@article {985, title = {Generation of Monogenic Candidate Genes for Human Nephrotic Syndrome Using 3 Independent Approaches.}, journal = {Kidney Int Rep}, volume = {6}, year = {2021}, month = {2021 Feb}, pages = {460-471}, abstract = {

Introduction: Steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) is the second most common cause of chronic kidney disease during childhood. Identification of 63 monogenic human genes has delineated 12 distinct pathogenic pathways.

Methods: Here, we generated 2 independent sets of nephrotic syndrome (NS) candidate genes to augment the discovery of additional monogenic causes based on whole-exome sequencing (WES) data from 1382 families with NS.

Results: We first identified 63 known monogenic causes of NS in mice from public databases and scientific publications, and 12 of these genes overlapped with the 63 known human monogenic SRNS genes. Second, we used a set of 64 genes that are regulated by the transcription factor Wilms tumor 1 (WT1), which causes SRNS if mutated. Thirteen of these WT1-regulated genes overlapped with human or murine NS genes. Finally, we overlapped these lists of murine and WT1 candidate genes with our list of 120 candidate genes generated from WES in 1382 NS families, to identify novel candidate genes for monogenic human SRNS. Using this approach, we identified 7 overlapping genes, of which 3 genes were shared by all datasets, including . We show that loss-of-function of leads to decreased CDC42 activity and reduced podocyte migration rate, both of which are rescued by overexpression of wild-type complementary DNA (cDNA), but not by cDNA representing the patient mutation.

Conclusion: Thus, we identified 3 novel candidate genes for human SRNS using 3 independent, nonoverlapping hypotheses, and generated functional evidence for as a novel potential monogenic cause of NS.

}, issn = {2468-0249}, doi = {10.1016/j.ekir.2020.11.013}, author = {Kl{\"a}mbt, Verena and Mao, Youying and Schneider, Ronen and Buerger, Florian and Shamseldin, Hanan and Onuchic-Whitford, Ana C and Deutsch, Konstantin and Kitzler, Thomas M and Nakayama, Makiko and Majmundar, Amar J and Mann, Nina and Hugo, Hannah and Widmeier, Eugen and Tan, Weizhen and Rehm, Heidi L and Mane, Shrikant and Lifton, Richard P and Alkuraya, Fowzan S and Shril, Shirlee and Hildebrandt, Friedhelm} } @article {894, title = {Genetic and non-genetic factors affecting the expression of COVID-19-relevant genes in the large airway epithelium.}, journal = {Genome Med}, volume = {13}, year = {2021}, month = {2021 04 21}, pages = {66}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: The large airway epithelial barrier provides one of the first lines of defense against respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19. Substantial inter-individual variability in individual disease courses is hypothesized to be partially mediated by the differential regulation of the genes that interact with the SARS-CoV-2 virus or are involved in the subsequent host response. Here, we comprehensively investigated non-genetic and genetic factors influencing COVID-19-relevant bronchial epithelial gene expression.

METHODS: We analyzed RNA-sequencing data from bronchial epithelial brushings obtained from uninfected individuals. We related ACE2 gene expression to host and environmental factors in the SPIROMICS cohort of smokers with and without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and replicated these associations in two asthma cohorts, SARP and MAST. To identify airway biology beyond ACE2 binding that may contribute to increased susceptibility, we used gene set enrichment analyses to determine if gene expression changes indicative of a suppressed airway immune response observed early in SARS-CoV-2 infection are also observed in association with host factors. To identify host genetic variants affecting COVID-19 susceptibility in SPIROMICS, we performed expression quantitative trait (eQTL) mapping and investigated the phenotypic associations of the eQTL variants.

RESULTS: We found that ACE2 expression was higher in relation to active smoking, obesity, and hypertension that are known risk factors of COVID-19 severity, while an association with interferon-related inflammation was driven by the truncated, non-binding ACE2 isoform. We discovered that expression patterns of a suppressed airway immune response to early SARS-CoV-2 infection, compared to other viruses, are similar to patterns associated with obesity, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease, which may thus contribute to a COVID-19-susceptible airway environment. eQTL mapping identified regulatory variants for genes implicated in COVID-19, some of which had pheWAS evidence for their potential role in respiratory infections.

CONCLUSIONS: These data provide evidence that clinically relevant variation in the expression of COVID-19-related genes is associated with host factors, environmental exposures, and likely host genetic variation.

}, keywords = {Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2, Asthma, Bronchi, Cardiovascular Diseases, COVID-19, Gene Expression, Genetic Variation, Humans, Middle Aged, Obesity, Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive, Quantitative Trait Loci, Respiratory Mucosa, Risk Factors, SARS-CoV-2, Smoking}, issn = {1756-994X}, doi = {10.1186/s13073-021-00866-2}, author = {Kasela, Silva and Ortega, Victor E and Martorella, Molly and Garudadri, Suresh and Nguyen, Jenna and Ampleford, Elizabeth and Pasanen, Anu and Nerella, Srilaxmi and Buschur, Kristina L and Barjaktarevic, Igor Z and Barr, R Graham and Bleecker, Eugene R and Bowler, Russell P and Comellas, Alejandro P and Cooper, Christopher B and Couper, David J and Criner, Gerard J and Curtis, Jeffrey L and Han, MeiLan K and Hansel, Nadia N and Hoffman, Eric A and Kaner, Robert J and Krishnan, Jerry A and Martinez, Fernando J and McDonald, Merry-Lynn N and Meyers, Deborah A and Paine, Robert and Peters, Stephen P and Castro, Mario and Denlinger, Loren C and Erzurum, Serpil C and Fahy, John V and Israel, Elliot and Jarjour, Nizar N and Levy, Bruce D and Li, Xingnan and Moore, Wendy C and Wenzel, Sally E and Zein, Joe and Langelier, Charles and Woodruff, Prescott G and Lappalainen, Tuuli and Christenson, Stephanie A} } @article {896, title = {Genetic Predictor to Identify Individuals With High Lipoprotein(a) Concentrations.}, journal = {Circ Genom Precis Med}, volume = {14}, year = {2021}, month = {2021 Feb}, pages = {e003182}, issn = {2574-8300}, doi = {10.1161/CIRCGEN.120.003182}, author = {Dron, Jacqueline S and Wang, Minxian and Patel, Aniruddh P and Kartoun, Uri and Ng, Kenney and Hegele, Robert A and Khera, Amit V} } @article {901, title = {Genetic profiles of 103,106 individuals in the Taiwan Biobank provide insights into the health and history of Han Chinese.}, journal = {NPJ Genom Med}, volume = {6}, year = {2021}, month = {2021 Feb 11}, pages = {10}, abstract = {

Personalized medical care focuses on prediction of disease risk and response to medications. To build the risk models, access to both large-scale genomic resources and human genetic studies is required. The Taiwan Biobank (TWB) has generated high-coverage, whole-genome sequencing data from 1492 individuals and genome-wide SNP data from 103,106 individuals of Han Chinese ancestry using custom SNP arrays. Principal components analysis of the genotyping data showed that the full range of Han Chinese genetic variation was found in the cohort. The arrays also include thousands of known functional variants, allowing for simultaneous ascertainment of Mendelian disease-causing mutations and variants that affect drug metabolism. We found that 21.2\% of the population are mutation carriers of autosomal recessive diseases, 3.1\% have mutations in cancer-predisposing genes, and 87.3\% carry variants that affect drug response. We highlight how TWB data provide insight into both population history and disease burden, while showing how widespread genetic testing can be used to improve clinical care.

}, issn = {2056-7944}, doi = {10.1038/s41525-021-00178-9}, author = {Wei, Chun-Yu and Yang, Jenn-Hwai and Yeh, Erh-Chan and Tsai, Ming-Fang and Kao, Hsiao-Jung and Lo, Chen-Zen and Chang, Lung-Pao and Lin, Wan-Jia and Hsieh, Feng-Jen and Belsare, Saurabh and Bhaskar, Anand and Su, Ming-Wei and Lee, Te-Chang and Lin, Yi-Ling and Liu, Fu-Tong and Shen, Chen-Yang and Li, Ling-Hui and Chen, Chien-Hsiun and Wall, Jeffrey D and Wu, Jer-Yuarn and Kwok, Pui-Yan} } @article {891, title = {Germline mutation in : a heterogeneous, multi-systemic developmental disorder characterized by transcriptional dysregulation.}, journal = {HGG Adv}, volume = {2}, year = {2021}, month = {2021 Jan 14}, abstract = {

germline variation in was recently reported to associate with a neurodevelopmental disorder. We report twelve individuals harboring putatively pathogenic or inherited variants in , detail their phenotypes, and map all known variants to the domain structure of and crystal structure of RNA polymerase II. Affected individuals were ascertained from a local data lake, pediatric genetics clinic, and an online community of families of affected individuals. These include six affected by missense variants (including one previously reported individual), four clinical laboratory samples affected by missense variation with unknown inheritance-with yeast functional assays further supporting altered function-one affected by a in-frame deletion, and one affected by a C-terminal frameshift variant inherited from a largely asymptomatic mother. Recurrently observed phenotypes include ataxia, joint hypermobility, short stature, skin abnormalities, congenital cardiac abnormalities, immune system abnormalities, hip dysplasia, and short Achilles tendons. We report a significantly higher occurrence of epilepsy (8/12, 66.7\%) than previously reported (3/15, 20\%) (p value = 0.014196; chi-square test) and a lower occurrence of hypotonia (8/12, 66.7\%) than previously reported (14/15, 93.3\%) (p value = 0.076309). -related developmental disorders likely represent a spectrum of related, multi-systemic developmental disorders, driven by distinct mechanisms, converging at a single locus.

}, issn = {2666-2477}, doi = {10.1016/j.xhgg.2020.100014}, author = {Hansen, Adam W and Arora, Payal and Khayat, Michael M and Smith, Leah J and Lewis, Andrea M and Rossetti, Linda Z and Jayaseelan, Joy and Cristian, Ingrid and Haynes, Devon and DiTroia, Stephanie and Meeks, Naomi and Delgado, Mauricio R and Rosenfeld, Jill A and Pais, Lynn and White, Susan M and Meng, Qingchang and Pehlivan, Davut and Liu, Pengfei and Gingras, Marie-Claude and Wangler, Michael F and Muzny, Donna M and Lupski, James R and Kaplan, Craig D and Gibbs, Richard A} } @article {1011, title = {Germline SAMD9L truncation variants trigger global translational repression.}, journal = {J Exp Med}, volume = {218}, year = {2021}, month = {2021 May 03}, abstract = {

SAMD9L is an interferon-induced tumor suppressor implicated in a spectrum of multisystem disorders, including risk for myeloid malignancies and immune deficiency. We identified a heterozygous de novo frameshift variant in SAMD9L in an infant with B cell aplasia and clinical autoinflammatory features who died from respiratory failure with chronic rhinovirus infection. Autopsy demonstrated absent bone marrow and peripheral B cells as well as selective loss of Langerhans and Purkinje cells. The frameshift variant led to expression of a truncated protein with interferon treatment. This protein exhibited a gain-of-function phenotype, resulting in interference in global protein synthesis via inhibition of translational elongation. Using a mutational scan, we identified a region within SAMD9L where stop-gain variants trigger a similar translational arrest. SAMD9L variants that globally suppress translation had no effect or increased mRNA transcription. The complex-reported phenotype likely reflects lineage-dominant sensitivities to this translation block. Taken together, our findings indicate that interferon-triggered SAMD9L gain-of-function variants globally suppress translation.

}, issn = {1540-9538}, doi = {10.1084/jem.20201195}, author = {Allenspach, Eric J and Soveg, Frank and Finn, Laura S and So, Lomon and Gorman, Jacquelyn A and Rosen, Aaron B I and Skoda-Smith, Suzanne and Wheeler, Marsha M and Barrow, Kaitlyn A and Rich, Lucille M and Debley, Jason S and Bamshad, Michael J and Nickerson, Deborah A and Savan, Ram and Torgerson, Troy R and Rawlings, David J} } @article {1009, title = {GIMAP5 maintains liver endothelial cell homeostasis and prevents portal hypertension.}, journal = {J Exp Med}, volume = {218}, year = {2021}, month = {2021 Jul 05}, abstract = {

Portal hypertension is a major contributor to decompensation and death from liver disease, a global health problem. Here, we demonstrate homozygous damaging mutations in GIMAP5, a small organellar GTPase, in four families with unexplained portal hypertension. We show that GIMAP5 is expressed in hepatic endothelial cells and that its loss in both humans and mice results in capillarization of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs); this effect is also seen when GIMAP5 is selectively deleted in endothelial cells. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis in a GIMAP5-deficient mouse model reveals replacement of LSECs with capillarized endothelial cells, a reduction of macrovascular hepatic endothelial cells, and places GIMAP5 upstream of GATA4, a transcription factor required for LSEC specification. Thus, GIMAP5 is a critical regulator of liver endothelial cell homeostasis and, when absent, produces portal hypertension. These findings provide new insight into the pathogenesis of portal hypertension, a major contributor to morbidity and mortality from liver disease.

}, issn = {1540-9538}, doi = {10.1084/jem.20201745}, author = {Drzewiecki, Kaela and Choi, Jungmin and Brancale, Joseph and Leney-Greene, Michael A and Sari, Sinan and Dalgi{\c c}, Buket and {\"U}nl{\"u}soy Aksu, Aysel and Evirgen {\c S}ahin, G{\"u}lseren and Ozen, Ahmet and Baris, Safa and Karakoc-Aydiner, Elif and Jain, Dhanpat and Kleiner, David and Schmalz, Michael and Radhakrishnan, Kadakkal and Zhang, Junhui and Hoebe, Kasper and Su, Helen C and Pereira, Jo{\~a}o P and Lenardo, Michael J and Lifton, Richard P and Vilarinho, S{\'\i}lvia} } @article {984, title = {Gain-of-function variants identified in vigabatrin-hypersensitive epileptic encephalopathies.}, journal = {Brain Commun}, volume = {2}, year = {2020}, month = {2020}, pages = {fcaa162}, abstract = {

Variants in the gene encoding the β3-subunit of the γ-aminobutyric acid type A ( receptor are associated with various developmental and epileptic encephalopathies. Typically, these variants cause a loss-of-function molecular phenotype whereby γ-aminobutyric acid has reduced inhibitory effectiveness leading to seizures. Drugs that potentiate inhibitory GABAergic activity, such as nitrazepam, phenobarbital or vigabatrin, are expected to compensate for this and thereby reduce seizure frequency. However, vigabatrin, a drug that inhibits γ-aminobutyric acid transaminase to increase tonic γ-aminobutyric acid currents, has mixed success in treating seizures in patients with variants: some patients experience seizure cessation, but there is hypersensitivity in some patients associated with hypotonia, sedation and respiratory suppression. A variant that responds well to vigabatrin involves a truncation variant (p.Arg194*) resulting in a clear loss-of-function. We hypothesized that patients with a hypersensitive response to vigabatrin may exhibit a different γ-aminobutyric acid A receptor phenotype. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated the phenotype of variants in (p.Glu77Lys and p.Thr287Ile) associated with patients who are clinically hypersensitive to vigabatrin. We introduced the p.Glu77Lys and p.Thr287Ile variants into a concatenated synaptic and extrasynaptic γ-aminobutyric acid A receptor construct, to resemble the γ-aminobutyric acid A receptor expression by a patient heterozygous for the variant. The mRNA of these constructs was injected into oocytes and activation properties of each receptor measured by two-electrode voltage clamp electrophysiology. Results showed an atypical gain-of-function molecular phenotype in the p.Glu77Lys and p.Thr287Ile variants characterized by increased potency of γ-aminobutyric acid A without change to the estimated maximum open channel probability, deactivation kinetics or absolute currents. Modelling of the activation properties of the receptors indicated that either variant caused increased chloride flux in response to low concentrations of γ-aminobutyric acid that mediate tonic currents. We therefore propose that the hypersensitivity reaction to vigabatrin is a result of variants that exacerbate GABAergic tonic currents and caution is required when prescribing vigabatrin. In contrast, drug strategies increasing tonic currents in loss-of-function variants are likely to be a safe and effective therapy. This study demonstrates that functional genomics can explain beneficial and adverse anti-epileptic drug effects, and propose that vigabatrin should be considered in patients with clear loss-of-function variants.

}, issn = {2632-1297}, doi = {10.1093/braincomms/fcaa162}, author = {Absalom, Nathan L and Liao, Vivian W Y and Kothur, Kavitha and Indurthi, Dinesh C and Bennetts, Bruce and Troedson, Christopher and Mohammad, Shekeeb S and Gupta, Sachin and McGregor, Iain S and Bowen, Michael T and Lederer, Damien and Mary, Sandrine and De Waele, Liesbeth and Jansen, Katrien and Gill, Deepak and Kurian, Manju A and McTague, Amy and M{\o}ller, Rikke S and Ahring, Philip K and Dale, Russell C and Chebib, Mary} } @article {819, title = { Gain-of-Function Variants in Dilated Cardiomyopathy.}, journal = {Circ Genom Precis Med}, volume = {13}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 08}, pages = {e002892}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a genetically heterogeneous cardiac disease characterized by progressive ventricular enlargement and reduced systolic function. Here, we report genetic and functional analyses implicating the rat sarcoma signaling protein, SOS1 (Son of sevenless homolog 1), in DCM pathogenesis.

