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.
Chromothripsis is a form of genome instability, by which a presumably single catastrophic event generates extensive genomic rearrangements of one or a few chromosome(s). Widely assumed to be an early event in tumor development, this phenomenon plays a prominent role in tumor onset. We analyzed chromothripsis in 252 human breast cancers from two patient cohorts (149 metastatic breast cancers, 63 untreated primary tumors, 29 local relapses, 11 longitudinal pairs) using whole-genome and whole-exome sequencing. We showed that chromothripsis affects a substantial proportion of human breast cancers, with a prevalence over 60% in a cohort of metastatic cases and 25% in a cohort comprising predominantly luminal breast cancers (cohorts from HIPO K26K and H017 and A017). In the vast majority of cases, multiple chromosomes per tumor are affected, with most chromothriptic events on chromosomes 11 and 17 including, among other significantly altered drivers, CCND1, ERBB2, CDK12 and BRCA1. Importantly, chromothripsis generates recurrent fusions that drive tumor development. Chromothripsis-related rearrangements are linked with univocal mutational signatures, with clusters of point mutations due to kataegis in close proximity to the genomic breakpoints, and with the activation of specific signaling pathways. Analysis of the temporal order of events in tumors with and without chromothripsis as well as longitudinal analysis of chromothriptic patterns in tumor pairs revealed important insights on the role of chromothriptic chromosomes in tumor evolution.
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/
Plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is a noninvasive biomarker for cell death of all organs. Deciphering the tissue origin of cfDNA can reveal abnormal cell death because of diseases, which has great clinical potential in disease detection and monitoring. Despite the great promise, the sensitive and accurate quantification of tissue-derived cfDNA remains challenging to existing methods due to the limited characterization of tissue methylation and the reliance on unsupervised methods. To fully exploit the clinical potential of tissue-derived cfDNA, here we present one of the largest comprehensive and high-resolution methylation atlas based on 521 noncancer tissue samples spanning 29 major types of human tissues. We systematically identified fragment-level tissue-specific methylation patterns and extensively validated them in orthogonal datasets. Based on the rich tissue methylation atlas, we develop the first supervised tissue deconvolution approach, a deep-learning-powered model, cfSort, for sensitive and accurate tissue deconvolution in cfDNA. On the benchmarking data, cfSort showed superior sensitivity and accuracy compared to the existing methods. We further demonstrated the clinical utilities of cfSort with two potential applications: aiding disease diagnosis and monitoring treatment side effects. The tissue-derived cfDNA fraction estimated from cfSort reflected the clinical outcomes of the patients. In summary, the tissue methylation atlas and cfSort enhanced the performance of tissue deconvolution in cfDNA, thus facilitating cfDNA-based disease detection and longitudinal treatment monitoring.
Objectives: The clinical trial assessed the safety and efficacy of three interventions. Specifically, it evaluated (1) the major health benefits and risks of estrogen plus progestin and estrogen alone, (2) the effects of a low-fat eating pattern on risk of colorectal cancer, and (3) the efficacy of calcium with vitamin D supplementation for preventing hip and other fractures. The objective of the memory study was to determine whether estrogen plus progestin therapy protects global cognitive function, and evaluate the therapy's effect on the incidence of dementia and mild cognitive impairment.The observational study is examining the relationship between lifestyle, socioeconomic, health, and other risk factors with cardiovascular, breast cancer, colorectal cancer and osteoporotic fracture outcomes. Secondary objectives include providing more reliable estimates of the extent to which known risk factors predict disease, more precise estimates of new occurrences of disease, and to provide a future resource for the identification of new or novel risk factors especially factors found in blood. Background: The Women's Health Initiative (WHI) is a long-term national health study that has focused on strategies for preventing the major causes of death, disability, and frailty in postmenopausal women, specifically heart disease, cancer, and osteoporotic fractures. The WHI is primarily composed of an observational study (OS), as well a clinical trial (CT) with three components: Hormone Replacement Therapy (HT), Dietary Modification, (DM) and Calcium/Vitamin D supplementation (CaD).Prior to the WHI, observational studies suggested that postmenopausal hormone therapy was associated with a decreased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Potential cardioprotection was based on generally supportive data on lipid levels