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Rodrigues Alves Barbosa V, Maroilley T, Diao C, Colvin-James L, Perrier R, Tarailo-Graovac M. Single variant, yet "double trouble": TSC and KBG syndrome because of a large de novo inversion. Life Sci Alliance 2024; 7:e202302115. [PMID: 38253421 PMCID: PMC10803213 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202302115] [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: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Despite the advances in high-throughput sequencing, many rare disease patients remain undiagnosed. In particular, the patients with well-defined clinical phenotypes and established clinical diagnosis, yet missing or partial genetic diagnosis, may hold a clue to more complex genetic mechanisms of a disease that could be missed by available clinical tests. Here, we report a patient with a clinical diagnosis of Tuberous sclerosis, combined with unusual secondary features, but negative clinical tests including TSC1 and TSC2 Short-read whole-genome sequencing combined with advanced bioinformatics analyses were successful in uncovering a de novo pericentric 87-Mb inversion with breakpoints in TSC2 and ANKRD11, which explains the TSC clinical diagnosis, and confirms a second underlying monogenic disorder, KBG syndrome. Our findings illustrate how complex variants, such as large inversions, may be missed by clinical tests and further highlight the importance of well-defined clinical diagnoses in uncovering complex molecular mechanisms of a disease, such as complex variants and "double trouble" effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Rodrigues Alves Barbosa
- https://ror.org/03yjb2x39 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
- https://ror.org/03yjb2x39 Department of Medical Genetics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
- https://ror.org/03yjb2x39 Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Tatiana Maroilley
- https://ror.org/03yjb2x39 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
- https://ror.org/03yjb2x39 Department of Medical Genetics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
- https://ror.org/03yjb2x39 Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Catherine Diao
- https://ror.org/03yjb2x39 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
- https://ror.org/03yjb2x39 Department of Medical Genetics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
- https://ror.org/03yjb2x39 Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Leslie Colvin-James
- https://ror.org/03yjb2x39 Department of Medical Genetics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
- https://ror.org/03yjb2x39 Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Renee Perrier
- https://ror.org/03yjb2x39 Department of Medical Genetics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
- https://ror.org/03yjb2x39 Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Maja Tarailo-Graovac
- https://ror.org/03yjb2x39 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
- https://ror.org/03yjb2x39 Department of Medical Genetics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
- https://ror.org/03yjb2x39 Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
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Maroilley T, Li X, Oldach M, Jean F, Stasiuk SJ, Tarailo-Graovac M. Deciphering complex genome rearrangements in C. elegans using short-read whole genome sequencing. Sci Rep 2021; 11:18258. [PMID: 34521941 PMCID: PMC8440550 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-97764-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Genomic rearrangements cause congenital disorders, cancer, and complex diseases in human. Yet, they are still understudied in rare diseases because their detection is challenging, despite the advent of whole genome sequencing (WGS) technologies. Short-read (srWGS) and long-read WGS approaches are regularly compared, and the latter is commonly recommended in studies focusing on genomic rearrangements. However, srWGS is currently the most economical, accurate, and widely supported technology. In Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), such variants, induced by various mutagenesis processes, have been used for decades to balance large genomic regions by preventing chromosomal crossover events and allowing the maintenance of lethal mutations. Interestingly, those chromosomal rearrangements have rarely been characterized on a molecular level. To evaluate the ability of srWGS to detect various types of complex genomic rearrangements, we sequenced three balancer strains using short-read Illumina technology. As we experimentally validated the breakpoints uncovered by srWGS, we showed that, by combining several types of analyses, srWGS enables the detection of a reciprocal translocation (eT1), a free duplication (sDp3), a large deletion (sC4), and chromoanagenesis events. Thus, applying srWGS to decipher real complex genomic rearrangements in model organisms may help designing efficient bioinformatics pipelines with systematic detection of complex rearrangements in human genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Maroilley
- Departments of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Medical Genetics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.,Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Xiao Li
- Departments of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Medical Genetics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.,Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Matthew Oldach
- Departments of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Medical Genetics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.,Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Francesca Jean
- Departments of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Medical Genetics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.,Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Susan J Stasiuk
- Departments of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Medical Genetics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.,Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Maja Tarailo-Graovac
- Departments of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Medical Genetics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada. .,Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada.