METHODS: Exome sequencing was performed on 412 probands and family members from our DCM cohort, identifying several variants with potential disease involvement. As several lines of evidence have implicated dysregulated rat sarcoma signaling in the pathogenesis of DCM, we assessed functional impact of each variant on the activation of ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase), AKT (protein kinase B), and JNK (c-Jun N-terminal kinase) pathways. Relative expression levels were determined by Western blot in HEK293T cells transfected with variant or wild-type human expression constructs.

RESULTS: A rare variant [c.571G>A, p.(Glu191Lys)] was found to segregate alongside an A-band truncating variant in a pedigree with aggressive, early-onset DCM. Reduced disease severity in the absence of the variant suggested its potential involvement as a genetic risk factor for DCM in this family. Exome sequencing identified 5 additional variants with potential disease involvement in 4 other families [c.1820T>C, p.(Ile607Thr); c.2156G>C, p.(Gly719Ala); c.2230A>G, p.(Arg744Gly); c.2728G>C, p.(Asp910His); c.3601C>T, p.(Arg1201Trp)]. Impacted amino acids occupied a number of functional domains relevant to SOS1 activity, including the N-terminal histone fold, as well as the C-terminal REM (rat sarcoma exchange motif), CDC25 (cell division cycle 25), and PR (proline-rich) tail domains. Increased phosphorylated ERK expression relative to wild-type levels was seen for all 6 variants, paralleling known disease-relevant signaling profiles.

CONCLUSIONS: These data support gain-of-function variation in as a contributing factor to isolated DCM.

}, issn = {2574-8300}, doi = {10.1161/CIRCGEN.119.002892}, author = {Cowan, Jason R and Salyer, Lorien and Wright, Nathan T and Kinnamon, Daniel D and Amaya, Pedro and Jordan, Elizabeth and Bamshad, Michael J and Nickerson, Deborah A and Hershberger, Ray E} } @article {822, title = {Gene-based analyses of the maternal genome implicate maternal effect genes as risk factors for conotruncal heart defects.}, journal = {PLoS One}, volume = {15}, year = {2020}, month = {2020}, pages = {e0234357}, abstract = {

Congenital heart defects (CHDs) affect approximately 1\% of newborns. Epidemiological studies have identified several genetically-mediated maternal phenotypes (e.g., pregestational diabetes, chronic hypertension) that are associated with the risk of CHDs in offspring. However, the role of the maternal genome in determining CHD risk has not been defined. We present findings from gene-level, genome-wide studies that link CHDs to maternal effect genes as well as to maternal genes related to hypertension and proteostasis. Maternal effect genes, which provide the mRNAs and proteins in the oocyte that guide early embryonic development before zygotic gene activation, have not previously been implicated in CHD risk. Our findings support a role for and suggest new pathways by which the maternal genome may contribute to the development of CHDs in offspring.

}, keywords = {Adult, Case-Control Studies, Child, Preschool, Family, Female, Genetic Testing, Heart Defects, Congenital, Humans, Hypertension, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Male, Maternal Exposure, Maternal Inheritance, Middle Aged, Oocytes, Pregnancy, Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects, Proteostasis, Risk Factors}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0234357}, author = {Sewda, Anshuman and Agopian, A J and Goldmuntz, Elizabeth and Hakonarson, Hakon and Morrow, Bernice E and Musfee, Fadi and Taylor, Deanne and Mitchell, Laura E} } @article {764, title = {The genetic and clinical landscape of nanophthalmos and posterior microphthalmos in an Australian cohort.}, journal = {Clin Genet}, volume = {97}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 05}, pages = {764-769}, abstract = {

Nanophthalmos and posterior microphthalmos are ocular abnormalities in which both eyes are abnormally small, and typically associated with extreme hyperopia. We recruited 40 individuals from 13 kindreds with nanophthalmos or posterior microphthalmos, with 12 probands subjected to exome sequencing. Nine probands (69.2\%) were assigned a genetic diagnosis, with variants in MYRF, TMEM98, MFRP, and PRSS56. Two of four PRSS56 families harbored the previously described c.1066dupC variant implicated in over half of all reported PRSS56 kindreds, with different surrounding haplotypes in each family suggesting a mutational hotspot. Individuals with a genetic diagnosis had shorter mean axial lengths and higher hyperopia than those without, with recessive forms associated with the most extreme phenotypes. These findings detail the genetic architecture of nanophthalmos and posterior microphthalmos in a cohort of predominantly European ancestry, their relative clinical phenotypes, and highlight the shared genetic architecture of rare and common disorders of refractive error.

}, issn = {1399-0004}, doi = {10.1111/cge.13722}, author = {Siggs, Owen M and Awadalla, Mona S and Souzeau, Emmanuelle and Staffieri, Sandra E and Kearns, Lisa S and Laurie, Kate and Kuot, AbrAHm and Qassim, Ayub and Edwards, Thomas L and Coote, Michael A and Mancel, Erica and Walland, Mark J and Dondey, Joanne and Galanopoulous, Anna and Casson, Robert J and Mills, Richard A and MacArthur, Daniel G and Ruddle, Jonathan B and Burdon, Kathryn P and Craig, Jamie E} } @article {708, title = {Genetic and molecular mechanism for distinct clinical phenotypes conveyed by allelic truncating mutations implicated in FBN1.}, journal = {Mol Genet Genomic Med}, volume = {8}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 01}, pages = {e1023}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: The molecular and genetic mechanisms by which different single nucleotide variant alleles in specific genes, or at the same genetic locus, cause distinct disease phenotypes often remain unclear. Allelic truncating mutations of FBN1 could cause either classical Marfan syndrome (MFS) or a more complicated phenotype associated with Marfanoid-progeroid-lipodystrophy syndrome (MPLS).

METHODS: We investigated a small cohort, encompassing two classical MFS and one MPLS subjects~from China, whose clinical presentation included scoliosis potentially requiring surgical intervention. Targeted next generation sequencing was performed on all the participants. We analyzed the molecular diagnosis, clinical features, and the potential molecular mechanism involved in the MPLS subject in our cohort.

RESULTS: We report a novel de novo FBN1 mutation for the first Chinese subject~with MPLS, a more complicated fibrillinopathy, and two subjects~with more classical MFS. We further predict that the MPLS truncating mutation, and others previously reported, is prone to escape the nonsense-mediated decay (NMD), while MFS mutations are predicted to be subjected to NMD. Also, the MPLS mutation occurs within the glucogenic hormone asprosin domain of FBN1. In vitro experiments showed that the single MPLS mutation p.Glu2759Cysfs*9 appears to perturb proper FBN1 protein aggregation as compared with the~classical MFS mutation p.Tyr2596Thrfs*86. Both mutations appear to upregulate SMAD2 phosphorylation in vitro.

CONCLUSION: We provide direct evidence that a dominant-negative interaction of FBN1 potentially explains the complex MPLS phenotypes through genetic and functional analysis. Our study expands the mutation spectrum of FBN1 and highlights the potential molecular mechanism for MPLS.

}, keywords = {Adolescent, Adult, Child, Female, Fibrillin-1, HEK293 Cells, Humans, Lipodystrophy, Marfan Syndrome, Mutation, Phenotype, Progeria, Protein Domains, Smad2 Protein}, issn = {2324-9269}, doi = {10.1002/mgg3.1023}, author = {Lin, Mao and Liu, Zhenlei and Liu, Gang and Zhao, Sen and Li, Chao and Chen, Weisheng and Coban Akdemir, Zeynep and Lin, Jiachen and Song, Xiaofei and Wang, Shengru and Xu, Qiming and Zhao, Yanxue and Wang, Lianlei and Zhang, Yuanqiang and Yan, Zihui and Liu, Sen and Liu, Jiaqi and Chen, Yixin and Zuo, Yuzhi and Yang, Xu and Sun, Tianshu and Yang, Xin-Zhuang and Niu, Yuchen and Li, Xiaoxin and You, Wesley and Qiu, Bintao and Ding, Chen and Liu, Pengfei and Zhang, Shuyang and Carvalho, Claudia M B and Posey, Jennifer E and Qiu, Guixing and Lupski, James R and Wu, Zhihong and Zhang, Jianguo and Wu, Nan} } @article {972, title = {Genetic Burden Contributing to Extremely Low or High Bone Mineral Density in a Senior Male Population From the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study (MrOS).}, journal = {JBMR Plus}, volume = {4}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 Mar}, pages = {e10335}, abstract = {

Worldwide, one in five men aged over 50 years will experience osteoporosis or a clinical bone fracture, with a greater fracture-related mortality rate than women. However, the genetic etiology of osteoporosis in men is still poorly understood. We aimed to identify the genetic variants and candidate genes associated with extremely low or high BMD for a better understanding of the biology underlying low bone density that may point to potential therapeutic targets for increasing bone mass. Subjects from the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study (MrOS) cohort were evaluated by age and BMI-adjusted total hip BMD. Those with BMD values 3 SDs away from the mean were selected and the remaining individuals whose adjusted BMD ranked at the highest or lowest 100 were included. Men with the lowest adjusted BMD ( = 98) and highest adjusted BMD ( = 110) were chosen for exome sequencing. Controls ( = 82) were men of Northern and Western European descent from the US Utah population of the 1000 Genomes Project. Fisher{\textquoteright}s exact test was performed to compare low- or high-BMD subjects with controls for single-gene associations. Additionally, sets of candidate genes causative of heritable disorders of connective tissue, including osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), were grouped for multigene and mutation burden analyses. No single-gene associations with rare variants were found for either the low BMD group (33 genes) or high BMD group (18 genes). In the group of OI genes, we detected a significant threefold increased accumulation of rare variants in low-BMD subjects compared with controls ( = 0.009). Additionally, genes associated with EDS had a twofold increased frequency in low-BMD subjects compared with controls ( = 0.03). These findings reveal a rare variant burden in OI and EDS disease genes at low BMD, which suggests a potential gene-panel approach to screen for multivariant associations in larger cohorts. {\textcopyright} 2019 The Authors. published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

}, issn = {2473-4039}, doi = {10.1002/jbm4.10335}, author = {Chen, Shan and Jain, Mahim and Jhangiani, Shalini and Akdemir, Zeynep C and Campeau, Philippe M and Klein, Robert F and Nielson, Carrie and Dai, Hongzheng and Muzny, Donna M and Boerwinkle, Eric and Gibbs, Richard A and Orwoll, Eric S and Lupski, James R and Posey, Jennifer E and Lee, Brendan} } @article {865, title = {The Genetic Control of Stoichiometry Underlying Autism.}, journal = {Annu Rev Neurosci}, volume = {43}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 07 08}, pages = {509-533}, abstract = {

Autism is a common and complex neurologic disorder whose scientific underpinnings have begun to be established in the past decade. The essence of this breakthrough has been a focus on families, where genetic analyses are strongest, versus large-scale, case-control studies. Autism genetics has progressed in parallel with technology, from analyses of copy number variation to whole-exome sequencing (WES) and whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Gene mutations causing complete loss of function account for perhaps one-third of cases, largely detected through WES. This limitation has increased interest in understanding the regulatory variants of genes that contribute in more subtle ways to the disorder. Strategies combining biochemical analysis of gene regulation, WGS analysis of the noncoding genome, and machine learning have begun to succeed. The emerging picture is that careful control of the amounts of transcription, mRNA, and proteins made by key brain genes-stoichiometry-plays a critical role in defining the clinical features of autism.

}, issn = {1545-4126}, doi = {10.1146/annurev-neuro-100119-024851}, author = {Darnell, Robert B} } @article {846, title = {Genetic diagnoses in epilepsy: The impact of dynamic exome analysis in a pediatric cohort.}, journal = {Epilepsia}, volume = {61}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 02}, pages = {249-258}, abstract = {

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the yield of systematic analysis and/or reanalysis of whole exome sequencing (WES) data from a cohort of well-phenotyped pediatric patients with epilepsy and suspected but previously undetermined genetic etiology.

METHODS: We identified and phenotyped 125 participants with pediatric epilepsy. Etiology was unexplained at the time of enrollment despite clinical testing, which included chromosomal microarray (57 patients), epilepsy gene panel (n = 48), both (n = 28), or WES (n = 8). Clinical epilepsy diagnoses included developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE), febrile infection-related epilepsy syndrome, Rasmussen encephalitis, and other focal and generalized epilepsies. We analyzed WES data and compared the yield in participants with and without prior clinical genetic testing.

RESULTS: Overall, we identified pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in 40\% (50/125) of our study participants. Nine patients with DEE had genetic variants in recently published genes that had not been recognized as epilepsy-related at the time of clinical testing (FGF12, GABBR1, GABBR2, ITPA, KAT6A, PTPN23, RHOBTB2, SATB2), and eight patients had genetic variants in candidate epilepsy genes (CAMTA1, FAT3, GABRA6, HUWE1, PTCHD1). Ninety participants had concomitant or subsequent clinical genetic testing, which was ultimately explanatory for 26\% (23/90). Of the 67 participants whose molecular diagnoses were "unsolved" through clinical genetic testing, we identified pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in 17 (25\%).

SIGNIFICANCE: Our data argue for early consideration of WES with iterative reanalysis for patients with epilepsy, particularly those with DEE or epilepsy with intellectual disability. Rigorous analysis of WES data of well-phenotyped patients with epilepsy leads to a broader understanding of gene-specific phenotypic spectra as well as candidate disease gene identification. We illustrate the dynamic nature of genetic diagnosis over time, with analysis and in some cases reanalysis of exome data leading to the identification of disease-associated variants among participants with previously nondiagnostic results from a variety of clinical testing strategies.

}, keywords = {Adolescent, Adult, Age of Onset, Brain Diseases, Child, Child, Preschool, Chromosomes, Human, Cohort Studies, Epilepsy, Epilepsy, Generalized, Exome, Female, Genetic Testing, Genetic Variation, Humans, Infant, Male, Microarray Analysis, Phenotype, Whole Exome Sequencing, Young Adult}, issn = {1528-1167}, doi = {10.1111/epi.16427}, author = {Rochtus, Anne and Olson, Heather E and Smith, Lacey and Keith, Louisa G and El Achkar, Christelle and Taylor, Alan and Mahida, Sonal and Park, Meredith and Kelly, McKenna and Shain, Catherine and Rockowitz, Shira and Rosen Sheidley, Beth and Poduri, Annapurna} } @article {763, title = {Genetic diagnosis in the fetus.}, journal = {J Perinatol}, volume = {40}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 07}, pages = {997-1006}, abstract = {

Many genetic disorders are detectable in the prenatal period, and the capacity to identify them has increased remarkably as molecular genetic testing techniques continue to improve and become incorporated into clinical practice. The indications for prenatal genetic testing vary widely, including follow-up of an anomaly found by routine ultrasound or maternal aneuploidy screening, a family history of genetic disease, advanced maternal or paternal age, or evaluation of a low-risk pregnancy due to parental concern. The interpretation of genetic variants identified in the prenatal period poses unique challenges due to the lack of ability for deep phenotyping as well as the option to make critical decisions regarding pregnancy continuation and perinatal management. In this review, we address the various modalities currently available and commonly used for genetic testing, including preimplantation genetic testing of embryos, cell-free DNA testing, and diagnostic procedures such as chorionic villous sampling, amniocentesis, or percutaneous umbilical blood sampling, from which samples may be sent for a wide variety of genetic tests. We discuss the difference between these modalities for the genetic diagnosis of a fetus, their strengths and weaknesses, and strategies for their optimal use in order to direct perinatal care.

}, issn = {1476-5543}, doi = {10.1038/s41372-020-0627-z}, author = {Wojcik, Monica H and Reimers, Rebecca and Poorvu, Tabitha and Agrawal, Pankaj B} } @article {866, title = {Genetics of schizophrenia in the South African Xhosa.}, journal = {Science}, volume = {367}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 01 31}, pages = {569-573}, abstract = {

Africa, the ancestral home of all modern humans, is the most informative continent for understanding the human genome and its contribution to complex disease. To better understand the genetics of schizophrenia, we studied the illness in the Xhosa population of South Africa, recruiting 909 cases and 917 age-, gender-, and residence-matched controls. Individuals with schizophrenia were significantly more likely than controls to harbor private, severely damaging mutations in genes that are critical to synaptic function, including neural circuitry mediated by the neurotransmitters glutamine, γ-aminobutyric acid, and dopamine. Schizophrenia is genetically highly heterogeneous, involving severe ultrarare mutations in genes that are critical to synaptic plasticity. The depth of genetic variation in Africa revealed this relationship with a moderate sample size and informed our understanding of the genetics of schizophrenia worldwide.

