14476 results for "PLOS+ONE+Pennsylvania+German+ACS+language+code+pdc+open+access+study"

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• Tubulointerstitial fibrosis is the histological hallmark of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Hypoxia and inflammation (i.e., interleukin (IL)-1β signalling) are independent mediators of tubulointerstitial fibrosis. However, the physiological response of human kidney tubular cells to IL-1β/IL-1RI signalling under the hypoxic conditions of CKD is poorly understood and remains a clinical imperative for therapeutic targeting. This study reports that hypoxia and IL-1β act in synergy to trigger cell cycle arrest/cellular senescence of ex vivo patient-derived primary proximal tubular epithelial cells (PTECs).

  Hypoxia and interleukin (IL)-1β are independent mediators of tubulointerstitial fibrosis, the histological hallmark of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Here, we examine how hypoxia and IL-1β act in synergy to augment maladaptive proximal tubular epithelial cell (PTEC) repair in human CKD. Ex vivo patient-derived PTECs were cultured under normoxic (21% O2) or hypoxic (1% O2) conditions in the absence or presence of IL-1β and examined for maladaptive repair signatures. Hypoxic PTECs incubated with IL-1β displayed a discrete transcriptomic profile distinct from PTECs cultured under hypoxia alone, IL-1β alone or under normoxia. Hypoxia+IL-1β-treated PTECs had 692 ‘unique’ differentially expressed genes (DEGs) compared to normoxic PTECs, with ‘cell cycle’ the most significantly enriched KEGG pathway based on ‘unique’ down-regulated DEGs (including CCNA2, CCNB1 and CCNB2). Hypoxia+IL-1β-treated PTECs displayed signatures of cellular senescence, with reduced proliferation, G2/M cell cycle arrest, elevated senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) activity and increased production of pro-inflammatory/fibrotic senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) factors compared to normoxic conditions. Treatment of Hypoxia+IL-1β-treated PTECs with either a senolytic drug combination, quercetin+dasatinib, or a type I IL-1 receptor (IL-1RI) neutralizing antibody attenuated senescent cell burden. Our data identify a mechanism whereby hypoxia in combination with IL-1β/IL-1RI signalling trigger PTEC senescence, providing novel therapeutic and diagnostic check-points for restoring tubular regeneration in human CKD.

