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Faust H, Duffek P, Hentschel J, Popp D. Evaluation of Automated Magnetic Bead-Based DNA Extraction for Detection of Short Tandem Repeat Expansions With Nanopore Sequencing. J Clin Lab Anal 2024; 38:e25029. [PMID: 38506401 PMCID: PMC10997813 DOI: 10.1002/jcla.25029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Long-read technologies such as nanopore sequencing provide new opportunities to detect short tandem repeat expansions. Therefore, a DNA extraction method is necessary that minimizes DNA fragmentation and hence allows the identification of large repeat expansions. In this study, an automated magnetic bead-based DNA extraction method and the required EDTA blood storage conditions as well as DNA and sequencing quality were evaluated for their suitability for repeat expansion detection with nanopore sequencing. METHODS DNA was extracted from EDTA blood, and subsequently, its concentration, purity, and integrity were assessed. DNA was then subjected to nanopore sequencing, and quality metrics of the obtained sequencing data were evaluated. RESULTS DNA extracted from fresh EDTA blood as well as from cooled or frozen EDTA blood revealed high DNA integrity whereas storage at room temperature over 7 days had detrimental effects. After nanopore sequencing, the read length N50 values of approximately 9 kb were obtained, and based on adaptive sampling of samples with a known repeat expansion, repeat expansions up to 10 kb could be detected. CONCLUSION The automated magnetic bead-based DNA extraction was sufficient to detect short tandem repeat expansions, omitting the need for high-molecular-weight DNA extraction methods. Therefore, DNA should be extracted either from fresh blood or from blood stored in cooled or frozen conditions. Consequently, this study may help other laboratories to evaluate their DNA extraction method regarding the suitability for detecting repeat expansions with nanopore sequencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helene Faust
- Institute of Human GeneticsUniversity of Leipzig Medical CenterLeipzigGermany
| | - Patricia Duffek
- Institute of Human GeneticsUniversity of Leipzig Medical CenterLeipzigGermany
| | - Julia Hentschel
- Institute of Human GeneticsUniversity of Leipzig Medical CenterLeipzigGermany
| | - Denny Popp
- Institute of Human GeneticsUniversity of Leipzig Medical CenterLeipzigGermany
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Mitina A, Khan M, Lesurf R, Yin Y, Engchuan W, Hamdan O, Pellecchia G, Trost B, Backstrom I, Guo K, Pallotto LM, Lam Doong PH, Wang Z, Nalpathamkalam T, Thiruvahindrapuram B, Papaz T, Pearson CE, Ragoussis J, Subbarao P, Azad MB, Turvey SE, Mandhane P, Moraes TJ, Simons E, Scherer SW, Lougheed J, Mondal T, Smythe J, Altamirano-Diaz L, Oechslin E, Mital S, Yuen RKC. Genome-wide enhancer-associated tandem repeats are expanded in cardiomyopathy. EBioMedicine 2024; 101:105027. [PMID: 38418263 PMCID: PMC10944212 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2024.105027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cardiomyopathy is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous heart condition that can lead to heart failure and sudden cardiac death in childhood. While it has a strong genetic basis, the genetic aetiology for over 50% of cardiomyopathy cases remains unknown. METHODS In this study, we analyse the characteristics of tandem repeats from genome sequence data of unrelated individuals diagnosed with cardiomyopathy from Canada and the United Kingdom (n = 1216) and compare them to those found in the general population. We perform burden analysis to identify genomic and epigenomic features that are impacted by rare tandem repeat expansions (TREs), and enrichment analysis to identify functional pathways that are involved in the TRE-associated genes in cardiomyopathy. We use Oxford Nanopore targeted long-read sequencing to validate repeat size and methylation status of one of the most recurrent TREs. We also compare the TRE-associated genes to those that are dysregulated in the heart tissues of individuals with cardiomyopathy. FINDINGS We demonstrate that tandem repeats that are rarely expanded in the general population are predominantly expanded in cardiomyopathy. We find that rare TREs are disproportionately present in constrained genes near transcriptional start sites, have high GC content, and frequently overlap active enhancer H3K27ac marks, where expansion-related DNA methylation may reduce gene expression. We demonstrate the gene silencing effect of expanded CGG tandem repeats in DIP2B through promoter hypermethylation. We show that the enhancer-associated loci are found in genes that are highly expressed in human cardiomyocytes and are differentially expressed in the left ventricle of the heart in individuals with cardiomyopathy. INTERPRETATION Our findings highlight the underrecognized contribution of rare tandem repeat expansions to the risk of cardiomyopathy and suggest that rare TREs contribute to ∼4% of cardiomyopathy risk. FUNDING Government of Ontario (RKCY), The Canadian Institutes of Health Research PJT 175329 (RKCY), The Azrieli Foundation (RKCY), SickKids Catalyst Scholar in Genetics (RKCY), The University of Toronto McLaughlin Centre (RKCY, SM), Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research (SM), Data Sciences Institute at the University of Toronto (SM), The Canadian Institutes of Health Research PJT 175034 (SM), The Canadian Institutes of Health Research ENP 161429 under the frame of ERA PerMed (SM, RL), Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario & Robert M Freedom Chair in Cardiovascular Science (SM), Bitove Family Professorship of Adult Congenital Heart Disease (EO), Canada Foundation for Innovation (SWS, JR), Canada Research Chair (PS), Genome Canada (PS, JR), The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (PS).
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra Mitina
- Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mahreen Khan
- Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto; Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Robert Lesurf
- Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Yue Yin
- Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Worrawat Engchuan
- Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Omar Hamdan
- Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Giovanna Pellecchia
- Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Brett Trost
- Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ian Backstrom
- Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Keyi Guo
- Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Linda M Pallotto
- Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Phoenix Hoi Lam Doong
- Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Zhuozhi Wang
- Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Thomas Nalpathamkalam
- Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Bhooma Thiruvahindrapuram
- Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tanya Papaz
- Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto; Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Christopher E Pearson
- Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto; Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jiannis Ragoussis
- McGill Genome Centre, Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Institute of Genomic Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Padmaja Subbarao
- Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Program in Translation Medicine & Division of Respiratory Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Meghan B Azad
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Stuart E Turvey
- Department of Pediatrics, BC Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Piushkumar Mandhane
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Theo J Moraes
- Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Program in Translation Medicine & Division of Respiratory Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Elinor Simons
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Section of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Stephen W Scherer
- Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Molecular Genetics and McLaughlin Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jane Lougheed
- Division of Cardiology, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tapas Mondal
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, McMaster Children's Hospital, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - John Smythe
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Kingston General Hospital, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - Luis Altamirano-Diaz
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, London Health Sciences Centre, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Erwin Oechslin
- Division of Cardiology, Toronto Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program at Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, Department of Medicine, University Health Network, and University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Seema Mital
- Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto; Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Ryan K C Yuen
- Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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Broeckel U, Iqbal MA, Levy B, Sahajpal N, Nagy PL, Scharer G, Rodriguez V, Bossler A, Stence A, Skinner C, Skinner SA, Kolhe R, Stevenson R. Detection of Constitutional Structural Variants by Optical Genome Mapping: A Multisite Study of Postnatal Samples. J Mol Diagn 2024; 26:213-226. [PMID: 38211722 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmoldx.2023.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Optical genome mapping is a high-resolution technology that can detect all types of structural variations in the genome. This second phase of a multisite study compares the performance of optical genome mapping and current standard-of-care methods for diagnostic testing of individuals with constitutional disorders, including neurodevelopmental impairments and congenital anomalies. Among the 627 analyses in phase 2, 405 were of retrospective samples supplied by five diagnostic centers in the United States and 94 were prospective samples collected over 18 months by two diagnostic centers (June 2021 to October 2022). Additional samples represented a family cohort to determine inheritance (n = 119) and controls (n = 9). Full concordance of results between optical genome mapping and one or more standard-of-care diagnostic tests was 98.6% (618/627), with partial concordance in an additional 1.1% (7/627).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrich Broeckel
- Section of Genomic Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - M Anwar Iqbal
- DNA Microarray CGH Laboratory, Department of Pathology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York
| | - Brynn Levy
- Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York
| | | | - Peter L Nagy
- Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York
| | - Gunter Scharer
- Section of Genomic Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | | | | | - Aaron Stence
- University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa
| | | | | | - Ravindra Kolhe
- Department of Pathology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia.
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Trajkovski M, Pastore A, Plavec J. Dimeric structures of DNA ATTTC repeats promoted by divalent cations. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:1591-1601. [PMID: 38296828 PMCID: PMC10899783 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Structural studies of repetitive DNA sequences may provide insights why and how certain repeat instabilities in their number and nucleotide sequence are managed or even required for normal cell physiology, while genomic variability associated with repeat expansions may also be disease-causing. The pentanucleotide ATTTC repeats occur in hundreds of genes important for various cellular processes, while their insertion and expansion in noncoding regions are associated with neurodegeneration, particularly with subtypes of spinocerebellar ataxia and familial adult myoclonic epilepsy. We describe a new striking domain-swapped DNA-DNA interaction triggered by the addition of divalent cations, including Mg2+ and Ca2+. The results of NMR characterization of d(ATTTC)3 in solution show that the oligonucleotide folds into a novel 3D architecture with two central C:C+ base pairs sandwiched between a couple of T:T base pairs. This structural element, referred to here as the TCCTzip, is characterized by intercalative hydrogen-bonding, while the nucleobase moieties are poorly stacked. The 5'- and 3'-ends of TCCTzip motif are connected by stem-loop segments characterized by A:T base pairs and stacking interactions. Insights embodied in the non-canonical DNA structure are expected to advance our understanding of why only certain pyrimidine-rich DNA repeats appear to be pathogenic, while others can occur in the human genome without any harmful consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marko Trajkovski
- Slovenian NMR Centre, National Institute of Chemistry, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Annalisa Pastore
- King's College London, the Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, London, UK
| | - Janez Plavec
- Slovenian NMR Centre, National Institute of Chemistry, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- EN-FIST, Center of Excellence, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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55
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Wan L, He A, Li J, Guo P, Han D. High-Resolution NMR Structures of Intrastrand Hairpins Formed by CTG Trinucleotide Repeats. ACS Chem Neurosci 2024; 15:868-876. [PMID: 38319692 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
The CAG and CTG trinucleotide repeat expansions cause more than 10 human neurodegenerative diseases. Intrastrand hairpins formed by trinucleotide repeats contribute to repeat expansions, establishing them as potential drug targets. High-resolution structural determination of CAG and CTG hairpins poses as a long-standing goal to aid drug development, yet it has not been realized due to the intrinsic conformational flexibility of repetitive sequences. We herein investigate the solution structures of CTG hairpins using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and found that four CTG repeats with a clamping G-C base pair was able to form a stable hairpin structure. We determine the first solution NMR structure of dG(CTG)4C hairpin and decipher a type I folding geometry of the TGCT tetraloop, wherein the two thymine residues form a T·T loop-closing base pair and the first three loop residues continuously stack. We further reveal that the CTG hairpin can be bound and stabilized by a small-molecule ligand, and the binding interferes with replication of a DNA template containing CTG repeats. Our determined high-resolution structures lay an important foundation for studying molecular interactions between native CTG hairpins and ligands, and benefit drug development for trinucleotide repeat expansion diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liqi Wan
- Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM), Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
- Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310022, China
| | - Axin He
- Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM), Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
- Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310022, China
| | - Jinxing Li
- ReviR Therapeutics, Shenzhen Bay Hi-Tech Ecological Park, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518067, China
| | - Pei Guo
- Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310022, China
| | - Da Han
- Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM), Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
- Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310022, China
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Liu Q, Chen J, Xue J, Zhou X, Tian Y, Xiao Q, Huang W, Pan Y, Zhou X, Li J, Zhao Y, Pan H, Wang Y, He R, Xiang Y, Tu T, Xu Q, Sun Q, Tan J, Yan X, Li J, Guo J, Shen L, Duan R, Tang B, Liu Z. GGC expansions in NOTCH2NLC contribute to Parkinson disease and dopaminergic neuron degeneration. Eur J Neurol 2024; 31:e16145. [PMID: 37975799 PMCID: PMC11235938 DOI: 10.1111/ene.16145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2023] [Revised: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The role of GGC repeat expansions within NOTCH2NLC in Parkinson's disease (PD) and the substantia nigra (SN) dopaminergic neuron remains unclear. Here, we profile the NOTCH2NLC GGC repeat expansions in a large cohort of patients with PD. We also investigate the role of GGC repeat expansions within NOTCH2NLC in the dopaminergic neurodegeneration of SN. METHODS A total of 2,522 patients diagnosed with PD and 1,085 health controls were analyzed for the repeat expansions of NOTCH2NLC by repeat-primed PCR and GC-rich PCR assay. Furthermore, the effects of GGC repeat expansions in NOTCH2NLC on dopaminergic neurons were investigated by using recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated overexpression of NOTCH2NLC with 98 GGC repeats in the SN of mice by stereotactic injection. RESULTS Four PD pedigrees (4/333, 1.2%) and three sporadic PD patients (3/2189, 0.14%) were identified with pathogenic GGC repeat expansions (larger than 60 GGC repeats) in the NOTCH2NLC gene, while eight PD patients and one healthy control were identified with intermediate GGC repeat expansions ranging from 41 to 60 repeats. No significant difference was observed in the distribution of intermediate NOTCH2NLC GGC repeat expansions between PD cases and controls (Fisher's exact test p-value = 0.29). Skin biopsy showed P62-positive intranuclear NOTCH2NLC-polyGlycine (polyG) inclusions in the skin nerve fibers of patient. Expanded GGC repeats in NOTCH2NLC produced widespread intranuclear and perinuclear polyG inclusions, which led to a severe loss of dopaminergic neurons in the SN. Consistently, polyG inclusions were presented in the SN of EIIa-NOTCH2NLC-(GGC)98 transgenic mice and also led to dopaminergic neuron loss in the SN. CONCLUSIONS Overall, our findings provide strong evidence that GGC repeat expansions within NOTCH2NLC contribute to the pathogenesis of PD and cause degeneration of nigral dopaminergic neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiong Liu