}, keywords = {Age Factors, Autistic Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Dopamine, Female, gamma-Aminobutyric Acid, Genetic Variation, Glutamine, Humans, Male, Mutation, Neural Pathways, Schizophrenia, Sex Factors, South Africa, Synapses, Synaptic Transmission}, issn = {1095-9203}, doi = {10.1126/science.aay8833}, author = {Gulsuner, S and Stein, D J and Susser, E S and Sibeko, G and Pretorius, A and Walsh, T and Majara, L and Mndini, M M and Mqulwana, S G and Ntola, O A and Casadei, S and Ngqengelele, L L and Korchina, V and van der Merwe, C and Malan, M and Fader, K M and Feng, M and Willoughby, E and Muzny, D and Baldinger, A and Andrews, H F and Gur, R C and Gibbs, R A and Zingela, Z and Nagdee, M and Ramesar, R S and King, M-C and McClellan, J M} } @article {748, title = {Genome sequencing identifies a homozygous inversion disrupting QDPR as a cause for dihydropteridine reductase deficiency.}, journal = {Mol Genet Genomic Med}, volume = {8}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 04}, pages = {e1154}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Dihydropteridine reductase (DHPR) is one of the key enzymes for maintaining in the organism the supply of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH ), an essential cofactor for aromatic amino acid hydroxylases. Its dysfunction causes the condition of hyperphenylalaninemia together with the lack of neurotransmitters.

METHODS: We report a patient with biochemically diagnosed DHPR deficiency, with extensive molecular investigations undertaken to detect variations in quinoid dihydropteridine reductase (QDPR) gene. Sanger sequencing of QDPR coding regions, exome sequencing, QDPR mRNA PCR, and karyotyping were followed by trio genome sequencing.

RESULTS: Short-read genome sequencing revealed a homozygous 9-Mb inversion disrupting QDPR. Structural variant breakpoints in chromosome 4 were located to intron 2 of QDPR at Chr4(GRCh38):g.17505522 and in intron 8 of the ACOX3 gene, Chr4(GRCh38):g.8398067). Both nonrelated parents carried the variant in heterozygous state. The inversion was not present in gnomAD structural variant database.

CONCLUSION: Identification of the exact breakpoints now allows further straightforward molecular genetic testing of potential carriers of the inversion. This study extends the pathogenic variant spectrum of DHPR deficiency and highlights the role of structural variants in recessive metabolic disorders. To our knowledge, this is the first report on a large, canonical (rather than complex) homozygous pathogenic inversion detected by genome sequencing.

}, keywords = {Acyl-CoA Oxidase, Child, Chromosome Breakpoints, Chromosome Inversion, Chromosomes, Human, Pair 4, Female, Genetic Testing, Homozygote, Humans, Phenylketonurias, Whole Exome Sequencing}, issn = {2324-9269}, doi = {10.1002/mgg3.1154}, author = {Lillev{\"a}li, Hardo and Pajusalu, Sander and Wojcik, Monica H and Goodrich, Julia and Collins, Ryan L and Murumets, {\"U}lle and Tammur, Pille and Blau, Nenad and Lillev{\"a}li, Kersti and {\~O}unap, Katrin} } @article {863, title = {Genome-wide association meta-analysis for early age-related macular degeneration highlights novel loci and insights for advanced disease.}, journal = {BMC Med Genomics}, volume = {13}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 08 26}, pages = {120}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness. While around half of the genetic contribution to advanced AMD has been uncovered, little is known about the genetic architecture of early AMD.

METHODS: To identify genetic factors for early AMD, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis (14,034 cases, 91,214 controls, 11 sources of data including the International AMD Genomics Consortium, IAMDGC, and UK Biobank, UKBB). We ascertained early AMD via color fundus photographs by manual grading for 10 sources and via an automated machine learning approach for > 170,000 photographs from UKBB. We searched for early AMD loci via GWAS and via a candidate approach based on 14 previously suggested early AMD variants.

RESULTS: Altogether, we identified 10 independent loci with statistical significance for early AMD: (i) 8 from our GWAS with genome-wide significance (P~< 5 {\texttimes} 10), (ii) one previously suggested locus with experiment-wise significance (P~< 0.05/14) in our non-overlapping data and with genome-wide significance when combining the reported and our non-overlapping data (together 17,539 cases, 105,395 controls), and (iii) one further previously suggested locus with experiment-wise significance in our non-overlapping data. Of these 10 identified loci, 8 were novel and 2 known for early AMD. Most of the 10 loci overlapped with known advanced AMD loci (near ARMS2/HTRA1, CFH, C2, C3, CETP, TNFRSF10A, VEGFA, APOE), except two that have not yet been identified with statistical significance for any AMD. Among the 17 genes within these two loci, in-silico functional annotation suggested CD46 and TYR as the most likely responsible genes. Presence or absence of an early AMD effect distinguished the known pathways of advanced AMD genetics (complement/lipid pathways versus extracellular matrix metabolism).

CONCLUSIONS: Our GWAS on early AMD identified novel loci, highlighted shared and distinct genetics between early and advanced AMD and provides insights into AMD etiology. Our data provide a resource comparable in size to the existing IAMDGC data on advanced AMD genetics enabling a joint view. The biological relevance of this joint view is underscored by the ability of early AMD effects to differentiate the major pathways for advanced AMD.

}, keywords = {Case-Control Studies, Genetic Loci, Genetic Markers, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Genome-Wide Association Study, Humans, Macular Degeneration, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide}, issn = {1755-8794}, doi = {10.1186/s12920-020-00760-7}, author = {Winkler, Thomas W and Grassmann, Felix and Brandl, Caroline and Kiel, Christina and G{\"u}nther, Felix and Strunz, Tobias and Weidner, Lorraine and Zimmermann, Martina E and Korb, Christina A and Poplawski, Alicia and Schuster, Alexander K and M{\"u}ller-Nurasyid, Martina and Peters, Annette and Rauscher, Franziska G and Elze, Tobias and Horn, Katrin and Scholz, Markus and Ca{\~n}adas-Garre, Marisa and McKnight, Amy Jayne and Quinn, Nicola and Hogg, Ruth E and K{\"u}chenhoff, Helmut and Heid, Iris M and Stark, Klaus J and Weber, Bernhard H F} } @article {812, title = {A genome-wide case-only test for the detection of digenic inheritance in human exomes.}, journal = {Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A}, volume = {117}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 08 11}, pages = {19367-19375}, abstract = {

Whole-exome sequencing (WES) has facilitated the discovery of genetic lesions underlying monogenic disorders. Incomplete penetrance and variable expressivity suggest a contribution of additional genetic lesions to clinical manifestations and outcome. Some monogenic disorders may therefore actually be digenic. However, only a few digenic disorders have been reported, all discovered by candidate gene approaches applied to at least one locus. We propose here a two-locus genome-wide test for detecting digenic inheritance in WES data. This approach uses the gene as the unit of analysis and tests all pairs of genes to detect pairwise gene {\texttimes} gene interactions underlying disease. It is a case-only method, which has several advantages over classic case-control tests, in particular by avoiding recruitment of controls. Our simulation studies based on real WES data identified two major sources of type I error inflation in this case-only test: linkage disequilibrium and population stratification. Both were corrected by specific procedures. Moreover, our case-only approach is more powerful than the corresponding case-control test for detecting digenic interactions in various population stratification scenarios. Finally, we confirmed the potential of our unbiased, genome-wide approach by successfully identifying a previously reported digenic lesion in patients with craniosynostosis. Our case-only test is a powerful and timely tool for detecting digenic inheritance in WES data from patients.

}, keywords = {Craniosynostoses, Epistasis, Genetic, Exome, Genetic Linkage, Genetic Variation, Genome-Wide Association Study, High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing, Humans, Models, Genetic, Multifactorial Inheritance, Whole Exome Sequencing}, issn = {1091-6490}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.1920650117}, author = {Kerner, Gaspard and Bouaziz, Matthieu and Cobat, Aurelie and Bigio, Benedetta and Timberlake, Andrew T and Bustamante, Jacinta and Lifton, Richard P and Casanova, Jean-Laurent and Abel, Laurent} } @article {855, title = {Genome-Wide Polygenic Score, Clinical Risk Factors, and Long-Term Trajectories of Coronary Artery Disease.}, journal = {Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol}, volume = {40}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 11}, pages = {2738-2746}, abstract = {

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship of a genome-wide polygenic score for coronary artery disease (GPS) with lifetime trajectories of CAD risk, directly compare its predictive capacity to traditional risk factors, and assess its interplay with the Pooled Cohort Equations (PCE) clinical risk estimator. Approach and Results: We studied GPS in 28 556 middle-aged participants of the Malm{\"o} Diet and Cancer Study, of whom 4122 (14.4\%) developed CAD over a median follow-up of 21.3 years. A pronounced gradient in lifetime risk of CAD was observed-16\% for those in the lowest GPS decile to 48\% in the highest. We evaluated the discriminative capacity of the GPS-as assessed by change in the C-statistic from a baseline model including age and sex-among 5685 individuals with PCE risk estimates available. The increment for the GPS (+0.045, <0.001) was higher than for any of 11 traditional risk factors (range +0.007 to +0.032). Minimal correlation was observed between GPS and 10-year risk defined by the PCE (=0.03), and addition of GPS improved the C-statistic of the PCE model by 0.026. A significant gradient in lifetime risk was observed for the GPS, even among individuals within a given PCE clinical risk stratum. We replicated key findings-noting strikingly consistent results-in 325 003 participants of the UK Biobank.

CONCLUSIONS: GPS-a risk estimator available from birth-stratifies individuals into varying trajectories of clinical risk for CAD. Implementation of GPS may enable identification of high-risk individuals early in life, decades in advance of manifest risk factors or disease.

}, keywords = {Adult, Aged, Coronary Artery Disease, Female, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Genome-Wide Association Study, Heart Disease Risk Factors, Heredity, Humans, Incidence, Male, Middle Aged, Multifactorial Inheritance, Phenotype, Prognosis, Risk Assessment, Sweden, Time Factors, United Kingdom}, issn = {1524-4636}, doi = {10.1161/ATVBAHA.120.314856}, author = {Hindy, George and Aragam, Krishna G and Ng, Kenney and Chaffin, Mark and Lotta, Luca A and Baras, Aris and Drake, Isabel and Orho-Melander, Marju and Melander, Olle and Kathiresan, Sekar and Khera, Amit V} } @article {935, title = {Genotypic diversity and phenotypic spectrum of infantile liver failure syndrome type 1 due to variants in LARS1.}, journal = {Genet Med}, volume = {22}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 11}, pages = {1863-1873}, abstract = {

PURPOSE: Biallelic variants in LARS1, coding for the cytosolic leucyl-tRNA synthetase, cause infantile liver failure syndrome 1 (ILFS1). Since its description in 2012, there has been no systematic analysis of the clinical spectrum and genetic findings.

METHODS: Individuals with biallelic variants in LARS1 were included through an international, multicenter collaboration including novel and previously published patients. Clinical variables were analyzed and functional studies were performed in patient-derived fibroblasts.

RESULTS: Twenty-five individuals from 15 families were ascertained including 12 novel patients with eight previously unreported variants. The most prominent clinical findings are recurrent elevation of liver transaminases up to liver failure and encephalopathic episodes, both triggered by febrile illness. Magnetic resonance image (MRI) changes during an encephalopathic episode can be consistent with metabolic stroke. Furthermore, growth retardation, microcytic anemia, neurodevelopmental delay, muscular hypotonia, and infection-related seizures are prevalent. Aminoacylation activity is significantly decreased in all patient cells studied upon temperature elevation in vitro.

CONCLUSION: ILFS1 is characterized by recurrent elevation of liver transaminases up to liver failure in conjunction with abnormalities of growth, blood, nervous system, and musculature. Encephalopathic episodes with seizures can occur independently from liver crises and may present with metabolic stroke.

}, keywords = {Humans, Liver Failure, Muscle Hypotonia, Mutation, Seizures}, issn = {1530-0366}, doi = {10.1038/s41436-020-0904-4}, author = {Lenz, Dominic and Smith, Desir{\'e}e E C and Crushell, Ellen and Husain, Ralf A and Salomons, Gajja S and Alhaddad, Bader and Bernstein, Jonathan A and Bianzano, Alyssa and Biskup, Saskia and Brennenstuhl, Heiko and Caldari, Dominique and Dikow, Nicola and Haack, Tobias B and Hanson-Kahn, Andrea and Harting, Inga and Horn, Denise and Hughes, Joanne and Huijberts, Maya and Isidor, Bertrand and Kathemann, Simone and Kopajtich, Robert and Kotzaeridou, Urania and K{\"u}ry, S{\'e}bastien and Lainka, Elke and Laugwitz, Lucia and Lupski, James R and Posey, Jennifer E and Reynolds, Claire and Rosenfeld, Jill A and Schr{\"o}ter, Julian and Vansenne, Fleur and Wagner, Matias and Wei{\ss}, Claudia and Wolffenbuttel, Bruce H R and Wortmann, Saskia B and K{\"o}lker, Stefan and Hoffmann, Georg F and Prokisch, Holger and Mendes, Marisa I and Staufner, Christian} } @article {757, title = {Gomez-L{\'o}pez-Hern{\'a}ndez syndrome: A case report with clinical and molecular evaluation and literature review.}, journal = {Am J Med Genet A}, volume = {182}, year = {2020}, month = {2020 07}, pages = {1761-1766}, abstract = {

Gomez-L{\'o}pez-Hern{\'a}ndez syndrome (GLHS) is characterized by rhombencephalosynapsis (RES), alopecia, trigeminal anesthesia and a distinctive phenotype, including brachyturricephaly. It has been suggested that GLHS should be considered as part of the spectrum of RES-associated conditions that include alopecia, trigeminal anesthesia, and craniofacial anomalies, rather than a distinct entity. To the best of our knowledge, 57 patients with GLHS have been described. Despite its first description in 1979, the etiology of this syndrome remains unknown. Here, we describe, to our knowledge, the first case of a patient with GLHS who was molecularly evaluated and had been prenatally exposed to misoprostol. We also reviewed the clinical and morphological features of the patients described to date to better delineate the phenotype and focus on any evidence for adverse pregnancy outcomes or exposure, including teratogens.

}, keywords = {Abnormalities, Multiple, Alopecia, Cerebellum, Child, Child, Preschool, Craniofacial Abnormalities, Female, Growth Disorders, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Misoprostol, Neurocutaneous Syndromes, Phenotype, Rhombencephalon, Trigeminal Nerve}, issn = {1552-4833}, doi = {10.1002/ajmg.a.61594}, author = {Perrone, Eduardo and D{\textquoteright}Almeida, V{\^a}nia and de Macena Sobreira, Nara Lygia and de Mello, Claudia Berlim and de Oliveira, Allan Chiaratti and Burlin, St{\^e}nio and Soares, Maria de F{\'a}tima de Faria and Cernach, Mirlene Cec{\'\i}lia Soares Pinho and Alvarez Perez, Ana Beatriz} } @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 {563, title = {Genetic architecture of laterality defects revealed by whole exome sequencing.}, journal = {Eur J Hum Genet}, volume = {27}, year = {2019}, month = {2019 Apr}, pages = {563-573}, abstract = {

Aberrant left-right patterning in the developing human embryo can lead to a broad spectrum of congenital malformations. The causes of most laterality defects are not known, with variants in established genes accounting for <20\% of cases. We sought to characterize the genetic spectrum of these conditions by performing whole-exome sequencing of 323 unrelated laterality cases. We investigated the role of rare, predicted-damaging variation in 1726 putative laterality candidate genes derived from model organisms, pathway analyses, and human phenotypes. We also evaluated the contribution of homo/hemizygous exon deletions and gene-based burden of rare variation. A total of 28 candidate variants (26 rare predicted-damaging variants and 2 hemizygous deletions) were identified, including variants in genes known to cause heterotaxy and primary ciliary dyskinesia (ACVR2B, NODAL, ZIC3, DNAI1, DNAH5, HYDIN, MMP21), and genes without a human phenotype association, but with prior evidence for a role in embryonic laterality or cardiac development. Sanger validation of the latter variants in probands and their parents revealed no de novo variants, but apparent transmitted heterozygous (ROCK2, ISL1, SMAD2), and hemizygous (RAI2, RIPPLY1) variant patterns. Collectively, these variants account for 7.1\% of our study subjects. We also observe evidence for an excess burden of rare, predicted loss-of-function variation in PXDNL and BMS1- two genes relevant to the broader laterality phenotype. These findings highlight potential new genes in the development of laterality defects, and suggest extensive locus heterogeneity and complex genetic models in this class of birth defects.

}, issn = {1476-5438}, doi = {10.1038/s41431-018-0307-z}, author = {Li, Alexander H and Hanchard, Neil A and Azamian, Mahshid and D{\textquoteright}Alessandro, Lisa C A and Coban-Akdemir, Zeynep and Lopez, Keila N and Hall, Nancy J and Dickerson, Heather and Nicosia, Annarita and Fernbach, Susan and Boone, Philip M and Gambin, Tomaz and Karaca, Ender and Gu, Shen and Yuan, Bo and Jhangiani, Shalini N and Doddapaneni, HarshaVardhan and Hu, Jianhong and Dinh, Huyen and Jayaseelan, Joy and Muzny, Donna and Lalani, Seema and Towbin, Jeffrey and Penny, Daniel and Fraser, Charles and Martin, James and Lupski, James R and Gibbs, Richard A and Boerwinkle, Eric and Ware, Stephanie M and Belmont, John W} } @article {669, title = {Genetic diagnosis in first or second trimester pregnancy loss using exome sequencing: a systematic review of human essential genes.}, journal = {J Assist Reprod Genet}, volume = {36}, year = {2019}, month = {2019 Aug}, pages = {1539-1548}, abstract = {

PURPOSE: Non-aneuploid recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) affects approximately 100,000 pregnancies worldwide annually. Exome sequencing (ES) may help uncover the genetic etiology of RPL and, more generally, pregnancy loss as a whole. Previous studies have attempted to predict the genes that, when disrupted, may cause human embryonic lethality. However, predictions by these early studies rarely point to the same genes. Case reports of pathogenic variants identified in RPL cases offer another clue. We evaluated known genetic etiologies of RPL identified by ES.