  Study EGAS00001007904

• Genetic Causes of Growth Disorders

  Description of the disorder: A very common disorder presenting to pediatricians/pediatric endocrinologists is childhood growth failure. Sometimes the cause is evident, for example, growth hormone deficiency. In other children, the etiology remains unknown despite extensive evaluation, resulting in the unhelpful diagnosis of severe idiopathic short stature (SISS). These conditions are quite heterogeneous, including children with isolated growth failure and others who also have other abnormalities such as developmental delay or a constellation of congenital anomalies (syndromic short stature). Sometimes, the disorder appears to primarily affect the growth plate, which drives skeletal growth and thereby determines overall body proportions, whereas in other children, the disorder affects skeletal and non-skeletal tissues equally. Some cases of SISS have a polygenic inheritance while others appear to follow a Mendelian inheritance model, recessive, dominant or X-linked. Very recently, genome-wide analysis for copy number variants (CNVs) and whole-exome sequencing have begun to identify some of the molecular etiologies of these disorders.1 Identifying the molecular etiology of growth disorders has clinical and scientific value. Clinically, identifying a molecular cause prevents extensive further testing and may direct anticipatory care for associated medical problems. For example, we recently studied aggrecan (ACAN) gene mutations in families with autosomal dominant short stature and accelerated skeletal maturation. These mutations affect both growth plate cartilage, causing linear growth failure, and also articular cartilage, causing osteochondritis dissecans and early-onset osteoarthritis.1 Etiological classification of idiopathic growth failure allows more precise characterization of prognosis and response to treatment, which are currently highly imprecise because of the locus heterogeneity. In some cases, finding the genetic etiology points to a novel treatment approach that targets the specific molecular pathway involved. The proposed project is central to the main focus of our group, the Section on Growth and Development, NICHD. Our primary goal is to investigate cellular and molecular mechanisms governing childhood growth and to gain insight into the many human genetic disorders causing childhood growth failure. The proposed project is well suited for the intramural program because it takes advantage of Clinical Center expertise to phenotype subjects with SISS. Study subjects: We will study subjects with SISS and nuclear family members. SISS will be defined by height SDS < -2.5 for age without evident cause after routine evaluation including: growth hormone axis evaluation; thyroid function testing; celiac disease screening; urinalysis; CBC; chemistry; karyotype (girls, for Turner syndrome); and testing for single gene defects based on the clinical evaluation (for example, SHOX or Noonan-associated genes). Candidate families will include isolated growth disorders and growth disorders that are accompanied by congenital anomalies, developmental delay, or other syndromic short stature. Strong preference will be given to subjects with a severe phenotype and a pedigree that indicates a Mendelian inheritance. Multiple independent families with the same phenotype will have priority. The pool of applicants for recruitment is large, and we receive many inquiries by emails and phone consultations from pediatric endocrinologists for advice regarding diagnosis and management of unusual growth disorders, including familial disease. Often these families are seeking further evaluation and are willing to participate in a research study. From this pool, we will be selecting pedigrees with very favorable Mendelian characteristics, for example de novo dominant occurrences where two normal parents have a child with SISS, and the child grows up to be an adult who passes this phenotype on to multiple grandchildren in the next generation. Subjects and family members will be brought to the NIH Clinical Center (NIHCC) for outpatient evaluation. Participants will be evaluated by pediatric endocrinology fellows (as part of our training program) and by senior staff to establish the clinical findings and construct a pedigree. Subjects will receive additional biochemical and imaging studies at the Clinical Center to complete the phenotyping and assign affected status. The growth abnormality will be evaluated by assessing body proportions, relative organ size, and skeletal imaging as indicated. Associated clinical abnormalities beyond altered growth will be characterized with the help of other Clinical Center subspecialists. Subjects and family members will be evaluated by SNP microarray and whole-exome sequencing. We anticipate 4-5 persons for each of 16-20 families, for a total of 72-90 whole-exome sequences. Half of the families will be recruited and studied within the first year and half in the second year. We will use freshly collected peripheral blood as the DNA source for SNP array and NextGen Sequencing. Analytic approach: The candidate genes will be chosen based on 1) inheritance state consistency, 2) population frequency in the ESP and UDP databases, and 3) predictions of deleteriousness. We will use VarSifter and the B road Institute Integrated Genome Viewer to filter and visualize these data. The genetic model will be dependent on the family's pedigree. For a simple trio, we will explore variants using genetic models including autosomal recessive, de novo (dominant), compound heterozygous, deletion/point mutation recessive, and X-linked (male only). The candidate variants will be identified using Boolean logic sets in VarSifter following intramural NHGRI/UDP methods. We will also use SNP microarray data to identify copy number variations, complete/single copy deletions, duplications, non-paternity, consanguinity for homozygosity mapping, uniparental isodisomy, mosaicism, and segregation patterns (bed file generation for use in VarSifter filter work). After a list of candidate sequence variants has been generated, annotation will include using the Exome Variant Server, Polyphen-2, MutationTaster, Sift, and CADD predictions of deleteriousness. Biological laboratory data will be included to prioritize candidate variants. Our group has expertise in the molecular mechanisms regulating both skeletal growth2,3 and growth of other tissues4,5, which may be helpful in this phase of the analysis. The most promising candidate mutations will be confirmed by Sanger sequencing and studied functionally, in vitro and/or in vivo. For mutations that affect skeletal growth, we will use experimental systems related to growth plate cartilage. For in vitro studies, we have experience transfecting chondrocyte cell lines, such as ATDC5, and primary chondrocytes. We will determine whether the mutation alters protein and/or cell function. In vivo studies can be used to explore pathophysiology. We have recently successfully used a new approach, the CAS9/CRISPR system to knockout multiple loci in mice (unpublished), which can be used again in the future to create mouse models efficiently. 1J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2014 (PMID: 24762113) 2J Mol Endocrinol, 2014 (PMID: 24740736) 3Hum Mol Genet, 2012 (PMID: 22914739) 4Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2013 (PMID: 23530192) 5Endocr Rev, 2011 (PMID: 21441345)

