3855 results for "*geneti*"

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• Detecting and Subtyping Lung Cancer Through Analysis of Circulating Tumor DNA

  Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is among the most aggressive tumors with poor clinical outcomes. Tumors are rarely resected, which is a major barrier to molecular profiling of tumor tissue; therefore, non-invasive approaches using circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) from liquid biopsies are needed to help advance research and clinical care for patients with SCLC. We developed a targeted capture panel that profiles SCLC genes and transcriptional regulation sites, including transcription start sites (TSS) and transcription factor binding sites (TFBS). This is a single assay that detects genomic mutations and transcriptional regulation activity based on ctDNA fragment patterns reflecting epigenetic nucleosomal positions. We applied this assay to sequence patient-derived xenograft (PDX) and patient plasma samples. We also performed whole genome sequencing (WGS) for a subset of the PDX plasma samples to validate the capture data. We developed new algorithms to quantify activity of key SCLC marker genes of ASCL1, NEUROD1, POU2F3, and ATOH1 and to classify SCLC subtypes based on activity of these markers. Furthermore, we developed a model to classify SCLC from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which has potential important applications for monitoring transdifferentiation and tumor plasticity.

  Study phs003570

• A Scalable, GMP-Compatible, Autologous Organotypic Cell Therapy for Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa

  Gene editing in induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells has been hailed for enabling new cell therapies for various monogenetic diseases including dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB). However, manufacturing, efficacy, and safety roadblocks have limited the development of genetically corrected, autologous iPS cell-based therapies. Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Cell Therapy (DEBCT), is a new generation, Good Manufacturing Practice-compatible (cGMP), reproducible, and scalable platform to produce autologous clinical-grade iPS cell-derived organotypic induced skin composite (iSC) grafts to treat incurable wounds of patients lacking type VII collagen (C7). DEBCT uses a single step, combined, high-efficiency reprogramming, and CRISPR-based genetic correction to generate genome scar-free, COL7A1 corrected clonal iPS cells from primary patient fibroblasts. Validated iPS cells are converted into epidermal, dermal, and melanocyte progenitors with a novel 2D organoid differentiation protocol, followed by CD49f enrichment and expansion to minimize maturation heterogeneity. iSC product characterization by single cell transcriptomics was followed by mouse xenografting for disease correcting activity at 1 month and toxicology analysis at 1-6 months. Culture-acquired mutations, potential CRISPR-off target effects, and cancer-driver variants were evaluated by targeted and whole genome sequencing. iPS cell-derived iSC grafts were reproducibly generated from four recessive DEB patients with different pathogenic mutations. Organotypic iSC grafts onto immune-compromised mice developed into stable stratified skin with functional C7 restoration. Single cell transcriptomic characterization of iSCs revealed prominent holoclone stem cell signatures in keratinocytes and the recently described Gibbin-dependent signature in dermal fibroblasts. The latter correlated with enhanced graftability. Multiple orthogonal sequencing and subsequent computational approaches identified random and non-oncogenic mutations introduced by the manufacturing process. Toxicology revealed no detectable tumors after 3-6 months in DEBCT-treated mice. In conclusion, DEBCT successfully overcomes previous roadblocks and establishes a robust, scalable, and safe cGMP manufacturing platform for the production of a CRISPR-corrected autologous organotypic skin graft to heal DEB patient wounds.

  Study phs003271

• Gene Expression Study of Individuals with Sex Chromosome Aneuploidies

  Males and females show dramatic differences in their vulnerability to the same diseases. For example, compared to men, lupus is six times more prevalent, thyroid cancer is three times more prevalent, and unipolar depression is twice as prevalent in women. Diseases with a strong male bias include autism (5:1), dilated cardiomyopathy (3:1), and ankylosing spondylitis (5:1). Historically, such differences have been attributed solely to extrinsic factors such as circulating sex hormones or environmental influences. We hypothesized that intrinsic factors - genetic differences between XX and XY cells - have unappreciated biological consequences throughout the body and contribute to sex differences in disease incidence and severity. This hypothesis stems from our long-term effort to sequence the sex chromosomes of diverse mammalian species, which has identified a set of homologous genes on the X and Y chromosomes that are dosage-sensitive, expressed throughout the body, and encode regulators of chromatin modification, transcription, translation, and protein stability. These X- and Y-encoded genes differ in sequence and expression pattern, which likely manifests in genome-wide differences in gene regulation between XX and XY cells and influences all aspects of human biology, including sex differences in disease susceptibility. These hard-wired molecular sex differences have been largely overlooked and understudied, representing a significant gap in our knowledge of human biology.The gene expression study of individuals with sex chromosome aneuploidies takes advantage of natural human variation in sex chromosome number, i.e. sex chromosome aneuploidy, to investigate alterations in genome-wide gene expression that correlate with changes in X- and Y-chromosome dosage. We analyzed samples from 114 individuals with a variety of sex chromosome aneuploidies, including 45,X; 47,XXY; 47,XYY; 47,XXX; 48,XXYY; and 49,XXXXY. We generated lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) from blood samples and, in some cases, fibroblast cultures from skin biopsies. We supplemented our collection with previously-derived cell lines. To evaluate gene expression, we performed deep profiling of the transcriptome (RNA-seq) from these LCLs and fibroblasts. We performed parallel analyses on samples collected from 62 control 46,XX and 46,XY individuals, 6 individuals with trisomy 21, and 14 individuals with structural variations of the X and Y chromosomes. In addition, we performed CRISPRi knockdowns on 3 of the 46,XX and 3 of the 46,XY fibroblast samples for the homologous transcription factors ZFX and ZFY, encoded on the X and Y chromosomes, respectively.In the April 2024 update, we added RNA-seq datasets derived from isolated CD4+ T cells and monocytes from 76 and 72 adults, respectively, with the following sex chromosome constitutions: 45,X; 46,XX; 46,XY; 47,XXX; 47,XXY; 47,XYY. These individuals are largely a subset of the same cohort described above. In addition, we performed RNA-seq on in-vitro stimulated CD4+ T cells with the following sex chromosome constitutions: 45,X; 46,XX; 46,XY; 47,XXY.In the August 2024 update, we added RNA-seq datasets generated from the following: 1) LCLs derived from individuals with AZFa deletions of the Y chromosome, 2) DDX3X and DDX3Y knockdown (via CRISPRi) in XY fibroblasts, and 3) 5-ethyl uridine (5-EU) treatment in XY and XYYYY LCLs.