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
- Key Laboratory of Hunan Province in Neurodegenerative DisordersCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
| | - Juan Chen
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
| | - Jin Xue
- Center for Medical Genetics and Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life SciencesCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
| | - Xun Zhou
- Department of Geriatrics, Xiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
| | - Yun Tian
- Department of Geriatrics, Xiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
| | - Qiao Xiao
- Center for Medical Genetics and Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life SciencesCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
| | - Wen Huang
- Center for Medical Genetics and Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life SciencesCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
| | - Yongcheng Pan
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
- Key Laboratory of Hunan Province in Neurodegenerative DisordersCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
| | - Xiaoxia Zhou
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
| | - Jian Li
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Xiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
| | - Yuwen Zhao
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
| | - Hongxu Pan
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
| | - Yige Wang
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
| | - Runcheng He
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
| | - Yaqin Xiang
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
| | - Tian Tu
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
| | - Qian Xu
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
| | - Qiying Sun
- Department of Geriatrics, Xiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
| | - Jieqiong Tan
- Center for Medical Genetics and Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life SciencesCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
| | - Xinxiang Yan
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
| | - Jinchen Li
- Center for Medical Genetics and Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life SciencesCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
- Department of Geriatrics, Xiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
| | - Jifeng Guo
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
- Key Laboratory of Hunan Province in Neurodegenerative DisordersCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
- Department of Geriatrics, Xiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
| | - Lu Shen
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
- Key Laboratory of Hunan Province in Neurodegenerative DisordersCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
- Department of Geriatrics, Xiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
| | - Ranhui Duan
- Center for Medical Genetics and Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life SciencesCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
| | - Beisha Tang
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
- Key Laboratory of Hunan Province in Neurodegenerative DisordersCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
- Department of Geriatrics, Xiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
| | - Zhenhua Liu
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
- Key Laboratory of Hunan Province in Neurodegenerative DisordersCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
- Department of Geriatrics, Xiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaChina
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Novis LE, Alavi S, Pellerin D, Della Coleta MV, Raskin S, Spitz M, Cortese A, Houlden H, Teive HA. Unraveling the genetic landscape of undiagnosed cerebellar ataxia in Brazilian patients. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2024; 119:105961. [PMID: 38145611 DOI: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2023.105961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Hereditary ataxias (HAs) encompass a diverse and genetically intricate group of rare neurodegenerative disorders, presenting diagnostic challenges. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) has significantly improved diagnostic success. This study aimed to elucidate genetic causes of cerebellar ataxia within a diverse Brazilian cohort. METHODS Biological samples were collected from individuals with sporadic or familial cerebellar ataxia, spanning various ages and phenotypes, excluding common SCAs and Friedreich ataxia. RFC1 biallelic AAGGG repeat expansion was screened in all patients. For AAGGG-negative cases, WES targeting 441 ataxia-related genes was performed, followed by ExpansionHunter analysis for repeat expansions, including the recently described GGC-ZFHX3. Variant classification adhered to ClinGen guidelines, yielding definitive or probable diagnoses. RESULTS The study involved 76 diverse Brazilian families. 16 % received definitive diagnoses, and another 16 % received probable ones. RFC1-related ataxia was predominant, with two definitive cases, followed by KIF1A (one definitive and one probable) and SYNE-1 (two probable). Early-onset cases exhibited higher diagnostic rates. ExpansionHunter improved diagnosis by 4 %.We did not detected GGC-ZFHX3 repeat expansion in this cohort. CONCLUSION This study highlights diagnostic complexities in cerebellar ataxia, even with advanced genetic methods. RFC1, KIF1A, and SYNE1 emerged as prevalent mutations. ZFHX3 repeat expansion seem to be rare in Brazilian population. Early-onset cases showed higher diagnostic success. WES coupled with ExpansionHunter holds promise as a primary diagnostic tool, emphasizing the need for broader NGS accessibility in Brazil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luiz Eduardo Novis
- Pós-graduação em Medicina Interna e Ciências da Saúde, Hospital de Clínicas da Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil; Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK.
| | - Shahryar Alavi
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
| | - David Pellerin
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK; Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Hospital and Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | | | | | - Mariana Spitz
- Departamento de Especialidades Médicas, Serviço de Neurologia, Universidade Estadual do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Andrea Cortese
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK; Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Henry Houlden
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
| | - Helio Afonso Teive
- Pós-graduação em Medicina Interna e Ciências da Saúde, Hospital de Clínicas da Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
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58
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Lu J, Toro C, Adams DR, Moreno CAM, Lee WP, Leung YY, Harms MB, Vardarajan B, Heinzen EL. LUSTR: a new customizable tool for calling genome-wide germline and somatic short tandem repeat variants. BMC Genomics 2024; 25:115. [PMID: 38279154 PMCID: PMC10811831 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09935-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Short tandem repeats (STRs) are widely distributed across the human genome and are associated with numerous neurological disorders. However, the extent that STRs contribute to disease is likely under-estimated because of the challenges calling these variants in short read next generation sequencing data. Several computational tools have been developed for STR variant calling, but none fully address all of the complexities associated with this variant class. RESULTS Here we introduce LUSTR which is designed to address some of the challenges associated with STR variant calling by enabling more flexibility in defining STR loci, allowing for customizable modules to tailor analyses, and expanding the capability to call somatic and multiallelic STR variants. LUSTR is a user-friendly and easily customizable tool for targeted or unbiased genome-wide STR variant screening that can use either predefined or novel genome builds. Using both simulated and real data sets, we demonstrated that LUSTR accurately infers germline and somatic STR expansions in individuals with and without diseases. CONCLUSIONS LUSTR offers a powerful and user-friendly approach that allows for the identification of STR variants and can facilitate more comprehensive studies evaluating the role of pathogenic STR variants across human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinfeng Lu
- Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
- The Taub Institute for Research On Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Department of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, The New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
| | - Camilo Toro
- NIH Undiagnosed Diseases Program, National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - David R Adams
- NIH Undiagnosed Diseases Program, National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | | | - Wan-Ping Lee
- Penn Neurodegeneration Genomics Center, Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicinePerelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Yuk Yee Leung
- Penn Neurodegeneration Genomics Center, Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicinePerelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Mathew B Harms
- Department of Neurology, Division of Neuromuscular Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Badri Vardarajan
- The Taub Institute for Research On Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Department of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, The New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Erin L Heinzen
- Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
- Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
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59
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Hong EP, Ramos EM, Aziz NA, Massey TH, McAllister B, Lobanov S, Jones L, Holmans P, Kwak S, Orth M, Ciosi M, Lomeikaite V, Monckton DG, Long JD, Lucente D, Wheeler VC, Gillis T, MacDonald ME, Sequeiros J, Gusella JF, Lee JM. Modification of Huntington's disease by short tandem repeats. Brain Commun 2024; 6:fcae016. [PMID: 38449714 PMCID: PMC10917446 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcae016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Expansions of glutamine-coding CAG trinucleotide repeats cause a number of neurodegenerative diseases, including Huntington's disease and several of spinocerebellar ataxias. In general, age-at-onset of the polyglutamine diseases is inversely correlated with the size of the respective inherited expanded CAG repeat. Expanded CAG repeats are also somatically unstable in certain tissues, and age-at-onset of Huntington's disease corrected for individual HTT CAG repeat length (i.e. residual age-at-onset), is modified by repeat instability-related DNA maintenance/repair genes as demonstrated by recent genome-wide association studies. Modification of one polyglutamine disease (e.g. Huntington's disease) by the repeat length of another (e.g. ATXN3, CAG expansions in which cause spinocerebellar ataxia 3) has also been hypothesized. Consequently, we determined whether age-at-onset in Huntington's disease is modified by the CAG repeats of other polyglutamine disease genes. We found that the CAG measured repeat sizes of other polyglutamine disease genes that were polymorphic in Huntington's disease participants but did not influence Huntington's disease age-at-onset. Additional analysis focusing specifically on ATXN3 in a larger sample set (n = 1388) confirmed the lack of association between Huntington's disease residual age-at-onset and ATXN3 CAG repeat length. Additionally, neither our Huntington's disease onset modifier genome-wide association studies single nucleotide polymorphism data nor imputed short tandem repeat data supported the involvement of other polyglutamine disease genes in modifying Huntington's disease. By contrast, our genome-wide association studies based on imputed short tandem repeats revealed significant modification signals for other genomic regions. Together, our short tandem repeat genome-wide association studies show that modification of Huntington's disease is associated with short tandem repeats that do not involve other polyglutamine disease-causing genes, refining the landscape of Huntington's disease modification and highlighting the importance of rigorous data analysis, especially in genetic studies testing candidate modifiers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eun Pyo Hong
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Medical and Population Genetics Program, The Broad Institute of M.I.T. and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Eliana Marisa Ramos
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - N Ahmad Aziz
- Population & Clinical Neuroepidemiology, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, 53127 Bonn, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bonn, Bonn D-53113, Germany
| | - Thomas H Massey
- Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Branduff McAllister
- Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Sergey Lobanov
- Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Lesley Jones
- Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Peter Holmans
- Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Seung Kwak
- Molecular System Biology, CHDI Foundation, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
| | - Michael Orth
- University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Bern University, CH-3000 Bern 60, Switzerland
| | - Marc Ciosi
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Vilija Lomeikaite
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Darren G Monckton
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Jeffrey D Long
- Department of Psychiatry, Carver College of Medicine and Department of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Diane Lucente
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Vanessa C Wheeler
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Tammy Gillis
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Marcy E MacDonald
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Medical and Population Genetics Program, The Broad Institute of M.I.T. and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Jorge Sequeiros
- UnIGENe, IBMC—Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology, i3S—Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto 420-135, Portugal
- ICBAS School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto, Porto 420-135, Portugal
| | - James F Gusella
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Medical and Population Genetics Program, The Broad Institute of M.I.T. and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jong-Min Lee
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Medical and Population Genetics Program, The Broad Institute of M.I.T. and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
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60
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Manigbas CA, Jadhav B, Garg P, Shadrina M, Lee W, Martin-Trujillo A, Sharp AJ. A phenome-wide association study of tandem repeat variation in 168,554 individuals from the UK Biobank. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2024:2024.01.22.24301630. [PMID: 38343850 PMCID: PMC10854328 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.22.24301630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
Most genetic association studies focus on binary variants. To identify the effects of multi-allelic variation of tandem repeats (TRs) on human traits, we performed direct TR genotyping and phenome-wide association studies in 168,554 individuals from the UK Biobank, identifying 47 TRs showing causal associations with 73 traits. We replicated 23 of 31 (74%) of these causal associations in the All of Us cohort. While this set included several known repeat expansion disorders, novel associations we found were attributable to common polymorphic variation in TR length rather than rare expansions and include e.g. a coding polyhistidine motif in HRCT1 influencing risk of hypertension and a poly(CGC) in the 5'UTR of GNB2 influencing heart rate. Causal TRs were strongly enriched for associations with local gene expression and DNA methylation. Our study highlights the contribution of multi-allelic TRs to the "missing heritability" of the human genome.
