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• Bulk-tissue RNA-sequencing paired nuclear and cytoplasmic fractions of anterior prefrontal cortex, cerebellar cortex and putamen tissues from post-mortem neuropathologically-confirmed control individuals.

  Gaining insight into the genetic regulation of gene expression in human brain is key to the interpretation of genome-wide association studies for major neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases. Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analyses have largely been used to achieve this, providing valuable insights into the genetic regulation of steady-state RNA in human brain, but not distinguishing between molecular processes regulating transcription and stability. RNA quantification within cellular fractions can disentangle these processes in cell types and tissues which are challenging to model in vitro. We investigated the underlying molecular processes driving the genetic regulation of gene expression specific to a cellular fraction using allele-specific expression (ASE). Applying ASE analysis to genomic and transcriptomic data from paired nuclear and cytoplasmic fractions of anterior prefrontal cortex, cerebellar cortex and putamen tissues from 4 post-mortem neuropathologically-confirmed control human brains, we demonstrate that a significant proportion of genetic regulation of gene expression occurs post-transcriptionally in the cytoplasm, with genes undergoing this form of regulation more likely to be synaptic. These findings have implications for understanding the structure of gene expression regulation in human brain, and importantly the interpretation of rapidly growing single-nucleus brain RNA-sequencing and eQTL datasets, where cytoplasm-specific regulatory events could be missed.

  Study EGAS00001006380

• MutWP1__CRUK_Grand_Challenge_Mutographs_of_Cancer__Oesophageal_adenocarcinoma

  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 (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 EGAS00001003702

• Neurodevelopmental Genomics: Trajectories of Complex Phenotypes

  This study is a collaboration between the Center for Applied Genomics (CAG) at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the Brain Behavior Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn). The cohort consists of youths aged 8-21 years who consulted the CHOP network and volunteered to participate in genomic studies of complex pediatric disorders. All participants underwent clinical assessment, including a neuropsychiatric structured interview and review of electronic medical records. They were also administered a neuroscience based computerized neurocognitive battery (CNB) and a subsample underwent neuroimaging. These are described separately below. Clinical Testing: GOASSESS, a computerized, structured screener developed from a modified version of the Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS, Kaufman et al. 1997, PMID: 9204677). Components of the interview include a timeline of life events, demographics and medical history, Global Assessment of Functioning, and Interviewer Observations. A psychopathology symptom and criterion-related assessment of mood disorders (depression, mania/hypomania), anxiety disorders (overanxious/generalized-, separation-, social-anxiety, specific phobia, panic disorder, agoraphobia, obsessive compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder), behavioral disorders (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder), psychosis spectrum (psychosis and prodromal symptoms), eating disorders, suicidal thinking and behavior, and treatment history. This is also based on K-SADS. An abbreviated Family Interview for Genetics Studies (FIGS) to assess major domains of psychopathology in the proband's first-degree relatives. Computerized Neurocognitive Battery: The CNB, developed for large-scale studies, yields measures of accuracy and speed for domains of executive-control functions (abstraction, attention, working memory), episodic memory (verbal, facial, spatial), complex cognitive processing (language reasoning, nonverbal reasoning, spatial processing), social cognition (emotion identification, emotion intensity differentiation, age differentiation) and sensorimotor and motor speed. The following neurobehavioral domains were assessed: Penn Conditional Exclusion Test is a measure of abstraction and concept formation. Participants decide which of 4 objects does not belong with the other 3, based on one of three sorting principles, which change. Feedback is used. Attention: The Penn Continuous Performance Test. Participants respond to a set of 7-segment displays whenever they form a digit or letter. Working Memory: The Letter N-back Test displays sequences of uppercase letters with a stimulus duration of 500 ms (ISI 2,500 ms.) In the 0-back condition, participants respond to a single target (i.e., X). In the 1-back condition they respond if the letter is identical to that preceding it. In the 2-back condition, they respond if the letter is identical to that presented two trials back. Verbal Memory: The Penn Word Memory Test presents 20 target words that are then mixed with 20 distracters equated for frequency, length, concreteness and low imageability. A 20 min delayed recall procedure is also administered. Face Memory: The Penn Face Memory Test presents 20 digitized faces that are then mixed with 20 distracters equated for age, gender and ethnicity. The procedure is repeated at 20 min delay. Spatial Memory: The Visual Object Learning Test uses Euclidean shapes as stimuli with the same paradigm as the word and face. Language and Analogical Reasoning: The Penn Verbal Reasoning consists of verbal analogy problems. Spatial Processing: Penn Line Orientation Test presents two lines at an angle, and participants click on a button that makes one line rotate until it has the same angle as the other. Emotion Processing: Facial displays of 4 emotions (Happy, Sad, Anger, Fear) and Neutral faces, 8 each, are presented and the subject identifies the emotion in a multiple-choice format. The facial stimuli are balanced for gender, age, and ethnicity. Sensory-motor Processing Speed: The task requires moving the mouse and clicking on a green square that disappears after the click. The square gets increasingly small and appears in unpredictable locations. Neuroimaging Protocol: Studies were performed at Penn using a Siemens Trio (Erlangen, Germany) 3T scanner equipped with 40mT/m gradients and 200 mT/m/s slew-rates. RF transmission utilized a quadrature body-coil, and reception a 12-channel head coil optimized for parallel imaging. Total image acquisition time was about 45 min. Structural Imaging: The T1-weighted protocol utilized a 3D, inversion-recovery, and magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition gradient echo. Relevant imaging procedures include: Structural magnetic imaging Diffusion tensor imaging ASL perfusion BOLD fMRI Neuroimaging tasks: Fractal N-Back Task of Spatial Working Memory Face Emotion Identification Task Neuroimages: The current data release includes over 9700 MRI images that may be downloaded through Authorized Access.

