CNest: A novel copy number association discovery method uncovers 862 new associations from 200,629 whole-exome sequence datasets in the UK Biobank

Genome-wide association testing beyond SNPs

Decades of genetic association testing in human cohorts have provided important insights into the genetic architecture and biological underpinnings of complex traits and diseases. However, for certain traits, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for common SNPs are approaching signal saturation, which underscores the need to explore other types of genetic variation to understand the genetic basis of traits and diseases. Copy number variation (CNV) is an important source of heritability that is well known to functionally affect human traits. Recent technological and computational advances enable the large-scale, genome-wide evaluation of CNVs, with implications for downstream applications such as polygenic risk scoring and drug target identification. Here, we review the current state of CNV-GWAS, discuss current limitations in resource infrastructure that need to be overcome to enable the wider uptake of CNV-GWAS results, highlight emerging opportunities and suggest guidelines and standards for future GWAS for genetic variation beyond SNPs at scale.

Cell-type-specific consequences of mosaic structural variants in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells

The functional impact and cellular context of mosaic structural variants (mSVs) in normal tissues is understudied. Utilizing Strand-seq, we sequenced 1,133 single-cell genomes from 19 human donors of increasing age, and discovered the heterogeneous mSV landscapes of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. While mSVs are continuously acquired throughout life, expanded subclones in our cohort are confined to individuals >60. Cells already harboring mSVs are more likely to acquire additional somatic structural variants, including megabase-scale segmental aneuploidies. Capitalizing on comprehensive single-cell micrococcal nuclease digestion with sequencing reference data, we conducted high-resolution cell-typing for eight hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Clonally expanded mSVs disrupt normal cellular function by dysregulating diverse cellular pathways, and enriching for myeloid progenitors. Our findings underscore the contribution of mSVs to the cellular and molecular phenotypes associated with the aging hematopoietic system, and establish a foundation for deciphering the molecular links between mSVs, aging and disease susceptibility in normal tissues.

The influence of trinucleotide repeats in the androgen receptor gene on androgen-related traits and diseases

CONTEXT

Trinucleotide repeats in the androgen receptor have been proposed to influence testosterone signaling in men, but the clinical relevance of these trinucleotide repeats remains controversial.

OBJECTIVE

To examine how androgen receptor trinucleotide repeat lengths affect androgen-related traits and disease risks and whether they influence the clinical importance of circulating testosterone levels.

METHODS

We quantified CAG and GGC repeat lengths in the androgen receptor (AR) gene of European-ancestry male participants in UK Biobank from whole-genome and whole-exome sequence data using ExpansionHunter, and tested associations with androgen-related traits and diseases. We also examined whether the associations between testosterone levels and these outcomes were affected by adjustment for the repeat lengths.

RESULTS

We successfully quantified the repeat lengths from whole-genome and/or whole-exome sequence data in 181,217 males. Both repeat lengths were shown to be positively associated with circulating total testosterone level and bone mineral density, whereas CAG repeat length was negatively associated with male-pattern baldness, but their effects were relatively small and were not associated with most of the other outcomes. Circulating total testosterone level was associated with various outcomes, but this relationship was not affected by adjustment for the repeat lengths.

CONCLUSION

In this large-scale study, we found that longer CAG and GGC repeats in the AR gene influence androgen resistance, elevate circulating testosterone level via a feedback loop and play a role in some androgen-targeted tissues. Generally, however, circulating testosterone level is a more important determinant of androgen action in males than repeat lengths.

Protein-altering variants at copy number-variable regions influence diverse human phenotypes

Copy number variants (CNVs) are among the largest genetic variants, yet CNVs have not been effectively ascertained in most genetic association studies. Here we ascertained protein-altering CNVs from UK Biobank whole-exome sequencing data (n = 468,570) using haplotype-informed methods capable of detecting subexonic CNVs and variation within segmental duplications. Incorporating CNVs into analyses of rare variants predicted to cause gene loss of function (LOF) identified 100 associations of predicted LOF variants with 41 quantitative traits. A low-frequency partial deletion of RGL3 exon 6 conferred one of the strongest protective effects of gene LOF on hypertension risk (odds ratio = 0.86 (0.82-0.90)). Protein-coding variation in rapidly evolving gene families within segmental duplications-previously invisible to most analysis methods-generated some of the human genome's largest contributions to variation in type 2 diabetes risk, chronotype and blood cell traits. These results illustrate the potential for new genetic insights from genomic variation that has escaped large-scale analysis to date.

