14382 results for ""Pennsylvania+German"+ACS+study+'Socius'+open+access"

in 23.83 milliseconds.

• RBMX functional retrocopy safeguards brain development

  Retrotransposition has generated thousands of intronless gene copies in mammalian genomes, yet their contribution to brain development and evolution remains largely unexplored. We investigated the role for RBMX retrocopy in shaping neurodevelopment and modulating disease. First, we reported 8 distinct pathogenic variants in RBMX, an X-linked splicing regulator, in 11 males presenting with intellectual disability, microcephaly, and cortical malformations. Then, we combined transcriptomic profiling, protein–protein and protein–RNA interaction studies both in human cellular models and mouse embryonic cortices to assess the functional redundancy between RBMX and its retrocopy RBMXL1. Finally, we use mouse genetics to dissect RBMX function and its compensation by RBMXL1 in corticogenesis. We show that RBMX pathogenic variants disrupt cortical development through both loss- and gain-of-function mechanisms. Surprisingly, despite severe phenotypes in humans, Rbmx-deficient mice display only mild cortical abnormalities, a discrepancy likely due to compensation by Rbmxl1, a retrocopy that arose independently in mice and humans. We demonstrate that RBMX and RBMXL1 share protein and RNA partners and act redundantly in brain development, with RBMXL1 buffering the impact of RBMX deficiency. Together, these findings establish that RBMXL1 functions as a functional paralog of RBMX safeguarding neurodevelopment by buffering deleterious variation. More broadly, these results identify retrocopies as active contributors to neurodevelopmental robustness and suggest that functional retrocopies may have facilitated the evolutionary diversification of the mammalian brain.

  Study EGAS50000001650

• Whole genome sequencing of matched primary and metastatic acral melanomas

  Next generation sequencing has enabled systematic discovery of mutational spectra in cancer samples. Here we used whole genome sequencing to characterise somatic mutations and structural variation in a primary acral melanoma and its lymph node metastasis. Our data show that the somatic mutational rates in this acral melanoma sample pair was more comparable to the rate reported in cancer genomes not associated with mutagenic exposure than in the genome of a melanoma cell line or the transcriptome of melanoma short-term cultures. Despite the perception that acral skin is sun-protected, the dominant mutational signature in these samples is compatible with damage due to ultraviolet light exposure. A nonsense mutation in ERCC5 discovered in both the primary and metastatic tumours, could also have contributed to the mutational signature through accumulation of unrepaired dipyrimidine lesions. However, evidence of transcription-coupled repair was suggested by the lower mutational rate in the transcribed regions and expressed genes. The primary and the metastasis are highly similar at the level of global gene copy number alterations, loss of heterozygosity and single nucleotide variation (SNV). Furthermore, the majority of the SNVs in the primary tumour were propagated in the metastasis and one non-synonymous coding SNV and one splice site mutation appeared to arise de novo in the metastatic lesion.

  Study EGAS00001000169

• A Cancer Cell-Line Titration Series for Evaluating Somatic Classification

  Accurate detection of somatic single nucleotide variants and small insertions and deletions from DNA sequencing experiments of tumour-normal pairs is a challenging task. Tumour samples are often contaminated with normal cells confounding the available evidence for the somatic variants. Furthermore, tumours are heterogeneous so sub-clonal variants are observed at reduced allele frequencies. We present here a cell-line titration series dataset that can be used to evaluate somatic variant calling pipelines with the goal of reliably calling true somatic mutations at low allele frequencies. Cell-line DNA was mixed with matched normal DNA at 8 different ratios to generate samples with known tumour cellularities, and exome sequenced on Illumina HiSeq to depths of >300x. The data was processed with several different variant calling pipelines and verification experiments were performed to assay >1,500 somatic variant candidates using Ion Torrent PGM as an orthogonal technology. By examining the variants called at varying cellularities and depths of coverage, we show that the best performing pipelines are able to maintain a high level of precision at any cellularity. In addition, we estimate the number of true somatic variants undetected as cellularity and coverage decrease. Our cell-line titration series dataset, along with the associated verification results, is effective for this evaluation and will serve as a valuable dataset for future somatic calling algorithm development.