  Study phs000607

• The tissue origin of highly elevated cell-free DNA in patients with and without cancer

  Forty years ago, the first measurements of cell free DNA (cfDNA) from cancer patients revealed that its total concentration was often elevated compared to healthy controls. The basis for this increase, and in particular the source of the extra cfDNA in such patients, has never been determined. To address this issue, we assessed methylation patterns of cfDNA from 57 individuals, 34 of whom had unequivocally elevated cfDNA concentrations (i.e., >15 ng/mL of plasma). We found that the excess cfDNA in cancer patients did not come from either neoplastic cells or surrounding cells from the tumor's tissue of origin. Instead, 80% of the cfDNA was derived from neutrophils, B cells or T cells, with neutrophils accounting for ~2/3. B cells contributed more than T cells despite the great excess of T cells over B cells in the blood. To see if this result was generalizable to other clinical situations in which elevated cfDNA concentrations have been described, we evaluated nine patients before and one day following surgery. After surgical resection, cfDNA concentration increased by an average of 16.1-fold, as expected. The majority of this increase (55%) was contributed by leukocytes, though damaged hepatocytes contributed a substantial minority (31% of increase). These data suggest that the elevated concentrations of cfDNA in cancer patients, as with patients after surgery, arises largely from dying leukocytes—not from the neoplastic cells or the tissue of origin of the cancer.

  Study EGAS00001005400

• Characterizing the Role of the Immune Microenvironment in Multiple Myeloma Progression at a Single Cell Level

  The plasma cell disease multiple myeloma (MM) is highly dependent on its bone marrow microenvironment (BMME). Early alterations within the bone marrow microenvironment that contribute to the progression of multiple myeloma (MM) from its precursor stages could hold the key to identifying novel therapeutic approaches, yet the intrinsic variability in cellular populations between patients together with differences in sample processing and analysis methods have made it difficult to identify consistent changes between datasets. Here, we used single-cell RNA sequencing of BM cells from precursor stages, monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance (MGUS), smoldering MM (SMM) and newly diagnosed MM and analyzed our data in combination with a previously published dataset that used a similar patient population and sample processing. Despite vast interpatient heterogeneity, some alterations were seen consistently in both datasets. We identified changes in immune cell populations as disease progressed that were characterized by a substantial decrease in memory and naïve CD4 T cells and an increase in CD8+ effector T cells and T-regulatory cells. These alterations were further accompanied by an enrichment of non-clonal memory B cells and an increase of CD14 and CD16 monocytes in MM compared to its precursor stages. These results provide crucial information of the immune changes associated with the progression to clinical MM and can help to develop immune based strategies for patient stratification and early therapeutic intervention. 

