and Yang, Edward and Walsh, Christopher A} } @article {703, title = {COL4A1 mutations as a potential novel cause of autosomal dominant CAKUT in humans.}, journal = {Hum Genet}, volume = {138}, year = {2019}, month = {2019 Oct}, pages = {1105-1115}, abstract = {

Congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) are the most common cause of chronic kidney disease (~ 45\%) that manifests before 30~years of age. The genetic locus containing COL4A1 (13q33-34) has been implicated in vesicoureteral reflux (VUR), but mutations in COL4A1 have not been reported in CAKUT. We hypothesized that COL4A1 mutations cause CAKUT in humans. We performed whole exome sequencing (WES) in 550 families with CAKUT. As negative control cohorts we used WES sequencing data from patients with nephronophthisis (NPHP) with no genetic cause identified (n = 257) and with nephrotic syndrome (NS) due to monogenic causes (n = 100). We identified a not previously reported heterozygous missense variant in COL4A1 in three siblings with isolated VUR. When examining 549 families with CAKUT, we identified nine additional different heterozygous missense mutations in COL4A1 in 11 individuals from 11 unrelated families with CAKUT, while no COL4A1 mutations were identified in a control cohort with NPHP and only one in the cohort with NS. Most individuals (12/14) had isolated CAKUT with no extrarenal features. The predominant phenotype was VUR (9/14). There were no clinical features of the COL4A1-related disorders (e.g., HANAC syndrome, porencephaly, tortuosity of retinal arteries). Whereas COL4A1-related disorders are typically caused by glycine substitutions in the collagenous domain (84.4\% of variants), only one variant in our cohort is a glycine substitution within the collagenous domain (1/10). We identified heterozygous COL4A1 mutations as a potential novel autosomal dominant cause of CAKUT that is allelic to the established COL4A1-related disorders and predominantly caused by non-glycine substitutions.

}, keywords = {Alleles, Amino Acid Substitution, Collagen Type IV, Computational Biology, Congenital Abnormalities, Databases, Genetic, DNA Mutational Analysis, Evolution, Molecular, Female, Genetic Association Studies, Genetic Loci, Genomics, Heterozygote, Humans, Kidney, Kidney Diseases, Cystic, Male, Mutation, Nephrotic Syndrome, Phenotype, Urinary Tract, Web Browser, Whole Exome Sequencing}, issn = {1432-1203}, doi = {10.1007/s00439-019-02042-4}, author = {Kitzler, Thomas M and Schneider, Ronen and Kohl, Stefan and Kolvenbach, Caroline M and Connaughton, Dervla M and Dai, Rufeng and Mann, Nina and Nakayama, Makiko and Majmundar, Amar J and Wu, Chen-Han W and Kari, Jameela A and El Desoky, Sherif M and Senguttuvan, Prabha and Bogdanovic, Radovan and Staji{\'c}, Natasa and Valivullah, Zaheer and Lek, Monkol and Mane, Shrikant and Lifton, Richard P and Tasic, Velibor and Shril, Shirlee and Hildebrandt, Friedhelm} } @article {595, title = {Insights into genetics, human biology and disease gleaned from family based genomic studies.}, journal = {Genet Med}, volume = {21}, year = {2019}, month = {2019 04}, pages = {798-812}, abstract = {

Identifying genes and variants contributing to rare disease phenotypes and Mendelian conditions informs biology and medicine, yet potential phenotypic consequences for variation of >75\% of the ~20,000 annotated genes in the human genome are lacking. Technical advances to assess rare variation genome-wide, particularly exome sequencing (ES), enabled establishment in the United States of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-supported Centers for Mendelian Genomics (CMGs) and have facilitated collaborative studies resulting in~novel "disease gene" discoveries. Pedigree-based genomic studies and rare variant analyses in families with suspected Mendelian conditions have led to the elucidation of hundreds of novel disease genes and highlighted the impact of de novo mutational events, somatic variation underlying nononcologic traits, incompletely penetrant alleles, phenotypes with high locus heterogeneity, and multilocus pathogenic variation. Herein, we highlight CMG collaborative discoveries that have contributed to understanding both rare and common diseases and discuss opportunities for future discovery in single-locus Mendelian disorder genomics. Phenotypic annotation of all human genes; development of bioinformatic tools and analytic methods; exploration of non-Mendelian modes of inheritance including reduced penetrance, multilocus variation, and oligogenic inheritance; construction of allelic series at a locus; enhanced data sharing worldwide; and integration with clinical genomics are explored. Realizing the full contribution of rare disease research to functional annotation of the human genome, and further illuminating human biology and health, will lay the foundation for the Precision Medicine Initiative.