  Study EGAS00001001016

• Double mutant DNMT3A AML: a unique subtype

  Mutation of DNMT3A, encoding a de novo methyltransferase essential for cytosine methylation, is a common early event in clonal hematopoiesis (CH) and adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Spontaneous deamination of methylated cytosines damages DNA, which is repaired by the base excision repair (BER) enzymes MBD4 and TDG. Congenital MBD4-deficiency has been linked to early-onset CH and AML, and is marked by exceedingly high levels of DNA damage and mutation of DNMT3A. Strikingly, wildtype (WT) DNMT3A binds TDG, thereby potentiating its repair activity. Since TDG is the only remaining BER enzyme in MBD4-deficient AML patients capable of repairing methylation damage, we investigated whether mutant DNMT3A negatively affects the repair function of TDG. We found that, whereas WT DNMT3A stimulates TDG function, mutant DNMT3A impairs TDG-mediated repair of DNA damage in vitro. In light of this finding and to extrapolate our observations to the broader AML patient population, we investigate here the genetic profiles and survival outcomes of AML patients with single (SM) versus double mutant (DM) DNMT3A. DM DNMT3A AML patients show a characteristic driver mutation landscape and reduced overall survival when compared to SM DNMT3A AML patients. Importantly, whole-genome sequencing showed a trend for increased DNA damage in primary DM DNMT3A AML samples, especially when DNMT3A mutations are located at the DNMT3A-TDG interaction interface.

  Study EGAS00001007966

• Papuan Y chromosome Diversity Panel

  Island Southeast Asia and Oceania host one of the world’s richest assemblages of human phenotypic, linguistic and cultural diversity. Despite this, the region’s male genetic lineages are globally among the last to remain unresolved. We compiled ~9.7 Mb of Y chromosome sequence from a diverse sample of over 380 men from this region, including 152 first reported here. The granularity of this dataset allows us to fully resolve and date the regional Y chromosome phylogeny. This new high-resolution tree confirms two main population bursts: multiple rapid diversifications following the region’s initial settlement ~50 kya, and extensive expansions <6 kya. Notably, ~40-25 kya the deep rooting local lineages of C-M130, M-P256, and S-B254 show almost no further branching events in Island Southeast Asia, New Guinea and Australia, matching a similar pause in diversification seen in maternal mitochondrial DNA lineages. The main local lineages start diversifying ~25 kya, at the time of the Last Glacial Maximum. This improved Y chromosome topology highlights localized events with important historical implications, including pre-Holocene contact between Mainland and Island Southeast Asia, potential interactions between Australia and the Papuan world, and a sustained period of diversification following the flooding of the ancient Sunda and Sahul continents as the insular landscape observed today formed. The high-resolution phylogeny of the Y chromosome presented here thus enables a detailed exploration of

  Study EGAS00001006025

• Aggressive genomic features in clinicallyindolent primary HHV8-negative effusion-based lymphoma

  Human herpesvirus 8-negative effusion-based lymphoma (HHV8-negative EBL) is a distinct lymphoma entity related to fluid overload states caused by underlying medical conditions. Due to a phenotypical resemblance with secondary effusion of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), HHV8-negative EBL is easily misdiagnosed. However, in contrast to DLBCL, HHV8-negative EBL follows a mild clinical course, underpinning the importance to differentiate between the two entities. Only limited molecular data of HHV8-negative EBL has been reported and characteristic genomic patterns are lacking. We performed extensive genomic profiling on 8 HHV8-negative EBL cases. A mean number of 33.6 copy number gains and losses per case were found, with recurrent focal deletions of chromosome 3p14.2 and 6q21 in 6/8 cases, encompassing tumor supressor genes FHIT and PRDM1, respectively. We observed a high rate of mutations across genes frequently involved in DLBCL, including patterns of somatic hypermutation. The most abundant hotspot mutation was found in MYD88L265P (3/8 cases). In addition, 5/8 cases had one or more translocations, involving MYC, BCL2, BCL6, TP63, EXOC2 and KMT2D, with Ig and non-Ig partners. We conclude that HHV8-negative EBL is characterized by genomic features that are commonly found in more aggressive B-cell lymphomas, but despite this follow an indolent clinical course.