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Chromothripsis-Explosion in Genetic Science. Cells 2021; 10:cells10051102. [PMID: 34064429 PMCID: PMC8147837 DOI: 10.3390/cells10051102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Chromothripsis has been defined as complex patterns of alternating genes copy number changes (normal, gain or loss) along the length of a chromosome or chromosome segment (International System for Human Cytogenomic Nomenclature 2020). The phenomenon of chromothripsis was discovered in 2011 and changed the concept of genome variability, mechanisms of oncogenic transformation, and hereditary diseases. This review describes the phenomenon of chromothripsis, its prevalence in genomes, the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon, and methods of its detection. Due to the fact that most often the phenomenon of chromothripsis occurs in cancer cells, in this review, we will separately discuss the issue of the contribution of chromothripsis to the process of oncogenesis.
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A Multimodal Genotoxic Anticancer Drug Characterized by Pharmacogenetic Analysis in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 2020; 215:609-621. [PMID: 32414869 PMCID: PMC7337070 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.120.303169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Accepted: 05/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
New anticancer therapeutics require extensive in vivo characterization to identify endogenous and exogenous factors affecting efficacy, to measure toxicity and mutagenicity, and to determine genotypes that result in therapeutic sensitivity or resistance. We used Caenorhabditis elegans as a platform with which to characterize properties of the anticancer therapeutic CX-5461. To understand the processes that respond to CX-5461-induced damage, we generated pharmacogenetic profiles for a panel of C. elegans DNA replication and repair mutants with common DNA-damaging agents for comparison with the profile of CX-5461. We found that multiple repair pathways, including homology-directed repair, microhomology-mediated end joining, nucleotide excision repair, and translesion synthesis, were needed for CX-5461 tolerance. To determine the frequency and spectrum of CX-5461-induced mutations, we used a genetic balancer to capture CX-5461-induced mutations. We found that CX-5461 is mutagenic, resulting in both large copy number variations and a high frequency of single-nucleotide variations (SNVs), which are consistent with the pharmacogenetic profile for CX-5461. Whole-genome sequencing of CX-5461-exposed animals found that CX-5461-induced SNVs exhibited a distinct mutational signature. We also phenocopied the CX-5461 photoreactivity observed in clinical trials and demonstrated that CX-5461 generates reactive oxygen species when exposed to UVA radiation. Together, the data from C. elegans demonstrate that CX-5461 is a multimodal DNA-damaging anticancer agent.
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Zhao Y, Long L, Wan J, Biliya S, Brady SC, Lee D, Ojemakinde A, Andersen EC, Vannberg FO, Lu H, McGrath PT. A spontaneous complex structural variant in rcan-1 increases exploratory behavior and laboratory fitness of Caenorhabditis elegans. PLoS Genet 2020; 16:e1008606. [PMID: 32092052 PMCID: PMC7058356 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Revised: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Over long evolutionary timescales, major changes to the copy number, function, and genomic organization of genes occur, however, our understanding of the individual mutational events responsible for these changes is lacking. In this report, we study the genetic basis of adaptation of two strains of C. elegans to laboratory food sources using competition experiments on a panel of 89 recombinant inbred lines (RIL). Unexpectedly, we identified a single RIL with higher relative fitness than either of the parental strains. This strain also displayed a novel behavioral phenotype, resulting in higher propensity to explore bacterial lawns. Using bulk-segregant analysis and short-read resequencing of this RIL, we mapped the change in exploration behavior to a spontaneous, complex rearrangement of the rcan-1 gene that occurred during construction of the RIL panel. We resolved this rearrangement into five unique tandem inversion/duplications using Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencing. rcan-1 encodes an ortholog to human RCAN1/DSCR1 calcipressin gene, which has been implicated as a causal gene for Down syndrome. The genomic rearrangement in rcan-1 creates two complete and two truncated versions of the rcan-1 coding region, with a variety of modified 5’ and 3’ non-coding regions. While most copy-number variations (CNVs) are thought to act by increasing expression of duplicated genes, these changes to rcan-1 ultimately result in the reduction of its whole-body expression due to changes in the upstream regions. By backcrossing this rearrangement into a common genetic background to create a near isogenic line (NIL), we demonstrate that both the competitive advantage and exploration behavioral changes are linked to this complex genetic variant. This NIL strain does not phenocopy a strain containing an rcan-1 loss-of-function allele, which suggests that the residual expression of rcan-1 is necessary for its fitness effects. Our results demonstrate how colonization of new environments, such