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61
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Behera S, Catreux S, Rossi M, Truong S, Huang Z, Ruehle M, Visvanath A, Parnaby G, Roddey C, Onuchic V, Cameron DL, English A, Mehtalia S, Han J, Mehio R, Sedlazeck FJ. Comprehensive and accurate genome analysis at scale using DRAGEN accelerated algorithms. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.02.573821. [PMID: 38260545 PMCID: PMC10802302 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.02.573821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Research and medical genomics require comprehensive and scalable solutions to drive the discovery of novel disease targets, evolutionary drivers, and genetic markers with clinical significance. This necessitates a framework to identify all types of variants independent of their size (e.g., SNV/SV) or location (e.g., repeats). Here we present DRAGEN that utilizes novel methods based on multigenomes, hardware acceleration, and machine learning based variant detection to provide novel insights into individual genomes with ~30min computation time (from raw reads to variant detection). DRAGEN outperforms all other state-of-the-art methods in speed and accuracy across all variant types (SNV, indel, STR, SV, CNV) and further incorporates specialized methods to obtain key insights in medically relevant genes (e.g., HLA, SMN, GBA). We showcase DRAGEN across 3,202 genomes and demonstrate its scalability, accuracy, and innovations to further advance the integration of comprehensive genomics for research and medical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sairam Behera
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Adam English
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | | | | | - Fritz J Sedlazeck
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, TX, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Rice University, TX, USA
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62
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Wallenius J, Kafantari E, Jhaveri E, Gorcenco S, Ameur A, Karremo C, Dobloug S, Karrman K, de Koning T, Ilinca A, Landqvist Waldö M, Arvidsson A, Persson S, Englund E, Ehrencrona H, Puschmann A. Exonic trinucleotide repeat expansions in ZFHX3 cause spinocerebellar ataxia type 4: A poly-glycine disease. Am J Hum Genet 2024; 111:82-95. [PMID: 38035881 PMCID: PMC10806739 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2023.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Autosomal-dominant ataxia with sensory and autonomic neuropathy is a highly specific combined phenotype that we described in two Swedish kindreds in 2014; its genetic cause had remained unknown. Here, we report the discovery of exonic GGC trinucleotide repeat expansions, encoding poly-glycine, in zinc finger homeobox 3 (ZFHX3) in these families. The expansions were identified in whole-genome datasets within genomic segments that all affected family members shared. Non-expanded alleles carried one or more interruptions within the repeat. We also found ZFHX3 repeat expansions in three additional families, all from the region of Skåne in southern Sweden. Individuals with expanded repeats developed balance and gait disturbances at 15 to 60 years of age and had sensory neuropathy and slow saccades. Anticipation was observed in all families and correlated with different repeat lengths determined through long-read sequencing in two family members. The most severely affected individuals had marked autonomic dysfunction, with severe orthostatism as the most disabling clinical feature. Neuropathology revealed p62-positive intracytoplasmic and intranuclear inclusions in neurons of the central and enteric nervous system, as well as alpha-synuclein positivity. ZFHX3 is located within the 16q22 locus, to which spinocerebellar ataxia type 4 (SCA4) repeatedly had been mapped; the clinical phenotype in our families corresponded well with the unique phenotype described in SCA4, and the original SCA4 kindred originated from Sweden. ZFHX3 has known functions in neuronal development and differentiation n both the central and peripheral nervous system. Our findings demonstrate that SCA4 is caused by repeat expansions in ZFHX3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel Wallenius
- Neurology, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Skåne University Hospital, 222 42 Lund, Sweden
| | - Efthymia Kafantari
- Neurology, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Skåne University Hospital, 222 42 Lund, Sweden
| | - Emma Jhaveri
- Neurology, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Skåne University Hospital, 222 42 Lund, Sweden
| | - Sorina Gorcenco
- Neurology, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Skåne University Hospital, 222 42 Lund, Sweden
| | - Adam Ameur
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, 751 23 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Christin Karremo
- Neurology, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Skåne University Hospital, 222 42 Lund, Sweden
| | - Sigurd Dobloug
- Neurology, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Skåne University Hospital, 222 42 Lund, Sweden; Department of Neurology, Helsingborg General Hospital, 252 23 Helsingborg, Sweden
| | - Kristina Karrman
- Division of Clinical Genetics, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, 222 42 Lund, Sweden; Department of Clinical Genetics, Pathology and Molecular Diagnostics, Office for Medical Services, Region Skåne, 221 85 Lund, Sweden
| | - Tom de Koning
- Pediatrics, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, 221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Andreea Ilinca
- Neurology, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Skåne University Hospital, 222 42 Lund, Sweden
| | - Maria Landqvist Waldö
- Division of Clinical Sciences Helsingborg, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, 221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Andreas Arvidsson
- Neurology, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Skåne University Hospital, 222 42 Lund, Sweden
| | - Staffan Persson
- Neurology, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Skåne University Hospital, 222 42 Lund, Sweden
| | - Elisabet Englund
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Pathology and Molecular Diagnostics, Office for Medical Services, Region Skåne, 221 85 Lund, Sweden; Pathology, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Skåne University Hospital, 222 42 Lund, Sweden
| | - Hans Ehrencrona
- Division of Clinical Genetics, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, 222 42 Lund, Sweden; Department of Clinical Genetics, Pathology and Molecular Diagnostics, Office for Medical Services, Region Skåne, 221 85 Lund, Sweden
| | - Andreas Puschmann
- Neurology, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Skåne University Hospital, 222 42 Lund, Sweden; SciLifeLab National Research Infrastructure, Lund University, 221 84 Lund, Sweden.
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63
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TRGT-ing the dark genome to accurately characterize tandem repeats at scale. Nat Biotechnol 2024:10.1038/s41587-023-02073-3. [PMID: 38168998 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-023-02073-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
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64
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Dolzhenko E, English A, Dashnow H, De Sena Brandine G, Mokveld T, Rowell WJ, Karniski C, Kronenberg Z, Danzi MC, Cheung WA, Bi C, Farrow E, Wenger A, Chua KP, Martínez-Cerdeño V, Bartley TD, Jin P, Nelson DL, Zuchner S, Pastinen T, Quinlan AR, Sedlazeck FJ, Eberle MA. Characterization and visualization of tandem repeats at genome scale. Nat Biotechnol 2024:10.1038/s41587-023-02057-3. [PMID: 38168995 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-023-02057-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Tandem repeat (TR) variation is associated with gene expression changes and numerous rare monogenic diseases. Although long-read sequencing provides accurate full-length sequences and methylation of TRs, there is still a need for computational methods to profile TRs across the genome. Here we introduce the Tandem Repeat Genotyping Tool (TRGT) and an accompanying TR database. TRGT determines the consensus sequences and methylation levels of specified TRs from PacBio HiFi sequencing data. It also reports reads that support each repeat allele. These reads can be subsequently visualized with a companion TR visualization tool. Assessing 937,122 TRs, TRGT showed a Mendelian concordance of 98.38%, allowing a single repeat unit difference. In six samples with known repeat expansions, TRGT detected all expansions while also identifying methylation signals and mosaicism and providing finer repeat length resolution than existing methods. Additionally, we released a database with allele sequences and methylation levels for 937,122 TRs across 100 genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Adam English
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Harriet Dashnow
- Departments of Human Genetics and Biomedical Informatics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | | | - Tom Mokveld
- Pacific Biosciences of California, Menlo Park, CA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Matt C Danzi
- Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics and John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Warren A Cheung
- Genomic Medicine Center, Children's Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Chengpeng Bi
- Genomic Medicine Center, Children's Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Emily Farrow
- Genomic Medicine Center, Children's Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Aaron Wenger
- Pacific Biosciences of California, Menlo Park, CA, USA
| | - Khi Pin Chua
- Pacific Biosciences of California, Menlo Park, CA, USA
| | - Verónica Martínez-Cerdeño
- Institute for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Shriner's Hospital for Children and UC Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA
- Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, UC Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA
- MIND Institute, UC Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - Trevor D Bartley
- Institute for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Shriner's Hospital for Children and UC Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA
- Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, UC Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - Peng Jin
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - David L Nelson
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Stephan Zuchner
- Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics and John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Tomi Pastinen
- Genomic Medicine Center, Children's Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Aaron R Quinlan
- Departments of Human Genetics and Biomedical Informatics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Fritz J Sedlazeck
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
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65
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Yeetong P, Dembélé ME, Pongpanich M, Cissé L, Srichomthong C, Maiga AB, Dembélé K, Assawapitaksakul A, Bamba S, Yalcouyé A, Diarra S, Mefoung SE, Rakwongkhachon S, Traoré O, Tongkobpetch S, Fischbeck KH, Gahl WA, Guinto CO, Shotelersuk V, Landouré G. Pentanucleotide Repeat Insertions in RAI1 Cause Benign Adult Familial Myoclonic Epilepsy Type 8. Mov Disord 2024; 39:164-172. [PMID: 37994247 PMCID: PMC10872918 DOI: 10.1002/mds.29654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Benign adult familial myoclonic epilepsy (BAFME) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by cortical tremors and seizures. Six types of BAFME, all caused by pentanucleotide repeat expansions in different genes, have been reported. However, several other BAFME cases remain with no molecular diagnosis. OBJECTIVES We aim to characterize clinical features and identify the mutation causing BAFME in a large Malian family with 10 affected members. METHODS Long-read whole genome sequencing, repeat-primed polymerase chain reaction and RNA studies were performed. RESULTS We identified TTTTA repeat expansions and TTTCA repeat insertions in intron 4 of the RAI1 gene that co-segregated with disease status in this family. TTTCA repeats were absent in 200 Malian controls. In the affected individuals, we found a read with only nine TTTCA repeat units and somatic instability. The RAI1 repeat expansions cause the only BAFME type in which the disease-causing repeats are in a gene associated with a monogenic disorder in the haploinsufficiency state (ie, Smith-Magenis syndrome [SMS]). Nevertheless, none of the Malian patients exhibited symptoms related to SMS. Moreover, leukocyte RNA levels of RAI1 in six Malian BAFME patients were no different from controls. CONCLUSIONS These findings establish a new type of BAFME, BAFME8, in an African family and suggest that haploinsufficiency is unlikely to be the main pathomechanism of BAFME. © 2023 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. This article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patra Yeetong
- Division of Human Genetics, Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | | | - Monnat Pongpanich
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
- Omics Sciences and Bioinformatics Center, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Lassana Cissé
- Service de Neurologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire du Point G, Bamako, Mali
| | - Chalurmpon Srichomthong
- Center of Excellence for Medical Genomics, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
- Excellence Center for Genomics and Precision Medicine, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, the Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | | | | | - Adjima Assawapitaksakul
- Center of Excellence for Medical Genomics, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
- Excellence Center for Genomics and Precision Medicine, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, the Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Salia Bamba
- Faculté de Médecine et d’Odontostomatologie, USTTB, Bamako, Mali
| | | | - Salimata Diarra
- Faculté de Médecine et d’Odontostomatologie, USTTB, Bamako, Mali
- Yale University, Pediatric Genomics Discovery Program, Department of Pediatrics, New Haven, CT, United States
- Neurogenetics Branch, NINDS, NIH, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | | | - Supphakorn Rakwongkhachon
- Center of Excellence for Medical Genomics, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
- Excellence Center for Genomics and Precision Medicine, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, the Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Oumou Traoré
- Faculté de Médecine et d’Odontostomatologie, USTTB, Bamako, Mali
| | - Siraprapa Tongkobpetch
- Center of Excellence for Medical Genomics, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
- Excellence Center for Genomics and Precision Medicine, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, the Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | | | - William A Gahl
- Medical Genetics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Cheick O Guinto
- Faculté de Médecine et d’Odontostomatologie, USTTB, Bamako, Mali
- Service de Neurologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire du Point G, Bamako, Mali
| | - Vorasuk Shotelersuk
- Center of Excellence for Medical Genomics, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
- Excellence Center for Genomics and Precision Medicine, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, the Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Guida Landouré
- Faculté de Médecine et d’Odontostomatologie, USTTB, Bamako, Mali
- Service de Neurologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire du Point G, Bamako, Mali