}, keywords = {Databases, Genetic, Genetic Diseases, Inborn, Genetic Heterogeneity, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Genome, Human, Genomics, Humans, National Institutes of Health (U.S.), Pedigree, United States, Whole Exome Sequencing}, issn = {1530-0366}, doi = {10.1038/s41436-018-0408-7}, author = {Posey, Jennifer E and O{\textquoteright}Donnell-Luria, Anne H and Chong, Jessica X and Harel, Tamar and Jhangiani, Shalini N and Coban Akdemir, Zeynep H and Buyske, Steven and Pehlivan, Davut and Carvalho, Claudia M B and Baxter, Samantha and Sobreira, Nara and Liu, Pengfei and Wu, Nan and Rosenfeld, Jill A and Kumar, Sushant and Avramopoulos, Dimitri and White, Janson J and Doheny, Kimberly F and Witmer, P Dane and Boehm, Corinne and Sutton, V Reid and Muzny, Donna M and Boerwinkle, Eric and G{\"u}nel, Murat and Nickerson, Deborah A and Mane, Shrikant and MacArthur, Daniel G and Gibbs, Richard A and Hamosh, Ada and Lifton, Richard P and Matise, Tara C and Rehm, Heidi L and Gerstein, Mark and Bamshad, Michael J and Valle, David and Lupski, James R} } @article {347, title = {Choices for return of primary and secondary genomic research results of 790 members of families with Mendelian disease.}, journal = {Eur J Hum Genet}, volume = {25}, year = {2017}, month = {2017 05}, pages = {530-537}, abstract = {

Although consensus is building that primary (PR) and secondary findings (SF) from genomic research should be offered to participants under some circumstances, data describing (1) actual choices of study participants and (2) factors associated with these choices are limited, hampering study planning. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of choices made for return of PR and SF during informed consent by members of the first 247 families (790 individuals) enrolled in the Baylor-Hopkins Center for Mendelian Genomics, a genome sequencing study. Most (619; 78.3\%) chose to receive SF and PR, 66 (8.4\%) chose PR only, 65 (8.2\%) wanted no results, and 40 (5.1\%) chose SF only. Choosing SF was associated with an established clinical diagnosis in the proband (87.8 vs 79\%, P=0.009) and European ancestry (EA) (87.7 vs 73\%, P<0.008). Participants of non-European ancestry (NEA) were as likely as those of EA to choose SF when consented by a genetic counselor (GC) (82\% NEA vs 88.3\% EA, P=0.09) but significantly less likely when consented by a physician (67.4\% NEA vs 85.4\% EA, P=0.001). Controlling for proband diagnosis, individuals of NEA were 2.13-fold (95\% CI: 1.11-4.08) more likely to choose SF when consented by a GC rather than a physician. Participants of NEA were 3-fold more likely than those of EA to decline all study results (14.7\% NEA vs 5.4\% EA, P<0.008). In this ethnically diverse population, whereas most participants desired PR and SF, more than 20\% declined some or all results, highlighting the importance of research participant choice.

}, keywords = {Databases, Genetic, Female, Genetic Diseases, Inborn, Genome, Human, Genome-Wide Association Study, Humans, Male, Pedigree, Research Subjects}, issn = {1476-5438}, doi = {10.1038/ejhg.2017.21}, author = {Fiallos, Katie and Applegate, Carolyn and Mathews, Debra Jh and Bollinger, Juli and Bergner, Amanda L and James, Cynthia A} } @article {404, title = {Gene-based segregation method for identifying rare variants in family-based sequencing studies.}, journal = {Genet Epidemiol}, volume = {41}, year = {2017}, month = {2017 05}, pages = {309-319}, abstract = {

Whole-exome sequencing using family data has identified rare coding variants in Mendelian diseases or complex diseases with Mendelian subtypes, using filters based on variant novelty, functionality, and segregation with the phenotype within families. However, formal statistical approaches are limited. We propose a gene-based segregation test (GESE) that quantifies the uncertainty of the filtering approach. It is constructed using the probability of segregation events under the null hypothesis of Mendelian transmission. This test takes into account different degrees of relatedness in families, the number of functional rare variants in the gene, and their minor allele frequencies in the corresponding population. In addition, a weighted version of this test allows incorporating additional subject phenotypes to improve statistical power. We show via simulations that the GESE and weighted GESE tests maintain appropriate type I error rate, and have greater power than several commonly used region-based methods. We apply our method to whole-exome sequencing data from 49 extended pedigrees with severe, early-onset chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the Boston Early-Onset COPD study (BEOCOPD) and identify several promising candidate genes. Our proposed methods show great potential for identifying rare coding variants of large effect and high penetrance for family-based sequencing data. The proposed tests are implemented in an R package that is available on CRAN (https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/GESE/).

}, keywords = {Age of Onset, Boston, Computer Simulation, Databases, Genetic, Family, Genetic Variation, Genome, Human, Humans, Models, Genetic, Penetrance, Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive, Reference Standards, Sequence Analysis, DNA}, issn = {1098-2272}, doi = {10.1002/gepi.22037}, author = {Qiao, Dandi and Lange, Christoph and Laird, Nan M and Won, Sungho and Hersh, Craig P and Morrow, Jarrett and Hobbs, Brian D and Lutz, Sharon M and Ruczinski, Ingo and Beaty, Terri H and Silverman, Edwin K and Cho, Michael H} } @article {352, title = {Intensification: A Resource for Amplifying Population-Genetic Signals with Protein Repeats.}, journal = {J Mol Biol}, volume = {429}, year = {2017}, month = {2017 02 03}, pages = {435-445}, abstract = {

Large-scale genome sequencing holds great promise for the interpretation of protein structures through the discovery of many, rare functional variants in the human population. However, because protein-coding regions are under high selective constraints, these variants occur at low frequencies, such that there is often insufficient statistics for downstream calculations. To address this problem, we develop the Intensification approach, which uses the modular structure of repeat protein domains to amplify signals of selection from population genetics and traditional interspecies conservation. In particular, we are able to aggregate variants at the codon level to identify important positions in repeat domains that show strong conservation signals. This allows us to compare conservation over different evolutionary timescales. It also enables us to visualize population-genetic measures on protein structures. We make available the Intensification results as an online resource (http://intensification.gersteinlab.org) and illustrate the approach through a case study on the tetratricopeptide repeat.