Genetic interrogation for sequence and copy number variants in systemic lupus erythematosus

Early-onset systemic lupus erythematosus presents with a more severe disease and is associated with a greater genetic burden, especially in patients from Black, Asian or Hispanic ancestries. Next-generation sequencing techniques, notably whole exome sequencing, have been extensively used in genomic interrogation studies to identify causal disease variants that are increasingly implicated in the development of autoimmunity. This Review discusses the known casual variants of polygenic and monogenic systemic lupus erythematosus and its implications under certain genetic disparities while suggesting an age-based sequencing strategy to aid in clinical diagnostics and patient management for improved patient care.

Rare copy-number variants as modulators of common disease susceptibility

BACKGROUND

Copy-number variations (CNVs) have been associated with rare and debilitating genomic disorders (GDs) but their impact on health later in life in the general population remains poorly described.

METHODS

Assessing four modes of CNV action, we performed genome-wide association scans (GWASs) between the copy-number of CNV-proxy probes and 60 curated ICD-10 based clinical diagnoses in 331,522 unrelated white British UK Biobank (UKBB) participants with replication in the Estonian Biobank.

RESULTS

We identified 73 signals involving 40 diseases, all of which indicating that CNVs increased disease risk and caused earlier onset. We estimated that 16% of these associations are indirect, acting by increasing body mass index (BMI). Signals mapped to 45 unique, non-overlapping regions, nine of which being linked to known GDs. Number and identity of genes affected by CNVs modulated their pathogenicity, with many associations being supported by colocalization with both common and rare single-nucleotide variant association signals. Dissection of association signals provided insights into the epidemiology of known gene-disease pairs (e.g., deletions in BRCA1 and LDLR increased risk for ovarian cancer and ischemic heart disease, respectively), clarified dosage mechanisms of action (e.g., both increased and decreased dosage of 17q12 impacted renal health), and identified putative causal genes (e.g., ABCC6 for kidney stones). Characterization of the pleiotropic pathological consequences of recurrent CNVs at 15q13, 16p13.11, 16p12.2, and 22q11.2 in adulthood indicated variable expressivity of these regions and the involvement of multiple genes. Finally, we show that while the total burden of rare CNVs-and especially deletions-strongly associated with disease risk, it only accounted for ~ 0.02% of the UKBB disease burden. These associations are mainly driven by CNVs at known GD CNV regions, whose pleiotropic effect on common diseases was broader than anticipated by our CNV-GWAS.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results shed light on the prominent role of rare CNVs in determining common disease susceptibility within the general population and provide actionable insights for anticipating later-onset comorbidities in carriers of recurrent CNVs.

Enrichment analysis and chromosomal distribution of gout susceptible loci identified by genome-wide association studies

Gout is an inherited and common inflammatory arthritic disease. Many researchers will identify polymorphic loci of gout susceptibility by conducting genome-wide association studies (GWAS). In the present study, the enrichment analysis and chromosomal distribution were performed using predicted polymorphic loci associated with gout risk. The polymorphic loci associated to gout were obtained from the GWAS database. Overall, this database contains 64,806 gout patients and 2,856,174 controls. Gene ontology functional annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis were performed by using the Enrichr online server. A total of 110 common polymorphic protein-coding loci associated with gout risk were identified and included in the analysis. The results of the KEGG analysis showed that the gout-associated loci were mainly related to ABC transporters, endocrine and other factor-regulated calcium reabsorption, and gastric acid secretion pathways. The gene ontology analysis showed that the biological processes of the gout-associated loci were vascular transport, transport across the blood-brain barrier, positive regulation of transporter activity, and positive regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II. The top cellular component was the external side of the apical plasma membrane. Statistical analysis revealed that the human chromosome segments 1q22, 4p16.1, 6p21.1-p21.2, 11q13.1-q13.2, 12q13.11-q13.3, and 12q24.1 had significantly bearing higher numbers of gout susceptibility loci.

Are we ready for translational research based on material and data from the Danish CancerBiobank and can we gain new knowledge from biobank registration?

Bio-and GenomeBank, Denmark (RBGB) is a nationwide infra-structure. Danish CancerBiobank (DCB) is a biobank in RBGB. The aim is to describe the degree of biological material collected and stored in DCB for patients diagnosed with primary ovarian cancer registered in The Danish Gynecologic Cancer Database (DGCD). Furthermore, to investigate the concordance between predicted organ of disease registered in RBGB at time of sampling (presumed diagnosis) with final diagnosis for patient. Data extraction from DGCD and DCB. Biological materials are present for 1.347 (62%) of 2.172 patients with primary ovarian cancer (OC). The median age of OC patients were 68 years (range: 18-90 years). Median age of patients with biological material in DCB was 67 years and for patients without biological material in DCB 69 years (p ≤ 0.0001). The histological subtypes for the 1347 OC patients with biological material were 911 (68%) serous adenocarcinoma, 97 (7%) endometrioid adenocarcinoma, 80 (6%) mucinous adenocarcinoma, 58 (4%) clear cell carcinoma, and for 201 (15%) no information were registered. For 327 patients (24%), the presumed diagnosis was hematological with a final diagnosis of OC. Using clinical data and biological material including pre-analytical data regarding the biological material the possibility for translational research is optimal. Furthermore, information registered through daily working procedures may propose the need for additional biomarkers to aid clinicians to stratify patients to treatment in correct fast-track packages.