in intermediate outcome clinical trials, trials in nonhuman primates, and a large body of observational studies suggesting a 40% to 50% reduction in risk among users of either estrogen alone or, less frequently, combined estrogen and progestin. Observational studies primarily examining unopposed estrogen preparations have suggested a 30% to 50% reduction in coronary events, and an 8% to 30% increase in breast cancer with extended use. Other research findings indicated that hormone therapy was also associated with a decreased risk of osteoporosis and increased bone density. The WHI HT trials were designed to test the effects of postmenopausal hormone therapy on risk for coronary heart disease and assess overall risks and benefits in predominantly healthy women. The Women's Health Initiative Memory Program (WHIMS) consists of a suite of studies which include cohorts of women who participated in the WHI HT trials. Postmenopausal women have a greater risk than men of developing Alzheimer's disease, but studies of the effects of estrogen therapy on Alzheimer's disease have been inconsistent. Additionally, observational studies have suggested that postmenopausal hormone treatment may improve cognitive function, but data from randomized clinical trials have been sparse and inconclusive. International comparisons and migration studies have suggested that countries with 50% lower fat intake than the US population had approximately one third the risk of colorectal cancer. Additionally, fairly consistent evidence existed for an effect of dietary fat, vegetables and fruits, and grains on colorectal cancer risk from within-country observational studies, although the protective effect of lower fat intake was no longer clear after adjusting for energy intake. The WHI DM trial was the first randomized trial to directly address the health effects of a low-fat eating pattern in predominantly healthy postmenopausal women from diverse racial/ethnic, geographic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Osteoporosis is a major cause of injury, loss of independence, and death, and contributes to hip fractures. Observational evidence and data from previous randomized clinical trials suggest that calcium and/or vitamin D supplements may slow bone loss and reduce the risk of falls in postmenopausal and elderly women. However, evidence from trials, observational studies, and meta-analyses of calcium and vitamin D supplementation with respect to hip and other fractures was limited at the time the WHI was initiated. In two prior randomized trials, calcium plus vitamin D supplements did not reduce the risk of nonvertebral fractures among older women. When the WHI CaD trial was designed, guidelines recommended daily intakes of 800 to 1200 mg of calcium with 400 IU of vitamin D for the prevention of osteoporosis, which was not met by many American women. Therefore, the WHI CaD trial was designed to test the primary hypothesis that postmenopausal women randomly assigned to calcium plus vitamin D supplementation would have a lower risk of hip fracture and, secondarily, of all fractures than women assigned to placebo. Subjects: Postmenopausal women ages 50 to 79 were eligible to participate. A woman was considered postmenopausal if she had experienced no vaginal bleeding for 6 months (12 months for women under 55 years of age), had had a hysterectomy, or had ever used postmenopausal hormones. Recruitment was carried out in 40 US clinical centers in 1993-1998. The clinical trial components had additional specific inclusion or exclusion criteria.A total of 68,132 women were randomized into at least one component of the clinical trial. 27,347 women were enrolled in the hormone therapy component with 16,608 in the estrogen plus progestin trial and 10,739 in the unopposed estrogen trial, 48,835 women were enrolled in the diet modification component, and 36,282 women were enrolled in the calcium/vitamin D component. 7,479 women 65 years of age and older at baseline and that participated in the HT trial component were enrolled in the ancillary memory study. Women who were either ineligible or unwilling to participate in the clinical trial component were enrolled in the observational study. For example, many potential participants to the clinical trial component of the study were already undertaking a low fat diet or were using hormone replacement therapy. The effect of the selection process was that women enrolled in the observational study tended to have healthier lifestyles compared to those enrolled in the clinical trial. In total, 93,676 subjects were enrolled in WHI OS, with over 16% being members of a racial/ethnic minority group. The first WHI Extension Study enrolled 115,407 consenting participants from all components of the original WHI study for an additional five years of follow-up, from 2005 to 2010. In 2010, 93,567 women consented to continued follow-up. Design: The clinical trial component of the WHI included three randomized comparisons: hormone therapy, dietary modification, and calcium/vitamin D supplementation. Women could have been randomized into one, two or all three