}, keywords = {Amino Acid Sequence, Chromosome Mapping, Codon, Computational Biology, Databases, Genetic, Evolution, Molecular, Genetics, Population, Humans, Internet, Molecular Structure, Protein Conformation, Proteins, Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted, X-Rays}, issn = {1089-8638}, doi = {10.1016/j.jmb.2016.12.003}, author = {Chen, Jieming and Wang, Bo and Regan, Lynne and Gerstein, Mark} } @article {428, title = {"Matching" consent to purpose: The example of the Matchmaker Exchange.}, journal = {Hum Mutat}, volume = {38}, year = {2017}, month = {2017 10}, pages = {1281-1285}, abstract = {

The Matchmaker Exchange (MME) connects rare disease clinicians and researchers to facilitate the sharing of data from undiagnosed patients for the purpose of novel gene discovery. Such sharing raises the odds that two or more similar patients with candidate genes in common may be found, thereby allowing their condition to be more readily studied and understood. Consent considerations for data sharing in MME included both the ethical and legal differences between clinical and research settings and the level of privacy risk involved in sharing varying amounts of rare disease patient data to enable patient matches. In this commentary, we discuss these consent considerations and the resulting MME Consent Policy as they may be relevant to other international data sharing initiatives.

}, keywords = {Databases, Genetic, Genetic Association Studies, Genetic Diseases, Inborn, Genomics, Humans, Information Dissemination, Patient Selection, Physicians, Rare Diseases, Research Personnel, Translational Medical Research}, issn = {1098-1004}, doi = {10.1002/humu.23278}, author = {Dyke, Stephanie O M and Knoppers, Bartha M and Hamosh, Ada and Firth, Helen V and Hurles, Matthew and Brudno, Michael and Boycott, Kym M and Philippakis, Anthony A and Rehm, Heidi L} } @article {440, title = {Matchmaker Exchange.}, journal = {Curr Protoc Hum Genet}, volume = {95}, year = {2017}, month = {2017 10 18}, pages = {9.31.1-9.31.15}, abstract = {

In well over half of the individuals with rare disease who undergo clinical or research next-generation sequencing, the responsible gene cannot be determined. Some reasons for this relatively low yield include unappreciated phenotypic heterogeneity; locus heterogeneity; somatic and germline mosaicism; variants of uncertain functional significance; technically inaccessible areas of the genome; incorrect mode of inheritance investigated; and inadequate communication between clinicians and basic scientists with knowledge of particular genes, proteins, or biological systems. To facilitate such communication and improve the search for patients or model organisms with similar phenotypes and variants in specific candidate genes, we have developed the Matchmaker Exchange (MME). MME was created to establish a federated network connecting databases of genomic and phenotypic data using a common application programming interface (API). To date, seven databases can exchange data using the API (GeneMatcher, PhenomeCentral, DECIPHER, MyGene2, matchbox, Australian Genomics Health Alliance Patient Archive, and Monarch Initiative; the latter included for model organism matching). This article guides usage of the MME for rare disease gene discovery. {\textcopyright} 2017 by John Wiley \& Sons, Inc.

}, keywords = {Animals, Computational Biology, Databases, Genetic, Genetic Association Studies, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Genomics, Humans, Rare Diseases, Software, Web Browser}, issn = {1934-8258}, doi = {10.1002/cphg.50}, author = {Sobreira, Nara L M and Arachchi, Harindra and Buske, Orion J and Chong, Jessica X and Hutton, Ben and Foreman, Julia and Schiettecatte, Fran{\c c}ois and Groza, Tudor and Jacobsen, Julius O B and Haendel, Melissa A and Boycott, Kym M and Hamosh, Ada and Rehm, Heidi L} } @article {39, title = {Exome sequencing in mostly consanguineous Arab families with neurologic disease provides a high potential molecular diagnosis rate.}, journal = {BMC Med Genomics}, volume = {9}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 Jul 19}, pages = {42}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Neurodevelopment is orchestrated by a wide range of genes, and the genetic causes of neurodevelopmental disorders are thus heterogeneous. We applied whole exome sequencing (WES) for molecular diagnosis and in silico analysis to identify novel disease gene candidates in a cohort from Saudi Arabia with primarily Mendelian neurologic diseases.

METHODS: We performed WES in 31 mostly consanguineous Arab families and analyzed both single nucleotide and copy number variants (CNVs) from WES data. Interaction/expression network and pathway analyses, as well as paralog studies were utilized to investigate potential pathogenicity and disease association of novel candidate genes. Additional cases for candidate genes were identified through the clinical WES database at Baylor Miraca Genetics Laboratories and GeneMatcher.