GATK-gCNV enables the discovery of rare copy number variants from exome sequencing data

Copy number variants (CNVs) are major contributors to genetic diversity and disease. While standardized methods, such as the genome analysis toolkit (GATK), exist for detecting short variants, technical challenges have confounded uniform large-scale CNV analyses from whole-exome sequencing (WES) data. Given the profound impact of rare and de novo coding CNVs on genome organization and human disease, we developed GATK-gCNV, a flexible algorithm to discover rare CNVs from sequencing read-depth information, complete with open-source distribution via GATK. We benchmarked GATK-gCNV in 7,962 exomes from individuals in quartet families with matched genome sequencing and microarray data, finding up to 95% recall of rare coding CNVs at a resolution of more than two exons. We used GATK-gCNV to generate a reference catalog of rare coding CNVs in WES data from 197,306 individuals in the UK Biobank, and observed strong correlations between per-gene CNV rates and measures of mutational constraint, as well as rare CNV associations with multiple traits. In summary, GATK-gCNV is a tunable approach for sensitive and specific CNV discovery in WES data, with broad applications.

Hidden protein-altering variants influence diverse human phenotypes

Structural variants (SVs) comprise the largest genetic variants, altering from 50 base pairs to megabases of DNA. However, SVs have not been effectively ascertained in most genetic association studies, leaving a key gap in our understanding of human complex trait genetics. We ascertained protein-altering SVs from UK Biobank whole-exome sequencing data (n=468,570) using haplotype-informed methods capable of detecting sub-exonic SVs and variation within segmental duplications. Incorporating SVs into analyses of rare variants predicted to cause gene loss-of-function (pLoF) identified 100 associations of pLoF variants with 41 quantitative traits. A low-frequency partial deletion of RGL3 exon 6 appeared to confer one of the strongest protective effects of gene LoF on hypertension risk (OR = 0.86 [0.82-0.90]). Protein-coding variation in rapidly-evolving gene families within segmental duplications-previously invisible to most analysis methods-appeared to generate some of the human genome's largest contributions to variation in type 2 diabetes risk, chronotype, and blood cell traits. These results illustrate the potential for new genetic insights from genomic variation that has escaped large-scale analysis to date.

Copy Number Variation and Osteoporosis

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The purpose of this review is to summarize recent findings on copy number variations and susceptibility to osteoporosis.

RECENT FINDINGS

Osteoporosis is highly influenced by genetic factors, including copy number variations (CNVs). The development and accessibility of whole genome sequencing methods has accelerated the study of CNVs and osteoporosis. Recent findings include mutations in novel genes and validation of previously known pathogenic CNVs in monogenic skeletal diseases. Identification of CNVs in genes previously associated with osteoporosis (e.g. RUNX2, COL1A2, and PLS3) has confirmed their importance in bone remodelling. This process has been associated also with the ETV1-DGKB, AGBL2, ATM, and GPR68 genes, identified by comparative genomic hybridisation microarray studies. Importantly, studies in patients with bone pathologies have associated bone disease with the long non-coding RNA LINC01260 and enhancer sequences residing in the HDAC9 gene. Further functional investigation of genetic loci harbouring CNVs associated with skeletal phenotypes will reveal their role as molecular drivers of osteoporosis.

The NHGRI-EBI GWAS Catalog: knowledgebase and deposition resource

The NHGRI-EBI GWAS Catalog (www.ebi.ac.uk/gwas) is a FAIR knowledgebase providing detailed, structured, standardised and interoperable genome-wide association study (GWAS) data to >200 000 users per year from academic research, healthcare and industry. The Catalog contains variant-trait associations and supporting metadata for >45 000 published GWAS across >5000 human traits, and >40 000 full P-value summary statistics datasets. Content is curated from publications or acquired via author submission of prepublication summary statistics through a new submission portal and validation tool. GWAS data volume has vastly increased in recent years. We have updated our software to meet this scaling challenge and to enable rapid release of submitted summary statistics. The scope of the repository has expanded to include additional data types of high interest to the community, including sequencing-based GWAS, gene-based analyses and copy number variation analyses. Community outreach has increased the number of shared datasets from under-represented traits, e.g. cancer, and we continue to contribute to awareness of the lack of population diversity in GWAS. Interoperability of the Catalog has been enhanced through links to other resources including the Polygenic Score Catalog and the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium, refinements to GWAS trait annotation, and the development of a standard format for GWAS data.