  Study EGAS00001002743

• Analysis_of_genomic_integrity_of_disease_corrected_human_induced_pluripotent_stem_cells_by_exome_sequencing

  Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells hold great promise for autologous cell transplantation. In order to apply this therapy to monogenic disorder, disease-causing mutations must be corrected prior to transplantation. We generated iPS cells from patients with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, which is caused by homozygous non-synonymous mutation in the SERPINA1 gene. In vitro differentiation of patient-derived iPS cells to hepatocytes showed recapitulation of the disease phenotype. We corrected the mutations by gene targeting using zinc finger nuclease (ZFN) and piggyBac transposon technologies. Our mutation correction is highly accurate. There is no exogenous sequence left behind at the targeted site. The corrected iPS cell-derived hepatocytes were indistinguishable from healthy hepatocyte, suggesting that the corrected gene was fully functional. The genomic integrity was also analyzed by CGH and SNP array, showing no genomic alterations. These are important points to ensure clinical safety as well as functional restoration of the corrected gene. One remaining question is if these corrected iPS cells are clinically safe at the single base-pair level. Recent publications suggested that cancer-related mutations are significantly accumulated during iPS cell propagation. We aim to assess the clinical safety of the corrected iPS cells by using exome sequencing. Outcome from this project would bring iPS cell technology one step closer to clinical applications.

  Study EGAS00001000055

• Evolution of DNA repair defects during malignant progression of low-grade gliomas after temozolomide treatment.

  Temozolomide (TMZ) increases the overall survival of patients with glioblastoma (GBM), but its role in the clinical management of diffuse low-grade gliomas (LGG) is still being defined. DNA hypermethylation of the O 6 -methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter is associated with an improved response to TMZ treatment, while inactivation of the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) pathway is associated with therapeutic resistance and TMZ-induced mutagenesis. We previously demonstrated that TMZ treatment of LGG induces driver mutations in the RB and AKT-mTOR pathways, which may drive malignant progression to secondary GBM. To better understand the mechanisms underlying TMZ-induced mutagenesis and malignant progression, we explored the evolution of MGMT methylation and genetic alterations affecting MMR genes in a cohort of 34 treatment-naïve LGGs and their recurrences. Recurrences with TMZ-associated hypermutation had increased MGMT methylation compared to their untreated initial tumors and higher overall MGMT methylation compared to TMZ-treated non-hypermutated recurrences. A TMZ-associated mutation in one or more MMR genes was observed in five out of six TMZ-treated hypermutated recurrences. In two cases, pre-existing heterozygous deletions encompassing MGMT, or an MMR gene, were followed by TMZ-associated mutations in one of the genes of interest. These results suggest that tumor cells with methylated MGMT may undergo positive selection during TMZ treatment in the context of MMR deficiency.

  Study EGAS00001001179

• JMML targeted sequencing (2013)

  Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) is a rare myelodysplastic myeloproliferative neoplasm of early childhood initiated by germline or somatic RAS-activating mutations (Chang, Dvorak et al. 2014). Clinical evolution is heterogeneous, with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) transformation in 1/3 of cases and frequent relapses after hematopoietic-stem-cell transplantation (HSCT), although some patients experience spontaneous remission (Locatelli, Nollke et al. 2005; Matsuda, Shimada et al. 2007; Takagi, Piao et al. 2013; Locatelli and Niemeyer 2015). The initiating lesion incompletely predicts outcome, suggesting the involvement of additional mutations. Genetic profiling of a large JMML cohort (n=118), including whole-exome sequencing (WES) in 30 cases, uncovered additional genetic abnormalities in 56 cases (47%). Somatic events were rare (0.38/case/Mb) and restricted to sporadic (47/78; 60%) or NF1-associated (8/8; 100%) JMML. Multiple concomitant genetic hits were identified targeting the RAS pathway in 13/78 (17%), RAC2D63V, which activates the PI3K/PDK1/AKT and the mTORC2 pathways, and a novel pathway for JMML, the polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), in 26/78 (33%) of the sporadic JMML cases. Interestingly, PRC2 imbalance was recently shown to synergize with RAS activation (De Raedt, Beert et al. 2014). JMML outcome was associated to the mutational profile, suggesting a dose-dependent effect for RAS-pathway activation, distinguishing very aggressive JMML rapidly progressing to AML.