RESULTS: We found known pathogenic or novel variants in known disease genes with phenotypic expansion in 6 families, disease-associated CNVs in 2 families, and 12 novel disease gene candidates in 11 families, including KIF5B, GRM7, FOXP4, MLLT1, and KDM2B. Overall, a potential molecular diagnosis was provided by variants in known disease genes in 17 families (54.8~\%) and by novel candidate disease genes in an additional 11 families, making the potential molecular diagnostic rate ~90~\%.

CONCLUSIONS: Molecular diagnostic rate from WES is improved by exome-predicted CNVs. Novel candidate disease gene discovery is facilitated by paralog studies and through the use of informatics tools and available databases to identify additional evidence for pathogenicity.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: Not applicable.

}, keywords = {Arabs, Cohort Studies, Consanguinity, Data Mining, Databases, Genetic, DNA Copy Number Variations, Exome, Female, High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing, Humans, Male, Molecular Diagnostic Techniques, Nervous System Diseases, Pedigree, Phenotype, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Sequence Analysis, DNA}, issn = {1755-8794}, doi = {10.1186/s12920-016-0208-3}, author = {Charng, Wu-Lin and Karaca, Ender and Coban Akdemir, Zeynep and Gambin, Tomasz and Atik, Mehmed M and Gu, Shen and Posey, Jennifer E and Jhangiani, Shalini N and Muzny, Donna M and Doddapaneni, Harsha and Hu, Jianhong and Boerwinkle, Eric and Gibbs, Richard A and Rosenfeld, Jill A and Cui, Hong and Xia, Fan and Manickam, Kandamurugu and Yang, Yaping and Faqeih, Eissa A and Al Asmari, Ali and Saleh, Mohammed A M and El-Hattab, Ayman W and Lupski, James R} } @article {177, title = {Assessing structural variation in a personal genome-towards a human reference diploid genome.}, journal = {BMC Genomics}, volume = {16}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Apr 11}, pages = {286}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Characterizing large genomic variants is essential to expanding the research and clinical applications of genome sequencing. While multiple data types and methods are available to detect these structural variants (SVs), they remain less characterized than smaller variants because of SV diversity, complexity, and size. These challenges are exacerbated by the experimental and computational demands of SV analysis. Here, we characterize the SV content of a personal genome with Parliament, a publicly available consensus SV-calling infrastructure that merges multiple data types and SV detection methods.

RESULTS: We demonstrate Parliament{\textquoteright}s efficacy via integrated analyses of data from whole-genome array comparative genomic hybridization, short-read next-generation sequencing, long-read (Pacific BioSciences RSII), long-insert (Illumina Nextera), and whole-genome architecture (BioNano Irys) data from the personal genome of a single subject (HS1011). From this genome, Parliament identified 31,007 genomic loci between 100 bp and 1 Mbp that are inconsistent with the hg19 reference assembly. Of these loci, 9,777 are supported as putative SVs by hybrid local assembly, long-read PacBio data, or multi-source heuristics. These SVs span 59 Mbp of the reference genome (1.8\%) and include 3,801 events identified only with long-read data. The HS1011 data and complete Parliament infrastructure, including a BAM-to-SV workflow, are available on the cloud-based service DNAnexus.

CONCLUSIONS: HS1011 SV analysis reveals the limits and advantages of multiple sequencing technologies, specifically the impact of long-read SV discovery. With the full Parliament infrastructure, the HS1011 data constitute a public resource for novel SV discovery, software calibration, and personal genome structural variation analysis.

}, keywords = {Computational Biology, Databases, Genetic, Diploidy, Genome, Human, Genomic Structural Variation, Humans, Sequence Analysis, DNA, Software}, issn = {1471-2164}, doi = {10.1186/s12864-015-1479-3}, author = {English, Adam C and Salerno, William J and Hampton, Oliver A and Gonzaga-Jauregui, Claudia and Ambreth, Shruthi and Ritter, Deborah I and Beck, Christine R and Davis, Caleb F and Dahdouli, Mahmoud and Ma, Singer and Carroll, Andrew and Veeraraghavan, Narayanan and Bruestle, Jeremy and Drees, Becky and Hastie, Alex and Lam, Ernest T and White, Simon and Mishra, Pamela and Wang, Min and Han, Yi and Zhang, Feng and Stankiewicz, Pawel and Wheeler, David A and Reid, Jeffrey G and Muzny, Donna M and Rogers, Jeffrey and Sabo, Aniko and Worley, Kim C and Lupski, James R and Boerwinkle, Eric and Gibbs, Richard A} } @article {139, title = {GeneMatcher: a matching tool for connecting investigators with an interest in the same gene.}, journal = {Hum Mutat}, volume = {36}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Oct}, pages = {928-30}, abstract = {

Here, we describe an overview and update on GeneMatcher (http://www.genematcher.org), a freely accessible Web-based tool developed as part of the Baylor-Hopkins Center for Mendelian Genomics. We created GeneMatcher with the goal of identifying additional individuals with rare phenotypes who had variants in the same candidate disease gene. We also wanted to facilitate connections to basic scientists working on orthologous genes in model systems with the goal of connecting their work to human Mendelian phenotypes. Meeting these goals will enhance the identification of novel Mendelian genes. Launched in September, 2013, GeneMatcher now has 2,178 candidate genes from 486 submitters spread across 38 countries entered in the database (June 1, 2015). GeneMatcher is also part of the Matchmaker Exchange (http://matchmakerexchange.org/) with an Application Programing Interface enabling submitters to query other databases of genetic variants and phenotypes without having to create accounts and data entries in multiple systems.