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Pellerin D, Danzi MC, Renaud M, Houlden H, Synofzik M, Zuchner S, Brais B. Spinocerebellar ataxia 27B: A novel, frequent and potentially treatable ataxia. Clin Transl Med 2024; 14:e1504. [PMID: 38279833 PMCID: PMC10819088 DOI: 10.1002/ctm2.1504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Hereditary ataxias, especially when presenting sporadically in adulthood, present a particular diagnostic challenge owing to their great clinical and genetic heterogeneity. Currently, up to 75% of such patients remain without a genetic diagnosis. In an era of emerging disease-modifying gene-stratified therapies, the identification of causative alleles has become increasingly important. Over the past few years, the implementation of advanced bioinformatics tools and long-read sequencing has allowed the identification of a number of novel repeat expansion disorders, such as the recently described spinocerebellar ataxia 27B (SCA27B) caused by a (GAA)•(TTC) repeat expansion in intron 1 of the fibroblast growth factor 14 (FGF14) gene. SCA27B is rapidly gaining recognition as one of the most common forms of adult-onset hereditary ataxia, with several studies showing that it accounts for a substantial number (9-61%) of previously undiagnosed cases from different cohorts. First natural history studies and multiple reports have already outlined the progression and core phenotype of this novel disease, which consists of a late-onset slowly progressive pan-cerebellar syndrome that is frequently associated with cerebellar oculomotor signs, such as downbeat nystagmus, and episodic symptoms. Furthermore, preliminary studies in patients with SCA27B have shown promising symptomatic benefits of 4-aminopyridine, an already marketed drug. This review describes the current knowledge of the genetic and molecular basis, epidemiology, clinical features and prospective treatment strategies in SCA27B.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Pellerin
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Hospital and InstituteMcGill UniversityMontrealQuebecCanada
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology and The National Hospital for Neurology and NeurosurgeryUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Matt C. Danzi
- Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics and John P. Hussman Institute for Human GenomicsUniversity of Miami Miller School of MedicineMiamiFloridaUSA
| | - Mathilde Renaud
- INSERM‐U1256 NGEREUniversité de LorraineNancyFrance
- Service de Neurologie, CHRU de NancyNancyFrance
- Service de Génétique Clinique, CHRU de NancyNancyFrance
| | - Henry Houlden
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology and The National Hospital for Neurology and NeurosurgeryUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Matthis Synofzik
- Division of Translational Genomics of Neurodegenerative DiseasesHertie‐Institute for Clinical Brain Research and Center of Neurology, University of TübingenTübingenGermany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)TübingenGermany
| | - Stephan Zuchner
- Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics and John P. Hussman Institute for Human GenomicsUniversity of Miami Miller School of MedicineMiamiFloridaUSA
| | - Bernard Brais
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Hospital and InstituteMcGill UniversityMontrealQuebecCanada
- Department of Human GeneticsMcGill UniversityMontrealQuebecCanada
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Birnbaum R. Rediscovering tandem repeat variation in schizophrenia: challenges and opportunities. Transl Psychiatry 2023; 13:402. [PMID: 38123544 PMCID: PMC10733427 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02689-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Tandem repeats (TRs) are prevalent throughout the genome, constituting at least 3% of the genome, and often highly polymorphic. The high mutation rate of TRs, which can be orders of magnitude higher than single-nucleotide polymorphisms and indels, indicates that they are likely to make significant contributions to phenotypic variation, yet their contribution to schizophrenia has been largely ignored by recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Tandem repeat expansions are already known causative factors for over 50 disorders, while common tandem repeat variation is increasingly being identified as significantly associated with complex disease and gene regulation. The current review summarizes key background concepts of tandem repeat variation as pertains to disease risk, elucidating their potential for schizophrenia association. An overview of next-generation sequencing-based methods that may be applied for TR genome-wide identification is provided, and some key methodological challenges in TR analyses are delineated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Birnbaum
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Genetics and Genomics Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
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Rafehi H, Bennett MF, Bahlo M. Detection and discovery of repeat expansions in ataxia enabled by next-generation sequencing: present and future. Emerg Top Life Sci 2023; 7:349-359. [PMID: 37733280 PMCID: PMC10754322 DOI: 10.1042/etls20230018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
Hereditary cerebellar ataxias are a heterogenous group of progressive neurological disorders that are disproportionately caused by repeat expansions (REs) of short tandem repeats (STRs). Genetic diagnosis for RE disorders such as ataxias are difficult as the current gold standard for diagnosis is repeat-primed PCR assays or Southern blots, neither of which are scalable nor readily available for all STR loci. In the last five years, significant advances have been made in our ability to detect STRs and REs in short-read sequencing data, especially whole-genome sequencing. Given the increasing reliance of genomics in diagnosis of rare diseases, the use of established RE detection pipelines for RE disorders is now a highly feasible and practical first-step alternative to molecular testing methods. In addition, many new pathogenic REs have been discovered in recent years by utilising WGS data. Collectively, genomes are an important resource/platform for further advancements in both the discovery and diagnosis of REs that cause ataxia and will lead to much needed improvement in diagnostic rates for patients with hereditary ataxia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haloom Rafehi
- Population Health and Immunity Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Mark F Bennett
- Population Health and Immunity Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Epilepsy Research Centre, Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Austin Health, Heidelberg, VIC, Australia
| | - Melanie Bahlo
- Population Health and Immunity Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
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69
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Panoyan MA, Wendt FR. The role of tandem repeat expansions in brain disorders. Emerg Top Life Sci 2023; 7:249-263. [PMID: 37401564 DOI: 10.1042/etls20230022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
The human genome contains numerous genetic polymorphisms contributing to different health and disease outcomes. Tandem repeat (TR) loci are highly polymorphic yet under-investigated in large genomic studies, which has prompted research efforts to identify novel variations and gain a deeper understanding of their role in human biology and disease outcomes. We summarize the current understanding of TRs and their implications for human health and disease, including an overview of the challenges encountered when conducting TR analyses and potential solutions to overcome these challenges. By shedding light on these issues, this article aims to contribute to a better understanding of the impact of TRs on the development of new disease treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Anne Panoyan
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Mississauga, ON, Canada
| | - Frank R Wendt
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Mississauga, ON, Canada
- Biostatistics Division, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Forensic Science Program, University of Toronto, Mississauga, ON, Canada
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Read JL, Davies KC, Thompson GC, Delatycki MB, Lockhart PJ. Challenges facing repeat expansion identification, characterisation, and the pathway to discovery. Emerg Top Life Sci 2023; 7:339-348. [PMID: 37888797 PMCID: PMC10754332 DOI: 10.1042/etls20230019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Tandem repeat DNA sequences constitute a significant proportion of the human genome. While previously considered to be functionally inert, these sequences are now broadly accepted as important contributors to genetic diversity. However, the polymorphic nature of these sequences can lead to expansion beyond a gene-specific threshold, causing disease. More than 50 pathogenic repeat expansions have been identified to date, many of which have been discovered in the last decade as a result of advances in sequencing technologies and associated bioinformatic tools. Commonly utilised diagnostic platforms including Sanger sequencing, capillary array electrophoresis, and Southern blot are generally low throughput and are often unable to accurately determine repeat size, composition, and epigenetic signature, which are important when characterising repeat expansions. The rapid advances in bioinformatic tools designed specifically to interrogate short-read sequencing and the development of long-read single molecule sequencing is enabling a new generation of high throughput testing for repeat expansion disorders. In this review, we discuss some of the challenges surrounding the identification and characterisation of disease-causing repeat expansions and the technological advances that are poised to translate the promise of genomic medicine to individuals and families affected by these disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin L Read
- Bruce Lefroy Centre, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kayli C Davies
- Bruce Lefroy Centre, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Genevieve C Thompson
- Bruce Lefroy Centre, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Martin B Delatycki
- Bruce Lefroy Centre, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Victorian Clinical Genetics Services, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Paul J Lockhart
- Bruce Lefroy Centre, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
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Hannan AJ. Expanding horizons of tandem repeats in biology and medicine: Why 'genomic dark matter' matters. Emerg Top Life Sci 2023; 7:ETLS20230075. [PMID: 38088823 PMCID: PMC10754335 DOI: 10.1042/etls20230075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
Approximately half of the human genome includes repetitive sequences, and these DNA sequences (as well as their transcribed repetitive RNA and translated amino-acid repeat sequences) are known as the repeatome. Within this repeatome there are a couple of million tandem repeats, dispersed throughout the genome. These tandem repeats have been estimated to constitute ∼8% of the entire human genome. These tandem repeats can be located throughout exons, introns and intergenic regions, thus potentially affecting the structure and function of tandemly repetitive DNA, RNA and protein sequences. Over more than three decades, more than 60 monogenic human disorders have been found to be caused by tandem-repeat mutations. These monogenic tandem-repeat disorders include Huntington's disease, a variety of ataxias, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia, as well as many other neurodegenerative diseases. Furthermore, tandem-repeat disorders can include fragile X syndrome, related fragile X disorders, as well as other neurological and psychiatric disorders. However, these monogenic tandem-repeat disorders, which were discovered via their dominant or recessive modes of inheritance, may represent the 'tip of the iceberg' with respect to tandem-repeat contributions to human disorders. A previous proposal that tandem repeats may contribute to the 'missing heritability' of various common polygenic human disorders has recently been supported by a variety of new evidence. This includes genome-wide studies that associate tandem-repeat mutations with autism, schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease and various types of cancers. In this article, I will discuss how tandem-repeat mutations and polymorphisms could contribute to a wide range of common disorders, along with some of the many major challenges of tandem-repeat biology and medicine. Finally, I will discuss the potential of tandem repeats to be therapeutically targeted, so as to prevent and treat an expanding range of human disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony J Hannan
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
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72
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Jadhav B, Garg P, van Vugt JJFA, Ibanez K, Gagliardi D, Lee W, Shadrina M, Mokveld T, Dolzhenko E, Martin-Trujillo A, Gies SL, Rocca C, Barbosa M, Jain M, Lahiri N, Lachlan K, Houlden H, Paten B, Veldink J, Tucci A, Sharp AJ. A phenome-wide association study of methylated GC-rich repeats identifies a GCC repeat expansion in AFF3 as a significant cause of intellectual disability. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.05.03.23289461. [PMID: 37205357 PMCID: PMC10187445 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.03.23289461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
GC-rich tandem repeat expansions (TREs) are often associated with DNA methylation, gene silencing and folate-sensitive fragile sites and underlie several congenital and late-onset disorders. Through a combination of DNA methylation profiling and tandem repeat genotyping, we identified 24 methylated TREs and investigated their effects on human traits using PheWAS in 168,641 individuals from the UK Biobank, identifying 156 significant TRE:trait associations involving 17 different TREs. Of these, a GCC expansion in the promoter of AFF3 was linked with a 2.4-fold reduced probability of completing secondary education, an effect size comparable to several recurrent pathogenic microdeletions. In a cohort of 6,371 probands with neurodevelopmental problems of suspected genetic etiology, we observed a significant enrichment of AFF3 expansions compared to controls. With a population prevalence that is at least 5-fold higher than the TRE that causes fragile X syndrome, AFF3 expansions represent a significant cause of neurodevelopmental delay.
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73
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Felício D, du Mérac TR, Amorim A, Martins S. Functional implications of paralog genes in polyglutamine spinocerebellar ataxias. Hum Genet 2023; 142:1651-1676. [PMID: 37845370 PMCID: PMC10676324 DOI: 10.1007/s00439-023-02607-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
Polyglutamine (polyQ) spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) comprise a group of autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorders caused by (CAG/CAA)n expansions. The elongated stretches of adjacent glutamines alter the conformation of the native proteins inducing neurotoxicity, and subsequent motor and neurological symptoms. Although the etiology and neuropathology of most polyQ SCAs have been extensively studied, only a limited selection of therapies is available. Previous studies on SCA1 demonstrated that ATXN1L, a human duplicated gene of the disease-associated ATXN1, alleviated neuropathology in mice models. Other SCA-associated genes have paralogs (i.e., copies at different chromosomal locations derived from duplication of the parental gene), but their functional relevance and potential role in disease pathogenesis remain unexplored. Here, we review the protein homology, expression pattern, and molecular functions of paralogs in seven polyQ dominant ataxias-SCA1, SCA2, MJD/SCA3, SCA6, SCA7, SCA17, and DRPLA. Besides ATXN1L, we highlight ATXN2L, ATXN3L, CACNA1B, ATXN7L1, ATXN7L2, TBPL2, and RERE as promising functional candidates to play a role in the neuropathology of the respective SCA, along with the parental gene. Although most of these duplicates lack the (CAG/CAA)n region, if functionally redundant, they may compensate for a partial loss-of-function or dysfunction of the wild-type genes in SCAs. We aim to draw attention to the hypothesis that paralogs of disease-associated genes may underlie the complex neuropathology of dominant ataxias and potentiate new therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Felício
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), 4200-135, Porto, Portugal
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), 4200-135, Porto, Portugal
- Instituto Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS), Universidade do Porto, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal
| | - Tanguy Rubat du Mérac
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), 4200-135, Porto, Portugal
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), 4200-135, Porto, Portugal
- Faculty of Science, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - António Amorim
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), 4200-135, Porto, Portugal
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), 4200-135, Porto, Portugal
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sandra Martins
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), 4200-135, Porto, Portugal.
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), 4200-135, Porto, Portugal.