METHODS: We gathered primary research articles from PubMed and Embase involving case reports of RPL reporting variants identified by ES. Two authors independently reviewed all articles for eligibility and extracted data based on predetermined criteria. Preliminary and amended analysis isolated 380 articles; 15 met all inclusion criteria.

RESULTS: These 15 articles described 74 families with 279 reported RPLs with 34 candidate pathogenic variants in 19 genes (NOP14, FOXP3, APAF1, CASP9, CHRNA1, NLRP5, MMP10, FGA, FLT1, EPAS1, IDO2, STIL, DYNC2H1, IFT122, PADI6, CAPS, MUSK, NLRP2, NLRP7) and 26 variants of unknown significance in 25 genes. These genes cluster in four essential pathways: (1) gene expression, (2) embryonic development, (3) mitosis and cell cycle progression, and (4) inflammation and immunity.

CONCLUSIONS: For future studies of RPL, we recommend trio-based ES in cases with normal parental karyotypes. In vitro fertilization with preimplantation genetic diagnosis can be pursued if causative variants are found. Utilization of other sequencing technologies in concert with ES should improve understanding of the causes of early embryonic lethality in humans.

}, issn = {1573-7330}, doi = {10.1007/s10815-019-01499-6}, author = {Robbins, Sarah M and Thimm, Matthew A and Valle, David and Jelin, Angie C} } @article {732, title = {The Genetic Landscape of Diamond-Blackfan Anemia.}, journal = {Am J Hum Genet}, volume = {104}, year = {2019}, month = {2019 Feb 07}, pages = {356}, issn = {1537-6605}, doi = {10.1016/j.ajhg.2018.12.011}, author = {Ulirsch, Jacob C and Verboon, Jeffrey M and Kazerounian, Shideh and Guo, Michael H and Yuan, Daniel and Ludwig, Leif S and Handsaker, Robert E and Abdulhay, Nour J and Fiorini, Claudia and Genovese, Giulio and Lim, Elaine T and Cheng, Aaron and Cummings, Beryl B and Chao, Katherine R and Beggs, Alan H and Genetti, Casie A and Sieff, Colin A and Newburger, Peter E and Niewiadomska, Edyta and Matysiak, Michal and Vlachos, Adrianna and Lipton, Jeffrey M and Atsidaftos, Eva and Glader, Bertil and Narla, Anupama and Gleizes, Pierre-Emmanuel and O{\textquoteright}Donohue, Marie-Fran{\c c}oise and Montel-Lehry, Nathalie and Amor, David J and McCarroll, Steven A and O{\textquoteright}Donnell-Luria, Anne H and Gupta, Namrata and Gabriel, Stacey B and MacArthur, Daniel G and Lander, Eric S and Lek, Monkol and Da Costa, Lydie and Nathan, David G and Korostelev, Andrei A and Do, Ron and Sankaran, Vijay G and Gazda, Hanna T} } @article {706, title = {Genetic regulatory variation in populations informs transcriptome analysis in rare disease.}, journal = {Science}, volume = {366}, year = {2019}, month = {2019 10 18}, pages = {351-356}, abstract = {

Transcriptome data can facilitate the interpretation of the effects of rare genetic variants. Here, we introduce ANEVA (analysis of expression variation) to quantify genetic variation in gene dosage from allelic expression (AE) data in a population. Application of ANEVA to the Genotype-Tissues Expression (GTEx) data showed that this variance estimate is robust and correlated with selective constraint in a gene. Using these variance estimates in a dosage outlier test (ANEVA-DOT) applied to AE data from 70 Mendelian muscular disease patients showed accuracy in detecting genes with pathogenic variants in previously resolved cases and led to one confirmed and several potential new diagnoses. Using our reference estimates from GTEx data, ANEVA-DOT can be incorporated in rare disease diagnostic pipelines to use RNA-sequencing data more effectively.

}, issn = {1095-9203}, doi = {10.1126/science.aay0256}, author = {Mohammadi, Pejman and Castel, Stephane E and Cummings, Beryl B and Einson, Jonah and Sousa, Christina and Hoffman, Paul and Donkervoort, Sandra and Jiang, Zhuoxun and Mohassel, Payam and Foley, A Reghan and Wheeler, Heather E and Im, Hae Kyung and B{\"o}nnemann, Carsten G and MacArthur, Daniel G and Lappalainen, Tuuli} } @article {587, title = {Genetic variants in the LAMA5 gene in pediatric nephrotic syndrome.}, journal = {Nephrol Dial Transplant}, volume = {34}, year = {2019}, month = {2019 03 01}, pages = {485-493}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Nephrotic syndrome (NS), a chronic kidney disease, is characterized by significant loss of protein in the urine causing hypoalbuminemia and edema. In general, \~{}15\% of childhood-onset cases do not respond to steroid therapy and are classified as steroid-resistant NS (SRNS). In \~{}30\% of cases with SRNS, a causative mutation can be detected in one of 44 monogenic SRNS genes. The gene LAMA5 encodes laminin-α5, an essential component of the glomerular basement membrane. Mice with a hypomorphic mutation in the orthologous gene Lama5 develop proteinuria and hematuria.

METHODS: To identify additional monogenic causes of NS, we performed whole exome sequencing in 300 families with pediatric NS. In consanguineous families we applied homozygosity mapping to identify genomic candidate loci for the underlying recessive mutation.

RESULTS: In three families, in whom mutations in known NS genes were excluded, but in whom a recessive, monogenic cause of NS was strongly suspected based on pedigree information, we identified homozygous variants of unknown significance (VUS) in the gene LAMA5. While all affected individuals had nonsyndromic NS with an early onset of disease, their clinical outcome and response to immunosuppressive therapy differed notably.

CONCLUSION: We here identify recessive VUS in the gene LAMA5 in patients with partially treatment-responsive NS. More data will be needed to determine the impact of these VUS in disease management. However, familial occurrence of disease, data from genetic mapping and a mouse model that recapitulates the NS phenotypes suggest that these genetic variants may be inherited factors that contribute to the development of NS in pediatric patients.

}, issn = {1460-2385}, doi = {10.1093/ndt/gfy028}, author = {Braun, Daniela A and Warejko, Jillian K and Ashraf, Shazia and Tan, Weizhen and Daga, Ankana and Schneider, Ronen and Hermle, Tobias and Jobst-Schwan, Tilman and Widmeier, Eugen and Majmundar, Amar J and Nakayama, Makiko and Schapiro, David and Rao, Jia and Schmidt, Johanna Magdalena and Hoogstraten, Charlotte A and Hugo, Hannah and Bakkaloglu, Sevcan A and Kari, Jameela A and El Desoky, Sherif and Daouk, Ghaleb and Mane, Shrikant and Lifton, Richard P and Shril, Shirlee and Hildebrandt, Friedhelm} } @article {659, title = {Genome sequencing identifies multiple deleterious variants in autism patients with more severe phenotypes.}, journal = {Genet Med}, volume = {21}, year = {2019}, month = {2019 07}, pages = {1611-1620}, abstract = {

PURPOSE: To maximize the discovery of potentially pathogenic variants to better understand the diagnostic utility of genome sequencing (GS) and to assess how the presence of multiple risk events might affect the phenotypic severity in autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

METHODS: GS was applied to 180 simplex and multiplex ASD families (578 individuals, 213 patients) with exome sequencing and array comparative genomic hybridization further applied to a subset for validation and cross-platform comparisons.

RESULTS: We found that 40.8\% of patients carried variants with evidence of disease risk, including a de novo frameshift variant in NR4A2 and two de novo missense variants in SYNCRIP, while 21.1\% carried clinically relevant pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants. Patients with more than one risk variant (9.9\%) were more severely affected with respect to cognitive ability compared with patients with a single or no-risk variant. We observed no instance among the 27 multiplex families where a pathogenic or likely pathogenic variant was transmitted to all affected members in the family.

CONCLUSION: The study demonstrates the diagnostic utility of GS, especially for multiple risk variants that contribute to the phenotypic severity, shows the genetic heterogeneity in multiplex families, and provides evidence for new genes for follow up.

}, issn = {1530-0366}, doi = {10.1038/s41436-018-0380-2}, author = {Guo, Hui and Duyzend, Michael H and Coe, Bradley P and Baker, Carl and Hoekzema, Kendra and Gerdts, Jennifer and Turner, Tychele N and Zody, Michael C and Beighley, Jennifer S and Murali, Shwetha C and Nelson, Bradley J and Bamshad, Michael J and Nickerson, Deborah A and Bernier, Raphael A and Eichler, Evan E} } @article {671, title = {Genome Sequencing Identifies the Pathogenic Variant Missed by Prior Testing in an Infant with Marfan Syndrome.}, journal = {J Pediatr}, volume = {213}, year = {2019}, month = {2019 Oct}, pages = {235-240}, abstract = {

We describe an infant with a phenotype typical of early onset Marfan syndrome whose genetic evaluation, including Sanger sequencing and deletion/duplication testing of FBN1 and exome sequencing, was negative. Ultimately, genome sequencing revealed a deletion missed on prior testing, demonstrating the unique utility of genome sequencing for molecular genetic diagnosis.

}, issn = {1097-6833}, doi = {10.1016/j.jpeds.2019.05.029}, author = {Wojcik, Monica H and Thiele, Katri and Grant, Carly F and Chao, Katherine and Goodrich, Julia and O{\textquoteright}Donnell-Luria, Anne and Lacro, Ronald V and Tan, Wen-Hann and Agrawal, Pankaj B} } @article {672, title = {The Genomics of Arthrogryposis, a Complex Trait: Candidate Genes and Further Evidence for Oligogenic Inheritance.}, journal = {Am J Hum Genet}, volume = {105}, year = {2019}, month = {2019 Jul 03}, pages = {132-150}, abstract = {

Arthrogryposis is a clinical finding that is present either as a feature of a neuromuscular condition or as part of a systemic disease in over 400 Mendelian conditions. The underlying molecular etiology remains largely unknown because of genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity. We applied exome sequencing (ES) in a cohort of 89 families with the clinical sign of arthrogryposis. Additional molecular techniques including array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) and Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR) were performed on individuals who were found to have pathogenic copy number variants (CNVs) and mosaicism, respectively. A molecular diagnosis was established in 65.2\% (58/89) of families. Eleven out of 58 families (19.0\%) showed evidence for potential involvement of pathogenic variation at more than one locus, probably driven by absence of heterozygosity (AOH) burden due to identity-by-descent (IBD). RYR3, MYOM2, ERGIC1, SPTBN4, and ABCA7 represent genes, identified in two or more families, for which mutations are probably causative for arthrogryposis. We also provide evidence for the involvement of CNVs in the etiology of arthrogryposis and for the idea that both mono-allelic and bi-allelic variants in the same gene cause either similar or distinct syndromes. We were able to identify the molecular etiology in nine out of 20 families who underwent reanalysis. In summary, our data from family-based ES further delineate the molecular etiology of arthrogryposis, yielded several candidate disease-associated genes, and provide evidence for mutational burden in a biological pathway or network. Our study also highlights the importance of reanalysis of individuals with unsolved diagnoses in conjunction with sequencing extended family members.

}, issn = {1537-6605}, doi = {10.1016/j.ajhg.2019.05.015}, author = {Pehlivan, Davut and Bayram, Yavuz and Gunes, Nilay and Coban Akdemir, Zeynep and Shukla, Anju and Bierhals, Tatjana and Tabakci, Burcu and Sahin, Yavuz and Gezdirici, Alper and Fatih, Jawid M and Gulec, Elif Yilmaz and Yesil, G{\"o}zde and Punetha, Jaya and Ocak, Zeynep and Grochowski, Christopher M and Karaca, Ender and Albayrak, Hatice Mutlu and Radhakrishnan, Periyasamy and Erdem, Haktan Bagis and Sahin, Ibrahim and Yildirim, Timur and Bayhan, Ilhan A and Bursali, Aysegul and Elmas, Muhsin and Yuksel, Zafer and Ozdemir, Ozturk and Silan, Fatma and Yildiz, Onur and Yesilbas, Osman and Isikay, Sedat and Balta, Burhan and Gu, Shen and Jhangiani, Shalini N and Doddapaneni, Harsha and Hu, Jianhong and Muzny, Donna M and Boerwinkle, Eric and Gibbs, Richard A and Tsiakas, Konstantinos and Hempel, Maja and Girisha, Katta Mohan and Gul, Davut and Posey, Jennifer E and Elcioglu, Nursel H and Tuysuz, Beyhan and Lupski, James R} } @article {657, title = {GGC Repeat Expansion and Exon 1 Methylation of XYLT1 Is a Common Pathogenic Variant in Baratela-Scott Syndrome.}, journal = {Am J Hum Genet}, volume = {104}, year = {2019}, month = {2019 Jan 03}, pages = {35-44}, abstract = {

Baratela-Scott syndrome (BSS) is a rare, autosomal-recessive disorder characterized by short stature, facial dysmorphisms, developmental delay, and skeletal dysplasia caused by pathogenic variants in XYLT1. We report clinical and molecular investigation of 10 families (12 individuals) with BSS. Standard sequencing methods identified biallelic pathogenic variants in XYLT1 in only two families. Of the remaining cohort, two probands had no variants and six probands had only a single variant, including four with a heterozygous 3.1 Mb 16p13 deletion encompassing XYLT1 and two with a heterozygous truncating variant. Bisulfite sequencing revealed aberrant hypermethylation in exon 1 of XYLT1, always in trans with the sequence variant or deletion when present; both alleles were methylated in those with no identified variant. Expression of the methylated XYLT1 allele was severely reduced in fibroblasts from two probands. Southern blot studies combined with repeat expansion analysis of genome sequence data showed that the hypermethylation is associated with expansion of a GGC repeat in the XYLT1 promoter region that is not present in the reference genome, confirming that BSS is a trinucleotide repeat expansion disorder. The hypermethylated allele accounts for 50\% of disease alleles in our cohort and is not present in 130 control subjects. Our study highlights the importance of investigating non-sequence-based alterations, including epigenetic changes, to identify the missing heritability in genetic disorders.

}, issn = {1537-6605}, doi = {10.1016/j.ajhg.2018.11.005}, author = {LaCroix, Amy J and Stabley, Deborah and Sahraoui, Rebecca and Adam, Margaret P and Mehaffey, Michele and Kernan, Kelly and Myers, Candace T and Fagerstrom, Carrie and Anadiotis, George and Akkari, Yassmine M and Robbins, Katherine M and Gripp, Karen W and Baratela, Wagner A R and Bober, Michael B and Duker, Angela L and Doherty, Dan and Dempsey, Jennifer C and Miller, Daniel G and Kircher, Martin and Bamshad, Michael J and Nickerson, Deborah A and Mefford, Heather C and Sol-Church, Katia} } @article {549, title = {Global genetic insight contributed by consanguineous Pakistani families segregating hearing loss.}, journal = {Hum Mutat}, volume = {40}, year = {2019}, month = {2019 Jan}, pages = {53-72}, abstract = {

Consanguineous Pakistani pedigrees segregating deafness have contributed decisively to the discovery of 31 of the 68 genes associated with nonsyndromic autosomal recessive hearing loss (HL) worldwide. In this study, we utilized genome-wide genotyping, Sanger and exome sequencing to identify 163 DNA variants in 41 previously reported HL genes segregating in 321 Pakistani families. Of these, 70 (42.9\%) variants identified in 29 genes are novel. As expected from genetic studies of disorders segregating in consanguineous families, the majority of affected individuals (94.4\%) are homozygous for HL-associated variants, with the other variants being compound heterozygotes. The five most common HL genes in the Pakistani population are SLC26A4, MYO7A, GJB2, CIB2 and HGF, respectively. Our study provides a profile of the genetic etiology of HL in Pakistani families, which will allow for the development of more efficient genetic diagnostic tools, aid in accurate genetic counseling, and guide application of future gene-based therapies. These findings are also valuable in interpreting pathogenicity of variants that are potentially associated with HL in individuals of all ancestries. The Pakistani population, and its infrastructure for studying human genetics, will continue to be valuable to gene discovery for HL and other inherited disorders.