}, keywords = {Computational Biology, Databases, Genetic, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Genetic Variation, Humans, Information Dissemination, Phenotype, Rare Diseases, Software, User-Computer Interface, Web Browser}, issn = {1098-1004}, doi = {10.1002/humu.22844}, author = {Sobreira, Nara and Schiettecatte, Fran{\c c}ois and Valle, David and Hamosh, Ada} } @article {146, title = {GeneMatcher aids in the identification of a new malformation syndrome with intellectual disability, unique facial dysmorphisms, and skeletal and connective tissue abnormalities caused by de novo variants in HNRNPK.}, journal = {Hum Mutat}, volume = {36}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Oct}, pages = {1009-1014}, abstract = {

We report a new syndrome due to loss-of-function variants in the heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K gene (HNRNPK). We describe two probands: one with a de novo frameshift (NM_002140.3: c.953+1dup), and the other with a de novo splice donor site variant (NM_002140.3: c.257G>A). Both probands have intellectual disability, a shared unique craniofacial phenotype, and connective tissue and skeletal abnormalities. The identification of this syndrome was made possible by a new online tool, GeneMatcher, which facilitates connections between clinicians and researchers based on shared interest in candidate genes. This report demonstrates that new Web-based approaches can be effective in helping investigators solve exome sequencing projects, and also highlights the newer paradigm of "reverse phenotyping," where characterization of syndromic features follows the identification of genetic variants.

}, keywords = {Abnormalities, Multiple, Adolescent, Child, Craniofacial Abnormalities, Databases, Genetic, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Heterogeneous-Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein K, Humans, Information Dissemination, Intellectual Disability, Male, Muscular Atrophy, Phenotype, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Ribonucleoproteins, Software, Web Browser}, issn = {1098-1004}, doi = {10.1002/humu.22837}, author = {Au, P Y Billie and You, Jing and Caluseriu, Oana and Schwartzentruber, Jeremy and Majewski, Jacek and Bernier, Francois P and Ferguson, Marcia and Valle, David and Parboosingh, Jillian S and Sobreira, Nara and Innes, A Micheil and Kline, Antonie D} } @article {121, title = {Genes that Affect Brain Structure and Function Identified by Rare Variant Analyses of Mendelian Neurologic Disease.}, journal = {Neuron}, volume = {88}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Nov 04}, pages = {499-513}, abstract = {

Development of the human nervous system involves complex interactions among fundamental cellular processes and requires a multitude of genes, many of which remain to be associated with human disease. We applied whole exome sequencing to 128 mostly consanguineous families with neurogenetic disorders that often included brain malformations. Rare variant analyses for both single nucleotide variant (SNV) and copy number variant (CNV) alleles allowed for identification of 45 novel variants in 43 known disease genes, 41 candidate genes, and CNVs in 10 families, with an overall potential molecular cause identified in >85\% of families studied. Among the candidate genes identified, we found PRUNE, VARS, and DHX37 in multiple families and homozygous loss-of-function variants in AGBL2, SLC18A2, SMARCA1, UBQLN1, and CPLX1. Neuroimaging and in silico analysis of functional and expression proximity between candidate and known disease genes allowed for further understanding of genetic networks underlying specific types of brain malformations.

}, keywords = {Brain, Cohort Studies, Databases, Genetic, Female, Gene Regulatory Networks, Genetic Association Studies, Genetic Variation, Humans, Male, Mendelian Randomization Analysis, Nervous System Diseases, Pedigree}, issn = {1097-4199}, doi = {10.1016/j.neuron.2015.09.048}, author = {Karaca, Ender and Harel, Tamar and Pehlivan, Davut and Jhangiani, Shalini N and Gambin, Tomasz and Coban Akdemir, Zeynep and Gonzaga-Jauregui, Claudia and Erdin, Serkan and Bayram, Yavuz and Campbell, Ian M and Hunter, Jill V and Atik, Mehmed M and Van Esch, Hilde and Yuan, Bo and Wiszniewski, Wojciech and Isikay, Sedat and Yesil, G{\"o}zde and Yuregir, Ozge O and Tug Bozdogan, Sevcan and Aslan, Huseyin and Aydin, Hatip and Tos, Tulay and Aksoy, Ayse and De Vivo, Darryl C and Jain, Preti and Geckinli, B Bilge and Sezer, Ozlem and Gul, Davut and Durmaz, Burak and Cogulu, Ozgur and Ozkinay, Ferda and Topcu, Vehap and Candan, Sukru and Cebi, Alper Han and Ikbal, Mevlit and Yilmaz Gulec, Elif and Gezdirici, Alper and Koparir, Erkan and Ekici, Fatma and Coskun, Salih and Cicek, Salih and Karaer, Kadri and Koparir, Asuman and Duz, Mehmet Bugrahan and Kirat, Emre and Fenercioglu, Elif and Ulucan, Hakan and Seven, Mehmet and Guran, Tulay and Elcioglu, Nursel and Yildirim, Mahmut Selman and Aktas, Dilek and Alika{\c s}ifo{\u g}lu, Mehmet and Ture, Mehmet and Yakut, Tahsin and Overton, John D and Yuksel, Adnan and Ozen, Mustafa and Muzny, Donna M and Adams, David R and Boerwinkle, Eric and Chung, Wendy K and Gibbs, Richard A and Lupski, James R} } @article {131, title = {The Matchmaker Exchange: a platform for rare disease gene discovery.}, journal = {Hum Mutat}, volume = {36}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Oct}, pages = {915-21}, abstract = {