  Study phs002481

• Direct Transposition of Native DNA for Sensitive Multimodal Single-Molecule Sequencing

  STUDY GOALS: This study focuses on elucidating the epigenetic modulators of prostate cancer progression and metastasis at high resolution. This is achieved by applying a novel, high-sensitivity single molecule sequencing assay that measures chromatin state on single DNA molecules (SMRT-Tag) to matched primary and metastatic tumor samples from the same patient. Samples are obtained from patient derived xenograft (PDX) models. STUDY DESIGN: Individuals diagnosed with primary and metastatic prostate cancer in the course of routine care were consented and enrolled, and biopsies of primary and/or metastatic lesions performed to obtain sample material used for generating PDX models. Samples collected from these models were processed with a novel strategy developed for highly-sensitive multimodal profiling of single chromatin fibers using the third generation long-read sequencing. The resulting data indicates genetic variants, chromatin organization, and m5dCpG methylation status across the genome. PRINCIPLE FINDINGS: We determined characteristic single-molecule patterns of chromatin organization (spacing of nucleosomes, presence and absence of m5dCpG marks, etc.) that were altered in the transition from primary malignancy to metastasis. Broadly, global chromatin organization was severely disrupted in metastatic samples, resulting in increased accessibility at CTCF motifs, which may be relevant for disease progression. We further identified specific genomic domains including constitutive heterochromatin significantly enriched for irregular or hyper-accessible chromatin. Together, these findings suggest the involvement of ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers in evicting nucleosomes as a facet of metastatic prostate cancer. DATA AVAILABILITY: SAMOSA-Tag, the assay used in this study, is a sequencing assay that uses the third generation long read sequencing, specifically the SMRT sequencing platform from Pacific Biosciences. Demultiplexed raw SMRT sequencing BAM files generated in this study are deposited. Individual raw subread BAM files correspond to replicate sequencing assays performed on either primary or metastatic PDX prostate tumors.

  Study phs003511

• Genomic Profiling of Melanoma

  This study reports on genomic profiling [whole-exome sequencing (WXS), bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), and/or single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq)] of patient-derived melanoma samples and matched normal samples. The goal is to elucidate the genetic and cellular basis of sun-exposed and sun-shielded melanomas and to relate these findings to survival and regional metastasis. Specimens were collected by the Tissue Resource Core of the Yale SPORE in Skin Cancer with participants' informed signed consent according to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations with a Human Investigative Committee protocol. The melanomas used for sequencing were from fresh or snap-frozen tumors, or from short-term cell cultures. The cell cultures were routinely checked for mycoplasma contamination and were discarded when found positive. Matching normal DNA was from circulating lymphocytes or normal skin. We also include 77 WES-sequenced samples from the Yale Spitzoid neoplasm repository, which collects specimen and data according to a protocol approved by the Yale Human Investigative Committee.

  Study phs000933

• The Genetics of Food Cue Reactivity in Children

  This study aimed to investigate genetic factors related to appetite, eating in the absence of hunger and brain reward response to food cues in a convenience sample of pre-adolescent children taken through two studies (A and B). The study involved genome-wide genotyping using the Illumina Global Screening Array. The study found an obesity polygenic risk score related to parent-reported appetitive traits in children, The study also found that FTO was related to eating in the absence of hunger and brain reward response to food cues. Available data include genotypes, measured height and weight, appetitive traits, consumption, brain reward response to food cues, and sociodemographic variables.