  Study EGAS00001001324

• Exome and RNA sequencing of relapsed TCF3-PBX1 t(1;19) acute lymphoblastic leukemia

  TCF3-PBX1 (E2A-PBX1) is a recurrent gene fusion in B-cell precursor lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL), which is caused by the translocation t(1;19)(q23;p13). TCF3-PBX1 BCP-ALL patients typically benefit from chemotherapy; however, many relapse and subsequently develop resistant disease with few effective treatment options. Mechanisms driving disease progression and therapy resistance have not been studied in TCF3-PBX1 BCP-ALL. Here, we aimed to identify novel treatment options for TCF3-PBX1 BCP-ALL by profiling leukemia cells from a relapsed patient, and determine molecular mechanisms underlying disease pathogenesis and progression. By drug sensitivity testing of leukemic blasts from the index patient, control samples and TCF3-PBX1 positive and negative BCP-ALL cell lines, we identified the phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase delta (p110δ) inhibitor idelalisib as an effective treatment for TCF3-PBX1 BCP-ALL. This was further supported by evidence showing TCF3-PBX1 directly regulates expression of PIK3CD, the gene encoding p110δ. Other somatic mutations to TP53 and MTOR, as well as aberrant expression of CXCR4, may influence additional drug sensitivities specific to the index patient and accompanied progression of the disease. Our results suggest that idelalisib is a promising treatment option for patients with TCF3-PBX1 BCP-ALL while other drugs could be useful depending on the genetic context of individual patients.

  Study EGAS00001001876

• Transcriptome sequencing of gingivo-buccal oral squamous cell carcinoma for integrative analysis: alterations in expression of genes attributable to methylation changes

  Gingivo-buccal oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC-GB) is the most common cancer among men in India and is associated with high mortality. Although OSCC-GB is known to be quite different from tongue cancer in its genomic presentation and its clinical behavior, it is treated identically as tongue cancer. Predictive markers of prognosis and therapy that are specific to OSCC-GB are, therefore, required. To achieve this, we have carried out transcriptome (n=72) profiling of paired tumor-normal tissues collected from OSCC-GB patients from India. RNA sequencing was performed on tumor and paired adjacent normal samples from 72 OSCC-GB patients. From each patient, total RNA was extracted from tumor and normal tissue samples using AllPrep DNA/RNA Mini Kit (QIAGEN). The quality and concentration of isolated total RNA were checked using Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer and NanoDrop 2000 (Thermo Fisher Scientific). The OD260/OD280 ratio was ≥ 2 and RNA Integrity Number (RIN) was ≥ 7.0 for all sequenced samples. Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) was removed from the RNA samples, using Ribo-Zero Magnetic Kit (Epicentre). Sequencing libraries were prepared from rRNA depleted samples using TrueSeq RNA Sample Preparation Kit (Illumina). Each triplex cDNA library pool was sequenced as 100bp paired-end on HiSeq-2000 or HiSeq-2500 (Illumina). Protocols suggested by the manufacturers were used for all assays.

  Study EGAS00001003893

• Comparison of 133/144bp dominant phenotype vs 166bp dominant phenotype.

  Background: Previous studies found that cell-free DNA (cfDNA) generated from tumors was shorter than that from healthy cells, and selecting short cfDNA could enrich for tumor cfDNA and improve its usage in early cancer diagnosis and treatment monitoring; however, the underlying mechanism of shortened tumor cfDNA was still unknown, which potentially limits its further clinical application.Results: Using targeted sequencing of cfDNA in a large cohort of solid tumor patient, sequencing reads harboring tumor-specific somatic mutations were isolated to examine the exact size distribution of tumor cfDNA. For the majority of studied cases, 166bp remained as the peak size of tumor cfDNA, with tumor cfDNA showing an increased proportion of short fragments (100-150bp). Less than 1% of cfDNA samples were found to be peaked at 134/144bp and independent of tumor cfDNA purity. Using whole-genome sequencing of cfDNA, we discovered a positive correlation between cfDNA shortening and the magnitude of chromatin inaccessibility, as measured by transcription, DNase I hypersensitivity, and histone modifications. Tumor cfDNA shortening occurred simultaneously at both 5’ and 3’ ends of the DNA wrapped around nucleosomes. Conclusions: Tumor cfDNA shortening exhibited two distinctive modes. Tumor cfDNA purity and chromatin inaccessibility were contributing factors but insufficient to trigger a global transition from 166bp dominant to 134/144bp dominant phenotype.

  Study EGAS00001004135

• Similarity and diversity of the tumor microenvironment in multiple metastases: critical implications for overall and progression-free survival of high-grade serous ovarian cancer.