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Guo MH, Lee WP, Vardarajan B, Schellenberg GD, Phillips-Cremins J. Polygenic burden of short tandem repeat expansions promote risk for Alzheimer's disease. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.11.16.23298623. [PMID: 38014121 PMCID: PMC10680900 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.16.23298623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Studies of the genetics of Alzheimer's disease (AD) have largely focused on single nucleotide variants and short insertions/deletions. However, most of the disease heritability has yet to be uncovered, suggesting that there is substantial genetic risk conferred by other forms of genetic variation. There are over one million short tandem repeats (STRs) in the genome, and their link to AD risk has not been assessed. As pathogenic expansions of STR cause over 30 neurologic diseases, it is important to ascertain whether STRs may also be implicated in AD risk. Here, we genotyped 321,742 polymorphic STR tracts genome-wide using PCR-free whole genome sequencing data from 2,981 individuals (1,489 AD case and 1,492 control individuals). We implemented an approach to identify STR expansions as STRs with tract lengths that are outliers from the population. We then tested for differences in aggregate burden of expansions in case versus control individuals. AD patients had a 1.19-fold increase of STR expansions compared to healthy elderly controls (p=8.27×10-3, two-sided Mann Whitney test). Individuals carrying > 30 STR expansions had 3.62-fold higher odds of having AD and had more severe AD neuropathology. AD STR expansions were highly enriched within active promoters in post-mortem hippocampal brain tissues and particularly within SINE-VNTR-Alu (SVA) retrotransposons. Together, these results demonstrate that expanded STRs within active promoter regions of the genome promote risk of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael H Guo
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Wan-Ping Lee
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Badri Vardarajan
- Department of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY
| | - Gerard D Schellenberg
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Jennifer Phillips-Cremins
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Ikenoshita S, Matsuo K, Yabuki Y, Kawakubo K, Asamitsu S, Hori K, Usuki S, Hirose Y, Bando T, Araki K, Ueda M, Sugiyama H, Shioda N. A cyclic pyrrole-imidazole polyamide reduces pathogenic RNA in CAG/CTG triplet repeat neurological disease models. J Clin Invest 2023; 133:e164792. [PMID: 37707954 PMCID: PMC10645379 DOI: 10.1172/jci164792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Expansion of CAG and CTG (CWG) triplet repeats causes several inherited neurological diseases. The CWG repeat diseases are thought to involve complex pathogenic mechanisms through expanded CWG repeat-derived RNAs in a noncoding region and polypeptides in a coding region, respectively. However, an effective therapeutic approach has not been established for the CWG repeat diseases. Here, we show that a CWG repeat DNA-targeting compound, cyclic pyrrole-imidazole polyamide (CWG-cPIP), suppressed the pathogenesis of coding and noncoding CWG repeat diseases. CWG-cPIP bound to the hairpin form of mismatched CWG DNA, interfering with transcription elongation by RNA polymerase through a preferential activity toward repeat-expanded DNA. We found that CWG-cPIP selectively inhibited pathogenic mRNA transcripts from expanded CWG repeats, reducing CUG RNA foci and polyglutamine accumulation in cells from patients with myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) and Huntington's disease (HD). Treatment with CWG-cPIP ameliorated behavioral deficits in adeno-associated virus-mediated CWG repeat-expressing mice and in a genetic mouse model of HD, without cytotoxicity or off-target effects. Together, we present a candidate compound that targets expanded CWG repeat DNA independently of its genomic location and reduces both pathogenic RNA and protein levels. CWG-cPIP may be used for the treatment of CWG repeat diseases and improvement of clinical outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susumu Ikenoshita
- Department of Genomic Neurology, Institute of Molecular Embryology and Genetics (IMEG)
- Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences
| | - Kazuya Matsuo
- Department of Genomic Neurology, Institute of Molecular Embryology and Genetics (IMEG)
| | - Yasushi Yabuki
- Department of Genomic Neurology, Institute of Molecular Embryology and Genetics (IMEG)
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and
| | - Kosuke Kawakubo
- Department of Genomic Neurology, Institute of Molecular Embryology and Genetics (IMEG)
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and
| | - Sefan Asamitsu
- Department of Genomic Neurology, Institute of Molecular Embryology and Genetics (IMEG)
| | - Karin Hori
- Department of Genomic Neurology, Institute of Molecular Embryology and Genetics (IMEG)
| | - Shingo Usuki
- Liaison Laboratory Research Promotion Center, IMEG, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Yuki Hirose
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Toshikazu Bando
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Kimi Araki
- Institute of Resource Development and Analysis and
- Center for Metabolic Regulation of Healthy Aging, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Mitsuharu Ueda
- Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences
| | - Hiroshi Sugiyama
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Science (iCeMS), Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Norifumi Shioda
- Department of Genomic Neurology, Institute of Molecular Embryology and Genetics (IMEG)
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and
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Yang S, Wijegunawardana D, Sheth U, Veire AM, Salgado JMS, Agrawal M, Zhou J, Pereira JD, Gendron TF, Guo JU. Aberrant splicing exonizes C9ORF72 repeat expansion in ALS/FTD. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.13.566896. [PMID: 38014069 PMCID: PMC10680656 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.13.566896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
A nucleotide repeat expansion (NRE) in the first annotated intron of the C9ORF72 gene is the most common genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). While C9 NRE-containing RNAs can be translated into several toxic dipeptide repeat proteins, how an intronic NRE can assess the translation machinery in the cytoplasm remains unclear. By capturing and sequencing NRE-containing RNAs from patient-derived cells, we found that C9 NRE was exonized by the usage of downstream 5' splice sites and exported from the nucleus in a variety of spliced mRNA isoforms. C9ORF72 aberrant splicing was substantially elevated in both C9 NRE + motor neurons and human brain tissues. Furthermore, NREs above the pathological threshold were sufficient to activate cryptic splice sites in reporter mRNAs. In summary, our results revealed a crucial and potentially widespread role of repeat-induced aberrant splicing in the biogenesis, localization, and translation of NRE-containing RNAs.
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English A, Dolzhenko E, Jam HZ, Mckenzie S, Olson ND, De Coster W, Park J, Gu B, Wagner J, Eberle MA, Gymrek M, Chaisson MJP, Zook JM, Sedlazeck FJ. Benchmarking of small and large variants across tandem repeats. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.29.564632. [PMID: 37961319 PMCID: PMC10634962 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.29.564632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Tandem repeats (TRs) are highly polymorphic in the human genome, have thousands of associated molecular traits, and are linked to over 60 disease phenotypes. However, their complexity often excludes them from at-scale studies due to challenges with variant calling, representation, and lack of a genome-wide standard. To promote TR methods development, we create a comprehensive catalog of TR regions and explore its properties across 86 samples. We then curate variants from the GIAB HG002 individual to create a tandem repeat benchmark. We also present a variant comparison method that handles small and large alleles and varying allelic representation. The 8.1% of the genome covered by the TR catalog holds ∼24.9% of variants per individual, including 124,728 small and 17,988 large variants for the GIAB HG002 TR benchmark. We work with the GIAB community to demonstrate the utility of this benchmark across short and long read technologies.
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78
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Yang X, Zhang D, Shen S, Li P, Li M, Niu J, Ma D, Xu D, Li S, Guo X, Wang Z, Zhao Y, Ren H, Ling C, Wang Y, Fan Y, Shen J, Zhu Y, Wang D, Cui L, Chen L, Shi C, Dai Y. A large pedigree study confirmed the CGG repeat expansion of RILPL1 Is associated with oculopharyngodistal myopathy. BMC Med Genomics 2023; 16:253. [PMID: 37864208 PMCID: PMC10590002 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-023-01586-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Oculopharyngodistal myopathy (OPDM) is an autosomal dominant adult-onset degenerative muscle disorder characterized by ptosis, ophthalmoplegia and weakness of the facial, pharyngeal and limb muscles. Trinucleotide repeat expansions in non-coding regions of LRP12, G1PC1, NOTCH2NLC and RILPL1 were reported to be the etiologies for OPDM. RESULTS In this study, we performed long-read whole-genome sequencing in a large five-generation family of 156 individuals, including 21 patients diagnosed with typical OPDM. We identified CGG repeat expansions in 5'UTR of RILPL1 gene in all patients we tested while no CGG expansion in unaffected family members. Repeat-primed PCR and fluorescence amplicon length analysis PCR were further confirmed the segregation of CGG expansions in other family members and 1000 normal Chinese controls. Methylation analysis indicated that methylation levels of the RILPL1 gene were unaltered in OPDM patients, which was consistent with previous studies. Our findings provide evidence that RILPL1 is associated OPDM in this large pedigree. CONCLUSIONS Our results identified RILPL1 is the associated the disease in this large pedigree.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinzhuang Yang
- Department of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, People's Republic of China
- Medical Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, People's Republic of China
| | - Dingding Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, People's Republic of China
- Medical Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, People's Republic of China
| | - Si Shen
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450000, People's Republic of China
| | - Pidong Li
- GrandOmics Biosciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Mengjie Li
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450000, People's Republic of China
| | - Jingwen Niu
- Department of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, People's Republic of China
| | - Dongrui Ma
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450000, People's Republic of China
| | - Dan Xu
- Department of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuangjie Li
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450000, People's Republic of China
| | - Xueyu Guo
- GrandOmics Biosciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhen Wang
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, People's Republic of China
| | - Yanhuan Zhao
- Department of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, People's Republic of China
| | - Haitao Ren
- Department of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, People's Republic of China
| | - Chao Ling
- Laboratory of Clinical Genetics, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, People's Republic of China
| | - Yang Wang
- GrandOmics Biosciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu Fan
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450000, People's Republic of China
- Academy of Medical Sciences of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450000, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianxiong Shen
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, People's Republic of China
| | - Yicheng Zhu
- Department of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, People's Republic of China
| | - Depeng Wang
- GrandOmics Biosciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Liying Cui
- Department of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, People's Republic of China
| | - Lin Chen
- Department of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, People's Republic of China
| | - Changhe Shi
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450000, People's Republic of China.
- Henan Key Laboratory of Cerebrovascular Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450000, People's Republic of China.
- Institute of Neuroscience, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450000, People's Republic of China.
| | - Yi Dai
- Department of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, People's Republic of China.
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79
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Kwok JG, Yuan Z, Arora PS. An Encodable Scaffold for Sequence-Specific Recognition of Duplex RNA. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202308650. [PMID: 37548640 PMCID: PMC10528708 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202308650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
RNA, unlike DNA, folds into a multitude of secondary and tertiary structures. This structural diversity has impeded the development of ligands that can sequence-specifically target this biomolecule. We sought to develop ligands for double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) segments, which are ubiquitous in RNA tertiary structure. The major groove of double-stranded DNA is sequence-specifically recognized by a range of dimeric helical transcription factors, including the basic leucine zippers (bZIP) and basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins; however, such simple structural motifs are not prevalent in RNA-binding proteins. We interrogated the high-resolution structures of DNA and RNA to identify requirements for a helix fork motif to occupy dsRNA major grooves akin to dsDNA. Our analysis suggested that the rigidity and angle of approach of dimeric helices in bZIP/bHLH motifs are not ideal for the binding of dsRNA major grooves. This investigation revealed that the replacement of the leucine zipper motifs in bHLH proteins with synthetic crosslinkers would allow recognition of dsRNA. We show that a model bHLH DNA-binding motif does not bind dsRNA but can be reengineered as an RNA ligand. Based on this hypothesis, we rationally designed a miniature synthetic crosslinked helix fork (CHF) as a generalizable proteomimetic scaffold for targeting dsRNA. We evaluated several CHF constructs against a set of RNA and DNA hairpins to probe the specificity of the designed construct. Our studies reveal a new class of proteomimetics as an encodable platform for sequence-specific recognition of dsRNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan G. Kwok
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, 29 Washington Place, New York, NY10003
| | - Zhi Yuan
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, 29 Washington Place, New York, NY10003
| | - Paramjit S. Arora
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, 29 Washington Place, New York, NY10003
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80
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Liao X, Zhu W, Zhou J, Li H, Xu X, Zhang B, Gao X. Repetitive DNA sequence detection and its role in the human genome. Commun Biol 2023; 6:954. [PMID: 37726397 PMCID: PMC10509279 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05322-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Repetitive DNA sequences playing critical roles in driving evolution, inducing variation, and regulating gene expression. In this review, we summarized the definition, arrangement, and structural characteristics of repeats. Besides, we introduced diverse biological functions of repeats and reviewed existing methods for automatic repeat detection, classification, and masking. Finally, we analyzed the type, structure, and regulation of repeats in the human genome and their role in the induction of complex diseases. We believe that this review will facilitate a comprehensive understanding of repeats and provide guidance for repeat annotation and in-depth exploration of its association with human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingyu Liao
- Computational Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Wufei Zhu
- Department of Endocrinology, Yichang Central People's Hospital, The First College of Clinical Medical Science, China Three Gorges University, 443000, Yichang, P.R. China
| | - Juexiao Zhou
- Computational Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Haoyang Li
- Computational Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Xiaopeng Xu
- Computational Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Bin Zhang
- Computational Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Xin Gao
- Computational Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955, Saudi Arabia.
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81
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Ichikawa K, Kawahara R, Asano T, Morishita S. A landscape of complex tandem repeats within individual human genomes. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5530. [PMID: 37709751 PMCID: PMC10502081 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41262-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Markedly expanded tandem repeats (TRs) have been correlated with ~60 diseases. TR diversity has been considered a clue toward understanding missing heritability. However, haplotype-resolved long TRs remain mostly hidden or blacked out because their complex structures (TRs composed of various units and minisatellites containing >10-bp units) make them difficult to determine accurately with existing methods. Here, using a high-precision algorithm to determine complex TR structures from long, accurate reads of PacBio HiFi, an investigation of 270 Japanese control samples yields several genome-wide findings. Approximately 322,000 TRs are difficult to impute from the surrounding single-nucleotide variants. Greater genetic divergence of TR loci is significantly correlated with more events of younger replication slippage. Complex TRs are more abundant than single-unit TRs, and a tendency for complex TRs to consist of <10-bp units and single-unit TRs to be minisatellites is statistically significant at loci with ≥500-bp TRs. Of note, 8909 loci with extended TRs (>100b longer than the mode) contain several known disease-associated TRs and are considered candidates for association with disorders. Overall, complex TRs and minisatellites are found to be abundant and diverse, even in genetically small Japanese populations, yielding insights into the landscape of long TRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuki Ichikawa
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 277-8561, Chiba, Japan
| | - Riki Kawahara
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 277-8561, Chiba, Japan
| | - Takeshi Asano
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 277-8561, Chiba, Japan
| | - Shinichi Morishita
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 277-8561, Chiba, Japan.