  Study phs003550

• Global Endometrial DNA Methylation Analysis Reveals Insights into mQTL Regulation and Associated Endometriosis Disease Risk and Endometrial Function

  Endometriosis is a common gynecological disorder affecting 11% of reproductive aged women and is a leading cause of pain and infertility. We investigated global DNA methylation (DNAm) profiles in endometrium associated with endometriosis, menstruation, and genetic variation. Endometrial samples were collected from 984 patients with confirmed endometriosis (n=637) and women without endometriosis (n=347). Patients were recruited through the University of California San Francisco, USA, University of Melbourne, Australia, Endometriosis CaRe Centre in Oxford, UK, and EXPPECT Centre, The University of Edinburgh, UK, using the World Endometriosis Research Foundation Endometriosis Phenome and Biobanking Harmonization Project (WERF EPHect) standardized protocols for tissue collection and processing, and participant characteristics and clinical annotation. DNA was extracted from samples and was use to generate DNAm data using the Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC Beadchip and genotype data using the Axiom Precision Medicine Research array. Estimates from this study suggest that 15.4% of the variation in endometriosis is captured by DNAm. DNAm analysis identified significant differences in DNAm profiles and DNAm networks, associated with endometriosis, endometriosis sub-phenotypes, and menstrual cycle phases. Integration of DNAm and genetic data in a DNAm quantitative trait locus (mQTL) analysis identified 118,185 independent cis-mQTLs including 51 associated with risk of endometriosis highlighting target genes contributing to disease risk. This study identified novel factors affecting epigenetic regulation in endometrium associated with endometriosis risk and disease heterogeneity and provides an important data resource for reproductive medicine. Genotype data generated as part of this study are available on dbGaP and methylation data are available on GEO.

  Study phs003307

• Genetic Underpinnings of Ethnic Disparities in Bone Toxicities Between Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Children Treated for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

  Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common malignancy among children and young adolescents. More than 90% of children are cured with a combination of multiple chemotherapeutic drugs. Some may suffer from debilitating toxicities due to the cytotoxic drugs, necessitating pharmacogenetic research to search for genetic markers predictive of treatment toxicities, so that treatment can be better tailored based on patients' genetic makeup. Bone toxicities, including osteonecrosis and fractures, most often due to glucocorticoids, are the most common complications in ALL, which have long-lasting detrimental impact on the still developing skeletons in children. In DFCI ALL Consortium Protocol 05-001, a multi-center clinical trial for childhood ALL conducted in Canada and the US, we found that Hispanic children had less drug toxicities to their bones than non-Hispanic children. Although reasons for the observed ethnic differences are largely unknown, patients' inherited genetic background may be at play. This study seeks to perform a novel pharmacogenomic study based on multi-site clinical trials DFCI ALL Consortium Protocol 05-001 and 11-001 to identify genetic underpinnings of ethnic disparities in bone toxicities.

  Study phs002317

• Genomic Answers for Kids (GA4K)

  Identification of complex genetic variants including defects in gene regulatory circuits and uncharacterized genes present challenges for rare disease diagnosis. In Genomic Answers for Kids program we apply the joint interpretation of patient genome sequence with genomic endophenotypes to expand the clinically actionable genome among pediatric cases of suspected genetic disease. Our objective is to examine the role of novel and under-interpreted sequence variation by combining complete DNA sequences, personal epigenetic variations and massively parallel functional screens. To achieve this we perform augmented whole genome sequence (WGS) interpretation including reanalysis of clinical exomes as well as generating WGS for patients with negative exome results all be subject to family-based semi-automated recall pipeline to discover missed diagnostic variation. We use linked-read and long-read sequencing technologies to focus on putative structural variants missed in short-read genome and exome analysis by the optimized integration of linked and long read technologies that also improve identification of transmission patterns of all variants, as well as resolving genomic regions resistant to standard alignment. We also include tissue DNA sequencing to investigate somatic mosaicism. To further assist with WGS interpretation for uncommon variation we capture snapshots of patient transcriptomes and epigenomes in individual cells using single-cell RNA (scRNA) and sc open chromatin (scATAC) as well as bulk whole genome bisulphite genome sequencing for methylome interpretation. Alternative splicing is functionally assessed in available patient tissues using RNA-seq, including full length cDNA sequences by IsoSeq (PacBio) methodology. Our overarching goal is an increase rate of diagnostic genomic findings up to two-fold among rare disease, resulting in the majority (>50%) of patient cases resolved by the integrated system developed in our program.

  Study phs002206

• Brain Cell Type-Specific Enhancer-Promoter Connectivity Maps and Disease Risk Association

  These studies map the epigenetic landscape of microglia, neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. The initial study compared acutely isolated microglia to cultured microglia from the same donors, to identify changes that occur when microglia are removed from the brain microenvironment. In collaboration with the Rady Children's Hospital, we obtained brain tissue samples from pediatric patients representing putative normal tissue resected to gain access to brain tumors as well as tissue resected to remove epileptic foci. We assayed microglia isolated from these samples using RNA-seq, ATAC-seq and ChIP-seq for PU.1, H3K4me2, and H3K27ac. For patients from whom a sufficient cell number was obtained, we additionally cultured their microglia for up to 7 days and subjected these to the same suite of assays. In a follow-up study, we obtained brain tissue from a comparable cohort of pediatric epilepsy patients from Rady Children's Hospital. We isolated nuclei from microglia, neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, and assayed for ATAC-seq, ChIP-seq for H3K4me3, and H3K27ac, and PLAC-seq (Proximity Ligated ChIP-seq). We isolated microglia from human fetal and postnatal sample and assayed for bulk RNA-seq, bulk ATAC-seq, bulk H3K27ac ChIP-seq, single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) and single-cell ATAC-seq. For these studies, human microglia are defined by signature genes/proteins, such as P2RY12, SALL1, and CX3CR1.