}, issn = {1098-1004}, doi = {10.1002/humu.23666}, author = {Richard, Elodie M and Santos-Cortez, Regie Lyn P and Faridi, Rabia and Rehman, Atteeq U and Lee, Kwanghyuk and Shahzad, Mohsin and Acharya, Anushree and Khan, Asma A and Imtiaz, Ayesha and Chakchouk, Imen and Takla, Christina and Abbe, Izoduwa and Rafeeq, Maria and Liaqat, Khurram and Chaudhry, Taimur and Bamshad, Michael J and Nickerson, Deborah A and Schrauwen, Isabelle and Khan, Shaheen N and Morell, Robert J and Zafar, Saba and Ansar, Muhammad and Ahmed, Zubair M and Ahmad, Wasim and Riazuddin, Sheikh and Friedman, Thomas B and Leal, Suzanne M and Riazuddin, Saima} } @article {431, title = {Genetic analysis of CHARGE syndrome identifies overlapping molecular biology.}, journal = {Genet Med}, volume = {20}, year = {2018}, month = {2018 09}, pages = {1022-1029}, abstract = {

PURPOSE: CHARGE syndrome is an autosomal-dominant, multiple congenital anomaly condition characterized by vision and hearing loss, congenital heart disease, and malformations of craniofacial and other structures. Pathogenic variants in CHD7, encoding adenosine triphosphate-dependent chromodomain helicase DNA binding protein 7, are present in the majority of affected individuals. However, no causal variant can be found in 5-30\% (depending on the cohort) of individuals with a clinical diagnosis of CHARGE syndrome.

METHODS: We performed whole-exome sequencing (WES) on 28 families from which at least one individual presented with features highly suggestive of CHARGE syndrome.

RESULTS: Pathogenic variants in CHD7 were present in 15 of 28 individuals (53.6\%), whereas 4 (14.3\%) individuals had pathogenic variants in other genes (RERE, KMT2D, EP300, or PUF60). A variant of uncertain clinical significance in KDM6A was identified in one (3.5\%) individual. The remaining eight (28.6\%) individuals were not found to have pathogenic variants by WES.

CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that the phenotypic features of CHARGE syndrome overlap with multiple other rare single-gene syndromes. Additionally, they implicate a shared molecular pathology that disrupts epigenetic regulation of multiple-organ development.

}, keywords = {Adolescent, Adult, Carrier Proteins, CHARGE Syndrome, Child, Child, Preschool, Cohort Studies, DNA Helicases, DNA-Binding Proteins, E1A-Associated p300 Protein, Epigenesis, Genetic, Female, Genetic Testing, Humans, Infant, Male, Mutation, Neoplasm Proteins, Phenotype, Repressor Proteins, RNA Splicing Factors}, issn = {1530-0366}, doi = {10.1038/gim.2017.233}, author = {Moccia, Amanda and Srivastava, Anshika and Skidmore, Jennifer M and Bernat, John A and Wheeler, Marsha and Chong, Jessica X and Nickerson, Deborah and Bamshad, Michael and Hefner, Margaret A and Martin, Donna M and Bielas, Stephanie L} } @article {619, title = {Genetic and mechanistic diversity in pediatric hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.}, journal = {Blood}, volume = {132}, year = {2018}, month = {2018 Jul 05}, pages = {89-100}, abstract = {

The HLH-2004 criteria are used to diagnose hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), yet concern exists for their misapplication, resulting in suboptimal treatment of some patients. We sought to define the genomic spectrum and associated outcomes of a diverse cohort of children who met the HLH-2004 criteria. Genetic testing was performed clinically or through research-based whole-exome sequencing. Clinical metrics were analyzed with respect to genomic results. Of 122 subjects enrolled over the course of 17 years, 101 subjects received genetic testing. Biallelic familial HLH (fHLH) gene defects were identified in only 19 (19\%) and correlated with presentation at younger than 1 year of age ( < .0001). Digenic fHLH variants were observed but lacked statistical support for disease association. In 28 (58\%) of 48 subjects, research whole-exome sequencing analyses successfully identified likely molecular explanations, including underlying primary immunodeficiency diseases, dysregulated immune activation and proliferation disorders, and potentially novel genetic conditions. Two-thirds of patients identified by the HLH-2004 criteria had underlying etiologies for HLH, including genetic defects, autoimmunity, and malignancy. Overall survival was 45\%, and increased mortality correlated with HLH triggered by infection or malignancy ( < .05). Differences in survival did not correlate with genetic profile or extent of therapy. HLH should be conceptualized as a phenotype of critical illness characterized by toxic activation of immune cells from different underlying mechanisms. In most patients with HLH, targeted sequencing of fHLH genes remains insufficient for identifying pathogenic mechanisms. Whole-exome sequencing, however, may identify specific therapeutic opportunities and affect hematopoietic stem cell transplantation options for these patients.

}, issn = {1528-0020}, doi = {10.1182/blood-2017-11-814244}, author = {Chinn, Ivan K and Eckstein, Olive S and Peckham-Gregory, Erin C and Goldberg, Baruch R and Forbes, Lisa R and Nicholas, Sarah K and Mace, Emily M and Vogel, Tiphanie P and Abhyankar, Harshal A and Diaz, Maria I and Heslop, Helen E and Krance, Robert A and Martinez, Caridad A and Nguyen, Trung C and Bashir, Dalia A and Goldman, Jordana R and Stray-Pedersen, Asbj{\o}rg and Pedroza, Luis A and Poli, M Cecilia and Aldave-Becerra, Juan C and McGhee, Sean A and Al-Herz, Waleed and Chamdin, Aghiad and Coban-Akdemir, Zeynep H and Jhangiani, Shalini N and Muzny, Donna M and Cao, Tram N and Hong, Diana N and Gibbs, Richard A and Lupski, James R and Orange, Jordan S and McClain, Kenneth L and Allen, Carl E} } @article {627, title = {Genetic counselors on the frontline of precision health.}, journal = {Am J Med Genet C Semin Med Genet}, volume = {178}, year = {2018}, month = {2018 Mar}, pages = {5-9}, abstract = {

By enabling precise genetic diagnosis and treatment there is great potential for inexpensive, accurate, and widely accessible genomic information to transform health care and improve the general well-being of virtually every person. To maximize this potential, approaches to genetic counseling and the role of genetic counselors will need to adapt to fit changing clinical and commercial needs worldwide. This will require overcoming multiple challenges including an inadequate workforce; development and implementation of alternate models of service delivery; integration of new technologies to improve, extend, and expand services; and support for equitable education and counseling among all populations. Genetic counselors are aptly poised to take on these challenges. The result will be better informed patients and families more capable of utilizing genetic information appropriately, making autonomous decisions about their care, and modifying their approach to disease risk to actively contribute to their health. The contributors to this issue of Seminars discuss how key areas of genetic counseling need to evolve and how genetic counselors can play a role in shaping the future of precision health.

}, issn = {1552-4876}, doi = {10.1002/ajmg.c.31610}, author = {Bamshad, Michael J and Magoulas, Pilar L and Dent, Karin M} } @article {578, title = {The Genetic Landscape of Diamond-Blackfan Anemia.}, journal = {Am J Hum Genet}, volume = {103}, year = {2018}, month = {2018 12 06}, pages = {930-947}, abstract = {

Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA) is a rare bone marrow failure disorder that affects 7 out of 1,000,000 live births and has been associated with mutations in components of the ribosome. In order to characterize the genetic landscape of this heterogeneous disorder, we recruited a cohort of 472 individuals with a clinical diagnosis of DBA and performed whole-exome sequencing (WES). We identified relevant rare and predicted damaging mutations for 78\% of individuals. The majority of mutations were singletons, absent from population databases, predicted to cause loss of function, and located in 1 of 19 previously reported ribosomal protein (RP)-encoding genes. Using exon coverage estimates, we identified and validated 31 deletions in RP genes. We also observed an enrichment for extended splice site mutations and validated their diverse effects using RNA sequencing in cell lines obtained from individuals with DBA. Leveraging the size of our cohort, we observed robust genotype-phenotype associations with congenital abnormalities and treatment outcomes. We further identified rare mutations in seven previously unreported RP genes that may cause DBA, as well as several distinct disorders that appear to phenocopy DBA, including nine individuals with biallelic CECR1 mutations that result in deficiency of ADA2. However, no new genes were identified at exome-wide significance, suggesting that there are no unidentified genes containing mutations readily identified by WES that explain >5\% of DBA-affected case subjects. Overall, this report should inform not only clinical practice for DBA-affected individuals, but also the design and analysis of rare variant studies for heterogeneous Mendelian disorders.

}, issn = {1537-6605}, doi = {10.1016/j.ajhg.2018.10.027}, author = {Ulirsch, Jacob C and Verboon, Jeffrey M and Kazerounian, Shideh and Guo, Michael H and Yuan, Daniel and Ludwig, Leif S and Handsaker, Robert E and Abdulhay, Nour J and Fiorini, Claudia and Genovese, Giulio and Lim, Elaine T and Cheng, Aaron and Cummings, Beryl B and Chao, Katherine R and Beggs, Alan H and Genetti, Casie A and Sieff, Colin A and Newburger, Peter E and Niewiadomska, Edyta and Matysiak, Michal and Vlachos, Adrianna and Lipton, Jeffrey M and Atsidaftos, Eva and Glader, Bertil and Narla, Anupama and Gleizes, Pierre-Emmanuel and O{\textquoteright}Donohue, Marie-Fran{\c c}oise and Montel-Lehry, Nathalie and Amor, David J and McCarroll, Steven A and O{\textquoteright}Donnell-Luria, Anne H and Gupta, Namrata and Gabriel, Stacey B and MacArthur, Daniel G and Lander, Eric S and Lek, Monkol and Da Costa, Lydie and Nathan, David G and Korostelev, Andrei A and Do, Ron and Sankaran, Vijay G and Gazda, Hanna T} } @article {500, title = {Genetic variants in components of the NALCN-UNC80-UNC79 ion channel complex cause a broad clinical phenotype (NALCN channelopathies).}, journal = {Hum Genet}, volume = {137}, year = {2018}, month = {2018 Sep}, pages = {753-768}, abstract = {

NALCN is a conserved cation channel, which conducts a permanent sodium leak current and regulates resting membrane potential and neuronal excitability. It is part of a large ion channel complex, the "NALCN channelosome", consisting of multiple proteins including UNC80 and UNC79. The predominant neuronal expression pattern and its function suggest an important role in neuronal function and disease. So far, biallelic NALCN and UNC80 variants have been described in a small number of individuals leading to infantile hypotonia, psychomotor retardation, and characteristic facies 1 (IHPRF1, OMIM 615419) and 2 (IHPRF2, OMIM 616801), respectively. Heterozygous de novo NALCN missense variants in the S5/S6 pore-forming segments lead to congenital contractures of the limbs and face, hypotonia, and developmental delay (CLIFAHDD, OMIM 616266) with some clinical overlap. In this study, we present detailed clinical information of 16 novel individuals with biallelic NALCN variants, 1 individual with a heterozygous de novo NALCN missense variant and an interesting clinical phenotype without contractures, and 12 individuals with biallelic UNC80 variants. We report for the first time a missense NALCN variant~located in the predicted S6 pore-forming unit inherited in an autosomal-recessive manner leading to mild IHPRF1. We show evidence of clinical variability, especially among IHPRF1-affected individuals, and discuss differences between the IHPRF1- and IHPRF2 phenotypes. In summary, we provide a comprehensive overview of IHPRF1 and IHPRF2 phenotypes based on the largest cohort of individuals reported so far and provide additional insights into the clinical phenotypes of these neurodevelopmental diseases to help improve counseling of affected families.

}, keywords = {Adolescent, Adult, Carrier Proteins, Channelopathies, Child, Child, Preschool, Developmental Disabilities, Female, Genetic Markers, Genetic Variation, Humans, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Male, Membrane Proteins, Phenotype, Sodium Channels, Young Adult}, issn = {1432-1203}, doi = {10.1007/s00439-018-1929-5}, author = {Bramswig, Nuria C and Bertoli-Avella, Aida M and Albrecht, Beate and Al Aqeel, Aida I and Alhashem, Amal and Al-Sannaa, Nouriya and Bah, Maissa and Br{\"o}hl, Katharina and Depienne, Christel and Dorison, Nathalie and Doummar, Diane and Ehmke, Nadja and Elbendary, Hasnaa M and Gorokhova, Svetlana and H{\'e}ron, Delphine and Horn, Denise and James, Kiely and Keren, Boris and Kuechler, Alma and Ismail, Samira and Issa, Mahmoud Y and Marey, Isabelle and Mayer, Mich{\`e}le and McEvoy-Venneri, Jennifer and Megarbane, Andre and Mignot, Cyril and Mohamed, Sarar and Nava, Caroline and Philip, Nicole and Ravix, Cecile and Rolfs, Arndt and Sadek, Abdelrahim Abdrabou and Segebrecht, Lara and Stanley, Valentina and Trautman, Camille and Valence, Stephanie and Villard, Laurent and Wieland, Thomas and Engels, Hartmut and Strom, Tim M and Zaki, Maha S and Gleeson, Joseph G and L{\"u}decke, Hermann-Josef and Bauer, Peter and Wieczorek, Dagmar} } @article {542, title = {Genotype-phenotype investigation of 35 patients from 11 unrelated families with camptodactyly-arthropathy-coxa vara-pericarditis (CACP) syndrome.}, journal = {Mol Genet Genomic Med}, volume = {6}, year = {2018}, month = {2018 03}, pages = {230-248}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: The camptodactyly-arthropathy-coxa vara-pericarditis syndrome (CACP) is a rare autosomal recessive condition characterized by camptodactyly, noninflammatory arthropathy, coxa vara, and pericarditis. CACP is caused by mutations in the proteoglycan 4 (PRG4) gene, which encodes a lubricating glycoprotein present in the synovial fluid and at the surface of articular cartilage.

METHODS: In the present study, we compared the clinical and molecular findings of CACP syndrome in 35 patients from 11 unrelated families. In 28 patients, whole exome sequencing was used to investigate genomic variations.

RESULTS: We found that camptodactyly of hands was the first symptom presented by most patients. Swelling of wrists, knees, and elbows began before 4~years of age, while the age of joint involvement was variable. Patients reported an increased pain level after the age of 10, and severe hip involvement developed after 20~years old. All patients presented developmental coxa vara and seven patients (~22\%) had pleural effusion, pericarditis, and/or ascites. We identified nine novel genomic alterations, including the first case of homozygous complete deletion of exon 1 in the PRG4 gene.

CONCLUSION: With this study, we contribute to the catalog of CACP causing variants. We confirm that the skeletal component of this disease worsens with age, and presents the potential mechanisms for interfamily variability, by discussing the influence of a modifier gene and escape from nonsense-mediated mRNA decay. We believe that this report will increase awareness of this familial arthropathic condition and the characteristic clinical and radiological findings will facilitate the differentiation from the common childhood rheumatic diseases such as juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

}, keywords = {Adolescent, Adult, Arthropathy, Neurogenic, Child, Child, Preschool, Coxa Vara, Exons, Female, Genetic Association Studies, Hand Deformities, Congenital, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Mutation, Proteoglycans, Retrospective Studies, Sequence Deletion, Synovitis, Whole Exome Sequencing}, issn = {2324-9269}, doi = {10.1002/mgg3.364}, author = {Yilmaz, Saliha and Uluda{\u g} Alkaya, Dilek and Kasapcopur, Ozgur and Barut, Kenan and Akdemir, Ekin S and Celen, Cemre and Youngblood, Mark W and Yasuno, Katsuhito and Bilguvar, Kaya and G{\"u}nel, Murat and Tuysuz, Beyhan} } @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 {350, title = {Genetic Drivers of Kidney Defects in the DiGeorge Syndrome.}, journal = {N Engl J Med}, volume = {376}, year = {2017}, month = {2017 02 23}, pages = {742-754}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: The DiGeorge syndrome, the most common of the microdeletion syndromes, affects multiple organs, including the heart, the nervous system, and the kidney. It is caused by deletions on chromosome 22q11.2; the genetic driver of the kidney defects is unknown.

METHODS: We conducted a genomewide search for structural variants in two cohorts: 2080 patients with congenital kidney and urinary tract anomalies and 22,094 controls. We performed exome and targeted resequencing in samples obtained from 586 additional patients with congenital kidney anomalies. We also carried out functional studies using zebrafish and mice.

RESULTS: We identified heterozygous deletions of 22q11.2 in 1.1\% of the patients with congenital kidney anomalies and in 0.01\% of population controls (odds ratio, 81.5; P=4.5{\texttimes}10). We localized the main drivers of renal disease in the DiGeorge syndrome to a 370-kb region containing nine genes. In zebrafish embryos, an induced loss of function in snap29, aifm3, and crkl resulted in renal defects; the loss of crkl alone was sufficient to induce defects. Five of 586 patients with congenital urinary anomalies had newly identified, heterozygous protein-altering variants, including a premature termination codon, in CRKL. The inactivation of Crkl in the mouse model induced developmental defects similar to those observed in patients with congenital urinary anomalies.

CONCLUSIONS: We identified a recurrent 370-kb deletion at the 22q11.2 locus as a driver of kidney defects in the DiGeorge syndrome and in sporadic congenital kidney and urinary tract anomalies. Of the nine genes at this locus, SNAP29, AIFM3, and CRKL appear to be critical to the phenotype, with haploinsufficiency of CRKL emerging as the main genetic driver. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health and others.).