  The tumor microenvironment is pivotal in influencing cancer progression and metastasis. Different cells co-exist with high spatial diversity within a patient, yet their combinatorial effects are poorly understood. We investigate the similarity of the tumor microenvironment of 192 local metastatic lesions in 61 ovarian cancer patients. An ecologically inspired measure of microenvironmental diversity derived from multiple metastasis sites is correlated with clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic outcome. We demonstrate a high accuracy of our automated analysis across multiple sites. A low level of similarity in microenvironmental composition is observed between ovary tumor and corresponding local metastases (stromal ratio r = 0.30, lymphocyte ratio r = 0.37). We identify a new measure of microenvironmental diversity derived from Shannon entropy that is highly predictive of poor overall (p = 0.002, HR = 3.18, 95% CI = 1.51-6.68) and progression-free survival (p = 0.0036, HR = 2.83, 95% CI = 1.41-5.7), independent of and stronger than clinical variables, subtype stratifications based on single cell types alone and number of sites. Although stromal influence in ovary tumors is known to have significant clinical implications, our findings reveal an even stronger impact orchestrated by diverse cell types. Quantitative histology-based measures can further enable objective selection of patients who are in urgent need of new therapeutic strategies such as combinatorial treatments targeting heterogeneous tumor microenvironment.

  Study EGAS00001002065

• Automated system for scoring hematoxylin and eosin-stained ovarian cancer sections by identifying single cells uncovered that stromal cell ratio is a significant predictor for overall survival and progression-free survival.

  Concerted efforts in genomic studies have revealed profound insights in prognostic ovarian cancer subtypes. On the other hand, abundant histology slides have been generated to date, yet their uses remain very limited and largely qualitative. Our goal is to develop automated histology analysis as an alternative subtyping technology for ovarian cancer that is cost-efficient and do not rely on DNA quality. We develop an automated system for scoring hematoxylin and eosin-stained (H&E) primary tumour sections of 91 late-stage ovarian cancer to identify single cells including cancer and stromal cells. We demonstrated high accuracy of our system based on expert pathologists’ scores (cancer=97.1%, stromal=89.1%) as well as compared to immunohistochemistry scoring (correlation=0.87). Quantitative stromal cell ratio is significantly associated with poor overall survival after controlling for clinical parameters including debulking status and age (multivariate analysis p=0.0021, HR=2.54, CI=1.40-4.60) and progression-free survival (multivariate analysis p=0.022, HR=1.75, CI=1.09–2.82). We demonstrate how automated image analysis enables objective quantification of microenvironmental composition of ovarian tumours. Our analysis reveals a strong effect of the tumour microenvironment on ovarian cancer progression and highlights the potential of therapeutic interventions that target the stromal compartment or cancer-stroma signalling in the stroma-high, late-stage ovarian cancer subset.

  Study EGAS00001001694

• Genomic analysis reveals novel secondary drivers and progression pathways in skin basal cell carcinoma

  Basal cell carcinoma of the skin (BCC) is the most common malignant neoplasm in humans. BCC is primarily driven by the aberrant activation of the Sonic Hedgehog (Hh) pathway. However, its extensive phenotypical variation remains to be explained. The genetic profiling of 293 BCCs revealed the highest mutation rate observed in cancer (65 Mutations/Mb), with strong prevalence of UV-light signature mutations. 85% of BCCs harbored mutations in Hh pathway genes: mutually exclusive PTCH1 (73%) and SMO (20%) (P=6.6x10-8), SUFU (8%), and in TP53 (61%). 85% of BCCs also harbored secondary driver mutations in other genes implicated in BCC tumorigenesis. Recurrent secondary driver mutations were observed in MYCN (30%), PPP6C (15%), STK19 (10%), LATS1 (8%), ERBB2 (4%), PIK3CA (2%), RAC1 (1%) and N/K/H-RAS (2%). Loss of function (LoF) and deleterious missense mutations were observed in PTPN14 (23%), RB1 (8%) and FBXW7 (5%). In line with the mutational profiles detected by RNAseq, we observed activation of the Hh pathway as well as upregulation of target genes of the Hippo-YAP pathway and activation of MYCN target genes. The functional analysis of the novel tumorigenic driver mutations in MYCN, PTPN14 and LATS1 demonstrates their relevance in BCC tumorigenesis and provides an expanded molecular understanding of BCC.