as those encountered in the laboratory, can create evolutionary pressure to modify gene function. This evolutionary mismatch can be resolved by an unexpectedly complex genetic change that simultaneously duplicates and diversifies a gene into two uniquely regulated genes. Our work shows how complex rearrangements can act to modify gene expression in ways besides increased gene dosage. Evolution acts on genetic variants that modify phenotypes that increase the likelihood of staying alive and passing on these genetic changes to subsequent generations (i.e. fitness). There is general interest in understanding the types of genetic variants that can increase fitness in specific environments. One route that fitness can be increased is through changes in behavior, such as finding new food sources. Here, we identify a spontaneous genetic change that increases exploration behavior and fitness of animals in laboratory environments. Interestingly, this genetic change is not a simple genetic change that deletes or changes the sequence of a protein product, but rather a complex structural variant that simultaneously duplicates the rcan-1 gene and also modifies its expression in a number of tissues. Our work demonstrates how a complex structural change can duplicate a gene, modify the DNA control regions that determine its cellular sites of action, and confer a fitness advantage that could lead to its spread in a population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuehui Zhao
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Lijiang Long
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Quantitative Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Jason Wan
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Shweta Biliya
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Shannon C. Brady
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Daehan Lee
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Akinade Ojemakinde
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Erik C. Andersen
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Fredrik O. Vannberg
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Hang Lu
- Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Patrick T. McGrath
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Quantitative Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Li X, Itani OA, Haataja L, Dumas KJ, Yang J, Cha J, Flibotte S, Shih HJ, Delaney CE, Xu J, Qi L, Arvan P, Liu M, Hu PJ. Requirement for translocon-associated protein (TRAP) α in insulin biogenesis. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2019; 5:eaax0292. [PMID: 31840061 PMCID: PMC6892615 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aax0292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/07/2019] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
The mechanistic basis for the biogenesis of peptide hormones and growth factors is poorly understood. Here, we show that the conserved endoplasmic reticulum membrane translocon-associated protein α (TRAPα), also known as signal sequence receptor 1, plays a critical role in the biosynthesis of insulin. Genetic analysis in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and biochemical studies in pancreatic β cells reveal that TRAPα deletion impairs preproinsulin translocation while unexpectedly disrupting distal steps in insulin biogenesis including proinsulin processing and secretion. The association of common intronic single-nucleotide variants in the human TRAPα gene with susceptibility to type 2 diabetes and pancreatic β cell dysfunction suggests that impairment of preproinsulin translocation and proinsulin trafficking may contribute to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Li
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Omar A. Itani
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Leena Haataja
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetes, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Kathleen J. Dumas
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Jing Yang
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Jeeyeon Cha
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Stephane Flibotte
- Departments of Zoology and Cellular and Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Hung-Jen Shih
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Colin E. Delaney
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Jialu Xu
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Ling Qi
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetes, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Peter Arvan
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetes, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Ming Liu
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetes, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Patrick J. Hu
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