trials.The hormone therapy trial enrolled women to one of two double-blinded trials: estrogen (0.625 mg of conjugated equine estrogens daily) plus progestin (2.5 mg of medroxyprogesterone acetate daily) or estrogen alone. Women with a prior hysterectomy were eligible for the trial of unopposed estrogen. Women with an intact uterus at screening were initially also eligible for unopposed estrogen, but were reassigned to the trial of combined postmenopausal hormones beginning in 1995. Both trials randomized participants 1:1 to either hormone therapy or placebo. A 3-month washout period was required before baseline evaluation of women using postmenopausal hormones at initial screening. Study participants were contacted by telephone 6 weeks after randomization to assess symptoms and reinforce adherence. Follow-up contacts by telephone or clinic visit occurred every 6 months, with clinic visits required annually. The estrogen plus progestin trial was halted in July 2002 after a mean 5.2 years of follow-up because health risks, including increased risk of breast cancer and cardiovascular disease, exceeded benefits. The estrogen alone trial was stopped early in March 2004, because an increased risk of stroke was found with no benefit for coronary heart disease. The primary outcome was coronary heart disease (CHD) (nonfatal myocardial infarction and CHD death), with invasive breast cancer as the primary adverse outcome. The dietary modification trial evaluated the effect of a low-fat, high fruit, vegetable, and grain diet on preventing cardiovascular disease and cancer. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention or a comparison group in the ratio of 2:3 for cost-efficiency. The intervention was an intensive behavioral modification program, using 18 group sessions in the first year and quarterly sessions thereafter, led by specially trained and certified nutritionists. The program was designed to promote dietary change with the goals of reducing total fat to 20% of energy intake, increasing vegetables and fruits to at least 5 servings daily and grains to at least 6 servings daily. The intervention did not include total energy reduction or weight loss goals. Comparison group participants received a copy of the US Department of Health and Human Services' Dietary Guidelines for Americans and other health-related materials but were not asked to make dietary changes. Dietary intake was monitored using the WHI food frequency questionnaire at 1 year and in a rotating one-third subsample every year thereafter. Women completed a medical update questionnaire every 6 months, and medical records were sought for all women reporting colorectal cancer. The primary outcome was invasive colorectal cancer incidence. Participants in the calcium/vitamin D trial were randomized 1:1 to either supplements or placebo. Active tablets contained 500 mg of elemental calcium (as calcium carbonate) and 200 IU of vitamin D3, to be taken twice daily with meals. The presence and severity of symptoms, safety concerns, and outcomes were ascertained at annual clinic visits and telephone or clinic visits at intervening six-month intervals. Risk factors for fracture were assessed by questionnaire, interview, and clinical examination. The primary outcome was incidence of hip fracture. Participants in the observational study attended a baseline examination and were re-examined three years later. Participants completed annual updates of exposures and clinical outcomes by mail. Final data were collected by mail during the close-out period in April 2004 to March 2005. The major clinical outcomes of interest were coronary heart disease, stroke, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer, osteoporotic fractures, diabetes, and total mortality. Most outcomes were initially ascertained by self-report on an annual questionnaire and documented by hospital and related records. Charts with potential cardiovascular, cancer, and fracture outcomes were sent to the local physician adjudicator for evaluation and classification. Staff at the Clinical Coordinating Center coded and adjudicated all cancers of major interest in the study using standardized SEER guidelines. In 2005, WHI participants were invited to join the Extension Study for an additional five years of follow-up in order to collect long-term outcomes. Participants completed annual data collection forms primarily by mail, similar to the OS follow-up. Women reporting study outcomes were contacted by WHI field center staff to obtain additional details and medical records, which were evaluated by physician adjudicators. In 2010, the woman remaining were invited to join the next Extension Study. In the second extension, women were divided into two groups, one of which would have outcomes documented with medical records (the Medical Records Cohort, MRC), and the other would just be followed by self-report (the Self-Report Cohort, SRC). The MRC consists of women who were in the hormone therapy trials, and all African-American and Hispanic women. In 2012-2013, a subset of the MRC was identified for a potential in-home visit to collect blood and several