  Study EGAS00001001540

• Identification_of_cardiovascular_biomarkers_through_an_integrative_omics_approach

  Recent GWAS studies have made extensive use of large eQTL data sets to functionallyannotate index SNPs. With a large number of association signals located outside codingregions there has been an intense search among sequence variants affecting geneexpression at the transcriptional level. However, little progress has been made in mappingregulatory variants that affect protein levels at the translational or post-translational level. It isnow possible to undertake a protein QTL scan for focused sets of e.g. oxidized proteins bymass spectrometry. We have established a collaboration with a longitudinal, family-basedstudy in France, the Stanislas cohort, which comprises circa 1000 nuclear families (4,295individuals) and has follow up data for 10 years (three visits). We have undertaken a pilotstudy in a focus set of 257 subjects from 79 families with the aim to integrate GWAS,transcriptomic and DNA methylation data with proteomic data on a set of 100 proteinsmeasured in PBMCs. We have already generated GWAS data using Illumina's core-exomechip as well as DNA methylation profiles with the 450K array. We propose to use RNA seq togenerate transcriptomic data of the corresponding PBMCs.This data is part of a pre-publication release. For information on the proper use of pre-publication data shared by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (including details of any publication moratoria), please see http://www.sanger.ac.uk/datasharing/

  Study EGAS00001000711

• Comprehensive analysis of atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumour (ATRT) using genomic, epigenomic and transcriptomic techniques.

  ATRTs (Atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumours) represent one of the most aggressive pediatric brain cancers, but intriguingly exhibit few other recurrently mutated loci except for SMARCB1/hSNF5. We integrated whole genome (n=15), exome, copy number, gene expression and methylation analyses to comprehensively interrogate 64 ATRTs and observed that structural events were relatively frequent in the ATRT genome (~3 tumour). In addition to SMARCB1, which was targeted by structural events in a majority (49/64) of tumours, recurrent structural alterations targeting the LRP1B, CDH13, BCR and MKL1 loci were observed. We observed novel translocation events, including 2 targeting SMARCB1 which were detected only by NGS analyses. Significantly, integration of gene expression and methylation profiles with genomic analyses revealed ATRT comprise two sub-groups with distinct clinical and genetic features. Group 1 tumours were characterized by supra-tentorial brain location, focal intragenic alterations of SMARCB1 and a pro-neural gene expression signature with evidence of NOTCH pathway activation. While Group 2 ATRTs were characterized by infra-tentorial brain location, broad SMARCB1 alterations and an activation of the BMP signalling pathway. Our findings highlight epigenetic mechanisms as important determinants of ATRT tumour phenotypes, and demonstrate for the first time that ATRTs arising in different anatomical compartments comprise distinct molecular and therapeutic sub-groups.

  Study EGAS00001000506

• UK10K NEURO ASD TAMPERE

  In the UK10K project we propose a series of complementary genetic approaches to find new low frequency/rare variants contributing to disease phenotypes. These will be based on obtaining the genome wide sequence of 4000 samples from the TwinsUK and ALSPAC cohorts (at 6x sequence coverage), and the exome sequence (protein coding regions and related conserved sequence) of 6000 samples selected for extreme phenotypes. Our studies will focus primarily on cardiovascular-related quantitative traits, obesity and related metabolic traits, neurodevelopmental disorders and a limited number of extreme clinical phenotypes that will provide proof-of-concept for future familial trait sequencing. We will analyse directly quantitative traits in the cohorts and the selected traits in the extreme samples, and also use imputation down to 0.1% allele frequency to extend the analyses to further sample sets with genome wide genotype data. In each case we will investigate indels and larger structural variants as well as SNPs, and use statistical methods that combine rare variants in a locus or pathway as well as single-variant approaches. The Tampere Autism sample set consists of samples from Finnish subjects with ASD (autism spectrum disorders) with IQs over 70 recruited from a clinical centre for the diagnosis and treatment of children with ASD. For further information on this cohort please contact either Terho Lehtimaki (terho.lehtimaki@uta.fi) or Kaija Puura (kaija.puura@pshp.fi).

  Study EGAS00001000115

• Sensitive Monogenic Noninvasive Prenatal Diagnosis by Targeted Haplotyping

  During pregnancy, cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in maternal blood encompasses a small percentage of cell-free fetal DNA (cffDNA), an easilyaccessible source for determination of fetal disease status in risk families through non-invasive procedures. In case of monogenic heritabledisease, background maternal cfDNA prohibits direct observation of the maternally inherited allele. Non-invasive prenatal diagnostics(NIPD) of monogenic diseases therefore relies on parental haplotyping and statistical assessment of inherited alleles from cffDNA,techniques currently unavailable for routine clinical practice. Here, we present monogenic NIPD (MG-NIPD), which requires a bloodsample from both parents, for targeted locus amplification (TLA)-based phasing of heterozygous variants selectively at a gene of interest.Capture probes-based targeted sequencing of cfDNA from the pregnant mother and a tailored statistical analysis enables predicting fetalgene inheritance. MG-NIPD was validated for 18 pregnancies, focusing on CFTR, CYP21A2, and HBB. In all cases we could predict theinherited alleles with >98% confidence, even at relatively early stages (8 weeks) of pregnancy. This prediction and the accuracy ofparental haplotyping was confirmed by sequencing of fetal material obtained by parallel invasive procedures. MG-NIPD is a robustmethod that requires standard instrumentation and can be implemented in any clinic to provide families carrying a severe monogenicdisease with a prenatal diagnostic test based on a simple blood draw.