  Study phs002756

• Integrated Epigenetic Maps of Human Embryonic, Extraembryonic and Adult Cells

  Working cooperatively with other Mapping Centers and the Data Coordination Center (EDACC) funded by this Roadmap mechanism we have comprehensively mapped the epigenomes of select human cells with significant relevance to complex human disease. Our effort has been focused on cells relevant to human health and complex disease including cells from the blood, brain, breast, skin, male germ cells, extraembryonic tissues and trophoblast, and U.S. Government-approved lines of human embryonic stem cells. We have incorporated high quality, homogeneous cells from males and females, and two predominant racial groups, and biological replicates of each cell type. The resulting comprehensive maps include up to 6 histone modifications selected for their opposing roles in regulating active and inactive chromatin (H3K4me1, H3K4me3, H3K9me3, H3K9ac, H3K27ac, H3K27me3, H3K36me3), DNA methylation, miRNA and gene expression, and for select cases whole genome shotgun sequence. Our cell and data production pipeline incorporates verification and data validation with independent methods, and operates under a model motivated by increased data production and decrease cost. Our group in conjunction with the other REMC teams, the EDACC, ENCODE, Epigenetics of Human Health and Disease centers and the NIH Roadmap program are developing methods, tools and reference epigenome maps for the research community that will make the promise of epigenetics in understand and treating human complex disease a reality. Our reference epigenomes will enable new disciplines including human population epigenetics, comparative epigenomics, neuroepigenetics, and therapeutic epigenetics for tissue regeneration and reversal of disease.

  Study phs000791

• Cell-Free, Methylated DNA in Blood Samples Reveals Tissue-Specific, Cellular Damage from Radiation Treatment

  Radiation therapy is an effective cancer treatment, although damage to surrounding healthy tissues can also occur. Cell-type specific DNA methylation patterns can be used to decode the cellular origins of cell-free DNA fragments, allowing for minimally-invasive monitoring of tissue damage. To evaluate whether changes in cell-free DNA methylation can indicate damages to tissues in patients treated with radiation, we collected serum samples from 15 breast cancer patients at three timepoints during their standard-of-care radiation therapy after surgery. A baseline sample was taken for each patient before onset of radiation therapy and a second End-Of-Treatment (EOT) sample was taken 30 minutes after the last treatment fraction. Finally, a recovery sample was taken one month after completion of radiation therapy. From serum samples, cell-free DNA was isolated and bisulfite capture-sequencing DNA methylation data were generated. Bisulfite capture-sequencing DNA methylation data were also generated from buffy coat and tissue-specific endothelial gDNA samples as well as from serum/plasma samples of healthy controls. The analysis of serum samples from breast cancer patients undergoing radiation treatment revealed distinct tissue-specific epithelial and endothelial responses to radiation across multiple organs. In conclusion, as a proof of concept we show that cell-type specific methylation signatures can be applied to detect cellular injury from radiation treatment using minimally invasive cell-free DNA in blood samples.