objective measures of physical functioning. Conclusions: Overall health risks exceeded benefits from use of combined estrogen plus progestin after an average 5.2 year follow-up among healthy postmenopausal US women (Rossouw et al., 2002, PMID:12117397). Among postmenopausal women aged 65 years or older, estrogen plus progestin did not improve cognitive function when compared with placebo (Rapp et al., 2003, PMID: 12771113), increased the risk for probable dementia, and did not prevent mild cognitive impairment (Shumaker, et al., 2003, PMID: 12771112). The use of conjugated equine estrogen increased the risk of stroke, decreased the risk of hip fracture, and did not affect CHD incidence in postmenopausal women with prior hysterectomy after an average of 6.8 years of follow-up (Anderson et al., 2004, PMID: 15082697). Over approximately 8 years of follow-up, a low-fat dietary pattern did not reduce the risk of colorectal cancer (Beresford, et al., PMID: 16467233). Calcium with vitamin D supplementation resulted in a small but significant improvement in hip bone density; however, no significant difference was observed in hip fractures (Jackson, et al., 2006, PMID: 16481635). A recent review summarizes the conclusions from the WHI clinical trials with a focus on clinical practice (Manson, et al., 2024, PMID: 38691368).Description of ECG Imaging Data: Electric cardiograms (ECGs) were given to all clinical trial participants at baseline and in years 3, 6, and 9 of the original WHI study.EKG data consist of 12 lead 10 seconds ECGS sampled at 500Hz via GE ECG machines and process via GE MUSE system. The ECG waveform were directly exported from GE MUSE using MUSE export function in XML format, which include EKG waveform data as well as other ECG characteristics. Waveform data is in base64 encoded format, when it is decoded, it is a binary data that can be used to draw waveform graph. Many programming languages and data tools have built in functions to decode base64 strings. All the other necessary information is included in the LeadData section, total byte size, total sample size etc. (usually 1 sample is 2 bytes). See example below: encoded-data (base64 encoded string) JwAoAC0AKAAiACIAJAAkACQAIwAiACIAHgAcABwAGwAZABgAGAAYABcAEwAQABAAEAAL^/AAsADAAM... decoded-binary-data (1 sample is 2 bytes) 270028002D002800220022002400240024002300220022001E001C001C001B00 1900180018001800170013001000100010000B000B000C000C000D000D000D00 0A000A000A0009000600040004000700070005000500020... These binary values are integers (Y axis data of the graph), hence it is a straightforward process to draw the waveform graph. Acquisition dates have been redacted from this ECG data to comply with WHI policy. All acquisition dates within files and in file names have been set to January 1, 1900 (19000101) to comply with this policy.
This collaboration of Australian and American investigators aims to identify genes associated with liability for heroin dependence. The project uses a case-control design in which cases met lifetime DSM-IV criteria for heroin dependence. Controls included assessed individuals who did not meet DSM-IV heroin dependence criteria and unassessed general population controls. Cases and controls were obtained from the several large investigations including: The Comorbidity and Trauma Study, Heroin Dependence in Western Australia, the OZ-ALC Study, a Twin Study of Mole Development in Adolescence, and ongoing genetic studies of substance dependence conducted by investigators at Yale and collaborating institutions. These projects are briefly described below. The Comorbidity and Trauma Study (PI: Elliot Nelson), a retrospective case-control study examining genetic and environmental factors contributing to heroin dependence liability. The study was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and was run in collaboration with Washington University, the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR), and the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), University of New South Wales. Case participants were recruited from maintenance clinics in the greater Sydney area. Control participants were recruited from employment centres and community centres, open street malls, and local press servicing the same geographical area as the opioid maintenance treatment clinics and either denied recreational use of opioids or had used these drugs recreationally fewer than 11 times lifetime. The prevalence in these individuals of non-opioid licit drug dependence and illicit drug dependence as well as childhood trauma exposure and other psychiatric disorders is elevated considerably versus estimates of similar measures in Australian general population samples. Participants provided blood samples as a source of DNA and completed a comprehensive psychiatric diagnostic interview based on the Semi-Structured Assessment of the Genetics of Alcoholism - Australia (SSAGA-OZ) augmented with sections drawn from other instruments assessing childhood trauma exposure, family history, and screening for borderline personality disorder. Heroin Dependence in Western Australia (PI: Sybille Schwab) is a