There are few better examples of the need for data sharing than in the rare disease community, where patients, physicians, and researchers must search for "the needle in a haystack" to uncover rare, novel causes of disease within the genome. Impeding the pace of discovery has been the existence of many small siloed datasets within individual research or clinical laboratory databases and/or disease-specific organizations, hoping for serendipitous occasions when two distant investigators happen to learn they have a rare phenotype in common and can "match" these cases to build evidence for causality. However, serendipity has never proven to be a reliable or scalable approach in science. As such, the Matchmaker Exchange (MME) was launched to provide a robust and systematic approach to rare disease gene discovery through the creation of a federated network connecting databases of genotypes and rare phenotypes using a common application programming interface (API). The core building blocks of the MME have been defined and assembled. Three MME services have now been connected through the API and are available for community use. Additional databases that support internal matching are anticipated to join the MME network as it continues to grow.

}, keywords = {Database Management Systems, Databases, Genetic, Genetic Association Studies, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Humans, Information Dissemination, Rare Diseases, Software}, issn = {1098-1004}, doi = {10.1002/humu.22858}, author = {Philippakis, Anthony A and Azzariti, Danielle R and Beltran, Sergi and Brookes, Anthony J and Brownstein, Catherine A and Brudno, Michael and Brunner, Han G and Buske, Orion J and Carey, Knox and Doll, Cassie and Dumitriu, Sergiu and Dyke, Stephanie O M and den Dunnen, Johan T and Firth, Helen V and Gibbs, Richard A and Girdea, Marta and Gonzalez, Michael and Haendel, Melissa A and Hamosh, Ada and Holm, Ingrid A and Huang, Lijia and Hurles, Matthew E and Hutton, Ben and Krier, Joel B and Misyura, Andriy and Mungall, Christopher J and Paschall, Justin and Paten, Benedict and Robinson, Peter N and Schiettecatte, Fran{\c c}ois and Sobreira, Nara L and Swaminathan, Ganesh J and Taschner, Peter E and Terry, Sharon F and Washington, Nicole L and Z{\"u}chner, Stephan and Boycott, Kym M and Rehm, Heidi L} } @article {136, title = {The Matchmaker Exchange API: automating patient matching through the exchange of structured phenotypic and genotypic profiles.}, journal = {Hum Mutat}, volume = {36}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Oct}, pages = {922-7}, abstract = {

Despite the increasing prevalence of clinical sequencing, the difficulty of identifying additional affected families is a key obstacle to solving many rare diseases. There may only be a handful of similar patients worldwide, and their data may be stored in diverse clinical and research databases. Computational methods are necessary to enable finding similar patients across the growing number of patient repositories and registries. We present the Matchmaker Exchange Application Programming Interface (MME API), a protocol and data format for exchanging phenotype and genotype profiles to enable matchmaking among patient databases, facilitate the identification of additional cohorts, and increase the rate with which rare diseases can be researched and diagnosed. We designed the API to be straightforward and flexible in order to simplify its adoption on a large number of data types and workflows. We also provide a public test data set, curated from the literature, to facilitate implementation of the API and development of new matching algorithms. The initial version of the API has been successfully implemented by three members of the Matchmaker Exchange and was immediately able to reproduce previously identified matches and generate several new leads currently being validated. The API is available at https://github.com/ga4gh/mme-apis.

}, keywords = {Algorithms, Computational Biology, Databases, Genetic, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Genotype, Humans, Information Dissemination, Phenotype, Rare Diseases, Web Browser}, issn = {1098-1004}, doi = {10.1002/humu.22850}, author = {Buske, Orion J and Schiettecatte, Fran{\c c}ois and Hutton, Benjamin and Dumitriu, Sergiu and Misyura, Andriy and Huang, Lijia and Hartley, Taila and Girdea, Marta and Sobreira, Nara and Mungall, Chris and Brudno, Michael} } @article {193, title = {New tools for Mendelian disease gene identification: PhenoDB variant analysis module; and GeneMatcher, a web-based tool for linking investigators with an interest in the same gene.}, journal = {Hum Mutat}, volume = {36}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Apr}, pages = {425-31}, abstract = {