  Study phs001373

• Genomic Basis of Phenotypic Variability of Complex Disorders

  The 520-kbp deletion on chromosome 16p12.1 is associated with multiple neurodevelopmental outcomes, including intellectual disability/developmental delay (ID/DD), schizophrenia, autism, and epilepsy. This variant is inherited in >95% of cases from carrier parents manifesting neuropsychiatric features, while affected children with the deletion were more likely to carry another large Copy Number Variation (CNV) or rare deleterious mutation elsewhere in the genome, or "second-hits", compared to carrier parents. Thus, while the 16p12.1 deletion confers significant risk for a range of disorders, the ultimate phenotypic trajectory is determined by "second-hit" variants in the genetic background. However, outstanding questions remain about the genetic background in these disorders, including the functional effects of "second-hit" variants towards gene expression or developmental phenotypes, the full spectrum of "second-hit" variants, and the mechanisms driving accumulation of these variants.In version 1, we performed deep clinical phenotyping, whole-genome sequencing (WGS), SNP microarray analysis, and RNA-sequencing of lymphoblastoid cell lines of 32 individuals in five large families with the 16p12.1 deletion. We found that specific classes of rare single-nucleotide and structural variants in coding and non-coding regions contributed towards expression changes in affected children based on their inheritance patterns, including a subset of variants that acted synergistically with the deletion to alter expression. We further found that rare variant-mediated expression changes contribute to specific developmental phenotypes in the carrier children, suggesting a potential genetic mechanism for variable expressivity of the deletion.In version 2, we additionally analyzed genetic and phenotypic data from individuals with 16p12.1 deletion and their spouses to assess the role of assortative mating modulating phenotypic outcomes of the 16p12.1 deletion. We identified significant within- and cross- disorder phenotypic correlations between spouses, but observed no significant genetic correlations between spouses, in line with expectations.

  Study phs002450

• Germline Mutations and Developmental Mosaicism Underlying EGFR-Mutant Lung Cancer

  We designed this study to examine the etiology of multiple lung tumors in EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer patients who undergo surgical resection. Participants were 52-85 years old never or former smokers, who had at least 2 surgical lung tumor pathology specimens available in the Massachusetts General Hospital biobank, at least one of which had an EGFR mutation by routine clinical genotyping. 10 patients were selected, along with two patients from a family with an inherited EGFR-T790M mutation leading to multiple lung tumors. These patient tumor samples and matched normal lung samples were microdissected to collect DNA.In addition to obtaining clinical histories, we performed whole exome sequencing to evaluate the genetic profile of matched tumor and normal samples. The WES data are available on dbGaP. Our data showed increasing mutational burden and copy number alteration with increasing invasiveness, as compared to normal tissues, for the subset of samples that were assessed for tumor invasiveness. We also observed a range of numbers of shared mutations between tumors in a single patient, indicating different degrees of relatedness between lung tumors. We hope that this resource will help researchers understand non-small cell lung cancer presentations with multiple lung tumors. These data may aid in clinical decision making for such patients.

  Study phs003379

• Integrative Analysis for Multi-Omics Data in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

  We conducted epigenetic and transcriptomic mapping of primary non-small cell lung tumors and non-neoplastic tissues. 20 non-neoplastic lung tissues and 18 non-small cell lung tumors were obtained from Biorepository and Tissue Technology Shared Resource at Moores Cancer Center, UC San Diego. All tumor samples were in pathological stages I and II. 8 pairs of samples were "matched", meaning that the tumor and normal tissues came from the same patient. Microfluidic oscillatory washing–based chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing (MOWChIP-seq) was used to profile the binding of H3K4me1, H3K4me3, H3K9me3, H3K27ac and H3K27me3. SmartSeq-2 was used to map mRNA expression. We identified a large number of differentially modified regions for both epigenetic and transcriptomic markers between tumors and normal tissues. Deep learning model showed extensive transcription factor network rewiring. Raw sequencing data of the ChIP-seq and RNA-seq libraries are available through this dbGaP submission.

  Study phs003113

• BIRC5 Upregulation Enhances DNMT3A-Mutant T-ALL Cell Survival and Pathogenesis

  The goal of this study was to determine how patients with T-ALL who have DNA methyltransferase 3 alpha (DNMT3A) mutations develop resistance to therapy. Since DNMT3A is a methyltransferase, we examined the effect of those mutations on epigenetic regulation using whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS). We also assessed any changes in gene expression using RNA-sequencing. We found that T-ALL patients with DNMT3A mutations are resistant to apoptosis and some chemotherapies. WGBS showed that DNMT3A mutated patients clustered together by their epigenetic profile, which was associated with hypomethylation at TERT and HOX genes. RNA sequencing identified differences in JAK/STAT signaling.

  Study phs003623

• Single-Cell DNA Methylation Profiling with sciMETv2

  In this study we developed a high-throughput single-cell DNA methylation analysis technology, sciMETv2. This technique is rapid, cost-effective, and robust, enabling large-scale single-cell methylome dataset generation. We demonstrate this technology on human middle frontal gyrus, where we identified major cell types. We additionally performed target enrichment using sciMET-cap to enable a reduction in sequencing costs per cell while achieving comparable cell type identification.