}, keywords = {Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing, Adolescent, Animals, Child, Chromosome Deletion, Chromosomes, Human, Pair 22, DiGeorge Syndrome, Exome, Female, Haploinsufficiency, Heterozygote, Humans, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Kidney, Male, Mice, Models, Animal, Nuclear Proteins, Sequence Analysis, DNA, Urinary Tract, Young Adult, Zebrafish}, issn = {1533-4406}, doi = {10.1056/NEJMoa1609009}, author = {Lopez-Rivera, Esther and Liu, Yangfan P and Verbitsky, Miguel and Anderson, Blair R and Capone, Valentina P and Otto, Edgar A and Yan, Zhonghai and Mitrotti, Adele and Martino, Jeremiah and Steers, Nicholas J and Fasel, David A and Vukojevic, Katarina and Deng, Rong and Racedo, Silvia E and Liu, Qingxue and Werth, Max and Westland, Rik and Vivante, Asaf and Makar, Gabriel S and Bodria, Monica and Sampson, Matthew G and Gillies, Christopher E and Vega-Warner, Virginia and Maiorana, Mariarosa and Petrey, Donald S and Honig, Barry and Lozanovski, Vladimir J and Salomon, R{\'e}mi and Heidet, Laurence and Carpentier, Wassila and Gaillard, Dominique and Carrea, Alba and Gesualdo, Loreto and Cusi, Daniele and Izzi, Claudia and Scolari, Francesco and van Wijk, Joanna A E and Arapovic, Adela and Saraga-Babic, Mirna and Saraga, Marijan and Kunac, Nenad and Samii, Ali and McDonald-McGinn, Donna M and Crowley, Terrence B and Zackai, Elaine H and Drozdz, Dorota and Miklaszewska, Monika and Tkaczyk, Marcin and Sikora, Przemyslaw and Szczepanska, Maria and Mizerska-Wasiak, Malgorzata and Krzemien, Grazyna and Szmigielska, Agnieszka and Zaniew, Marcin and Darlow, John M and Puri, Prem and Barton, David and Casolari, Emilio and Furth, Susan L and Warady, Bradley A and Gucev, Zoran and Hakonarson, Hakon and Flogelova, Hana and Tasic, Velibor and Latos-Bielenska, Anna and Materna-Kiryluk, Anna and Allegri, Landino and Wong, Craig S and Drummond, Iain A and D{\textquoteright}Agati, Vivette and Imamoto, Akira and Barasch, Jonathan M and Hildebrandt, Friedhelm and Kiryluk, Krzysztof and Lifton, Richard P and Morrow, Bernice E and Jeanpierre, Cecile and Papaioannou, Virginia E and Ghiggeri, Gian Marco and Gharavi, Ali G and Katsanis, Nicholas and Sanna-Cherchi, Simone} } @article {398, title = {Genome-Wide Association Studies and Meta-Analyses for Congenital Heart Defects.}, journal = {Circ Cardiovasc Genet}, volume = {10}, year = {2017}, month = {2017 Jun}, pages = {e001449}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Maternal and inherited (ie, case) genetic factors likely contribute to the pathogenesis of congenital heart defects, but it is unclear whether individual common variants confer a large risk.

METHODS AND RESULTS: To evaluate the relationship between individual common maternal/inherited genotypes and risk for heart defects, we conducted genome-wide association studies in 5 cohorts. Three cohorts were recruited at the Children{\textquoteright}s Hospital of Philadelphia: 670 conotruncal heart defect (CTD) case-parent trios, 317 left ventricular obstructive tract defect (LVOTD) case-parent trios, and 406 CTD cases (n=406) and 2976 pediatric controls. Two cohorts were recruited through the Pediatric Cardiac Genomics Consortium: 355 CTD trios and 192 LVOTD trios. We also conducted meta-analyses using the genome-wide association study results from the CTD cohorts, the LVOTD cohorts, and from the combined CTD and LVOTD cohorts. In the individual genome-wide association studies, several genome-wide significant associations (<=5{\texttimes}10) were observed. In our meta-analyses, 1 genome-wide significant association was detected: the case genotype for rs72820264, an intragenetic single-nucleotide polymorphism associated with LVOTDs (=2.1{\texttimes}10).

CONCLUSIONS: We identified 1 novel candidate region associated with LVOTDs and report on several additional regions with suggestive evidence for association with CTD and LVOTD. These studies were constrained by the relatively small samples sizes and thus have limited power to detect small to moderate associations. Approaches that minimize the multiple testing burden (eg, gene or pathway based) may, therefore, be required to uncover common variants contributing to the risk of these relatively rare conditions.

}, keywords = {Cohort Studies, Databases, Factual, Female, Gene Frequency, Genome-Wide Association Study, Genotype, Heart Defects, Congenital, Humans, Introns, Male, Membrane Proteins, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide}, issn = {1942-3268}, doi = {10.1161/CIRCGENETICS.116.001449}, author = {Agopian, A J and Goldmuntz, Elizabeth and Hakonarson, Hakon and Sewda, Anshuman and Taylor, Deanne and Mitchell, Laura E} } @article {358, title = {Germline mutations in ABL1 cause an autosomal dominant syndrome characterized by congenital heart defects and skeletal malformations.}, journal = {Nat Genet}, volume = {49}, year = {2017}, month = {2017 Apr}, pages = {613-617}, abstract = {

ABL1 is a proto-oncogene well known as part of the fusion gene BCR-ABL1 in the Philadelphia chromosome of leukemia cancer cells. Inherited germline ABL1 changes have not been associated with genetic disorders. Here we report ABL1 germline variants cosegregating with an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by congenital heart disease, skeletal abnormalities, and failure to thrive. The variant c.734A>G (p.Tyr245Cys) was found to occur de novo or cosegregate with disease in five individuals (families 1-3). Additionally, a de novo c.1066G>A (p.Ala356Thr) variant was identified in a sixth individual (family 4). We overexpressed the mutant constructs in HEK 293T cells and observed increased tyrosine phosphorylation, suggesting increased ABL1 kinase activities associated with both the p.Tyr245Cys and p.Ala356Thr substitutions. Our clinical and experimental findings, together with previously reported teratogenic effects of selective BCR-ABL inhibitors in humans and developmental defects in Abl1 knockout mice, suggest that ABL1 has an important role during organismal development.

}, keywords = {Abnormalities, Multiple, Animals, Bone Diseases, Developmental, Cell Line, Chromosome Disorders, Craniofacial Abnormalities, Feeding and Eating Disorders, Female, Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl, Germ-Line Mutation, Heart Defects, Congenital, HEK293 Cells, Humans, Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive, Limb Deformities, Congenital, Male, Mice, Mice, Knockout, Philadelphia Chromosome, Phosphorylation, Signal Transduction}, issn = {1546-1718}, doi = {10.1038/ng.3815}, author = {Wang, Xia and Charng, Wu-Lin and Chen, Chun-An and Rosenfeld, Jill A and Al Shamsi, Aisha and Al-Gazali, Lihadh and McGuire, Marianne and Mew, Nicholas Ah and Arnold, Georgianne L and Qu, Chunjing and Ding, Yan and Muzny, Donna M and Gibbs, Richard A and Eng, Christine M and Walkiewicz, Magdalena and Xia, Fan and Plon, Sharon E and Lupski, James R and Schaaf, Christian P and Yang, Yaping} } @article {105, title = {Gene discovery for Mendelian conditions via social networking: de novo variants in KDM1A cause developmental delay and distinctive facial features.}, journal = {Genet Med}, volume = {18}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 08}, pages = {788-95}, abstract = {

PURPOSE: The pace of Mendelian gene discovery is slowed by the "n-of-1 problem"-the difficulty of establishing the causality of a putatively pathogenic variant in a single person or family. Identification of an unrelated person with an overlapping phenotype and suspected pathogenic variant in the same gene can overcome this barrier, but it is often impeded by lack of a convenient or widely available way to share data on candidate variants/genes among families, clinicians, and researchers.

METHODS: Social networking among families, clinicians, and researchers was used to identify three children with variants of unknown significance in KDM1A and similar phenotypes.

RESULTS: De novo variants in KDM1A underlie a new syndrome characterized by developmental delay and distinctive facial features.

CONCLUSION: Social networking is a potentially powerful strategy to discover genes for rare Mendelian conditions, particularly those with nonspecific phenotypic features. To facilitate the efforts of families to share phenotypic and genomic information with each other, clinicians, and researchers, we developed the Repository for Mendelian Genomics Family Portal (RMD-FP; http://uwcmg.org/$\#$/family). Design and development of MyGene2 (http://www.mygene2.org), a Web-based tool that enables families, clinicians, and researchers to search for gene matches based on analysis of phenotype and exome data deposited into the RMD-FP, is under way.Genet Med 18 8, 788-795.

}, keywords = {Child, Child, Preschool, Databases, Factual, Developmental Disabilities, Female, Genetic Association Studies, Histone Demethylases, Humans, Information Dissemination, Male, Mutation, Missense, Phenotype, Social Networking, Web Browser}, issn = {1530-0366}, doi = {10.1038/gim.2015.161}, author = {Chong, Jessica X and Yu, Joon-Ho and Lorentzen, Peter and Park, Karen M and Jamal, Seema M and Tabor, Holly K and Rauch, Anita and Saenz, Margarita Sifuentes and Boltshauser, Eugen and Patterson, Karynne E and Nickerson, Deborah A and Bamshad, Michael J} } @article {64, title = {Genetic Candidate Variants in Two Multigenerational Families with Childhood Apraxia of Speech.}, journal = {PLoS One}, volume = {11}, year = {2016}, month = {2016}, pages = {e0153864}, abstract = {

Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a severe and socially debilitating form of speech sound disorder with suspected genetic involvement, but the genetic etiology is not yet well understood. Very few known or putative causal genes have been identified to date, e.g., FOXP2 and BCL11A. Building a knowledge base of the genetic etiology of CAS will make it possible to identify infants at genetic risk and motivate the development of effective very early intervention programs. We investigated the genetic etiology of CAS in two large multigenerational families with familial CAS. Complementary genomic methods included Markov chain Monte Carlo linkage analysis, copy-number analysis, identity-by-descent sharing, and exome sequencing with variant filtering. No overlaps in regions with positive evidence of linkage between the two families were found. In one family, linkage analysis detected two chromosomal regions of interest, 5p15.1-p14.1, and 17p13.1-q11.1, inherited separately from the two founders. Single-point linkage analysis of selected variants identified CDH18 as a primary gene of interest and additionally, MYO10, NIPBL, GLP2R, NCOR1, FLCN, SMCR8, NEK8, and ANKRD12, possibly with additive effects. Linkage analysis in the second family detected five regions with LOD scores approaching the highest values possible in the family. A gene of interest was C4orf21 (ZGRF1) on 4q25-q28.2. Evidence for previously described causal copy-number variations and validated or suspected genes was not found. Results are consistent with a heterogeneous CAS etiology, as is expected in many neurogenic disorders. Future studies will investigate genome variants in these and other families with CAS.

}, keywords = {Apraxias, DNA Copy Number Variations, Exome, Female, Genetic Linkage, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Genotype, Humans, Lod Score, Male, Pedigree, Risk, Speech}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0153864}, author = {Peter, Beate and Wijsman, Ellen M and Nato, Alejandro Q and Matsushita, Mark M and Chapman, Kathy L and Stanaway, Ian B and Wolff, John and Oda, Kaori and Gabo, Virginia B and Raskind, Wendy H} } @article {71, title = {Genome-Wide Association and Exome Sequencing Study of Language Disorder in an Isolated Population.}, journal = {Pediatrics}, volume = {137}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 04}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Developmental language disorder (DLD) is a highly prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder associated with negative outcomes in different domains; the etiology of DLD is unknown. To investigate the genetic underpinnings of DLD, we performed genome-wide association and whole exome sequencing studies in a geographically isolated population with a substantially elevated prevalence of the disorder (ie, the AZ sample).

METHODS: DNA samples were collected from 359 individuals for the genome-wide association study and from 12 severely affected individuals for whole exome sequencing. Multifaceted phenotypes, representing major domains of expressive language functioning, were derived from collected speech samples.

RESULTS: Gene-based analyses revealed a significant association between SETBP1 and complexity of linguistic output (P = 5.47 {\texttimes} 10(-7)). The analysis of exome variants revealed coding sequence variants in 14 genes, most of which play a role in neural development. Targeted enrichment analysis implicated myocyte enhancer factor-2 (MEF2)-regulated genes in DLD in the AZ population. The main findings were successfully replicated in an independent cohort of children at risk for related disorders (n = 372).

CONCLUSIONS: MEF2-regulated pathways were identified as potential candidate pathways in the etiology of DLD. Several genes (including the candidate SETBP1 and other MEF2-related genes) seem to jointly influence certain, but not all, facets of the DLD phenotype. Even when genetic and environmental diversity is reduced, DLD is best conceptualized as etiologically complex. Future research should establish whether the signals detected in the AZ population can be replicated in other samples and languages and provide further characterization of the identified pathway.

}, keywords = {Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Child, Child, Preschool, Exome, Genome-Wide Association Study, Humans, Language Disorders, Middle Aged, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Russia, Sequence Analysis, DNA, Young Adult}, issn = {1098-4275}, doi = {10.1542/peds.2015-2469}, author = {Kornilov, Sergey A and Rakhlin, Natalia and Koposov, Roman and Lee, Maria and Yrigollen, Carolyn and {\c C}a{\u g}layan, Ahmet Okay and Magnuson, James S and Mane, Shrikant and Chang, Joseph T and Grigorenko, Elena L} } @article {13, title = {A genome-wide association study of congenital cardiovascular left-sided lesions shows association with a locus on chromosome 20.}, journal = {Hum Mol Genet}, volume = {25}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 06 01}, pages = {2331-2341}, abstract = {

Congenital heart defects involving left-sided lesions (LSLs) are relatively common birth defects with substantial morbidity and mortality. Previous studies have suggested a high heritability with a complex genetic architecture, such that only a few LSL loci have been identified. We performed a genome-wide case-control association study to address the role of common variants using a discovery cohort of 778 cases and 2756 controls. We identified a genome-wide significant association mapping to a 200 kb region on chromosome 20q11 [P= 1.72 {\texttimes} 10 for rs3746446; imputed Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) rs6088703 P= 3.01 {\texttimes} 10, odds ratio (OR)= 1.6 for both]. This result was supported by transmission disequilibrium analyses using a subset of 541 case families (lowest P in region= 4.51 {\texttimes} 10, OR= 1.5). Replication in a cohort of 367 LSL cases and 5159 controls showed nominal association (P= 0.03 for rs3746446) resulting in P= 9.49 {\texttimes} 10 for rs3746446 upon meta-analysis of the combined cohorts. In addition, a group of seven SNPs on chromosome 1q21.3 met threshold for suggestive association (lowest P= 9.35 {\texttimes} 10 for rs12045807). Both regions include genes involved in cardiac development-MYH7B/miR499A on chromosome 20 and CTSK, CTSS and ARNT on chromosome 1. Genome-wide heritability analysis using case-control genotyped SNPs suggested that the mean heritability of LSLs attributable to common variants is moderately high ([Formula: see text] range= 0.26-0.34) and consistent with previous assertions. These results provide evidence for the role of common variation in LSLs, proffer new genes as potential biological candidates, and give further insight to the complex genetic architecture of congenital heart disease.

}, keywords = {Chromosome Mapping, Chromosomes, Human, Pair 20, Cohort Studies, Female, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Genome-Wide Association Study, Genotype, Heart Defects, Congenital, Heart Ventricles, Humans, Male, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide}, issn = {1460-2083}, doi = {10.1093/hmg/ddw071}, author = {Hanchard, Neil A and Swaminathan, Shanker and Bucasas, Kristine and Furthner, Dieter and Fernbach, Susan and Azamian, Mahshid S and Wang, Xueqing and Lewin, Mark and Towbin, Jeffrey A and D{\textquoteright}Alessandro, Lisa C A and Morris, Shaine A and Dreyer, William and Denfield, Susan and Ayres, Nancy A and Franklin, Wayne J and Justino, Henri and Lantin-Hermoso, M Regina and Ocampo, Elena C and Santos, Alexia B and Parekh, Dhaval and Moodie, Douglas and Jeewa, Aamir and Lawrence, Emily and Allen, Hugh D and Penny, Daniel J and Fraser, Charles D and Lupski, James R and Popoola, Mojisola and Wadhwa, Lalita and Brook, J David and Bu{\textquoteright}Lock, Frances A and Bhattacharya, Shoumo and Lalani, Seema R and Zender, Gloria A and Fitzgerald-Butt, Sara M and Bowman, Jessica and Corsmeier, Don and White, Peter and Lecerf, Kelsey and Zapata, Gladys and Hernandez, Patricia and Goodship, Judith A and Garg, Vidu and Keavney, Bernard D and Leal, Suzanne M and Cordell, Heather J and Belmont, John W and McBride, Kim L} } @article {65, title = {Germline De Novo Mutations in GNB1 Cause Severe Neurodevelopmental Disability, Hypotonia, and Seizures.}, journal = {Am J Hum Genet}, volume = {98}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 05 05}, pages = {1001-1010}, abstract = {

Whole-exome sequencing of 13 individuals with developmental delay commonly accompanied by abnormal muscle tone and seizures identified de novo missense mutations enriched within a sub-region of GNB1, a gene encoding the guanine nucleotide-binding protein~subunit beta-1, Gβ. These 13 individuals were identified among a base of 5,855 individuals recruited for various undiagnosed genetic disorders. The probability of observing 13 or more de novo mutations by chance among 5,855 individuals is very low (p~=~7.1~{\texttimes} 10(-21)), implicating GNB1 as a genome-wide-significant disease-associated gene. The majority of these 13 mutations affect known Gβ binding sites, which suggests that a likely disease mechanism is through the disruption of the protein interface required for Gα-Gβγ interaction (resulting in a constitutively active Gβγ) or through the disruption of residues relevant for interaction between Gβγ and certain downstream effectors (resulting in reduced interaction with the effectors). Strikingly, 8 of the 13 individuals recruited here for a neurodevelopmental disorder have a germline de novo GNB1 mutation that overlaps a set of five recurrent somatic tumor mutations for which recent functional studies demonstrated a gain-of-function effect due to constitutive activation of G protein downstream signaling cascades for some of the affected residues.