Identifying the causative variant from among the thousands identified by whole-exome sequencing or whole-genome sequencing is a formidable challenge. To make this process as efficient and flexible as possible, we have developed a Variant Analysis Module coupled to our previously described Web-based phenotype intake tool, PhenoDB (http://researchphenodb.net and http://phenodb.org). When a small number of candidate-causative variants have been identified in a study of a particular patient or family, a second, more difficult challenge becomes proof of causality for any given variant. One approach to this problem is to find other cases with a similar phenotype and mutations in the same candidate gene. Alternatively, it may be possible to develop biological evidence for causality, an approach that is assisted by making connections to basic scientists studying the gene of interest, often in the setting of a model organism. Both of these strategies benefit from an open access, online site where individual clinicians and investigators could post genes of interest. To this end, we developed GeneMatcher (http://genematcher.org), a freely accessible Website that enables connections between clinicians and researchers across the world who share an interest in the same gene(s).

}, keywords = {Computational Biology, Databases, Genetic, Genetic Association Studies, Genetic Diseases, Inborn, Genetic Variation, Genomics, Internet, Phenotype, Software, Web Browser}, issn = {1098-1004}, doi = {10.1002/humu.22769}, author = {Sobreira, Nara and Schiettecatte, Fran{\c c}ois and Boehm, Corinne and Valle, David and Hamosh, Ada} } @article {148, title = {An siRNA-based functional genomics screen for the~identification of regulators of ciliogenesis and ciliopathy~genes.}, journal = {Nat Cell Biol}, volume = {17}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Aug}, pages = {1074-1087}, abstract = {

Defects in primary cilium biogenesis underlie the ciliopathies, a growing group of genetic disorders. We describe a whole-genome siRNA-based reverse genetics screen for defects in biogenesis and/or maintenance of the primary cilium, obtaining a global resource. We identify 112 candidate ciliogenesis and ciliopathy genes, including 44 components of the ubiquitin-proteasome system, 12 G-protein-coupled receptors, and 3 pre-mRNA processing factors (PRPF6, PRPF8 and PRPF31) mutated in autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa. The PRPFs localize to the connecting cilium, and PRPF8- and PRPF31-mutated cells have ciliary defects. Combining the screen with exome sequencing data identified recessive mutations in PIBF1, also known as CEP90, and C21orf2, also known as LRRC76, as causes of the ciliopathies Joubert and Jeune syndromes. Biochemical approaches place C21orf2 within key ciliopathy-associated protein modules, offering an explanation for the skeletal and retinal involvement observed in individuals with C21orf2 variants. Our global, unbiased approaches provide insights into ciliogenesis complexity and identify roles for unanticipated pathways in human genetic disease.

}, keywords = {Abnormalities, Multiple, Animals, Caenorhabditis elegans, Cerebellar Diseases, Cerebellum, Cilia, Ciliary Motility Disorders, Databases, Genetic, Ellis-Van Creveld Syndrome, Eye Abnormalities, Genetic Markers, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Genetic Testing, Genome-Wide Association Study, Genomics, HEK293 Cells, High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing, Humans, Kidney Diseases, Cystic, Membrane Proteins, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Mice, Knockout, Mutation, Phenotype, Photoreceptor Cells, Pregnancy Proteins, Proteins, Reproducibility of Results, Retina, RNA Interference, Suppressor Factors, Immunologic, Transfection, Zebrafish}, issn = {1476-4679}, doi = {10.1038/ncb3201}, author = {Wheway, Gabrielle and Schmidts, Miriam and Mans, Dorus A and Szymanska, Katarzyna and Nguyen, Thanh-Minh T and Racher, Hilary and Phelps, Ian G and Toedt, Grischa and Kennedy, Julie and Wunderlich, Kirsten A and Sorusch, Nasrin and Abdelhamed, Zakia A and Natarajan, Subaashini and Herridge, Warren and van Reeuwijk, Jeroen and Horn, Nicola and Boldt, Karsten and Parry, David A and Letteboer, Stef J F and Roosing, Susanne and Adams, Matthew and Bell, Sandra M and Bond, Jacquelyn and Higgins, Julie and Morrison, Ewan E and Tomlinson, Darren C and Slaats, Gisela G and van Dam, Teunis J P and Huang, Lijia and Kessler, Kristin and Giessl, Andreas and Logan, Clare V and Boyle, Evan A and Shendure, Jay and Anazi, Shamsa and Aldahmesh, Mohammed and Al Hazzaa, Selwa and Hegele, Robert A and Ober, Carole and Frosk, Patrick and Mhanni, Aizeddin A and Chodirker, Bernard N and Chudley, Albert E and Lamont, Ryan and Bernier, Francois P and Beaulieu, Chandree L and Gordon, Paul and Pon, Richard T and Donahue, Clem and Barkovich, A James and Wolf, Louis and Toomes, Carmel and Thiel, Christian T and Boycott, Kym M and McKibbin, Martin and Inglehearn, Chris F and Stewart, Fiona and Omran, Heymut and Huynen, Martijn A and Sergouniotis, Panagiotis I and Alkuraya, Fowzan S and Parboosingh, Jillian S and Innes, A Micheil and Willoughby, Colin E and Giles, Rachel H and Webster, Andrew R and Ueffing, Marius and Blacque, Oliver and Gleeson, Joseph G and Wolfrum, Uwe and Beales, Philip L and Gibson, Toby and Doherty, Dan and Mitchison, Hannah M and Roepman, Ronald and Johnson, Colin A} } @article {301, title = {Deletions of recessive disease genes: CNV contribution to carrier states and disease-causing alleles.}, journal = {Genome Res}, volume = {23}, year = {2013}, month = {2013 Sep}, pages = {1383-94}, abstract = {