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82
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Adil O, Eddington SB, Gagnon KT, Shamsi MH. Microprobes for Label-Free Detection of Short Tandem Repeats: An Insight into Alleviating Secondary Structure Effects. Anal Chem 2023; 95:13528-13536. [PMID: 37651633 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c01886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
Overgrowth of short tandem repeat sequences in our genes can cause various neurodegenerative disorders. Such repeat sequences are ideal targets for the label-free electrochemical detection of such potential expansions. However, their length- and sequence-dependent secondary structures may interfere with the interfacial charge transfer of a detection platform, making them complex targets. In addition, the gene contains sporadic repeats that may result in false-positive signals. Therefore, it is necessary to design a platform capable of mitigating these effects and ultimately enhancing the specificity of tandem repeats. Here, we analyzed three different backbones of nucleic acid microprobes [DNA, peptide nucleic acid, and lock-nucleic acid (LNA)] to detect in vitro transcribed RNA carrying CAG repeats, which are associated with Huntington's disease, based on the charge-transfer resistance of the interface. We found that the LNA microprobe can distinguish lengths down to the attomolar concentration level and alleviate the effect of secondary structures and sporadic repeats in the sequence, thus distinguishing the "tandem repeats" specifically. Additionally, the control experiments conducted with and without Mg2+ demonstrated the LNA microprobe to perform better in the presence of the divalent cation. The results suggest that the LNA-based platform may eventually lead to the development of a reliable and straightforward biosensor for genetic neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omair Adil
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Sciences, 1245 Lincoln Dr, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Carbondale, Illinois 62901, United States
| | - Seth B Eddington
- Department of Biochemistry, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27101, United States
| | - Keith T Gagnon
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Sciences, 1245 Lincoln Dr, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Carbondale, Illinois 62901, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27101, United States
| | - Mohtashim H Shamsi
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Sciences, 1245 Lincoln Dr, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Carbondale, Illinois 62901, United States
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83
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Sonobe Y, Lee S, Krishnan G, Gu Y, Kwon DY, Gao FB, Roos RP, Kratsios P. Translation of dipeptide repeat proteins in C9ORF72 ALS/FTD through unique and redundant AUG initiation codons. eLife 2023; 12:e83189. [PMID: 37675986 PMCID: PMC10541178 DOI: 10.7554/elife.83189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023] Open
Abstract
A hexanucleotide repeat expansion in C9ORF72 is the most common genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). A hallmark of ALS/FTD pathology is the presence of dipeptide repeat (DPR) proteins, produced from both sense GGGGCC (poly-GA, poly-GP, poly-GR) and antisense CCCCGG (poly-PR, poly-PG, poly-PA) transcripts. Translation of sense DPRs, such as poly-GA and poly-GR, depends on non-canonical (non-AUG) initiation codons. Here, we provide evidence for canonical AUG-dependent translation of two antisense DPRs, poly-PR and poly-PG. A single AUG is required for synthesis of poly-PR, one of the most toxic DPRs. Unexpectedly, we found redundancy between three AUG codons necessary for poly-PG translation. Further, the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2D (EIF2D), which was previously implicated in sense DPR synthesis, is not required for AUG-dependent poly-PR or poly-PG translation, suggesting that distinct translation initiation factors control DPR synthesis from sense and antisense transcripts. Our findings on DPR synthesis from the C9ORF72 locus may be broadly applicable to many other nucleotide repeat expansion disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshifumi Sonobe
- University of Chicago Medical CenterChicagoUnited States
- Department of Neurology, University of Chicago Medical CenterChicagoUnited States
- Neuroscience Institute, University of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
| | - Soojin Lee
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
| | - Gopinath Krishnan
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
| | - Yuanzheng Gu
- Neuromuscular & Movement Disorders, BiogenCambridgeUnited States
| | - Deborah Y Kwon
- Neuromuscular & Movement Disorders, BiogenCambridgeUnited States
| | - Fen-Biao Gao
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
| | - Raymond P Roos
- University of Chicago Medical CenterChicagoUnited States
- Department of Neurology, University of Chicago Medical CenterChicagoUnited States
- Neuroscience Institute, University of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
| | - Paschalis Kratsios
- Neuroscience Institute, University of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
- Department of Neurobiology, University of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
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84
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Erenpreisa J, Vainshelbaum NM, Lazovska M, Karklins R, Salmina K, Zayakin P, Rumnieks F, Inashkina I, Pjanova D, Erenpreiss J. The Price of Human Evolution: Cancer-Testis Antigens, the Decline in Male Fertility and the Increase in Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:11660. [PMID: 37511419 PMCID: PMC10380301 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241411660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 07/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The increasing frequency of general and particularly male cancer coupled with the reduction in male fertility seen worldwide motivated us to seek a potential evolutionary link between these two phenomena, concerning the reproductive transcriptional modules observed in cancer and the expression of cancer-testis antigens (CTA). The phylostratigraphy analysis of the human genome allowed us to link the early evolutionary origin of cancer via the reproductive life cycles of the unicellulars and early multicellulars, potentially driving soma-germ transition, female meiosis, and the parthenogenesis of polyploid giant cancer cells (PGCCs), with the expansion of the CTA multi-families, very late during their evolution. CTA adaptation was aided by retrovirus domestication in the unstable genomes of mammals, for protecting male fertility in stress conditions, particularly that of humans, as compensation for the energy consumption of a large complex brain which also exploited retrotransposition. We found that the early and late evolutionary branches of human cancer are united by the immunity-proto-placental network, which evolved in the Cambrian and shares stress regulators with the finely-tuned sex determination system. We further propose that social stress and endocrine disruption caused by environmental pollution with organic materials, which alter sex determination in male foetuses and further spermatogenesis in adults, bias the development of PGCC-parthenogenetic cancer by default.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Marija Lazovska
- Molecular Genetics Scientific Laboratory, Riga Stradins University, Dzirciema 16, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia
| | - Roberts Karklins
- Molecular Genetics Scientific Laboratory, Riga Stradins University, Dzirciema 16, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia
| | - Kristine Salmina
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Ratsupites 1-1k, LV-1067 Riga, Latvia
| | - Pawel Zayakin
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Ratsupites 1-1k, LV-1067 Riga, Latvia
| | - Felikss Rumnieks
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Ratsupites 1-1k, LV-1067 Riga, Latvia
| | - Inna Inashkina
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Ratsupites 1-1k, LV-1067 Riga, Latvia
| | - Dace Pjanova
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Ratsupites 1-1k, LV-1067 Riga, Latvia
- Molecular Genetics Scientific Laboratory, Riga Stradins University, Dzirciema 16, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia
| | - Juris Erenpreiss
- Molecular Genetics Scientific Laboratory, Riga Stradins University, Dzirciema 16, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia
- Clinic iVF-Riga, Zala 1, LV-1010 Riga, Latvia
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85
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Wang X, Huang M, Budowle B, Ge J. TRcaller: a novel tool for precise and ultrafast tandem repeat variant genotyping in massively parallel sequencing reads. Front Genet 2023; 14:1227176. [PMID: 37533432 PMCID: PMC10390829 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1227176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Calling tandem repeat (TR) variants from DNA sequences is of both theoretical and practical significance. Some bioinformatics tools have been developed for detecting or genotyping TRs. However, little study has been done to genotyping TR alleles from long-read sequencing data, and the accuracy of genotyping TR alleles from next-generation sequencing data still needs to be improved. Herein, a novel algorithm is described to retrieve TR regions from sequence alignment, and a software program TRcaller has been developed and integrated into a web portal to call TR alleles from both short- and long-read sequences, both whole genome and targeted sequences generated from multiple sequencing platforms. All TR alleles are genotyped as haplotypes and the robust alleles will be reported, even multiple alleles in a DNA mixture. TRcaller could provide substantially higher accuracy (>99% in 289 human individuals) in detecting TR alleles with magnitudes faster (e.g., ∼2 s for 300x human sequence data) than the mainstream software tools. The web portal preselected 119 TR loci from forensics, genealogy, and disease related TR loci. TRcaller is validated to be scalable in various applications, such as DNA forensics and disease diagnosis, which can be expanded into other fields like breeding programs. Availability: TRcaller is available at https://www.trcaller.com/SignIn.aspx.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuewen Wang
- Center for Human Identification, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, United States
| | - Meng Huang
- Center for Human Identification, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, United States
| | - Bruce Budowle
- Center for Human Identification, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, United States
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Genetics, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, United States
| | - Jianye Ge
- Center for Human Identification, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, United States
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Genetics, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, United States
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86
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MacKenzie TMG, Cisneros R, Maynard RD, Snyder MP. Reverse-ChIP Techniques for Identifying Locus-Specific Proteomes: A Key Tool in Unlocking the Cancer Regulome. Cells 2023; 12:1860. [PMID: 37508524 PMCID: PMC10377898 DOI: 10.3390/cells12141860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
A phenotypic hallmark of cancer is aberrant transcriptional regulation. Transcriptional regulation is controlled by a complicated array of molecular factors, including the presence of transcription factors, the deposition of histone post-translational modifications, and long-range DNA interactions. Determining the molecular identity and function of these various factors is necessary to understand specific aspects of cancer biology and reveal potential therapeutic targets. Regulation of the genome by specific factors is typically studied using chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing (ChIP-Seq) that identifies genome-wide binding interactions through the use of factor-specific antibodies. A long-standing goal in many laboratories has been the development of a 'reverse-ChIP' approach to identify unknown binding partners at loci of interest. A variety of strategies have been employed to enable the selective biochemical purification of sequence-defined chromatin regions, including single-copy loci, and the subsequent analytical detection of associated proteins. This review covers mass spectrometry techniques that enable quantitative proteomics before providing a survey of approaches toward the development of strategies for the purification of sequence-specific chromatin as a 'reverse-ChIP' technique. A fully realized reverse-ChIP technique holds great potential for identifying cancer-specific targets and the development of personalized therapeutic regimens.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rocío Cisneros
- Sarafan ChEM-H/IMA Postbaccalaureate Fellow in Target Discovery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Rajan D Maynard
- Genetics Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Michael P Snyder
- Genetics Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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87
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Bonnet C, Pellerin D, Roth V, Clément G, Wandzel M, Lambert L, Frismand S, Douarinou M, Grosset A, Bekkour I, Weber F, Girardier F, Robin C, Cacciatore S, Bronner M, Pourié C, Dreumont N, Puisieux S, Iruzubieta P, Dicaire MJ, Evoy F, Rioux MF, Hocquel A, La Piana R, Synofzik M, Houlden H, Danzi MC, Zuchner S, Brais B, Renaud M. Optimized testing strategy for the diagnosis of GAA-FGF14 ataxia/spinocerebellar ataxia 27B. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9737. [PMID: 37322040 PMCID: PMC10272173 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-36654-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Dominantly inherited GAA repeat expansions in FGF14 are a common cause of spinocerebellar ataxia (GAA-FGF14 ataxia; spinocerebellar ataxia 27B). Molecular confirmation of FGF14 GAA repeat expansions has thus far mostly relied on long-read sequencing, a technology that is not yet widely available in clinical laboratories. We developed and validated a strategy to detect FGF14 GAA repeat expansions using long-range PCR, bidirectional repeat-primed PCRs, and Sanger sequencing. We compared this strategy to targeted nanopore sequencing in a cohort of 22 French Canadian patients and next validated it in a cohort of 53 French index patients with unsolved ataxia. Method comparison showed that capillary electrophoresis of long-range PCR amplification products significantly underestimated expansion sizes compared to nanopore sequencing (slope, 0.87 [95% CI, 0.81 to 0.93]; intercept, 14.58 [95% CI, - 2.48 to 31.12]) and gel electrophoresis (slope, 0.84 [95% CI, 0.78 to 0.97]; intercept, 21.34 [95% CI, - 27.66 to 40.22]). The latter techniques yielded similar size estimates. Following calibration with internal controls, expansion size estimates were similar between capillary electrophoresis and nanopore sequencing (slope: 0.98 [95% CI, 0.92 to 1.04]; intercept: 10.62 [95% CI, - 7.49 to 27.71]), and gel electrophoresis (slope: 0.94 [95% CI, 0.88 to 1.09]; intercept: 18.81 [95% CI, - 41.93 to 39.15]). Diagnosis was accurately confirmed for all 22 French Canadian patients using this strategy. We also identified 9 French patients (9/53; 17%) and 2 of their relatives who carried an FGF14 (GAA)≥250 expansion. This novel strategy reliably detected and sized FGF14 GAA expansions, and compared favorably to long-read sequencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Céline Bonnet
- Laboratoire de Génétique Médicale, Hôpitaux de Brabois - CHRU de Nancy, Nancy, France.
- INSERM-U1256 NGERE, Université de Lorraine, Nancy, France.
| | - David Pellerin
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology and The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Hospital and Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Virginie Roth
- Laboratoire de Génétique Médicale, Hôpitaux de Brabois - CHRU de Nancy, Nancy, France
| | - Guillemette Clément
- INSERM-U1256 NGERE, Université de Lorraine, Nancy, France
- Service de Neurologie, CHRU de Nancy, Nancy, France
| | - Marion Wandzel
- Laboratoire de Génétique Médicale, Hôpitaux de Brabois - CHRU de Nancy, Nancy, France
| | - Laëtitia Lambert
- INSERM-U1256 NGERE, Université de Lorraine, Nancy, France
- Service de Génétique Clinique, Hôpitaux de Brabois - CHRU de Nancy, Nancy, France
| | | | | | | | - Ines Bekkour
- Service de Neurologie, CHRU de Nancy, Nancy, France
| | - Frédéric Weber
- Laboratoire de Génétique Médicale, Hôpitaux de Brabois - CHRU de Nancy, Nancy, France
| | - Florent Girardier
- Laboratoire de Génétique Médicale, Hôpitaux de Brabois - CHRU de Nancy, Nancy, France
| | - Clément Robin
- Laboratoire de Génétique Médicale, Hôpitaux de Brabois - CHRU de Nancy, Nancy, France
| | - Stéphanie Cacciatore
- Laboratoire de Génétique Médicale, Hôpitaux de Brabois - CHRU de Nancy, Nancy, France
| | - Myriam Bronner
- Laboratoire de Génétique Médicale, Hôpitaux de Brabois - CHRU de Nancy, Nancy, France
| | - Carine Pourié
- INSERM-U1256 NGERE, Université de Lorraine, Nancy, France
| | | | | | - Pablo Iruzubieta
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology and The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Neurology, Donostia University Hospital, San Sebastian, Spain
- Neuroscience Area, Biodonostia Health Research Institute, San Sebastian, Spain
- Network Center for Biomedical Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
| | - Marie-Josée Dicaire
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Hospital and Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - François Evoy
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Marie-France Rioux
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | | | - Roberta La Piana
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Hospital and Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Matthis Synofzik
- Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hertie-Institute for Clinical Brain Research and Center of Neurology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Henry Houlden
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology and The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, University College London, London, UK
| | - Matt C Danzi
- Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics and John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Stephan Zuchner
- Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics and John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Bernard Brais
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Hospital and Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Mathilde Renaud
- INSERM-U1256 NGERE, Université de Lorraine, Nancy, France.