  Study phs001617

• Neoantigen-Targeted CD8+ T-Cell Responses 1 With PD-1 Blockade Therapy

  Background: The primary target of T-cell responses induced against cancer cells are peptides derived from non-synonymous mutations presented by HLA (neoantigens). However, the large diversity of HLA alleles and restricted availability of clinical samples have limited the study of the specificity and the evolution over time of the neoantigen-specific T cell responses induced after treatment with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) immunotherapy. Methods: We applied a newly developed neoepitope-specific T cell isolation technology to perform a longitudinal landscape analysis of the neoepitope-specific T cells in peripheral blood and tumor from 11 patients with metastatic melanoma; 7 with response and 4 with no response to ICB. Briefly, first using computational prediction, the putative neoantigens in each patient were ranked based on affinity for the patient's HLA and expression levels. Then hundreds of barcoded capture reagents consisting of the patient HLA class I subtypes loaded with the corresponding predicted neoantigen were made and used to isolate neoepitope-specific T cells. Once isolated, the TCRs and the barcodes were sequenced. Finally, the tumor reactivity of the isolated neoepitope-specific TCRs (neoTCRs) was assessed upon co-culture of autologous melanoma cell lines from each patient with primary human T cells expressing the neoTCRs generated using a CRISPR-based non-viral gene editing to replace the endogenous TCRs. Results: The tumor mutation burden ranged between 3507 and 177 for patients with response to therapy and 977 to 31 for patients without response to therapy. We screened a median of 172 predicted neoantigen-HLA per patient across their 6 HLA molecules and isolated neoTCRs in all 11 patients. The number of mutations targeted ranged between 13 and 1. We assessed the neoTCR-tumor reactivity in samples from 3 patients with response and 3 patients without response. 39 of the 62 neoTCRs demonstrated specific recognition and cytotoxicity to patient-matched melanoma cell lines. Multiple T cell clonotypes recognized a limited number of mutations in 7 patients with response (median of 41 different neoTCR clonotypes per patient), and the T cell specificities were recurrently detected in the blood and the tumor over time. Samples from 4 patients without response to therapy also demonstrated neoepitope-specific T cell responses in blood and tumor to a similarly restricted number of mutations, but lacked TCR polyclonality (median 6.5 neoTCR clonotypes per patient) and were not recurrently detected in sequential samples. Conclusion: Effective ICB therapy is associated with polyclonal neoepitope-specific T-cell responses in the tumor and blood that recognize a limited number of immunodominant mutations and are recurrently detected over time.

  Study phs003153

• Whole transcriptome RNA sequencing as comprehensive diagnostic tool for acute myeloid leukemia.

  BackgroundAcute myeloid leukemia (AML) is characterized by uncontrolled proliferation of malignant hematopoietic cells in the bone marrow that are arrested in differentiation. In AML pathogenesis, hematopoietic progenitor cells acquire multiple genetic aberrations often occurring in the same set of genes that ultimately lead to malignant transformation. In the WHO classification 2016, six AML classes with different prognosis are identified by chromosomal translocations measured by standard cytogenetics. All balanced translocations produce fusion genes, except for t(3;3)/inv(3;3), which lead to overexpression of MECOM/EVI1 associated with poor prognosis. For accurate risk assessment of cytogenetically normal AML, four genes need to be screened to distinguish AML with mutated NPM1 in the absence of FLT3 mutations and AML with bi-allelic CEBPA mutations, which have a favorable prognosis, and AML with RUNX1 mutations which have a poor prognosis. Recently, a full genomic classification system has been proposed by Papaemmanuil et al. (NEJM 2016). In this system, the same six classes with chromosomal translocations are identified by standard cytogenetics as well as five additional classes characterized by genetic mutations in 14 different genes. AimThe aim of the study was to investigate whether whole transcriptome RNA-sequencing (RNAseq) can be used as single technology for classification of AML. MethodA panel of 100 AML were analyzed and a bio-informatics pipeline called HAMLET (Human AML Expedited Transcriptomics) was developed in which 4 modules are integrated to detect (1) fusion genes, (2) small variants in 13 recurrently mutated genes, (3) internal tandem duplications in FLT3 (FLT3-ITD) and partial tandem duplications in KMT2A (KMT2A-PTD) and (4) overexpression of MECOM/EVI1. All mutations that were called by HAMLET were validated by diagnostic data as available for all 100 AML or targeted PCR followed by Sanger or next generation sequencing on all positive AML and at least an equal number of negative cases. Results & discussionThe data showed that HAMLET accurately identified all genetic aberrations with high sensitivity and specificity. In addition, in 7 AML, fusion transcripts were detected that are not measured by standard cytogenetics including three cases that lack any class-defining lesion according to Papaemmanuil et al. Moreover, overexpression of MECOM/EVI1 was detected in two AML with inv(3) as well as in five cases without inv(3)/t(3;3), and a gene signature was measured to distinguish AML with CEBPA mutations with favorable prognosis. In conclusion, HAMLET provides a comprehensive and flexible pipeline for RNAseq analysis to retrieve all relevant information for current classification of AML as well as additional information that may improve classification in the future.