}, keywords = {Adolescent, Adult, Child, Child, Preschool, Developmental Disabilities, Exome, Female, Germ-Line Mutation, GTP-Binding Protein beta Subunits, Humans, Infant, Intellectual Disability, Male, Muscle Hypotonia, Phenotype, Protein Conformation, Seizures, Signal Transduction, Young Adult}, issn = {1537-6605}, doi = {10.1016/j.ajhg.2016.03.011}, author = {Petrovski, Slav{\'e} and K{\"u}ry, S{\'e}bastien and Myers, Candace T and Anyane-Yeboa, Kwame and Cogn{\'e}, Benjamin and Bialer, Martin and Xia, Fan and Hemati, Parisa and Riviello, James and Mehaffey, Michele and Besnard, Thomas and Becraft, Emily and Wadley, Alexandrea and Politi, Anya Revah and Colombo, Sophie and Zhu, Xiaolin and Ren, Zhong and Andrews, Ian and Dudding-Byth, Tracy and Schneider, Amy L and Wallace, Geoffrey and Rosen, Aaron B I and Schelley, Susan and Enns, Gregory M and Corre, Pierre and Dalton, Joline and Mercier, Sandra and Latypova, X{\'e}nia and Schmitt, S{\'e}bastien and Guzman, Edwin and Moore, Christine and Bier, Louise and Heinzen, Erin L and Karachunski, Peter and Shur, Natasha and Grebe, Theresa and Basinger, Alice and Nguyen, Joanne M and B{\'e}zieau, St{\'e}phane and Wierenga, Klaas and Bernstein, Jonathan A and Scheffer, Ingrid E and Rosenfeld, Jill A and Mefford, Heather C and Isidor, Bertrand and Goldstein, David B} } @article {8, title = {A germline ERBB3 variant is a candidate for predisposition to erythroid MDS/erythroleukemia.}, journal = {Leukemia}, volume = {30}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 Nov}, pages = {2242-2245}, keywords = {Adult, Aged, Female, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Germ-Line Mutation, Humans, Leukemia, Erythroblastic, Acute, Male, Middle Aged, Myelodysplastic Syndromes, Pedigree, Receptor, ErbB-3}, issn = {1476-5551}, doi = {10.1038/leu.2016.173}, author = {Braunstein, E M and Li, R and Sobreira, N and Marosy, B and Hetrick, K and Doheny, K and Gocke, C D and Valle, D and Brodsky, R A and Cheng, L} } @article {50, title = {Germline or somatic GPR101 duplication leads to X-linked acrogigantism: a clinico-pathological and genetic study.}, journal = {Acta Neuropathol Commun}, volume = {4}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 06 01}, pages = {56}, abstract = {

Non-syndromic pituitary gigantism can result from AIP mutations or the recently identified Xq26.3 microduplication causing X-linked acrogigantism (XLAG). Within Xq26.3, GPR101 is believed to be the causative gene, and the c.924G > C (p.E308D) variant in this orphan G protein-coupled receptor has been suggested to play a role in the pathogenesis of acromegaly.We studied 153 patients (58 females and 95 males) with pituitary gigantism. AIP mutation-negative cases were screened for GPR101 duplication through copy number variation droplet digital PCR and high-density aCGH. The genetic, clinical and histopathological features of XLAG patients were studied in detail. 395 peripheral blood and 193 pituitary tumor DNA samples from acromegaly patients were tested for GPR101 variants.We identified 12 patients (10 females and 2 males; 7.8~\%) with XLAG. In one subject, the duplicated region only contained GPR101, but not the other three genes in found to be duplicated in the previously reported patients, defining a new smallest region of overlap of duplications. While females presented with germline mutations, the two male patients harbored the mutation in a mosaic state. Nine patients had pituitary adenomas, while three had hyperplasia. The comparison of the features of XLAG, AIP-positive and GPR101\&AIP-negative patients revealed significant differences in sex distribution, age at onset, height, prolactin co-secretion and histological features. The pathological features of XLAG-related adenomas were remarkably similar. These tumors had a sinusoidal and lobular architecture. Sparsely and densely granulated somatotrophs were admixed with lactotrophs; follicle-like structures and calcifications were commonly observed. Patients with sporadic of familial~acromegaly did not have an increased prevalence of the c.924G > C (p.E308D) GPR101 variant compared to public databases.In conclusion, XLAG can result from germline or somatic duplication of GPR101. Duplication of GPR101 alone is sufficient for the development of XLAG, implicating it as the causative gene within the Xq26.3 region. The pathological features of XLAG-associated pituitary adenomas are typical and, together with the clinical phenotype, should prompt genetic testing.

}, keywords = {Acromegaly, Adenoma, Adolescent, Child, Child, Preschool, Female, Gene Duplication, Germ-Line Mutation, Gigantism, Humans, Infant, Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins, Male, Pituitary Neoplasms, Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled, Treatment Outcome, Young Adult}, issn = {2051-5960}, doi = {10.1186/s40478-016-0328-1}, author = {Iacovazzo, Donato and Caswell, Richard and Bunce, Benjamin and Jose, Sian and Yuan, Bo and Hern{\'a}ndez-Ram{\'\i}rez, Laura C and Kapur, Sonal and Caimari, Francisca and Evanson, Jane and Ferra{\`u}, Francesco and Dang, Mary N and Gabrovska, Plamena and Larkin, Sarah J and Ansorge, Olaf and Rodd, Celia and Vance, Mary L and Ram{\'\i}rez-Renteria, Claudia and Mercado, Mois{\'e}s and Goldstone, Anthony P and Buchfelder, Michael and Burren, Christine P and Gurlek, Alper and Dutta, Pinaki and Choong, Catherine S and Cheetham, Timothy and Trivellin, Giampaolo and Stratakis, Constantine A and Lopes, Maria-Beatriz and Grossman, Ashley B and Trouillas, Jacqueline and Lupski, James R and Ellard, Sian and Sampson, Julian R and Roncaroli, Federico and Korbonits, M{\'a}rta} } @article {33, title = {GNA14 Somatic Mutation Causes Congenital and Sporadic Vascular Tumors by MAPK Activation.}, journal = {Am J Hum Genet}, volume = {99}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 Aug 04}, pages = {443-50}, abstract = {

Vascular tumors are among the most common neoplasms in infants and children; 5\%-10\% of newborns present with or develop lesions within the first 3~months of life. Most are benign infantile hemangiomas that typically regress by 5 years of age; other vascular tumors include congenital tufted angiomas (TAs), kaposiform hemangioendotheliomas (KHEs), and childhood lobular capillary hemangiomas (LCHs). Some of these lesions can become locally invasive and unresponsive to pharmacologic intervention, leading to significant complications. Recent investigation has revealed that activating mutations in HRAS, KRAS, NRAS, GNAQ, and GNA11 can cause certain types of rare childhood vascular tumors, and we have now identified causal recurrent somatic activating mutations in GNA14 by whole-exome and targeted sequencing. We found somatic activating GNA14 c.614A>T (p.Gln205Leu) mutations in one KHE, one TA, and one LCH and a GNA11 c.547C>T (p.Arg183Cys) mutation in two LCH lesions. We examined mutation pathobiology via expression of mutant GNA14 or GNA11 in primary human endothelial cells and melanocytes. GNA14 and GNA11 mutations induced changes in cellular morphology and rendered cells growth-factor independent by upregulating the MAPK pathway. Our findings identify GNA14 mutations as a cause of childhood vascular tumors, offer insight into mechanisms of oncogenic transformation by mutations affecting Gaq family members, and identify potential targets for therapeutic intervention.

}, keywords = {Cells, Cultured, Child, Preschool, Enzyme Activation, GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gq-G11, Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells, Humans, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins, Male, MAP Kinase Signaling System, Melanocytes, Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases, Mutation, Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt, Vascular Neoplasms}, issn = {1537-6605}, doi = {10.1016/j.ajhg.2016.06.010}, author = {Lim, Young H and Bacchiocchi, Antonella and Qiu, Jingyao and Straub, Robert and Bruckner, Anna and Bercovitch, Lionel and Narayan, Deepak and McNiff, Jennifer and Ko, Christine and Robinson-Bostom, Leslie and Antaya, Richard and Halaban, Ruth and Choate, Keith A} } @article {126, title = {Gonadal mosaicism in ARID1B gene causes intellectual disability and dysmorphic features in three siblings.}, journal = {Am J Med Genet A}, volume = {170A}, year = {2016}, month = {2016 Jan}, pages = {156-61}, abstract = {

The gene encoding the AT-rich interaction domain-containing protein 1B (ARID1B) has recently been shown to be one of the most frequently mutated genes in patients with intellectual disability (ID). The phenotypic spectrums associated with variants in this gene vary widely ranging for mild to severe non-specific ID to Coffin-Siris syndrome. In this study, we evaluated three children from a consanguineous Emirati family affected with ID and dysmorphic features. Genomic DNA from all affected siblings was analyzed using CGH array and whole-exome sequencing (WES). Based on a recessive mode of inheritance, homozygous or compound heterozygous variants shared among all three affected children could not be identified. However, further analysis revealed a heterozygous variant (c.4318C>T; p.Q1440*) in the three affected children in an autosomal dominant ID causing gene, ARID1B. This variant was absent in peripheral blood samples obtained from both parents and unaffected siblings. Therefore, we propose that the most likely explanation for this situation is that one of the parents is a gonadal mosaic for the variant. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a gonadal mosaicism inheritance of an ARID1B variant leading to familial ID recurrence.

}, keywords = {Abnormalities, Multiple, Adolescent, Child, DNA-Binding Proteins, Exome, Face, Female, Hand Deformities, Congenital, Heterozygote, Humans, Intellectual Disability, Male, Micrognathism, Mosaicism, Mutation, Neck, Pedigree, Siblings, Transcription Factors}, issn = {1552-4833}, doi = {10.1002/ajmg.a.37405}, author = {Ben-Salem, Salma and Sobreira, Nara and Akawi, Nadia A and Al-Shamsi, Aisha M and John, Anne and Pramathan, Thachillath and Valle, David and Ali, Bassam R and Al-Gazali, Lihadh} } @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 {145, title = {Generation of sequence-based data for pedigree-segregating Mendelian or Complex traits.}, journal = {Bioinformatics}, volume = {31}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Nov 15}, pages = {3706-8}, abstract = {

MOTIVATION: There is great interest in analyzing next generation sequence data that has been generated for pedigrees. However, unlike for population-based data there are only a limited number of rare variant methods to analyze pedigree data. One limitation is the ability to evaluate type I and II errors for family-based methods, due to lack of software that can simulate realistic sequence data for pedigrees.

SUMMARY: We developed RarePedSim (Rare-variant Pedigree-based Simulator), a program to simulate region/gene-level genotype and phenotype data for complex and Mendelian traits for any given pedigree structure. Using a genetic model, sequence variant data can be generated either conditionally or unconditionally on pedigree members{\textquoteright} qualitative or quantitative phenotypes. Additionally, qualitative or quantitative traits can be generated conditional on variant data. Sequence data can either be simulated using realistic population demographic models or obtained from sequence-based studies. Variant sites can be annotated with positions, allele frequencies and functionality. For rare variants, RarePedSim is the only program that can efficiently generate both genotypes and phenotypes, regardless of pedigree structure. Data generated by RarePedSim are in standard Linkage file (.ped) and Variant Call (.vcf) formats, ready to be used for a variety of purposes, including evaluation of type I error and power, for association methods including mixed models and linkage analysis methods.

AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: bioinformatics.org/simped/rare

CONTACT: sleal@bcm.edu.

}, keywords = {Base Sequence, Chromosome Segregation, Humans, Pedigree, Quantitative Trait, Heritable, Sequence Analysis, Software}, issn = {1367-4811}, doi = {10.1093/bioinformatics/btv412}, author = {Li, Biao and Wang, Gao T and Leal, Suzanne M} } @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 {149, title = {The Genetic Basis of Mendelian Phenotypes: Discoveries, Challenges, and Opportunities.}, journal = {Am J Hum Genet}, volume = {97}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 Aug 06}, pages = {199-215}, abstract = {

Discovering the genetic basis of a Mendelian phenotype establishes a causal link between genotype and phenotype, making possible carrier and population screening and direct diagnosis. Such discoveries also contribute to our knowledge of gene function, gene regulation, development, and biological mechanisms that can be used for developing new therapeutics. As of February 2015, 2,937 genes underlying 4,163 Mendelian phenotypes have been discovered, but the genes underlying \~{}50\% (i.e., 3,152) of all known Mendelian phenotypes are still unknown, and many more Mendelian conditions have yet to be recognized. This is a formidable gap in biomedical knowledge. Accordingly, in December 2011, the NIH established the Centers for Mendelian Genomics (CMGs) to provide the collaborative framework and infrastructure necessary for undertaking large-scale whole-exome sequencing and discovery of the genetic variants responsible for Mendelian phenotypes. In partnership with 529 investigators from 261 institutions in 36 countries, the CMGs assessed 18,863 samples from 8,838 families representing 579 known and 470 novel Mendelian phenotypes as of January 2015. This collaborative effort has identified 956 genes, including 375 not previously associated with human health, that underlie a Mendelian phenotype. These results provide insight into study design and analytical strategies, identify novel mechanisms of disease, and reveal the extensive clinical variability of Mendelian phenotypes. Discovering the gene underlying every Mendelian phenotype will require tackling challenges such as worldwide ascertainment and phenotypic characterization of families affected by Mendelian conditions, improvement in sequencing and analytical techniques, and pervasive sharing of phenotypic and genomic data among researchers, clinicians, and families.

}, keywords = {Genetic Diseases, Inborn, Genetics, Medical, Humans, Phenotype, Proteins}, issn = {1537-6605}, doi = {10.1016/j.ajhg.2015.06.009}, author = {Chong, Jessica X and Buckingham, Kati J and Jhangiani, Shalini N and Boehm, Corinne and Sobreira, Nara and Smith, Joshua D and Harrell, Tanya M and McMillin, Margaret J and Wiszniewski, Wojciech and Gambin, Tomasz and Coban Akdemir, Zeynep H and Doheny, Kimberly and Scott, Alan F and Avramopoulos, Dimitri and Chakravarti, Aravinda and Hoover-Fong, Julie and Mathews, Debra and Witmer, P Dane and Ling, Hua and Hetrick, Kurt and Watkins, Lee and Patterson, Karynne E and Reinier, Frederic and Blue, Elizabeth and Muzny, Donna and Kircher, Martin and Bilguvar, Kaya and L{\'o}pez-Gir{\'a}ldez, Francesc and Sutton, V Reid and Tabor, Holly K and Leal, Suzanne M and G{\"u}nel, Murat and Mane, Shrikant and Gibbs, Richard A and Boerwinkle, Eric and Hamosh, Ada and Shendure, Jay and Lupski, James R and Lifton, Richard P and Valle, David and Nickerson, Deborah A and Bamshad, Michael J} } @article {182, title = {Genetic linkage analysis in the age of whole-genome sequencing.}, journal = {Nat Rev Genet}, volume = {16}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 May}, pages = {275-84}, abstract = {

For many years, linkage analysis was the primary tool used for the genetic mapping of Mendelian and complex traits with familial aggregation. Linkage analysis was largely supplanted by the wide adoption of genome-wide association studies (GWASs). However, with the recent increased use of whole-genome sequencing (WGS), linkage analysis is again emerging as an important and powerful analysis method for the identification of genes involved in disease aetiology, often in conjunction with WGS filtering approaches. Here, we review the principles of linkage analysis and provide practical guidelines for carrying out linkage studies using WGS data.

}, keywords = {Algorithms, Female, Genetic Linkage, Genome, Human, Genome-Wide Association Study, Genotyping Techniques, Humans, Lod Score, Male, Pedigree, Penetrance, Phenotype, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Sequence Analysis, DNA, Software}, issn = {1471-0064}, doi = {10.1038/nrg3908}, author = {Ott, Jurg and Wang, Jing and Leal, Suzanne M} } @article {167, title = {Germline PRKACA amplification causes variable phenotypes that may depend on the extent of the genomic defect: molecular mechanisms and clinical presentations.}, journal = {Eur J Endocrinol}, volume = {172}, year = {2015}, month = {2015 06}, pages = {803-11}, abstract = {

OBJECTIVE: We have recently reported five patients with bilateral adrenocortical hyperplasia (BAH) and Cushing{\textquoteright}s syndrome (CS) caused by constitutive activation of the catalytic subunit of protein kinase A (PRKACA). By doing new in-depth analysis of their cytogenetic abnormality, we attempted a better genotype-phenotype correlation of their PRKACA amplification.