  Study phs003091

• Genetic Investigations of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

  Design and Aims:We conducted whole-exome DNA sequencing on 152 parent-child trios (456 individuals total) that included a child meeting DSM-IV or DSM-5 criteria for ADHD along with both biological parents to identify rare de novo damaging DNA variants associated with ADHD risk. Mutation rates were compared between 147 ADHD trios and 780 unaffected control trios. We aimed to identify specific ADHD risk genes by combining the de novo trio data with rare variant data from an independent case-control cohort.Population Information:ADHD trios were collected from four sites. The 780 control trios were unaffected siblings from the Simons Simplex Collection who scored in the normal range on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) or Adult Behavior Checklist (ABCL) ADHD subscale.Molecular Technologies:Whole-exome DNA sequencing was performed on the ADHD trios using the IDT xGen V1 or Agilent SureSelect All Exon V7 capture and the Illumina NovaSeq6000 sequencer. Control trios were previously sequenced with the NimbleGen SeqCap EzExomeV2 capture and Illumina HiSeq 2000 sequencer. Joint variant calling was performed for all trios. Rare de novo variants with allele frequency Principal Findings:We found a 1.67-fold enrichment of rare de novo damaging variants and a 1.93-fold enrichment of ultra-rare de novo damaging variants in ADHD cases vs controls. By integrating the de novo data with an independent case-control cohort, KDM5B was identified as a high-confidence ADHD risk gene (FDR=0.04). Three potential risk genes were also identified. Twenty-three genes with ultra-rare damaging de novo variants in ADHD overlapped with previously reported risk genes for other neuropsychiatric conditions. Exploratory analyses showed enrichment of these genes in early neurodevelopmental pathways.

  Study phs003647

• Tumor detection by analysis of both symmetric- and hemi-methylation of plasma cell-free DNA

  Aberrant DNA methylation plays a critical role in tumorigenesis. While DNA methylation has been used for cancer detection and classification, DNA hemi-methylation, a novel epigenetic mark has not been analyzed extensively in cancer epigenomes. Here we report a strand-specific (ss) sequencing method (MeDIP-Seq) for plasma cell free (cf) DNA (sscf-MeDIP-Seq), which can analyze both symmetrically methylated DNA regions (DMRs) as well as hemi-methylated regions (DHMRs). Using the sscf-MeDIP-Seq method, we analyzed plasma cfDNA methylomes of 271 samples from subjects with liver cancer and brain cancer and from individuals without cancer (controls). Among them, 215 samples were chosen as the discovery cohort for the identification of DMRs and DHMRs specific in each subject group and for the training of machine learning models of multi-cancer detection (MCD) using DMRs, DHMRs and DMRs+DHMRs as inputs. These models were then used to predict the 56 samples in the validation cohort. We found that models trained with DMRs+DHMRs as inputs in general outperformed models trained with DMRs or DHMRs alone, with AUROC being 0.971, 0.981, and 0.99 in predicting control, liver and brain cancer samples in the validation cohort, respectively, by the DMR+DHMR-trained models.

  Study phs003462

• NHLBI TOPMed: The Genetic Epidemiology of Asthma in Costa Rica

  This administrative supplement to the project, "The Genetic Epidemiology of Asthma in Costa Rica" (R37 HL066289) is in response to NOT-HL-14-029 to perform whole genome sequencing (WGS) on existing NHLBI populations. We focus on asthma because of its public health significance. Asthma affects 26 million U.S. children and adults, remains a major cause of morbidity (one-half million hospitalizations a year) and is the most common cause of school and work days lost. Asthma-related costs are estimated to be over $12.7 billion annually. The Asthma Probands for both the extended pedigrees and the trios utilized in this study were selected on the basis of a physician diagnosis of asthma; a history of recurrent asthma attacks or at least 2 respiratory symptoms; and either airway hyperresponsiveness to methacholine or significant response to bronchodilator (Albuterol) administration. These criteria are identical to the criteria used in the Childhood Asthma Management Program (CAMP). The three primary goals of this project are to: (1) identify common and rare genetic variants that determine asthma and its associated phenotypes (height, weight, IgE level, lung function, bronchodilator response, steroid treatment response) through whole genome sequencing (WGS); (2) perform novel family based association analysis of our WGS data to identify novel genes for asthma; and (3) integrate epigenomic and transcriptomic data with our WGS data and determine the epistatic interactions present using systems genomics approaches. Identification of the molecular determinants of asthma remains an important priority in translational science. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been successful in this regard, identifying at least 10 novel susceptibility genes for asthma. However, as with most complex traits, the variants identified by GWAS explain only a fraction of the estimated heritability of this disorder. Herein, we propose a novel family-based study design and state-of-the-art genome sequencing techniques to map a set of sequence variants for asthma and its associated phenotypes and assess the interrelationships of the identified genes and variants using systems genomics methods. We have assembled a team of investigators highly-skilled and expert in whole genome sequencing (Drs. Michael Cho and Benjamin Raby), genetic association analysis (Drs. Scott T. Weiss, Jessica Lasky-Su and Christoph Lange), integrative genomics (Drs. Raby, Kelan Tantisira, Augusto Litonjua and Dawn DeMeo), and systems genomics (Drs. Weiss, Amitabh Sharma, Lange and Raby) to address this important problem with both a novel study design and data set.