  Study EGAS00001003096

• A Phase I/II Trial of T Cell Receptor Gene Therapy Targeting HPV-16 E7 for HPV-Associated Cancers

  This is a phase I clinical trial testing the safety and efficacy of gene-engineered T cells expressing a T-cell receptor targeting an HLA-A*02:01-restricted epitope of HPV-16 E7 (E7 TCR T cells) in patients with metastatic HPV-16+ epithelial cancers. A total of 12 patients were treated. The maximum tested dose was tolerated. Side effects were most consistent with the expected toxicities of the lymphocyte-depleting conditioning regimen and high-dose aldesleukin. Six of the 12 patients demonstrated objective clinical responses. Translational studies of the infused T cell characteristics did not correlate strongly with clinical response. Genomic defects in the targeted peptide-HLA complex did demonstrate definitive mechanisms of resistance in some patients.

  Study phs002286

• Translational Research Investigating Underlying disparities in acute Myocardial infarction Patients' Health status (TRIUMPH)

  The Translational Research Investigating Underlying disparities in acute Myocardial infarction Patients' Health status (TRIUMPH) cohort is a cohort of 4340 patients prospectively enrolled after hospitalization for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) between June 1, 2005, and December 31, 2008 from 24 U.S. hospitals. Consenting patients had detailed chart abstractions of their medical history and processes of inpatient care, supplemented with a detailed baseline interview. Detailed genetic and metabolic data were obtained at hospital discharge in 2979 (69%) and 3013 patients (69%), respectively. Centralized follow-up interviews sought to quantify patients' post-discharge care and outcomes, with a focus on their health status (symptoms, function, and quality of life). Reprinted from [Article Citation], with permission from [Publisher].

  Study phs001518

• RNA Splicing Dysregulation in the Pathogenesis of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

  RNA splicing dysregulation is a hallmark of cancers, promoting the onset and progression of disease. In chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), spliceosome mutations leading to aberrant splicing occurs in approximately 20% of patients. However, the underlying mechanism for splicing defects in spliceosome unmutated CLL cases remains elusive. To discover posttranscriptional regulation of RNA splicing, we performed RNA sequencing using RNA derived from B cells from 6 healthy donors and 36 CLL patients, along with MAZTER sequencing from 9 CLL patients (8 matched with RNA sequencing cohort) and B cells from 5 healthy donors. We found that CLL cells have dysregulated m6A modification sites on transcripts from splicing factors, suggesting a critical role of m6A modification in RNA splicing dysregulation.

  Study phs003191

• NIDDK IBD Genetics Consortium Repository Exome Chip

  The Illumina Infinium HumanExome+ BeadChip contains putative functional exonic variants selected from individual exome and whole-genome sequences from diverse populations. It includes nonsynonymous variants, splice variants and stop-altering variants. It also includes tags for previous GWAS-identified loci, ancestry informative markers, markers designed for identity by descent analyses, synonymous variants, fingerprint SNPs common to major genotyping platforms, mitochondrial SNPs, chromosome Y SNPs, and HLA tag SNPs. For more information as well as a detailed description of the variant calling and QC procedures, see Li et al. (2016). Li, D., et al. (2016) A pleiotropic missense variant in SLC39A8 is associated with Crohn's disease and human gut microbiome composition. Gastroenterology, 151, 1-9. PMID: 27492617.