DESIGN: This study is a case series.

METHODS: Molecular cytogenetic, genomic, clinical, and histopathological analyses were performed in five patients with CS.

RESULTS: Reinvestigation of the defects of previously described patients by state-of-the-art molecular cytogenetics showed complex genomic rearrangements in the chromosome 19p13.2p13.12 locus, resulting in copy number gains encompassing the entire PRKACA gene; three patients (one sporadic case and two related cases) were observed with gains consistent with duplications, while two sporadic patients were observed with gains consistent with triplications. Although all five patients presented with ACTH-independent CS, the three sporadic patients had micronodular BAH and underwent bilateral adrenalectomy in early childhood, whereas the two related patients, a mother and a son, presented with macronodular BAH as adults. In at least one patient, PRKACA triplication was associated with a more severe phenotype.

CONCLUSIONS: Constitutional chromosomal PRKACA gene amplification is a recently identified genetic defect associated with CS, a trait that may be inherited in an autosomal dominant manner or occur de novo. Genomic rearrangements can be complex and can result in different copy number states of dosage-sensitive genes, e.g., duplication and triplication. PRKACA amplification can lead to variable phenotypes clinically and pathologically, both micro- and macro-nodular BAH, the latter of which we speculate may depend on the extent of amplification.

}, keywords = {Adrenal Glands, Adrenalectomy, Adult, Child, Child, Preschool, Cushing Syndrome, Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinase Catalytic Subunits, DNA Copy Number Variations, Female, Gene Amplification, Humans, Hyperplasia, Male, Phenotype, Young Adult}, issn = {1479-683X}, doi = {10.1530/EJE-14-1154}, author = {Lodish, Maya B and Yuan, Bo and Levy, Isaac and Braunstein, Glenn D and Lyssikatos, Charalampos and Salpea, Paraskevi and Szarek, Eva and Karageorgiadis, Alexander S and Belyavskaya, Elena and Raygada, Margarita and Faucz, Fabio Rueda and Izzat, Louise and Brain, Caroline and Gardner, James and Quezado, Martha and Carney, J Aidan and Lupski, James R and Stratakis, Constantine A} } @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 {266, title = {A general framework for estimating the relative pathogenicity of human genetic variants.}, journal = {Nat Genet}, volume = {46}, year = {2014}, month = {2014 Mar}, pages = {310-5}, abstract = {

Current methods for annotating and interpreting human genetic variation tend to exploit a single information type (for example, conservation) and/or are restricted in scope (for example, to missense changes). Here we describe Combined Annotation-Dependent Depletion (CADD), a method for objectively integrating many diverse annotations into a single measure (C score) for each variant. We implement CADD as a support vector machine trained to differentiate 14.7 million high-frequency human-derived alleles from 14.7 million simulated variants. We precompute C scores for all 8.6 billion possible human single-nucleotide variants and enable scoring of short insertions-deletions. C scores correlate with allelic diversity, annotations of functionality, pathogenicity, disease severity, experimentally measured regulatory effects and complex trait associations, and they highly rank known pathogenic variants within individual genomes. The ability of CADD to prioritize functional, deleterious and pathogenic variants across many functional categories, effect sizes and genetic architectures is unmatched by any current single-annotation method.

}, keywords = {Genetic Variation, Genome, Human, Genome-Wide Association Study, Humans, INDEL Mutation, Models, Genetic, Molecular Sequence Annotation, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Selection, Genetic, Support Vector Machine}, issn = {1546-1718}, doi = {10.1038/ng.2892}, author = {Kircher, Martin and Witten, Daniela M and Jain, Preti and O{\textquoteright}Roak, Brian J and Cooper, Gregory M and Shendure, Jay} } @article {281, title = {The genetic basis of DOORS syndrome: an exome-sequencing study.}, journal = {Lancet Neurol}, volume = {13}, year = {2014}, month = {2014 Jan}, pages = {44-58}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Deafness, onychodystrophy, osteodystrophy, mental retardation, and seizures (DOORS) syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder of unknown cause. We aimed to identify the genetic basis of this syndrome by sequencing most coding exons in affected individuals.

METHODS: Through a search of available case studies and communication with collaborators, we identified families that included at least one individual with at least three of the five main features of the DOORS syndrome: deafness, onychodystrophy, osteodystrophy, intellectual disability, and seizures. Participants were recruited from 26 centres in 17 countries. Families described in this study were enrolled between Dec 1, 2010, and March 1, 2013. Collaborating physicians enrolling participants obtained clinical information and DNA samples from the affected child and both parents if possible. We did whole-exome sequencing in affected individuals as they were enrolled, until we identified a candidate gene, and Sanger sequencing to confirm mutations. We did expression studies in human fibroblasts from one individual by real-time PCR and western blot analysis, and in mouse tissues by immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR.

FINDINGS: 26 families were included in the study. We did exome sequencing in the first 17 enrolled families; we screened for TBC1D24 by Sanger sequencing in subsequent families. We identified TBC1D24 mutations in 11 individuals from nine families (by exome sequencing in seven families, and Sanger sequencing in two families). 18 families had individuals with all five main features of DOORS syndrome, and TBC1D24 mutations were identified in half of these families. The seizure types in individuals with TBC1D24 mutations included generalised tonic-clonic, complex partial, focal clonic, and infantile spasms. Of the 18 individuals with DOORS syndrome from 17 families without TBC1D24 mutations, eight did not have seizures and three did not have deafness. In expression studies, some mutations abrogated TBC1D24 mRNA stability. We also detected Tbc1d24 expression in mouse phalangeal chondrocytes and calvaria, which suggests a role of TBC1D24 in skeletogenesis.

INTERPRETATION: Our findings suggest that mutations in TBC1D24 seem to be an important cause of DOORS syndrome and can cause diverse phenotypes. Thus, individuals with DOORS syndrome without deafness and seizures but with the other features should still be screened for TBC1D24 mutations. More information is needed to understand the cellular roles of TBC1D24 and identify the genes responsible for DOORS phenotypes in individuals who do not have a mutation in TBC1D24.

FUNDING: US National Institutes of Health, the CIHR (Canada), the NIHR (UK), the Wellcome Trust, the Henry Smith Charity, and Action Medical Research.

}, keywords = {Adolescent, Carrier Proteins, Child, Child, Preschool, Craniofacial Abnormalities, Exome, Female, Hand Deformities, Congenital, Hearing Loss, Sensorineural, Humans, Infant, Intellectual Disability, Internationality, Male, Nails, Malformed, Phenotype, Sequence Analysis, DNA, Young Adult}, issn = {1474-4465}, doi = {10.1016/S1474-4422(13)70265-5}, author = {Campeau, Philippe M and Kasperaviciute, Dalia and Lu, James T and Burrage, Lindsay C and Kim, Choel and Hori, Mutsuki and Powell, Berkley R and Stewart, Fiona and F{\'e}lix, T{\^e}mis Maria and van den Ende, Jenneke and Wisniewska, Marzena and Kayserili, H{\"u}lya and Rump, Patrick and Nampoothiri, Sheela and Aftimos, Salim and Mey, Antje and Nair, Lal D V and Begleiter, Michael L and De Bie, Isabelle and Meenakshi, Girish and Murray, Mitzi L and Repetto, Gabriela M and Golabi, Mahin and Blair, Edward and Male, Alison and Giuliano, Fabienne and Kariminejad, Ariana and Newman, William G and Bhaskar, Sanjeev S and Dickerson, Jonathan E and Kerr, Bronwyn and Banka, Siddharth and Giltay, Jacques C and Wieczorek, Dagmar and Tostevin, Anna and Wiszniewska, Joanna and Cheung, Sau Wai and Hennekam, Raoul C and Gibbs, Richard A and Lee, Brendan H and Sisodiya, Sanjay M} } @article {234, title = {Germ-line and somatic DICER1 mutations in pineoblastoma.}, journal = {Acta Neuropathol}, volume = {128}, year = {2014}, month = {2014 Oct}, pages = {583-95}, abstract = {

Germ-line RB-1 mutations predispose to pineoblastoma (PinB), but other predisposing genetic factors are not well established. We recently identified a germ-line DICER1 mutation in a child with a PinB. This was accompanied by loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of the wild-type allele within the tumour. We set out to establish the prevalence of DICER1 mutations in an opportunistically ascertained series of PinBs. Twenty-one PinB cases were studied: Eighteen cases had not undergone previous testing for DICER1 mutations; three patients were known carriers of germ-line DICER1 mutations. The eighteen PinBs were sequenced by Sanger and/or Fluidigm-based next-generation sequencing to identify DICER1 mutations in blood gDNA and/or tumour gDNA. Testing for somatic DICER1 mutations was also conducted on one case with a known germ-line DICER1 mutation. From the eighteen PinBs, we identified four deleterious DICER1 mutations, three of which were germ line in origin, and one for which a germ line versus somatic origin could not be determined; in all four, the second allele was also inactivated leading to complete loss of DICER1 protein. No somatic DICER1 RNase IIIb mutations were identified. One PinB arising in a germ-line DICER1 mutation carrier was found to have LOH. This study suggests that germ-line DICER1 mutations make a clinically significant contribution to PinB, establishing DICER1 as an important susceptibility gene for PinB and demonstrates PinB to be a manifestation of a germ-line DICER1 mutation. The means by which the second allele is inactivated may differ from other DICER1-related tumours.

}, keywords = {Adolescent, Brain Neoplasms, Child, Child, Preschool, DEAD-box RNA Helicases, DNA Mutational Analysis, Family Health, Female, Germ-Line Mutation, Humans, Infant, Male, Pineal Gland, Pinealoma, Ribonuclease III, Young Adult}, issn = {1432-0533}, doi = {10.1007/s00401-014-1318-7}, author = {de Kock, Leanne and Sabbaghian, Nelly and Druker, Harriet and Weber, Evan and Hamel, Nancy and Miller, Suzanne and Choong, Catherine S and Gottardo, Nicholas G and Kees, Ursula R and Rednam, Surya P and van Hest, Liselotte P and Jongmans, Marjolijn C and Jhangiani, Shalini and Lupski, James R and Zacharin, Margaret and Bouron-Dal Soglio, Doroth{\'e}e and Huang, Annie and Priest, John R and Perry, Arie and Mueller, Sabine and Albrecht, Steffen and Malkin, David and Grundy, Richard G and Foulkes, William D} } @article {207, title = {Gigantism and acromegaly due to Xq26 microduplications and GPR101 mutation.}, journal = {N Engl J Med}, volume = {371}, year = {2014}, month = {2014 Dec 18}, pages = {2363-74}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Increased secretion of growth hormone leads to gigantism in children and acromegaly in adults; the genetic causes of gigantism and acromegaly are poorly understood.

METHODS: We performed clinical and genetic studies of samples obtained from 43 patients with gigantism and then sequenced an implicated gene in samples from 248 patients with acromegaly.

RESULTS: We observed microduplication on chromosome Xq26.3 in samples from 13 patients with gigantism; of these samples, 4 were obtained from members of two unrelated kindreds, and 9 were from patients with sporadic cases. All the patients had disease onset during early childhood. Of the patients with gigantism who did not carry an Xq26.3 microduplication, none presented before the age of 5 years. Genomic characterization of the Xq26.3 region suggests that the microduplications are generated during chromosome replication and that they contain four protein-coding genes. Only one of these genes, GPR101, which encodes a G-protein-coupled receptor, was overexpressed in patients{\textquoteright} pituitary lesions. We identified a recurrent GPR101 mutation (p.E308D) in 11 of 248 patients with acromegaly, with the mutation found mostly in tumors. When the mutation was transfected into rat GH3 cells, it led to increased release of growth hormone and proliferation of growth hormone-producing cells.

CONCLUSIONS: We describe a pediatric disorder (which we have termed X-linked acrogigantism [X-LAG]) that is caused by an Xq26.3 genomic duplication and is characterized by early-onset gigantism resulting from an excess of growth hormone. Duplication of GPR101 probably causes X-LAG. We also found a recurrent mutation in GPR101 in some adults with acromegaly. (Funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and others.).

}, keywords = {Acromegaly, Adolescent, Adult, Age of Onset, Child, Child, Preschool, Chromosome Duplication, Chromosomes, Human, X, Female, Gigantism, Human Growth Hormone, Humans, Infant, Male, Mutation, Phenotype, Protein Conformation, Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled}, issn = {1533-4406}, doi = {10.1056/NEJMoa1408028}, author = {Trivellin, Giampaolo and Daly, Adrian F and Faucz, Fabio R and Yuan, Bo and Rostomyan, Liliya and Larco, Darwin O and Schernthaner-Reiter, Marie Helene and Szarek, Eva and Leal, Let{\'\i}cia F and Caberg, Jean-Hubert and Castermans, Emilie and Villa, Chiara and Dimopoulos, Aggeliki and Chittiboina, Prashant and Xekouki, Paraskevi and Shah, Nalini and Metzger, Daniel and Lysy, Philippe A and Ferrante, Emanuele and Strebkova, Natalia and Mazerkina, Nadia and Zatelli, Maria Chiara and Lodish, Maya and Horvath, Anelia and de Alexandre, Rodrigo Bertollo and Manning, Allison D and Levy, Isaac and Keil, Margaret F and Sierra, Maria de la Luz and Palmeira, Leonor and Coppieters, Wouter and Georges, Michel and Naves, Luciana A and Jamar, Mauricette and Bours, Vincent and Wu, T John and Choong, Catherine S and Bertherat, Jerome and Chanson, Philippe and Kamenick{\'y}, Peter and Farrell, William E and Barlier, Anne and Quezado, Martha and Bjelobaba, Ivana and Stojilkovic, Stanko S and Wess, Jurgen and Costanzi, Stefano and Liu, Pengfei and Lupski, James R and Beckers, Albert and Stratakis, Constantine A} } @article {332, title = {GENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION MAPPING AND RARE ALLELES: FROM POPULATION GENOMICS TO PERSONALIZED MEDICINE - Session Introduction.}, journal = {Pac Symp Biocomput}, year = {2011}, month = {2011}, pages = {74-5}, abstract = {

Genome-wide associations studies (GWAS) have been very successful in identifying common genetic variation associated to numerous complex diseases [1]. However, most of the identified common genetic variants appear to confer modest risk and few causal alleles have been identified [2]. Furthermore, these associations account for a small portion of the total heritability of inherited disease variation [1]. This has led to the reexamination of the contribution of environment, gene-gene and gene-environment interactions, and rare genetic variants in complex diseases [1, 3, 4]. There is strong evidence that rare variants play an important role in complex disease etiology and may have larger genetic effects than common variants [2]. Currently, much of what we know regarding the contribution of rare genetic variants to disease risk is based on a limited number of phenotypes and candidate genes. However, rapid advancement of second generation sequencing technologies will invariably lead to widespread association studies comparing whole exome and eventually whole genome sequencing of cases and controls. A tremendous challenge for enabling these "next generation" medical genomic studies is developing statistical approaches for correlating rare genetic variants with disease outcome. The analysis of rare variants is challenging since methods used for common variants are woefully underpowered. Therefore, methods that can deal with genetic heterogeneity at the trait-associated locus have been developed to analyze rare variants. These methods instead analyzing individual variants analyze variants within a region/gene as a group and usually rely on collapsing. They can be applied to both in cases vs. controls and quantitative trait studies are needed. The paper of Bansal et al. in this volume describes the application of a number of statistical methods for testing associations between rare variants in two genes to obesity. The authors considered the relative merits of the different methods as well as important implementation details, such as the leveraging of genomic annotations and determining p-values. Knowledge of haplotypes can increase the power of GWAS studies and also highlight associations that are impossible to detect without haplotype phase (e.g. loss of heterozygosity). Even more complicated phase-dependent interactions of variants in linkage equilibrium have also been suggested as possible causes of missing heritability. In their work, Hallsorsson et al. formulate algorithmic strategies for haplotype phasing by multi-assembly of shared haplotypes from next-generation sequencing data. These methods would allow testing haplotypes harboring rare variants for association and potentially increase their explanatory power. Since single SNP tests are often underpowered in rare variant association analysis, Zeggini and Asimit propose a locus-based method that has high power in the presence of rare variants and that incorporate base quality scores available for sequencing data. Their results suggest that this multi-marker approach may be best suited for smaller regions, or after some filtering to reduce the number of SNPs that are jointly tested to reduce loss of power due to multiple-testing adjustments. Finally, the paper of Zhou et al., presents a penalized regression framework for association testing on sequence data, in the presence of both common and rare variants. This method also introduces the use of weights to incorporate available biological information on the variants. Although these tactics improve both false positive and false negative rates, they represent an incremental development and there is still significant room for improvement. With the development of sequencing technologies and methods to detect complex trait rare variant associations many new and exciting discovery are imminent. The analysis of rare variants is still in its infancy and the next few years promises to produce many new methods to meet the special demands of analyzing this type of data. Note from Publisher: This article contains the abstract and references.

}, issn = {2335-6936}, author = {DE LA Vega, Francisco M and Bustamante, Carlos D and Leal, Suzanne M} }