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Pellestor F, Gatinois V. Chromoanasynthesis: another way for the formation of complex chromosomal abnormalities in human reproduction. Hum Reprod 2019; 33:1381-1387. [PMID: 30325427 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/dey231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Chromoanasynthesis has been described as a novel cause of massive constitutional chromosomal rearrangements. Based on DNA replication machinery defects, chromoanasynthesis is characterized by the presence of chromosomal duplications and triplications locally clustered on one single chromosome, or a few chromosomes, associated with various other types of structural rearrangements. Two distinct mechanisms have been described for the formation of these chaotic genomic disorders, i.e. the fork stalling and template switching and the microhomology-mediated break-induced replication. Micronucleus-based processes have been evidenced as a causative mechanism, thus, highlighting the close connection between segregation errors and structural rearrangements. Accumulating data indicate that chromoanasynthesis is operating in human germline cells and during early embryonic development. The development of new tools for quantifying chromoanasynthesis events should provide further insight into the impact of this catastrophic cellular phenomenon in human reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franck Pellestor
- Unit of Chromosomal Genetics, Department of Medical Genetics, Arnaud de Villeneuve Hospital, Montpellier CHU, Montpellier, France
| | - Vincent Gatinois
- Unit of Chromosomal Genetics, Department of Medical Genetics, Arnaud de Villeneuve Hospital, Montpellier CHU, Montpellier, France
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Pellestor F. Chromoanagenesis: cataclysms behind complex chromosomal rearrangements. Mol Cytogenet 2019; 12:6. [PMID: 30805029 PMCID: PMC6371609 DOI: 10.1186/s13039-019-0415-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Accepted: 01/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background During the last decade, genome sequencing projects in cancer genomes as well as in patients with congenital diseases and healthy individuals have led to the identification of new types of massive chromosomal rearrangements arising during single chaotic cellular events. These unanticipated catastrophic phenomenon are termed chromothripsis, chromoanasynthesis and chromoplexis., and are grouped under the name of “chromoanagenesis”. Results For each process, several specific features have been described, allowing each phenomenon to be distinguished from each other and to understand its mechanism of formation and to better understand its aetiology. Thus, chromothripsis derives from chromosome shattering followed by the random restitching of chromosomal fragments with low copy-number change whereas chromoanasynthesis results from erroneous DNA replication of a chromosome through serial fork stalling and template switching with variable copy-number gains, and chromoplexy refers to the occurrence of multiple inter-and intra-chromosomal translocations and deletions with little or no copy-number alterations in prostate cancer. Cumulating data and experimental models have shown that chromothripsis and chromoanasynthesis may essentially result from lagging chromosome encapsulated in micronuclei or telomere attrition and end-to-end telomere fusion. Conclusion The concept of chromanagenesis has provided new insight into the aetiology of complex structural rearrangements, the connection between defective cell cycle progression and genomic instability, and the complexity of cancer evolution. Increasing reported chromoanagenesis events suggest that these chaotic mechanisms are probably much more frequent than anticipated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franck Pellestor
- Unit of Chromosomal Genetics, Department of Medical Genetics, Arnaud de Villeneuve Hospital, Montpellier CHRU, 371, avenue du Doyen Gaston Giraud, 34295 Montpellier cedex 5, France.,INSERM 1183 Unit «Genome and Stem Cell Plasticity in Development and Aging », Institute of Regenerative Medicine and Biotherapies, St Eloi Hospital, Montpellier, France
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CRISPR/Cas9 Methodology for the Generation of Knockout Deletions in Caenorhabditis elegans. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2019; 9:135-144. [PMID: 30420468 PMCID: PMC6325907 DOI: 10.1534/g3.118.200778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The Caenorhabditis elegans Gene Knockout Consortium is tasked with obtaining null mutations in each of the more than 20,000 open reading frames (ORFs) of this organism. To date, approximately 15,000 ORFs have associated putative null alleles. As there has been substantial success in using CRISPR/Cas9 in C. elegans, this appears to be the most promising technique to complete the task. To enhance the efficiency of using CRISPR/Cas9 to generate gene deletions in C. elegans we provide a web-based interface to access our database of guide RNAs (http://genome.sfu.ca/crispr). When coupled with previously developed selection vectors, optimization for homology arm length, and the use of purified Cas9 protein, we demonstrate a robust and effective protocol for generating deletions for this large-scale project. Debate and speculation in the larger scientific community concerning off-target effects due to non-specific Cas9 cutting has prompted us to investigate through whole genome sequencing the occurrence of single nucleotide variants and indels accompanying targeted deletions. We did not detect any off-site variants above the natural spontaneous mutation rate and therefore conclude that this modified protocol does not generate off-target events to any significant degree in C. elegans. We did, however, observe a number of non-specific alterations at the target site itself following the Cas9-induced double-strand break and offer a protocol for best practice quality control for such events.