  Study phs000988

• Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Project in Cornelia de Lange Syndrome, Related Diagnosis and Structural Birth Defects

  This study involves a cohort of 400 individuals and family members with Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS) and CdLS-like phenotypes for which a molecular etiology has not yet been established. CdLS is a developmental disorder characterized by development delays, cognitive impairment, short stature, hearing loss, specific facial features, and structural birth defects such as differences of the limbs, heart, kidneys, and GI tract. Our approach to tease out genetic contributions to birth defects has been to identify the underlying causes of syndromic birth defects which are often Mendelian in nature and therefore lend themselves more readily to genetic causal identification. Once identified, these genetic causes of syndromic forms of birth defects can be leveraged to understand the genetic contributions to isolated birth defects seen in constellation in syndromes such as CdLS. This work will lead to the identification of genes critical in human embryonic development, provide novel insights into transcriptional regulation and help to identify genetic causes and candidate genes for isolated birth defects seen in constellation in similar diagnoses.

  Study phs002174

• Comprehensive Genomic Characterization of Translocation Renal Cell Carcinoma

  Xp11 translocation renal cell carcinoma (tRCC) is a rare, female-predominant cancer driven by a fusion between the TFE3 gene on chromosome Xp11.2 and a partner gene on either chrX or an autosome. It remains unknown what types of rearrangements underlie TFE3 fusions, whether fusions can arise from both the active (chrXa) and inactive X (chrXi) chromosomes, and whether TFE3 fusions from chrXi translocations account for the female predominance of tRCC. To address these questions, we performed haplotype-specific analyses of chrX rearrangements in tRCC whole genomes. We show that TFE3 fusions universally arise as reciprocal translocations and that oncogenic TFE3 fusions can arise from chrXi:autosomal translocations. Female-specific chrXi:autosomal translocations result in a 2:1 female-to-male ratio of TFE3 fusions involving autosomal partner genes and account for the female predominance of tRCC. Our results highlight how X chromosome genetics uniquely constrains somatic chrX alterations and underlies cancer sex differences.This version of the dbGaP study provides a comprehensive set of whole genome data and tables with clinical information collected for the 16 patients (15 pateints as tRCC and 1 patient as ccRCC) in the study cohort. The data also contains 12 RNA-seq samples used in the study and analyses. We anticipate that this data will considerably advance our molecular and genetic understanding of oncogenic translocations in TFE3-tRCC involving inactive chromosome X and its role in cancer sex bias.

  Study phs003008

• The Effects of Long-Term Heavy Metal Exposure on Transcriptome Landscape in Human Peripheral Blood Cells

  The present study investigates the impact of long-term residence in a mining area on transcriptome changes induced by heavy metal exposure in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 65 healthy subjects selected from the general population. This study includes the same participants which were recruited in our previous investigation on heavy metal long-term environmental exposure-related gene-specific methylation changes (phs003392.v1.p1). We performed a differential expression analysis to compare the mRNA transcriptome of 31 residents from the mining region (MRR) - individuals living in the Kapan mining area with reported environmental exposures to heavy metals - with that of 34 residents from non-mining regions (NMR) - individuals residing at a considerable distance from mining locations. We also evaluated the potential association of gene expression profiles with the blood metallome, including levels of Ca, Mg, Co, Fe, Mn, Cu, Mo, Se, Zn, As, Sb, Tl, Be, V, Ni. Poly-A selected strand-specific mRNA library was prepared with Illumina Stranded mRNA Prep kit. The sequencing was performed on the Illumina NovaSeq-6000 platform with 38.5 million single-end 100 bp reads on average generated per sample. Quality checking of the sequencing data was performed using Illumina Basespace reports and the program FastQC (V0.10.1). Reads were aligned against the Human Genome Hg38 using STAR (version 2.7.1a). According to our findings, long-term residence in a mining area is correlated with alterations in the blood transcriptome, with responses varying by sex. Pathway analysis revealed upregulation of immune response related pathways, and downregulation of translation and ribosome biogenesis in the PBMCs of the MRR. Pathways related to metal ion transmembrane transport, epigenetic modifications (histone deacetylases (HDACs) and DNA methylation) were upregulated in males, while in females mostly transcripts involved in inflammation and cytokine mediated signaling were upregulated. Additionally, among the dysregulated pathways, the TNF-α signaling via NF-κB showed opposite changes in females and males.

  Study phs003657

• Genetic Analysis of Skin Cells

  Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is a form of skin cancer originating from keratinocytes in the skin. They have high mutation burdens, primarily driven by UV-radiation-induced DNA damage. The order in which mutations undergo selection during the evolution of cSCC is not known. A subset of cSCCs grow out of benign neoplasms called actinic keratoses. To better understand the evolution of cSCC, we identified cases of cSCCs adjacent to actinic keratoses. From these cases, we separately microdissected the surrounding normal skin, the actinic keratosis, and the cSCC, and we performed targeted DNA-sequencing on the tissue from each area. We reconstructed tumor phylogenies and performed spatial transcriptomics on the 10X FFPE Visium platform on a subset of cases. Collectively, these studies revealed the mutational and gene expression changes that arise during the evolution of cSCC.