  Study phs001723

• Integrative Analysis of Tumor Biopsies on Sequential CTLA-4 and PD-1 Blockade Reveals Markers of Response and Resistance

  Blockade of T cell coinhibitory molecules such as CTLA-4 and PD-1, can activate T cell antitumor response. Although these immune checkpoint blockades (CTLA-4 blockade and PD-1 blockade) have shown durable response, response rate is modest. Therefore, there is a need to find stable biomarkers predictive of response to immune checkpoint blockades and to understand underlying resistance mechanisms. We collected longitudinal tumor biopsies from a cohort of metastatic melanoma patients treated with sequential immune checkpoint blockades and performed whole exome sequencing of this cohort. The comprehensive genomic characterization of tumors enabled identification of higher copy number loss burden as a resistance mechanism and clonal T cell repertoire as a predictive biomarker.

  Study phs001425

• Therapeutic Targeting of ATR Yields Durable Regressions in High Replication Stress Tumors

  Patients with relapsed or recurrent small cell lung cancer or extra-pulmonary small cell cancers were enrolled on an investigator-initiated, single-arm, phase 2 trial (NCT02487095) combining an ATR inhibitor M6620 (VX-970, berzosertib) administered at 210 mg/m2 intravenously over 60 minutes on day 2 and day 5, and topotecan 1.25 mg/m2 intravenously over 30 minutes every 23 hours on days 1 through 5, with a support of pegfilgrastim 6mg subcutaneously on day 6 in 21-day cycles. Tumor samples were collected either just before starting the treatment or before starting treatment prior to be enrolled in the trial. Whole exome and RNA were sequenced to evaluate genomic and transcriptomic characteristics associated with the response to the combination treatment.

  Study phs002327

• Genetic Basis of Pulmonary Non-tuberculous Mycobacterial Infections

  This project aims at characterizing the human host susceptibility to pulmonary non-tuberculous mycobacterial (PNTM) infections. PNTM infections occur in patients with chronic lung disease, but also in a distinct group of elderly women without lung defects but who share a common body morphology: tall and lean with scoliosis, pectus excavatum, and mitral valve prolapse. We performed whole exome and genome sequencing in extended families of patients with active PNTM. This unique collection of familial cohorts in PNTM represents an important opportunity for a high yield search for genes that regulate mucosal immunity. We also sequenced the genome of mycobacterial isolates from PNTM patients to integrate host PNTM susceptibility with mycobacterial genotypes and gain insights into the key factors involved in this devastating disease.

  Study phs000719

• Screening Cases of Isolated Dystonia for Variants in CIZ1

  Recently, we have identified that variants in CIZ1 gene is associated with dystonia. To identify the prevalence of CIZ1 mutations in dystonia population, we use High resolution melting (HRM) to examine all the coding sequence in 3976 subjects with primary dystonia as well as 1819 subjects of normal controls. Indels in Q rich region of exon 2 in CIZ1 were identified in 21 subjects with dystonia but only 3 controls (P<0.05). Other single nucleotide change variants were also found in some of the patients which include a novel missense mutation (c.787A>G, p.R263G) found in a female patient with apparently familial dystonia. We confirmed that mutations in CIZ1 could be associated with dystonia but in rare cases.

  Study phs001455

• Exome Sequencing of Schizophrenia Cases and Controls in the South African Xhosa Population

  The goal of this international collaborative project is to identify genes responsible for Schizophrenia in the Xhosa population of South Africa. The vast majority of the genetic basis for Schizophrenia has yet to be explained. We hypothesize that genes and pathways important to Schizophrenia will harbor different, severe disease-causing mutations in different affected individuals. Given the genetic diversity of African populations, we expect to find genes for Schizophrenia that have not yet emerged from studies of other populations. This project will also foster the development of gene discovery research for neuropsychiatric disorders in Africa. Our approach will identify genes important for the disorder in populations worldwide. These genes will stimulate future efforts to develop more effective treatment and prevention strategies.

  Study phs000959

• Genomics of Brain Metastases

  Brain metastases are the most frequently occurring intracranial tumors in adults. Median survival after the diagnosis of a brain metastasis is in the order of a few months. Despite its large burden of disease and devastating clinical sequelae, we continue to have a limited understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving brain metastasis. We subjected 86 trios consisting of primary tumor, brain metastasis, and matched normal tissue to whole exome sequencing (WES). To analyze the data, we developed novel computational tools to perform an integrative analysis of somatic single nucleotide variants (SSNVs) and somatic copy-number alterations (SCNAs). This analysis allowed us to estimate the clonal architecture of the primary and metastatic samples of each patient, and to reconstruct a phylogenetic tree relating all of the subclones.