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Luijten MNH, Lee JXT, Crasta KC. Mutational game changer: Chromothripsis and its emerging relevance to cancer. MUTATION RESEARCH-REVIEWS IN MUTATION RESEARCH 2018; 777:29-51. [PMID: 30115429 DOI: 10.1016/j.mrrev.2018.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2018] [Revised: 06/22/2018] [Accepted: 06/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, the paradigm that genomic abnormalities in cancer cells arise through progressive accumulation of mutational events has been challenged by the discovery of single catastrophic events. One such phenomenon termed chromothripsis, involving massive chromosomal rearrangements arising all at once, has emerged as a major mutational game changer. The strong interest in this process stems from its widespread association with a range of cancer types and its potential as a mutational driver. In this review, we first describe chromothripsis detection and incidence in cancers. We then explore recently proposed underlying mechanistic origins, which explain the curious observations of the highly localised nature of the rearrangements on chromothriptic chromosomes. Detection of chromothriptic patterns following incorporation of single chromosomes into micronuclei or following telomere attrition have greatly contributed to our understanding of the reasons behind this chromosomal restriction. These underlying cellular events have been found to be participants in the tumourigenic process, strongly suggesting a potential role for chromothripsis in cancer development. Thus, we discuss potential implications of chromothripsis for cancer progression and therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jeannie Xue Ting Lee
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, 59 Nanyang Drive, 636921, Singapore.
| | - Karen Carmelina Crasta
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, 59 Nanyang Drive, 636921, Singapore; School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, 639798, Singapore; Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research, 61 Biopolis Drive, 138673, Singapore; Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
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Mutational and transcriptional landscape of spontaneous gene duplications and deletions in Caenorhabditis elegans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:7386-7391. [PMID: 29941601 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1801930115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene duplication and deletion are pivotal processes shaping the structural and functional repertoire of genomes, with implications for disease, adaptation, and evolution. We employed a mutation accumulation (MA) framework partnered with high-throughput genomics to assess the molecular and transcriptional characteristics of newly arisen gene copy-number variants (CNVs) in Caenorhabditis elegans populations subjected to varying intensity of selection. Here, we report a direct spontaneous genome-wide rate of gene duplication of 2.9 × 10-5/gene per generation in C. elegans, the highest for any species to date. The rate of gene deletion is sixfold lower (5 × 10-6/gene per generation). Deletions of highly expressed genes are particularly deleterious, given their paucity in even the N = 1 lines with minimal efficacy of selection. The increase in average transcript abundance of new duplicates arising under minimal selection is significantly greater than twofold compared with single copies of the same gene, suggesting that genes in segmental duplications are frequently overactive at inception. The average increase in transcriptional activity of gene duplicates is greater in the N = 1 MA lines than in MA lines with larger population bottlenecks. There is an inverse relationship between the ancestral transcription levels of new gene duplicates and population size, with duplicate copies of highly expressed genes less likely to accumulate in larger populations. Our results demonstrate a fitness cost of increased transcription following duplication, which results in purifying selection against new gene duplicates. However, on average, duplications also provide a significant increase in gene expression that can facilitate adaptation to novel environmental challenges.
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N-Ethyl-N-Nitrosourea (ENU) Mutagenesis Reveals an Intronic Residue Critical for Caenorhabditis elegans 3' Splice Site Function in Vivo. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2016; 6:1751-6. [PMID: 27172199 PMCID: PMC4889670 DOI: 10.1534/g3.116.028662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Metazoan introns contain a polypyrimidine tract immediately upstream of the AG dinucleotide that defines the 3' splice site. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, 3' splice sites are characterized by a highly conserved UUUUCAG/R octamer motif. While the conservation of pyrimidines in this motif is strongly suggestive of their importance in pre-mRNA splicing, in vivo evidence in support of this is lacking. In an N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) mutagenesis screen in Caenorhabditis elegans, we have isolated a strain containing a point mutation in the octamer motif of a 3' splice site in the daf-12 gene. This mutation, a single base T-to-G transversion at the -5 position relative to the splice site, causes a strong daf-12 loss-of-function phenotype by abrogating splicing. The resulting transcript is predicted to encode a truncated DAF-12 protein generated by translation into the retained intron, which contains an in-frame stop codon. Other than the perfectly conserved AG dinucleotide at the site of splicing, G at the -5 position of the octamer motif is the most uncommon base in C. elegans 3' splice sites, occurring at closely paired sites where the better match to the splicing consensus is a few bases downstream. Our results highlight both the biological importance of the highly conserved -5 uridine residue in the C. elegans 3' splice site octamer motif as well as the utility of using ENU as a mutagen to study the function of polypyrimidine tracts and other AU- or AT-rich motifs in vivo.
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