  Study phs003282

• Lung Cancer Genetic Study Among Asian Never Smokers

  The Lung Cancer Genetic Study Among Asian Never Smokers includes data from four population-based studies conducted among Asian women: the Shanghai Women's Health Study (SWHS), the Hwasun Cancer Epidemiology Study (HCES1 and HCES2), the Female Lung Cancer Consortium in Asia (FLCCA, including sFLCA), and the Guangzhou Lung Cancer Study (GLCS). Shanghai Women's Health Study (SWHS): The SWHS is a population-based prospective cohort study of approximately 75,000 adult women who were recruited between 1997 and 2000. The cohort has been followed by a combination of record linkage and active follow-ups. Lung cancer patients identified in the SWHS and non-cases were included in the current study.Hwasun Cancer Epidemiology Study-Lung Cancer (HCES1 and HCES2): The HCES is a hospital-based case-control study whose goal is to identify factors of the cancer development and clinical progression in a Korean population. Included in this project were 299 female lung cancer cases from HCES2, who were diagnosed between April 2004 and February 2013 at Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital, a cancer specified hospital in Jeollanam-do province, South Korea. Controls were randomly selected from women with no previous cancer diagnosis at enrollment in the Namwon Study and the Dong-gu study, ongoing community-based cohort studies in South Korea. A total of 1,103 controls (273 from HCES1 and 830 from HCES2) were genotyped by MEGA. Guangzhou Lung Cancer Study (GLCS): The GLCS is a case-control study including never-smoking women lung cancer cases and controls from Guangzhou, China.In this study, the DNA samples of 1,195 subjects from SWHS and GLCS were genotyped using whole exome sequencing (WES), and the DNA samples of 7,174 subjects from SWHS, HCES1, HCES2, FLCCA, and sFLCA were genotyped using the Multi-Ethnic Global Array (MEGA).

  Study phs002366

• The Genetic Basis of Aggressive Prostate Cancer, The Role of Rare Variation

  In this study, we will apply a multi-staged approach to reveal genes harboring rare variants that are associated with aggressive PCa. Whole-exome sequencing (Aim 1a) of 2,774 aggressive cases and 2,776 non-aggressive cases of European ancestry will be conducted followed by rare variant analysis of single sites and gene burden testing to identify novel susceptibility loci/genes for aggressive disease. We will validate the most significantly associated genes (~500) through targeted sequencing in an additional 6,415 aggressive and 5,586 non-aggressive cases and 1,890 controls (Aim 1b). Next, we will investigate the clinical predictive utility of the genes/variants identified in 2,291 cases in the STHM3 trial who are undergoing biopsy based on PSA and genetic risk score stratification (Aim 2). Through this tiered approach we expect to significantly advance knowledge of aggressive PCa etiology and health disparities as well as guide the development of early detection and prognostic strategies for the subset of men who are most susceptible to this fatal form of disease. In this case-case study of aggressive vs non aggressive prostate cancer, aggressive cases are defined as prostate cancer as cause of death, (T4 disease or T3 disease) and Gleason 8+. Non-aggressive cases are men with T1/2 disease and Gleason ACKNOWLEDGMENTS and CONTRIBUTING SITES CAPS, PROCAP, STHM1, STHM2: Swedish Cancer Society (CAN 2016/818), Swedish Research Council (2014/2269).STHM3: Stockholm County Council (Stockholms Läns Landsting).MEC: Funding provided by the National Cancer Institute: Understanding Ethnic Differences in Cancer, 2U01CA164973 and The Genetic Basis of Aggressive Prostate Cancer, The Role of Rare Variation, 5R01CA196931-02.ATBC: The ATBC Study is supported by the Intramural Research Program of the U.S. National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, and by U.S. Public Health Service contract HHSN261201500005C from the National Cancer Institute, Department of Health and Human Services.COSM: The Swedish Research Council/National Research Infrastructure Grant (VR 2014/6397; VR 2015/5997) The Swedish Cancer Foundation (CAN 2013/456; CAN 2016/727)CPSII: The authors express sincere appreciation to all Cancer Prevention Study II participants and to each member of the study and biospecimen management group. The American Cancer Society funds the creation, maintenance, and updating of the Cancer Prevention Study-II cohort.MCCS/APCS/PCFS: The Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study (MCCS) recruitment was funded by VicHealth and Cancer Council Victoria and further supported by Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grants 209057 and 396414. The Aggressive Prostate Cancer Case-Control Study (APCS) was funded by NHMRC grant 623204. The Prostate Cancer Family Study (PCFS) was fully funded by Cancer Council Victoria. Cancer Council Victoria funds the continuing maintenance and updating of the MCCS, APCS and PCFS. Cases and their vital status are ascertained and followed up through the Victorian Cancer Registry and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, including the National Death Index and the Australian Cancer Database.PLCO: The Prostate Lung Colorectal Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (PLCO) was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics and by contracts from the Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, US National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services. EPIC: The coordination of EPIC is financially supported by International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and also by the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London which has additional infrastructure support provided by the NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). The national cohorts are supported by: Danish Cancer Society (Denmark); Ligue Contre le Cancer, Institut Gustave Roussy, Mutuelle Générale de l'Education Nationale, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) (France); German Cancer Aid, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam- Rehbruecke (DIfE), Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) (Germany); Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro-AIRC-Italy, Compagnia di SanPaolo and National Research Council (Italy); Dutch Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and Sports (VWS), Netherlands Cancer Registry (NKR), LK Research Funds, Dutch Prevention Funds, Dutch ZON (Zorg Onderzoek Nederland), World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), Statistics Netherlands (The Netherlands); Health Research Fund (FIS) - Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Regional Governments of Andalucía, Asturias, Basque Country, Murcia and Navarra, and the Catalan Institute of Oncology - ICO (Spain); Swedish Cancer Society, Swedish Research Council and County Councils of Skåne and Västerbotten (Sweden); Cancer Research UK (14136 to EPIC-Norfolk; C8221/A19170 and C8221/A29017 to EPIC-Oxford), Medical Research Council (1000143 to EPIC-Norfolk; MR/M012190/1 to EPIC-Oxford). (United Kingdom). DFCI: Linda and Arthur Gelb and Rebecca and Nathan Milikowsky. HPFS and PHS: The Health Professionals Follow-up Study was supported by U01 167552 and P01 CA228696 from the National Cancer Institute, and with support from the Prostate Cancer Foundation. The Physicians' Health Study was supported by grants CA34944, CA40360, CA097193, HL26490 and HL34595.Northwestern: P50CA180995 (Catalona) 08/01/15 – 07/31/20 NIH/NCI SPORE in Prostate Cancer; The Urological Research FoundationPROMPT: MRC UK - Project reference G0500966, Cambridge BRC infrastructure funding, Cambridge Biomedical Research Campus (BRC-1215-20014), CRUK Cambridge Cancer Centre infrastructure funding (they are requesting this statement is written in blue for publications).ICR: This work was supported by the NIH R01 grant 5R01CA196931-02. The samples from the UK were from UKGPCS and PrompT. The UKGPCS study was supported by Cancer Research UK (grant numbers C5047/A7357, C1287/A10118, C1287/A5260, C5047/A3354, C5047/A10692, C16913/A6135 and C16913/A6835). We would like to acknowledge the NCRN nurses and Consultants for their work in the UKGPCS study. We thank all the patients who took part in this study. We also acknowledge The Institute of Cancer Research, The National Cancer Research Network UK, The National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) UK for their ongoing support. We are grateful for support of NIHR funding to the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.Funding:CIDR grant X01HG008336