  Study phs000730

• Whole-Exome Sequencing and Targeted DNA Sequencing of Matched Ocular Melanocytosis and Uveal Melanoma

  Ocular melanocytosis is the most important predisposing condition for the eye cancer uveal melanoma (UM). Here we used whole-exome and deep targeted sequencing to identify for the first time a clonal Gq pathway mutation in ocular melanocytosis, which gave rise to UM. Additionally, we elucidated the order in which canonical genetic aberrations were acquired during tumor evolution. These findings provide a mechanistic explanation for the well-known clinical association of ocular melanocytosis with UM, and they provide new insights into UM tumor evolution. Reprinted from: Durante MA, Field MG, Sanchez MI, Covington KR, Decatur CL, Dubovy SR, Harbour JW. Genomic evolution of uveal melanoma arising in ocular melanocytosis, with permission from Cold Spring Harbor Molecular Case Studies.

  Study phs001835

• Exome sequencing of autosomal recessive progressive external ophthalmoplegia (arPEO)

  Progressive external ophthalmoplegia (PEO) is an inherited mitochondrial disease that follows either autosomal dominant or recessive forms of inheritance (adPEO or arPEO). AdPEO is a genetically heterogeneous disease and several genes including POLG1 and C10orf2/Twinkle have been identified as responsible genes. On the other hand, POLG1 was the only established gene causing arPEO with mitochondrial DNA deletions. We previously reported a case of PEO with unidentified genetic etiology. The patient was born of a first-cousin marriage. Therefore, the recessive form of inheritance was suspected. To identify the disease causing variant in this patient, we subjected the patient's DNA to whole-exome sequencing and narrowed down the candidate variants using public data and runs of homozygosity analysis.

  Study phs000392

• The mutational characterization of adenoid cystic carcinoma

  Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) typically emanate from the major and minor salivary glands of the head and neck. ACCs have high rates of perineural invasion, locoregional recurrence, and distant metastasis. Here we report sequencing of 60 tumor/normal pairs and find substantial mutational diversity. On pathway analysis, a significant percentage of mutations involved chromatin remodeling, DNA damage, protein kinase A signaling, and FGF/IGF/PI3K signaling. Whole genome sequencing and FISH confirmed the MYB-NFIB translocation as the main structural variant in ACC. Evaluation of potential driver mutations KDM6A and PIK3CA reveal that specific, observed alterations impart functional consequences. Collectively, our data delineate the ACC mutational landscape and establish a molecular foundation for investigating new therapies for this disease.

  Study phs000612

• CAGE Profiling of ncRNAs in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Reveals a Strong Activation of Retroviral LTR Promoters in Virus-Induced Tumors

  The ncRNA transcriptome of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is largely unexplored. We used CAGE to characterize transcription start sites across different etiologies of human HCCs with emphasis on ncRNAs. Here we report that retroviral LTR promoters, expressed in healthy tissues such as testis and placenta but not liver, are widely activated in HCC. Despite HCC heterogeneity, a subset of LTR-derived ncRNAs were more than 10-fold up-regulated in the vast majority of samples. HCCs with a high LTR activity mostly had a viral etiology, were less differentiated and showed higher risk of recurrence. CAGE enabled us to build a promoter map for HCC, which uncovers a new layer of complexity in HCC genomics.

  Study phs000885

• Development of Computational Approaches for Cell Hashing in scRNA-Seq

  As a test of cell overloading after cell hashing, a sample of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from a single subject was separated into naive T cells, memory T cells, and non-T cell PBMC populations using fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS). Each population was separated into two technical replicates, then stained with BioLegend TotalSeq-A antibodies. All 6 samples were pooled, then loaded into 6 wells of a 10X Genomics Chromium 3' RNA-seq v3 chip at increasing cell counts: 16,000 (k), 24k, 32k, 48k, 64, and 80k cells per well. We also included a single sample that was not hashed or pooled, as well as a single sample that was stained with hashing antibodies, but not pooled in two separate wells.