- Service de Neurologie, CHRU de Nancy, Nancy, France.
- Service de Génétique Clinique, Hôpitaux de Brabois - CHRU de Nancy, Nancy, France.
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88
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El Boujnouni N, van der Bent ML, Willemse M, ’t Hoen PA, Brock R, Wansink DG. Block or degrade? Balancing on- and off-target effects of antisense strategies against transcripts with expanded triplet repeats in DM1. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2023; 32:622-636. [PMID: 37200862 PMCID: PMC10185704 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2023.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapies for myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) are based on elimination of transcripts containing an expanded repeat or inhibition of sequestration of RNA-binding proteins. This activity is achievable by both degradation of expanded transcripts and steric hindrance, although it is unknown which approach is superior. We compared blocking ASOs with RNase H-recruiting gapmers of equivalent chemistries. Two DMPK target sequences were selected: the triplet repeat and a unique sequence upstream thereof. We assessed ASO effects on transcript levels, ribonucleoprotein foci and disease-associated missplicing, and performed RNA sequencing to investigate on- and off-target effects. Both gapmers and the repeat blocker led to significant DMPK knockdown and a reduction in (CUG)exp foci. However, the repeat blocker was more effective in MBNL1 protein displacement and had superior efficiency in splicing correction at the tested dose of 100 nM. By comparison, on a transcriptome level, the blocking ASO had the fewest off-target effects. In particular, the off-target profile of the repeat gapmer asks for cautious consideration in further therapeutic development. Altogether, our study demonstrates the importance of evaluating both on-target and downstream effects of ASOs in a DM1 context, and provides guiding principles for safe and effective targeting of toxic transcripts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Najoua El Boujnouni
- Department of Medical BioSciences, Research Institute for Medical Innovation, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - M. Leontien van der Bent
- Department of Medical BioSciences, Research Institute for Medical Innovation, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Marieke Willemse
- Department of Medical BioSciences, Research Institute for Medical Innovation, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Peter A.C. ’t Hoen
- Department of Medical BioSciences, Research Institute for Medical Innovation, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Roland Brock
- Department of Medical BioSciences, Research Institute for Medical Innovation, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama 293, Bahrain
- Corresponding author Roland Brock, Department of Medical BioSciences, Research Institute for Medical Innovation, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - Derick G. Wansink
- Department of Medical BioSciences, Research Institute for Medical Innovation, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Corresponding author Derick G. Wansink, Department of Medical BioSciences, Research Institute for Medical Innovation, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
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89
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Weisburd B, Tiao G, Rehm HL. Insights from a genome-wide truth set of tandem repeat variation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.05.539588. [PMID: 37214979 PMCID: PMC10197592 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.05.539588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Tools for genotyping tandem repeats (TRs) from short read sequencing data have improved significantly over the past decade. Extensive comparisons of these tools to gold standard diagnostic methods like RP-PCR have confirmed their accuracy for tens to hundreds of well-studied loci. However, a scarcity of high-quality orthogonal truth data limited our ability to measure tool accuracy for the millions of other loci throughout the genome. To address this, we developed a TR truth set based on the Synthetic Diploid Benchmark (SynDip). By identifying the subset of insertions and deletions that represent TR expansions or contractions with motifs between 2 and 50 base pairs, we obtained accurate genotypes for 139,795 pure and 6,845 interrupted repeats in a single diploid sample. Our approach did not require running existing genotyping tools on short read or long read sequencing data and provided an alternative, more accurate view of tandem repeat variation. We applied this truth set to compare the strengths and weaknesses of widely-used tools for genotyping TRs, evaluated the completeness of existing genome-wide TR catalogs, and explored the properties of tandem repeat variation throughout the genome. We found that, without filtering, ExpansionHunter had higher accuracy than GangSTR and HipSTR over a wide range of motifs and allele sizes. Also, when errors in allele size occurred, ExpansionHunter tended to overestimate expansion sizes, while GangSTR tended to underestimate them. Additionally, we saw that widely-used TR catalogs miss between 16% and 41% of variant loci in the truth set. These results suggest that genome-wide analyses would benefit from genotyping a larger set of loci as well as further tool development that builds on the strengths of current algorithms. To that end, we developed a new catalog of 2.8 million loci that captures 95% of variant loci in the truth set, and created a modified version of ExpansionHunter that runs 2 to 3x faster than the original while producing the same output.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Weisburd
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Grace Tiao
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Heidi L. Rehm
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
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90
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Henden L, Fearnley LG, Grima N, McCann EP, Dobson-Stone C, Fitzpatrick L, Friend K, Hobson L, Chan Moi Fat S, Rowe DB, D'Silva S, Kwok JB, Halliday GM, Kiernan MC, Mazumder S, Timmins HC, Zoing M, Pamphlett R, Adams L, Bahlo M, Blair IP, Williams KL. Short tandem repeat expansions in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eade2044. [PMID: 37146135 PMCID: PMC10162670 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ade2044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Pathogenic short tandem repeat (STR) expansions cause over 20 neurodegenerative diseases. To determine the contribution of STRs in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), we used ExpansionHunter, REviewer, and polymerase chain reaction validation to assess 21 neurodegenerative disease-associated STRs in whole-genome sequencing data from 608 patients with sporadic ALS, 68 patients with sporadic FTD, and 4703 matched controls. We also propose a data-derived outlier detection method for defining allele thresholds in rare STRs. Excluding C9orf72 repeat expansions, 17.6% of clinically diagnosed ALS and FTD cases had at least one expanded STR allele reported to be pathogenic or intermediate for another neurodegenerative disease. We identified and validated 162 disease-relevant STR expansions in C9orf72 (ALS/FTD), ATXN1 [spinal cerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1)], ATXN2 (SCA2), ATXN8 (SCA8), TBP (SCA17), HTT (Huntington's disease), DMPK [myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1)], CNBP (DM2), and FMR1 (fragile-X disorders). Our findings suggest clinical and pathological pleiotropy of neurodegenerative disease genes and highlight their importance in ALS and FTD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lyndal Henden
- Macquarie University Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Liam G Fearnley
- Population Health and Immunity Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Natalie Grima
- Macquarie University Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Emily P McCann
- Macquarie University Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Carol Dobson-Stone
- Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Lauren Fitzpatrick
- Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia
| | - Kathryn Friend
- SA Pathology, Women's and Children's Hospital, North Adelaide, SA 5006, Australia
| | - Lynne Hobson
- SA Pathology, Women's and Children's Hospital, North Adelaide, SA 5006, Australia
| | - Sandrine Chan Moi Fat
- Macquarie University Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Dominic B Rowe
- Macquarie University Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Susan D'Silva
- Macquarie University Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - John B Kwok
- Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Glenda M Halliday
- Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Matthew C Kiernan
- Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia
- Department of Neurology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia
| | - Srestha Mazumder
- Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia
| | - Hannah C Timmins
- Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia
| | - Margaret Zoing
- Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia
| | - Roger Pamphlett
- Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia
- Discipline of Pathology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia
- Department of Neuropathology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia
| | - Lorel Adams
- Macquarie University Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Melanie Bahlo
- Population Health and Immunity Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Ian P Blair
- Macquarie University Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Kelly L Williams
- Macquarie University Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
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Choi DE, Shin JW, Zeng S, Hong EP, Jang JH, Loupe JM, Wheeler VC, Stutzman HE, Kleinstiver BP, Lee JM. Base editing strategies to convert CAG to CAA diminish the disease-causing mutation in Huntington's disease. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.28.538700. [PMID: 37162872 PMCID: PMC10168301 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.28.538700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
An expanded CAG repeat in the huntingtin gene ( HTT ) causes Huntington's disease (HD). Since the length of uninterrupted CAG repeat, not polyglutamine, determines the age-at-onset in HD, base editing strategies to convert CAG to CAA are anticipated to delay onset by shortening the uninterrupted CAG repeat. Here, we developed base editing strategies to convert CAG in the repeat to CAA and determined their molecular outcomes and effects on relevant disease phenotypes. Base editing strategies employing combinations of cytosine base editors and gRNAs efficiently converted CAG to CAA at various sites in the CAG repeat without generating significant indels, off-target edits, or transcriptome alterations, demonstrating their feasibility and specificity. Candidate BE strategies converted CAG to CAA on both expanded and non-expanded CAG repeats without altering HTT mRNA and protein levels. In addition, somatic CAG repeat expansion, which is the major disease driver in HD, was significantly decreased by a candidate BE strategy treatment in HD knock-in mice carrying canonical CAG repeats. Notably, CAG repeat expansion was abolished entirely in HD knock-in mice carrying CAA-interrupted repeats, supporting the therapeutic potential of CAG-to-CAA conversion base editing strategies in HD and potentially other repeat expansion disorders.
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92
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Shi Y, Niu Y, Zhang P, Luo H, Liu S, Zhang S, Wang J, Li Y, Liu X, Song T, Xu T, He S. Characterization of genome-wide STR variation in 6487 human genomes. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2092. [PMID: 37045857 PMCID: PMC10097659 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37690-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Short tandem repeats (STRs) are abundant and highly mutagenic in the human genome. Many STR loci have been associated with a range of human genetic disorders. However, most population-scale studies on STR variation in humans have focused on European ancestry cohorts or are limited by sequencing depth. Here, we depicted a comprehensive map of 366,013 polymorphic STRs (pSTRs) constructed from 6487 deeply sequenced genomes, comprising 3983 Chinese samples (~31.5x, NyuWa) and 2504 samples from the 1000 Genomes Project (~33.3x, 1KGP). We found that STR mutations were affected by motif length, chromosome context and epigenetic features. We identified 3273 and 1117 pSTRs whose repeat numbers were associated with gene expression and 3'UTR alternative polyadenylation, respectively. We also implemented population analysis, investigated population differentiated signatures, and genotyped 60 known disease-causing STRs. Overall, this study further extends the scale of STR variation in humans and propels our understanding of the semantics of STRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yirong Shi
- Key Laboratory of RNA Biology, Center for Big Data Research in Health, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yiwei Niu
- Key Laboratory of RNA Biology, Center for Big Data Research in Health, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Peng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of RNA Biology, Center for Big Data Research in Health, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Huaxia Luo
- Key Laboratory of RNA Biology, Center for Big Data Research in Health, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Shuai Liu
- Key Laboratory of RNA Biology, Center for Big Data Research in Health, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Sijia Zhang
- Key Laboratory of RNA Biology, Center for Big Data Research in Health, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Jiajia Wang
- Key Laboratory of RNA Biology, Center for Big Data Research in Health, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Yanyan Li
- Key Laboratory of RNA Biology, Center for Big Data Research in Health, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Xinyue Liu
- Key Laboratory of RNA Biology, Center for Big Data Research in Health, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Tingrui Song
- Key Laboratory of RNA Biology, Center for Big Data Research in Health, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Tao Xu
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
- Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, 250117, Shandong, China.
| | - Shunmin He
- Key Laboratory of RNA Biology, Center for Big Data Research in Health, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
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93
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Yahia A, Hamed AAA, Mohamed IN, Elseed MA, Salih MA, El-Sadig SM, Siddig HE, Nasreldien AEM, Abdullah MA, Elzubair M, Omer FY, Bakhiet AM, Abubaker R, Abozar F, Adil R, Emad S, Musallam MA, Eltazi IZM, Omer Z, Malik H, Mohamed MOE, Elhassan AA, Mohamed EOE, Ahmed AKMA, Ahmed EAA, Eltaraifee E, Hussein BK, Abd Allah ASI, Salah L, Nimir M, Tag Elseed OM, Elhassan TEA, Elbashier A, Alfadul ESA, Fadul M, Ali KF, Taha SOMA, Bushara EE, Amin M, Koko M, Ibrahim ME, Ahmed AE, Elsayed LEO, Stevanin G. Clinical phenotyping and genetic diagnosis of a large cohort of Sudanese families with hereditary spinocerebellar degenerations. Eur J Hum Genet 2023:10.1038/s41431-023-01344-6. [PMID: 37012327 DOI: 10.1038/s41431-023-01344-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Revised: 02/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Hereditary spinocerebellar degenerations (SCDs) is an umbrella term that covers a group of monogenic conditions that share common pathogenic mechanisms and include hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP), cerebellar ataxia, and spinocerebellar ataxia. They are often complicated with axonal neuropathy and/or intellectual impairment and overlap with many neurological conditions, including neurodevelopmental disorders. More than 200 genes and loci inherited through all modes of Mendelian inheritance are known. Autosomal recessive inheritance predominates in consanguineous communities; however, autosomal dominant and X-linked inheritance can also occur. Sudan is inhabited by genetically diverse populations, yet it has high consanguinity rates. We used next-generation sequencing, genotyping, bioinformatics analysis, and candidate gene approaches to study 90 affected patients from 38 unrelated Sudanese families segregating multiple forms of SCDs. The age-at-onset in our cohort ranged from birth to 35 years; however, most patients manifested childhood-onset diseases (the mean and median ages at onset were 7.5 and 3 years, respectively). We reached the genetic diagnosis in 63% and possibly up to 73% of the studied families when considering variants of unknown significance. Combining the present data with our previous analysis of 25 Sudanese HSP families, the success rate reached 52-59% (31-35/59 families). In this article we report candidate variants in genes previously known to be associated with SCDs or other phenotypically related monogenic disorders. We also highlight the genetic and clinical heterogeneity of SCDs in Sudan, as we did not identify a major causative gene in our cohort, and the potential for discovering novel SCD genes in this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashraf Yahia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan.