Over 1200 recessive disease genes have been described in humans. The prevalence, allelic architecture, and per-genome load of pathogenic alleles in these genes remain to be fully elucidated, as does the contribution of DNA copy-number variants (CNVs) to carrier status and recessive disease. We mined CNV data from 21,470 individuals obtained by array-comparative genomic hybridization in a clinical diagnostic setting to identify deletions encompassing or disrupting recessive disease genes. We identified 3212 heterozygous potential carrier deletions affecting 419 unique recessive disease genes. Deletion frequency of these genes ranged from one occurrence to 1.5\%. When compared with recessive disease genes never deleted in our cohort, the 419 recessive disease genes affected by at least one carrier deletion were longer and located farther from known dominant disease genes, suggesting that the formation and/or prevalence of carrier CNVs may be affected by both local and adjacent genomic features and by selection. Some subjects had multiple carrier CNVs (307 subjects) and/or carrier deletions encompassing more than one recessive disease gene (206 deletions). Heterozygous deletions spanning multiple recessive disease genes may confer carrier status for multiple single-gene disorders, for complex syndromes resulting from the combination of two or more recessive conditions, or may potentially cause clinical phenotypes due to a multiply heterozygous state. In addition to carrier mutations, we identified homozygous and hemizygous deletions potentially causative for recessive disease. We provide further evidence that CNVs contribute to the allelic architecture of both carrier and recessive disease-causing mutations. Thus, a complete recessive carrier screening method or diagnostic test should detect CNV alleles.

}, keywords = {Alleles, Comparative Genomic Hybridization, Databases, Genetic, DNA Copy Number Variations, Gene Deletion, Gene Frequency, Genes, Dominant, Genes, Recessive, Genetic Diseases, Inborn, Homozygote, Humans}, issn = {1549-5469}, doi = {10.1101/gr.156075.113}, author = {Boone, Philip M and Campbell, Ian M and Baggett, Brett C and Soens, Zachry T and Rao, Mitchell M and Hixson, Patricia M and Patel, Ankita and Bi, Weimin and Cheung, Sau Wai and Lalani, Seema R and Beaudet, Arthur L and Stankiewicz, Pawel and Shaw, Chad A and Lupski, James R} } @article {280, title = {Effect of catechol-o-methyltransferase-gene (COMT) variants on experimental and acute postoperative pain in 1,000 women undergoing surgery for breast cancer.}, journal = {Anesthesiology}, volume = {119}, year = {2013}, month = {2013 Dec}, pages = {1422-33}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) metabolizes catecholamines in different tissues. Polymorphisms in COMT gene can attenuate COMT activity and increase sensitivity to pain. Human studies exploring the effect of COMT polymorphisms on pain sensitivity have mostly included small, heterogeneous samples and have ignored several important single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). This study examines the effect of COMT polymorphisms on experimental and postoperative pain phenotypes in a large ethnically homogeneous female patient cohort.

METHODS: Intensity of cold (+2-4{\textdegree}C) and heat (+48{\textdegree}C) pain and tolerance to cold pain were assessed in 1,000 patients scheduled for breast cancer surgery. Acute postoperative pain and oxycodone requirements were recorded. Twenty-two COMT SNPs were genotyped and their association with six pain phenotypes analyzed with linear regression.

RESULTS: There was no association between any of the tested pain phenotypes and SNP rs4680. The strongest association signals were seen between rs165774 and heat pain intensity as well as rs887200 and cold pain intensity. In both cases, minor allele carriers reported less pain. Neither of these results remained significant after strict multiple testing corrections. When analyzed further, the effect of rs887200 was, however, shown to be significant and consistent throughout the cold pressure test. No evidence of association between the SNPs and postoperative oxycodone consumption was found.

CONCLUSIONS: SNPs rs887200 and rs165774 located in the untranslated regions of the gene had the strongest effects on pain sensitivity. Their effect on pain is described here for the first time. These results should be confirmed in further studies and the potential functional mechanisms of the variants studied.

}, keywords = {Acute Pain, Adult, Aged, Analgesics, Opioid, Anesthesia, Breast Neoplasms, Catechol O-Methyltransferase, Cold Temperature, Databases, Genetic, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Genetic Variation, Genome-Wide Association Study, Genotype, Haplotypes, Hot Temperature, Humans, Middle Aged, Oxycodone, Pain Measurement, Pain, Postoperative, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide}, issn = {1528-1175}, doi = {10.1097/ALN.0000000000000013}, author = {Kambur, Oleg and Kaunisto, Mari A and Tikkanen, Emmi and Leal, Suzanne M and Ripatti, Samuli and Kalso, Eija A} }