  Study phs003290

• NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) De Novo Mutation Identification in Taiwanese Schizophrenia Trios

  The substantial reproductive impact of schizophrenia, for which affected individuals have fewer than half as many offspring as unaffected individuals do, implies that mutations of largest effect will frequently be de novo mutations. Ascertaining exome sequence variation in father-mother-offspring trios allows such mutations to be identified and distinguished from the far-larger amount of rare variation that is inherited by each individual. The pursuit of this approach in a large, well-powered cohort of trios can also provide lessons that inform the development of such gene discovery strategies more generally in human genetics. Schizophrenia trios from the Taiwanese population are being collected by Dr. Ming Tsuang (PI, UC San Diego, California) and investigators in Taiwan (PI, Dr. Hai Gwo Hwu; both funded by NIMH grant 1R01MH085560; Expanding Rapid Ascertainment Networks of Schizophrenia Families in Taiwan). A total of 3800 trios are anticipated to be collected by May 2013. This represents a highly homogenous national sample from the same ancestral population. DNA samples will be obtained from the NIMH Repository, Rutgers University Cell and DNA Repository (described below) and stored at the Broad Institute. Genetic and data analyses will be performed at the Broad Institute. We propose to sequence the whole exome of trios by hybrid capture and Illumina next generation sequencing and perform targeted genotyping and validation of variants (SNPs, indels and CNVs) using several molecular methods, to include emulsion-based PCR and Sanger sequencing.

  Study phs001196

• Genetics of Disorders Affecting Tooth Structure, Number, Morphology and Eruption

  The long-term objective of this research project is to discover the complete spectrum of genes that contribute to the etiologies of genetic disorders of dentition. Inherited tooth defects can be isolated (the only symptom) or syndromic (having additional symptoms), and can be caused by mutations in many different genes. Clinically, it can be difficult to distinguish among the diverse forms. Making an accurate diagnosis would be greatly improved if reliable tests could identify the specific genetic defect that causes the disease in each case. Current technology can identify the numerous sequence variations throughout a patient's exome, but the disease-causing variation among them cannot be identified unless it is already on the list of genes that potentially cause the disease. A diagnosis based upon the genetic defect that causes the disorder distinguishes between isolated and syndromic tooth defects. A precise diagnosis permits formulation of a more accurate prognosis, which informs treatment decisions. The benefits of accomplishing our aims are to 1) enable genetic testing to achieve a precise and accurate diagnosis, and thereby optimize treatment, and 2) improve our understanding of normal and pathological tooth formation, leading to future improvements in treatment and eventually cures. Our short-term objectives are to 1) recruit kindreds with inherited disorders affecting their dentition, characterize their dental phenotype (and non-dental phenotypes when applicable) and the distribution of the disorder throughout the family, and 2) determine the genetic etiology of their disorders.

  Study phs001491

• RNA-Sequencing of B-Lymphoblastic Leukemia with Glucocorticoids and PI3K Delta Inhibition

  Mononuclear cells were isolated from bone marrow or peripheral blood of 7 pediatric subjects with B-lymphoblastic leukemia at the time of diagnosis. To determine the effect of PI3K delta inhibition on glucocorticoid-induced gene regulation, B-lymphoblastic leukemia cells were treated with glucocorticoids +/- the PI3K delta inhibitor, idelalisib, for 24 hours prior to RNA extraction and sequencing. Biological replicates were performed for 4 of the 7 subjects; 2 of these subjects had specimens demonstrating an additive response to the combination of glucocorticoids and idelalisib in viability testing in vitro, and 2 subjects' specimens demonstrated a synergistic response. All 7 subjects were analyzed together and the 4 specimens with biological replicates were also evaluated in an additional analysis. An average of 40 million reads per specimen and treatment condition were obtained. We compared gene expression in each treatment condition to vehicle-treated cells and expression in glucocorticoid or idelalisib only treated cells to combination treated cells. Using a high dose of dexamethasone (25 or 50 nM) and an equivalent dose of prednisolone, we found that the addition of idelalisib (500 nM) enhanced prednisolone-induced gene regulation but not dexamethasone-induced gene regulation. Surprisingly, the specimens with additive response to combination therapy demonstrated enhancement of prednisolone-induced gene regulation with the addition of idelalisib, while the specimens with synergistic responses did not. Raw sequencing data (FASTQ) and count tables will be available through dbGaP.

  Study phs003085