- Paris Brain Institute - ICM, CNRS UMR7225, INSERM 1127, Sorbonne University, F-75000, Paris, France.
- Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Sweden.
| | - Ahlam A A Hamed
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Inaam N Mohamed
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Maha A Elseed
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Mustafa A Salih
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- College of Medicine, AlMughtaribeen University, Khartoum, Sudan
| | | | | | - Ali Elsir Musa Nasreldien
- Pediatric Neurology Department, Red Cross Memorial Children Hospital (RCWMCH), University of Cape Town (UCT), Cape Town, South Africa
| | | | - Maha Elzubair
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
| | | | | | - Rayan Abubaker
- Sudanese Neurogenetics Research group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
- National University Biomedical Research Institute, National University, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Fatima Abozar
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Rawaa Adil
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Sara Emad
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
| | | | - Isra Z M Eltazi
- Neurology Department, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
| | - Zulfa Omer
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Ohio, USA
| | - Hiba Malik
- Department of Neurology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
| | - Mayada O E Mohamed
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Sudan Medical Specialization Board, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Ali A Elhassan
- Sudan Neuroscience Projects, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
| | | | - Ahmed K M A Ahmed
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Graduate school of Medicine, Osaka University, 2-2, Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
- WPI Immunology Frontier Research Center, Osaka University, 3-1, Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | | | | | - Bidour K Hussein
- Institute of Endemic Diseases, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
| | | | - Lina Salah
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Mohamed Nimir
- Department of Pathology, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, Coventry, UK
- Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | | | | | | | | | - Moneeb Fadul
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Khalil F Ali
- Department of Cardiology, Royal Derby Hospital, Derby, UK
| | | | | | - Mutaz Amin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Neelain University, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Mahmoud Koko
- Institute of Endemic Diseases, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
| | | | - Ammar E Ahmed
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Liena E O Elsayed
- Department of Basic Sciences, College of Medicine, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, P.O.Box 84428, Riyadh, 11671, Saudi Arabia
| | - Giovanni Stevanin
- Paris Brain Institute - ICM, CNRS UMR7225, INSERM 1127, Sorbonne University, F-75000, Paris, France.
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, F-33000, Bordeaux, France.
- EPHE, PSL Research university, CNRS, INCIA, UMR 5287, F-75000, Paris, France.
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Boeynaems S, Ma XR, Yeong V, Ginell GM, Chen JH, Blum JA, Nakayama L, Sanyal A, Briner A, Haver DV, Pauwels J, Ekman A, Schmidt HB, Sundararajan K, Porta L, Lasker K, Larabell C, Hayashi MAF, Kundaje A, Impens F, Obermeyer A, Holehouse AS, Gitler AD. Aberrant phase separation is a common killing strategy of positively charged peptides in biology and human disease. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.09.531820. [PMID: 36945394 PMCID: PMC10028949 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.09.531820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/11/2023]
Abstract
Positively charged repeat peptides are emerging as key players in neurodegenerative diseases. These peptides can perturb diverse cellular pathways but a unifying framework for how such promiscuous toxicity arises has remained elusive. We used mass-spectrometry-based proteomics to define the protein targets of these neurotoxic peptides and found that they all share similar sequence features that drive their aberrant condensation with these positively charged peptides. We trained a machine learning algorithm to detect such sequence features and unexpectedly discovered that this mode of toxicity is not limited to human repeat expansion disorders but has evolved countless times across the tree of life in the form of cationic antimicrobial and venom peptides. We demonstrate that an excess in positive charge is necessary and sufficient for this killer activity, which we name 'polycation poisoning'. These findings reveal an ancient and conserved mechanism and inform ways to leverage its design rules for new generations of bioactive peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Boeynaems
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Therapeutic Innovation Center (THINC), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases (CAND), Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center (DLDCCC), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - X. Rosa Ma
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Vivian Yeong
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Garrett M. Ginell
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Center for Biomolecular Condensates, Washington University in St Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Jian-Hua Chen
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Jacob A. Blum
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Lisa Nakayama
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Anushka Sanyal
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Adam Briner
- Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research (CJCADR), Queensland Brain Institute (QBI), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Delphi Van Haver
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, 9000 Gent, Belgium
- VIB Proteomics Core, 9000 Gent, Belgium
- Department of Biochemistry, Ghent University, 9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - Jarne Pauwels
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, 9000 Gent, Belgium
- VIB Proteomics Core, 9000 Gent, Belgium
- Department of Biochemistry, Ghent University, 9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - Axel Ekman
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - H. Broder Schmidt
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Kousik Sundararajan
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Lucas Porta
- Department of Pharmacology, Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM), Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Keren Lasker
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Carolyn Larabell
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Mirian A. F. Hayashi
- Department of Pharmacology, Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM), Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Anshul Kundaje
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Francis Impens
- VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology, 9000 Gent, Belgium
- VIB Proteomics Core, 9000 Gent, Belgium
- Department of Biochemistry, Ghent University, 9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - Allie Obermeyer
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Alex S. Holehouse
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Center for Biomolecular Condensates, Washington University in St Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Aaron D. Gitler
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
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95
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Figueiredo AS, Loureiro JR, Macedo-Ribeiro S, Silveira I. Advances in Nucleotide Repeat Expansion Diseases: Transcription Gets in Phase. Cells 2023; 12:cells12060826. [PMID: 36980167 PMCID: PMC10047669 DOI: 10.3390/cells12060826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Unstable DNA repeat expansions and insertions have been found to cause more than 50 neurodevelopmental, neurodegenerative, and neuromuscular disorders. One of the main hallmarks of repeat expansion diseases is the formation of abnormal RNA or protein aggregates in the neuronal cells of affected individuals. Recent evidence indicates that alterations of the dynamic or material properties of biomolecular condensates assembled by liquid/liquid phase separation are critical for the formation of these aggregates. This is a thermodynamically-driven and reversible local phenomenon that condenses macromolecules into liquid-like compartments responsible for compartmentalizing molecules required for vital cellular processes. Disease-associated repeat expansions modulate the phase separation properties of RNAs and proteins, interfering with the composition and/or the material properties of biomolecular condensates and resulting in the formation of abnormal aggregates. Since several repeat expansions have arisen in genes encoding crucial players in transcription, this raises the hypothesis that wide gene expression dysregulation is common to multiple repeat expansion diseases. This review will cover the impact of these mutations in the formation of aberrant aggregates and how they modify gene transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana S. Figueiredo
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC), Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS), Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Joana R. Loureiro
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC), Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
| | - Sandra Macedo-Ribeiro
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC), Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
| | - Isabel Silveira
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC), Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +351-2240-8800
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96
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Kamsteeg EJ, Gilissen C. A Comprehensive Assay for Resolving Repeat Expansions to the Base Pair. Clin Chem 2023; 69:213-215. [PMID: 36373180 DOI: 10.1093/clinchem/hvac141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Erik-Jan Kamsteeg
- Department of Human Genetics, Donders Centre for Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Geert Grooteplein 10, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Christian Gilissen
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Geert Grooteplein 10, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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97
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Mitsuhashi S, Frith MC. Analysis of Tandem Repeat Expansions Using Long DNA Reads. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2632:147-159. [PMID: 36781727 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2996-3_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/15/2023]
Abstract
Abnormal expansion or shortening of tandem repeats can cause a variety of genetic diseases. The use of long DNA reads has facilitated the analysis of disease-causing repeats in the human genome. Long read sequencers enable us to directly analyze repeat length and sequence content by covering whole repeats; they are therefore considered suitable for the analysis of long tandem repeats. Here, we describe an expanded repeat analysis using target sequencing data produced by the Oxford Nanopore Technologies (hereafter referred to as ONT) nanopore sequencer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satomi Mitsuhashi
- Department of Genomic Function and Diversity, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan.
- Division of Neurology, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.
| | - Martin C Frith
- Artificial Intelligence Research Center, AIST, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, University of Tokyo, Chiba, Japan
- Computational Bio Big-Data Open Innovation Laboratory, AIST, Tokyo, Japan
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98
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Dhaliwal J, Wagner J. STR-based feature extraction and selection for genetic feature discovery in neurological disease genes. Sci Rep 2023; 13:2480. [PMID: 36774368 PMCID: PMC9922266 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29376-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 02/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Gene expression, often determined by single nucleotide polymorphisms, short repeated sequences known as short tandem repeats (STRs), structural variants, and environmental factors, provides means for an organism to produce gene products necessary to live. Variation in expression levels, sometimes known as enrichment patterns, has been associated with disease progression. Thus, the STR enrichment patterns have recently gained interest as potential genetic markers for disease progression. However, to the best of our knowledge, we are unaware of any study that evaluates and explores STRs, particularly trinucleotide sequences, as machine learning features for classifying neurological disease genes for the purpose of discovering genetic features. Thus, in this paper, we proposed a new metric and a novel feature extraction and selection algorithm based on statistically significant STR-based features and their respective enrichment patterns to create a statistically significant feature set. The proposed new metric has shown that the neurological disease family genes have a non-random AA, AT, TA, TG, and TT enrichment pattern. This is an important result, as it supports prior research that has established that certain trinucleotides, such as AAT, ATA, ATT, TAT, and TTA, are favored during protein misfolding. In contrast, trinucleotides, such as TAA, TAG, and TGA, are favored during premature termination codon mutations as they are stop codons. This suggests that the metric has the potential to identify patterns that may be genetic features in a sample of neurological genes. Moreover, the practical performance and high prediction results of the statistically significant STR-based feature set indicate that variations in STR enrichment patterns can distinguish neurological disease genes. In conclusion, the proposed approach may have the potential to discover differential genetic features for other diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasbir Dhaliwal
- Faculty of Information Technology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia.
| | - John Wagner
- PsychoGenics Inc., Paramus, New Jersey, 07652, United States of America
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99
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Calluori S, Stark R, Pearson BL. Gene-Environment Interactions in Repeat Expansion Diseases: Mechanisms of Environmentally Induced Repeat Instability. Biomedicines 2023; 11:515. [PMID: 36831049 PMCID: PMC9953593 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11020515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Short tandem repeats (STRs) are units of 1-6 base pairs that occur in tandem repetition to form a repeat tract. STRs exhibit repeat instability, which generates expansions or contractions of the repeat tract. Over 50 diseases, primarily affecting the central nervous system and muscles, are characterized by repeat instability. Longer repeat tracts are typically associated with earlier age of onset and increased disease severity. Environmental exposures are suspected to play a role in the pathogenesis of repeat expansion diseases. Here, we review the current knowledge of mechanisms of environmentally induced repeat instability in repeat expansion diseases. The current evidence demonstrates that environmental factors modulate repeat instability via DNA damage and induction of DNA repair pathways, with distinct mechanisms for repeat expansion and contraction. Of particular note, oxidative stress is a key mediator of environmentally induced repeat instability. The preliminary evidence suggests epigenetic modifications as potential mediators of environmentally induced repeat instability. Future research incorporating an array of environmental exposures, new human cohorts, and improved model systems, with a continued focus on cell-types, tissues, and critical windows, will aid in identifying mechanisms of environmentally induced repeat instability. Identifying environmental modulators of repeat instability and their mechanisms of action will inform preventions, therapies, and public health measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Calluori
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Barnard College of Columbia University, 3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Rebecca Stark
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Brandon L. Pearson
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
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100
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Reyes CJF, Asano K. Between Order and Chaos: Understanding the Mechanism and Pathology of RAN Translation. Biol Pharm Bull 2023; 46:139-146. [PMID: 36724941 DOI: 10.1248/bpb.b22-00448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Repeat-associated non-AUG (RAN) translation is a pathogenic mechanism in which repetitive sequences are translated into aggregation-prone proteins from multiple reading frames, even without a canonical AUG start codon. Since its discovery in spinocerebellar ataxia type 8 (SCA8) and myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), RAN translation is now known to occur in the context of 12 disease-linked repeat expansions. This review discusses recent advances in understanding the regulatory mechanisms controlling RAN translation and its contribution to the pathophysiology of repeat expansion diseases. We discuss the key findings in the context of Fragile X Tremor Ataxia Syndrome (FXTAS), a neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CGG repeat expansion in the 5' untranslated region of FMR1.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Katsura Asano
- Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology Program, Division of Biology, Kansas State University.,Laboratory of Translational Control Study, Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University.,Hiroshima Research Center for Healthy Aging, Hiroshima University
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