  Study phs002695

• Resistance to Latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection in South Africa: Immunologic Profiling

  Despite significant exposure to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), some humans remain uninfected, as defined by persistently negative immune sensitization tests (tuberculin skin test, TST; interferon gamma release assays, IGRA). To explore mechanisms of natural resistance to Mtb infection, we profiled tissues from highly-exposed Mtb contacts from South Africa. The cohort in this submission were gold miners in South Africa who had worked in the mining industry ≥ 15 years with presumed high Mtb exposure, based on extreme tuberculosis incidence rates and high prevalence of latent Mtb infection (Chihota et al. 2022, PMID: 35302992; Ntshiqa et al. 2021, doi: 10.12688/gatesopenres.13191.1). TST and IGRA testing were performed at enrollment of gold miners, some of whom remained available for repeat testing at 12 months.

  Study phs002746

• Filtering and Annotation of Variants That Are Rare (FAVR)

  The project developed a suite of new methods (FAVR) designed to assist the shortlisting of genetic variants under a rare variant-phenotype/disease model. The methods were designed to work with commonly used massively parallel sequencing analysis pipelines, such as the GATK or ANNOVAR, and have been made publically available as a suite of software tools (https://github.com/bjpop/favr). The FAVR methods use signatures in comparator sequence alignment files to facilitate the filtering of mapping artifacts and common genetic variants, and annotation of genetic variants based on evidence of co-occurrence in individuals. As relevant, FAVR methods can also be used to filter out artifacts derived from imbalanced paired-end sequencing. Pope et al., BMC Bioinformatics, accepted Dec 2012.

  Study phs000601

• Whole exome sequencing in multiplex cleft families from a consortium

  Building upon our previous linkage and association studies, we will use whole exome sequencing studies of second and third degree affected relatives drawn from multiplex families. Our specific aims are: 1) To conduct whole exome sequencing on affected members (2° and 3° relatives) drawn from multiplex cleft families from a consortium to identify novel genes causing non-syndromic oral clefts; 2) To confirm and test the role of rare variants in these novel genes through confirmatory Sanger sequencing, plus linkage information using additional members available in these multiplex families. This whole exome sequencing approach will combine evidence from linkage studies and large scale sequencing to identify novel genes causing oral clefts in multiplex cleft families.

  Study phs000459

• CATHeterization GENetics (CATHGEN)

  The CATHGEN biorepository consists of biological samples collected on 9334 sequential consenting individuals undergoing cardiac catheterization at Duke University Medical Center between 2001 and 2010 inclusive. The Institutional Review Board informed consent allowed for 50 mL of blood to be collected from fasting patients through the femoral arterial sheath during the catheterization procedure. Three 7.5 mL EDTA tubes for DNA extraction are stored at -80°C. The Duke Database for Cardiovascular Disease (DDCD) provides the bulk of the clinical data used for analysis. Follow-up includes mortality information gleaned from the National Death Index and Social Security Death Index plus follow-up phone calls and written questionnaires regarding MI, stroke, re-hospitalization, coronary re-vascularization procedures, smoking, exercise, and medication use.

  Study phs000703

• Chromatin Accessibility Landscape of Human Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC)

  Therapeutic options in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are largely limited to cytotoxic chemotherapy without the benefit of molecular markers predicting response. By ATAC-seq analyses of EpCAM+ PDAC malignant epithelial cells sorted from 54 freshly resected human tumors, we discovered a signature of 1092 chromatin loci displaying differential accessibility between patients with disease-free survival (DFS) < 1 year and patients with DFS > 1 year. Using this signature, we further develop a chromatin accessibility microarray methodology termed “ATAC-Array”, an easy-to-use platform obviating the time and cost of next-generation sequencing. PDAC prognosis can be predicted by ATAC-array, which represents a low-cost, clinically feasible technology for assessing chromatin accessibility profiles.

  Study phs002394

• Immunoprotective mechanisms and microbiota interplay in Salmonella Typhi infection

  Vaccine development against Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi) requires a better understanding of interaction between human host and the resident microbial consortia in gastrointestinal tract. Healthy adult volunteers received either Ty21a, M01ZH09 or placebo, and underwent challenges with wt S. Typhi. Stool samples were collected at the screening interview (Baseline 1), prior to the first vaccination visit (Baseline 2), during vaccination (Day -28 and -26 for placebo and M01ZH09 groups; Day -32, -30, -28, -26 for Ty21a group), prior to challenge with S. Typhi (Day 0), and after challenge (day 0 12h, day 1, day 3, day 7, and day 10). 16S rRNA and messenger RNA were extracted from stool and sequenced on the Illumina Miseq and HiSeq 2000 platforms, respectively.

  Study phs001521