  Study phs001524

• Add Health: Longitudinal Study of a Nationally Representative Sample of Adolescents in Grades 7-12 in the United States during the 1994-95 School Year, Followed into Adulthood with Five Interviews/Surveys in 1995, 1996, 2001-02, 2008, and 2016-18

  The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health [Add Health] is an ongoing longitudinal study of a nationally representative U.S. cohort of more than 20,000 adolescents in grades 7-12 (aged 12-19 years) in 1994 followed into adulthood with five interviews/surveys in 1995, 1996, 2001-02, 2008, and 2016-18. Add Health was designed to understand how social environments and behaviors in adolescence are linked to health and achievement outcomes in young adulthood. Add Health contains unprecedented environmental, behavioral, psychosocial, biological, and genetic data from early adolescence and into adulthood on a large, nationally representative cohort with unprecedented racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic diversity. Add Health has a large, multidisciplinary user base of over 50,000 researchers around the world who have published over 3,400 research articles. Add Health is housed at the Carolina Population Center of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Add Health datasets are distributed according to a tiered data disclosure plan designed to protect the data from the risk of direct and indirect disclosure of respondent identity. Add Health's large sample size, population diversity and rich longitudinal database of psychosocial, physical, and contextual data will permit investigation of an exceptionally broad range of phenotypes with known genetic variation. Prospective longitudinal measures are available to document change over time in each of these phenotypes, as well as change in the social environment and life experiences, making the Add Health sample ideal for understanding genetic linkages with health and behavior across the life course. The original design of Add Health included important features for understanding biological processes in health and developmental trajectories across the life course of young people, including an embedded genetic sample with more than 3,000 pairs of adolescents with varying biological resemblance (e.g., twins, full sibs, half sibs, and adolescents who grew up in the same household but have no biological relationship), testing of saliva and urine for sexually transmitted infections and HIV, and biomarkers of cardiovascular health, metabolic processes, immune function, renal function, and inflammation. Add Health therefore has critical objective indicators of health status and disease markers in young adulthood, well before chronic illness or its complications emerge in later adulthood. Because DNA has been collected on the full sample at Wave IV, it is possible to link genetic profiles with social, behavioral, and biological measures over time from adolescence into adulthood. Add Health sampled the multiple environments in which young people live their lives, including the family, peers, school, neighborhood, community, and relationship dyads, and provides independent and direct measurement of these environments over time. Add Health contains extensive longitudinal information on health-related behavior, including life histories of physical activity, involvement in risk behavior, substance use, sexual behavior, civic engagement, education, and multiple indicators of health status based on self-report (e.g., general health, chronic illness), direct measurement (e.g., overweight status and obesity), and biomarkers. No other data resource with this expanse of genotype and phenotype data on a large nationally representative longitudinal sample with race, ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic diversity exists. A complete reference guide on study design and accomplishments can be found on the Add Health website: https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/concern/articles/6t053j27s.

  Study phs001367