  Study EGAS00001002622

• Using_genetics_to_identify_cell_types_and_mechanisms_underlying_susceptibility_to_primary_sclerosing_cholangitis

  Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a T-cell mediated, chronic inflammatory condition of the biliary tree that is strongly associated with inflammatory bowel disease. Genome-wide association studies have identified 22 non-HLA genetic risk variants associated PSC. Identifying the genes impacted by these variants has proven difficult as the majority lie in non-coding regions of the genome. Knowledge of the genes and biological pathways these non-coding variants are perturbing is vital to understanding the disease biology. One means of assessing the impact of non-coding variants within disease associated loci upon genes is via colocalisation with eQTL. Many eQTL are cell-type specific, requiring the analysis of disease relevant cell types to detect colocalisation. We have collected PSC-relevant T-cell-subtypes from the peripheral blood of PSC patients via fluorescence activated cell sorting in preparation for RNA sequencing and mapping of eQTL. Samples were collected at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hopital, for which local ethical approval has been granted. Lysed cell samples will be transferred to WTSI and DNA/RNA will be extracted from lysed cell samples by T143 before genotyping (DNA) and custom library preparation and sequencing (RNA). This data is part of a pre-publication release. For information on the proper use of pre-publication data shared by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (including details of any publication moratoria), please see http://www.sanger.ac.uk/datasharing/

  Study EGAS00001002643

• MutWP1__CRUK_Grand_Challenge_Mutographs_of_Cancer__Oesophageal_squamous_cell_carcinoma

  The Mutographs project aims to advance our understanding of the causes of cancer through studies of mutational signatures. Led by Mike Stratton, together with Paul Brennan, Ludmil Alexandrov, Allan Balmain, David Phillips and Peter Campbell, this large-scale international research endeavour was awarded a Cancer Research UK Grand Challenge. Different patterns of somatic mutation are generated by the different environmental, lifestyle and genetic factors that cause cancer, many of them are still unknown. Within Mutographs, the International Agency for Research on Cancer is coordinating the recruitment of 5000 individuals with cancer (colorectal, renal, pancreatic, oesophageal adenocarcinoma or oesophageal squamous cancers) across 5 continents to explore whether different mutational signatures explain marked variation in incidence. In brief, through an international network of collaborators around the world, biological materials are collected, along with demographic, histological, clinical and questionnaire data. Whole genome sequences of tumour-germline DNA pairs are generated at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (Illumina HiSeqX, 40X and 20X depth respectively). Somatic mutational signatures are subsequently extracted by non-negative matrix factorisation methods and correlated with risk factors data. Through an enhanced understanding of cancer aetiology, Mutographs unprecedented effort is anticipated to outline modifiable risk factors, lead to new approaches to prevent cancer, and provide opportunities to empower early detection, refine high-risk groups and contribute to further therapeutic development.

  Study EGAS00001002725

• MutWP1__CRUK_Grand_Challenge_Mutographs_of_Cancer__pancreas

  The Mutographs project aims to advance our understanding of the causes of cancer through studies of mutational signatures. Led by Mike Stratton, together with Paul Brennan, Ludmil Alexandrov, Allan Balmain, David Phillips and Peter Campbell, this large-scale international research endeavour was awarded a Cancer Research UK Grand Challenge. Different patterns of somatic mutation are generated by the different environmental, lifestyle and genetic factors that cause cancer, many of them are still unknown. Within Mutographs, the International Agency for Research on Cancer is coordinating the recruitment of 5000 individuals with cancer (colorectal, renal, pancreatic, oesophageal adenocarcinoma or oesophageal squamous cancers) across 5 continents to explore whether different mutational signatures explain marked variation in incidence. In brief, through an international network of collaborators around the world, biological materials are collected, along with demographic, histological, clinical and questionnaire data. Whole genome sequences of tumour-germline DNA pairs are generated at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (Illumina HiSeqX, 40X and 20X depth respectively). Somatic mutational signatures are subsequently extracted by non-negative matrix factorisation methods and correlated with risk factors data. Through an enhanced understanding of cancer aetiology, Mutographs unprecedented effort is anticipated to outline modifiable risk factors, lead to new approaches to prevent cancer, and provide opportunities to empower early detection, refine high-risk groups and contribute to further therapeutic development.