study focusing both on genetic contributions to heroin dependence and response to naltrexone treatment of the disorder. Participants completed a clinical assessment and provided blood samples during their treatment at the Perth Naltrexone Clinic now name as the Fresh Start Recovery Programme. Funding for the project was provided by the Australia Government's National Health and Medical Research Council (Grant # 513862; PI: Sybille Schwab) Affected subjects from ongoing genetic studies of substance dependence conducted by investigators at Yale (PI: Joel Gelernter) and collaborating institutions were collected in the course of several NIDA-funded studies. Those included in the current set were assessed by means of the SSADDA (Semi-Structured Assessment for Drug Dependence and Alcoholism). All are opioid dependent European-Americans, and all list heroin as the opioid must used. Most were collected at Yale University School of Medicine or University of CT School of Medicine under the supervision of Drs Joel Gelernter and Henry Kranzler. Control subjects were also collected in the course of several NIDA- and NIAAA-funded studies. Those included in the current set were assessed by means of the SSADDA (Semi-structured Assessment for Drug Dependence and Alcoholism). Most were collected at Yale University School of Medicine or University of Connecticut School of Medicine under the supervision of Drs Joel Gelernter and Henry Kranzler. The OZ-ALC Study (PI: Andrew Heath) consists of a large group of twins and their family members ascertained from the general population Australian Twin Registry who have participated in ongoing research projects. For the control investigation, we have selected individuals who do meet criteria for illicit drug dependence who have had GWAS genotyping with the Illumina Human CNV370-Quad. Inclusion of individuals with alcohol dependence or nicotine dependence was minimized. For a more detailed description of the study, please see: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/projects/gap/cgi-bin/study.cgi?study_id=phs000181.v1.p1 The Twin Study of Mole Development in Adolescence (PI: Nick Martin) is an ongoing investigation of melanocytic naevi funded by the Australian Government's National Health and Medical Research Council (Grant # 389891; PI: Nick Martin). For the current project, unassessed parents of these twins will serve as a control group. These individuals will either have been previously genotyped with the Illumina Human 610-Quad BeadChip or will be genotyped as part of the current project. Parents have largely survived the period of risk for heroin dependence and, by virtue of their participation in this research, are very likely to have a prevalence of heroin dependence lower than that in the general population (i.e., <0.7%). In order to understand the immune modulatory effect of opioids across peripheral blood immune populations, a second study (PI: Christine S. Cheng) analyzed single cell RNA-seq profiles from the PBMCs of a subset of case participants and control participants from the Comorbidity and Trauma Study (PI: Elliot Nelson). The study assessed and identified transcriptional changes between opioid dependent and control samples across naive and LPS stimulated immune populations.
ChIP-seq of 2 LuCaP cell lines with different factors. LuCaP cell line 189.4 was ChIP-sequenced for 6 factors with different conditions as well as the input DNA (n=31 in total). LuCaP 189.4 ChIP-sequence experiments include; 3 H3K27ac/DMSO, 3 H3K27ac/vorinostat, 3 H3K27ac/dexamethasone, 3 H3K27ac/dexamethasone/vorinostat, 3 GR dexamethasone, 3 GR dexamethasone/vorinostat, 3 HDAC3/DMSO, 3 AR, 3 FOXA1, 3 H3K27ac and 1 input sample. LuCaP 35 ChIP-sequence experiments as well as input include (n=10 in total); 3 H3K27ac, 3 AR, 3 FOXA1 and 1 input sample. All 41 samples were sequenced using paired-end reads on Illumina NovaSeq 6000. Each sample has 2 fastq files, one for the forward and reverse read, respectively.
Datasets consists of 2 batches of human glial progenitors (iPS), cells were sequenced as controls and IFN treated. Using the 10Genomics platform from the samples 2 libraries were built forgene expression libraries (scRNA-seq) and captured guides sequencing library (gRNA) on a set of Multiple Sclerosis associated SNPs. Batch one includes KRAB and P300 perturbed cells in 2 rounds sequenced RNA libraries for Ctrl and IFN and 1 round of capture guides for Ctrl and IFN. Batch 2 includes 1 round of both RNA expresison library and captures guides for KRAB and P300 perturbations in Ctrl and IFN treated cells.
This dataset includes NGS profiling of 13 women with simultaneous bilateral breast cancer. Seven women have WES of untreated surgical resections and matched healthy tissue. The six other women have WES of healthy tissue, WES+RNAseq of pre-neoadjuvant tumor biopsies, and when residual disease was present (6 tumors in 4 patients), WES+RNAseq of residual disease from post-neoadjuvant therapy surgery. One patient from the WES+RNAseq cohort had multifocal bilateral disease at diagnosis so there are 2 pre-neoadjuvant biopsy samples from each breast.