  Study EGAS00001002726

• Insular Celtic population structure and genomic footprints of migration

  Previous studies of the genetic landscape of Ireland have suggested homogeneity, with population substructure undetectable using single-marker methods. Here we have harnessed the haplotype-based method fineSTRUCTURE in an Irish genome-wide SNP dataset, identifying 23 discrete genetic clusters which segregate with geographical provenance. Cluster diversity is pronounced in the west of Ireland but reduced in the east where older structure has been eroded by historical migrations. Accordingly, when populations from the neighbouring island of Britain are included, a west-east cline of Celtic-British ancestry is revealed along with a particularly striking correlation between haplotypes and geography across both islands. A strong relationship is revealed between subsets of Northern Irish and Scottish populations, where discordant genetic and geographic affinities reflect major migrations in recent centuries. Additionally, Irish genetic proximity of all Scottish samples likely reflects older strata of communication across the narrowest inter-island crossing. Using GLOBETROTTER we detected Irish admixture signals from Britain and Europe and estimated dates for events consistent with the historical migrations of the Norse-Vikings, the Anglo-Normans and the British Plantations. The influence of the former is greater than previously estimated from Y chromosome haplotypes. In all, we paint a new picture of the genetic landscape of Ireland, revealing structure which should be considered in the design of studies examining rare genetic variation and its association with traits.

  Study EGAS00001002769

• An Empirical Approach Leveraging Tumorgrafts to Dissect the Tumor Microenvironment in Renal Cell Carcinoma Identifies Missing Link to Prognostic Inflammatory Factors

  We undertook an empirical approach to dissect the tumor microenvironment by developing a bulk tumor dissection algorithm, DisHet, and leveraging RNA-Seq data of tumorgrafts (patient-derived tumors implanted in mice), in which only the tumor cell component expands. We found that approximately 65% of previously defined immune signature genes are not abundantly expressed in the Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) microenvironment, and we identified more than two times as many novel immune/stromal transcripts. By using refined immune/stroma-specific genes and genomics, electronic medical record data and imaging data of 1084 RCC patients, we discovered a highly-inflamed pan-RCC subtype enriched for Treg cells, NK cells, Th1 cells, neutrophils, macrophages, B cells, and CD8+ T cells. This inflamed subtype (IS) is enriched for aggressive RCCs, including BAP1-deficient clear-cell and type 2 papillary tumors. Interestingly, IS is correlated with systemic manifestations of inflammation in patients such as thrombocytosis and anemia, whose pathogenesis were poorly defined and have been predictors of poor prognosis in RCC. Indeed, we discovered that IS is a strong predictor of poor survival. Lastly, our analyses show that tumor cells may drive stromal immune response. Overall, these data provide a missing link between the tumor cells, the tumor microenvironment, and systemic factors.

  Study EGAS00001002786

• Single cell sequencing reveals the origin and the order of mutation acquisition in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

  Next-generation sequencing has provided a detailed overview of the various genomic lesions implicated in the pathogenesis of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). Typically, 10 to 20 genomic lesions are found in T-ALL cells at diagnosis. However, it is currently unclear in which order these mutations are acquired and in which progenitor cells this is initiated. To address these questions, we used targeted single-cell sequencing of total bone marrow cells and CD34+CD38- multipotent progenitor cells for 4 T-ALL cases. Hierarchical clustering detected a dominant leukemia clone at diagnosis, accompanied by a few subclones harboring only a fraction of the mutations. We developed a graph-based algorithm to determine the order of mutation acquisition. Two of the four patients had an early event in a known oncogene (MED12, STAT5B) amongst various pre-leukemic events. Intermediate events included loss of 9p21 (CDKN2A/B) and acquisition of fusion genes, while NOTCH1 mutations were typically late events. Analysis of CD34+CD38- cells and myeloid progenitors revealed that in half of the cases somatic mutations were detectable in multipotent progenitor cells. We demonstrate that targeted single cell sequencing can elucidate the order of mutation acquisition in T-ALL and that T-ALL development can start in a multipotent progenitor cell.

  Study EGAS00001002830