Search Results - EGA European Genome-Phenome Archive

A Genome-Wide Association Study for Post-bronchodilator Lung Function in Children with Asthma

In this study, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of post-bronchodilator (BD) FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in 1 second) and FEV1/FVC (forced vital capacity) in Puerto Rican children with asthma. From September 2003 to June 2010, we recruited 618 Puerto Rican children with asthma, which was defined as physician diagnosed asthma and at least one episode of wheezing in the previous year. The recruited children include 267 from public schools in Hartford, Connecticut and 351 from randomly selected households in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Study phs001216

Subclonal diversification of primary breast cancer

Cancers are ecosystems of genetically related clones, competing across space and time for limited resources. To understand the clonal structure of primary breast cancer, we applied genome and targeted sequencing to 295 samples from 49 patients’ tumors. The extent of subclonal diversification varied considerably among patients and encompassed many spatial patterns, including local growth, intraductal dissemination and clonal intermixture. Landmarks of disease progression, such as acquiring invasive or metastatic potential, arose within detectable subclones of antecedent lesions, suggesting that subclonal mutations could be relevant if actionable. No defined temporal order of mutation was evident, with the commonest genes, including PIK3CA, TP53, BRCA2, PTEN and MYC, mutated early in some, late in others, often exhibiting parallel evolution across subclones. Signatures of homologous recombination deficiency correlated with response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Thus, the interplay of mutation, growth and competition drives clonal structures of breast cancer that are complex, variable across patients and clinically relevant.

Dataset EGAD00001000898

Synthetic - FEGA Sweden Heilsa synthetic dataset December 2023

Synthetic - This submission contains a subset of a synthetic dataset derived from the project Heilsa Tryggvedottir - a Nordic collaboration on sharing sensitive human data. Heilsa Tryggvedottir is funded by the Nordic e-Infrastructure Collaboration (NeIC), the ELIXIR nodes of Finland, Norway, and Sweden, Computerome in Denmark, and the Estonian Scientific Computing Infrastructure (ETAIS). In the synthetic data creation process, it was attempted to strike a fine balance between the usability of the datasets (e.g. technical FEGA development, testing, user training, and basic bioinformatics) and compliance with GDPR. File names and file content (e.g. headers in fastq) are anonymized. Moreover, the X, Y, and mitochondrial sequences have been discarded from the original data since these data can be used for maternal, paternal, or ethnic origin tracing. The dataset does not follow natural haplotype distribution (inherent to imputation panels). The only inputs derived from real sequence data are variant distribution density per chromosome and learning sequencing error models. The synthetic dataset consists of two fastq files, a cram file, a vcf file, and two index files.

Dataset EGAD50000000119

DAC Admixture histories of São Tomé e Príncipe

Contacts: Paul Verdu +33144057317 paul.verdu@mnhn.fr CNRS-MNHN-Université de Paris UMR7206 Eco-anthropology Jorge M. Rocha jrocha@cibio.up.pt CIBIO Short description The Data Access Committee for acess to genotype and sample information used in the article "Nested admixture during and after the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade in the island of Sao Tome" by Ciccarella M et al.2025 ensures that data-access requests comply with the Informed Consent provided by donors, and with ethical and deontological guidelines with respect to privacy. Research sampling protocols followed the Declaration of Helsinki guidelines and written informed consent was obtained from all volunteer participants involved in the sampling in São Tomé e Príncipe. The study of the São Tomé e Príncipe sample was undertaken with the support and permission of the Provincial Government of the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of São Tomé e Príncipe, and the Provincial Government of Príncipe. Research sampling protocols also followed the French laws of scientific research deontology (Loi n° 2016-483 du 20 avril 2016) and were approved by the French ethics committees and CNIL (Declaration n°1972648).

Dac EGAC50000000437

Analysis of TKI resistant mechanism for gastrointstinal stromal tumor

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors are the most common mesenchymal tumor of the digestive tract and the proliferation is driven by gain-of-function mutations in KIT. Despite its proven benefits, half of the patients treated with imatinib develop disease progression within 2 years due to secondary resistance mutations in the KIT kinase domains. To characterize the changes associated with imatinib resistance, we performed genomic and transcriptomic analyses of four resistant cell lines and one cell line briefly exposed to imatinib. We also performed exome sequencing of drug-resistant clinical samples.

Study JGAS000039

Whole-genome sequencing analysis for understanding of the stepwise progression of lung adenocarcinoma

In this study, we performed long and short read whole-genome sequencing analysis of lung adenocarcinoma from early to advanced stages to identify molecular events associated with the stepwise progression of lung adenocarcinoma. We particularly focused on very early stage of lung adenocarcinoma, such as adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS) and minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA). In addition to the whole-genome sequencing analysis, we conducted transcriptome and epigenome analysis, multiplex fluorescence immunostaining. This study would enable us to understand important molecular events of pathogenesis in detail during lung adenocarcinoma progression.

Study JGAS000570

Searching for rare/low frequency variants in rheumatoid arthritis by exome sequencing

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a multifactorial and systemic autoimmune disease and characterized by synovial inflammation and hyperplasia, autoantibody production, cartilage and bone destruction and systemic features including cardiovascular, pulmonary, psychological and skeletal disorders. Although the causality of RA is not completely understood, genetic factors contribute to the onset. About 60% of the RA risk is genetic. To identify causative- or susceptible- rare/low-frequency variants in RA, exome sequencing of 39 patients with RA was conducted. We also conducted genotyping of pooled healthy men and women exome-sequencing data.

Study JGAS000035

Establishment of an integrated database for clinical and genomic data in cancer

In this study, to clarify the genomic varieties of MM in Asian population, we planned to investigate the genomic features in Japanese population, represented as an Asian cohort, and preformed the comprehensive genomic analysis of MM cells with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) by means of targeted capture sequencing (TCS) method. In our TCS assay, MM cells are subjected to the detection of following genomic abnormalities; IG rearrangements, IG associated translocations, CNAs, and somatic mutations from 340 genes related to the pathogenesis and therapeutic agent of MM.

Study JGAS000206

16S rRNA gene V4 region sequencing data, ASV profiles, and sample metadata of human faecal samples predominantly from the Estonian population

This dataset comprises 16S rRNA gene V4 region amplicon sequencing data generated from 1,826 human faecal samples, predominantly from the Estonian population. The dataset includes raw sequencing reads and processed amplicon sequence variant (ASV) outputs, consisting of ASV abundance tables, representative ASV sequences, and taxonomic assignments. In addition, a sample metadata table is provided, containing sample and host information, including sample identifier, sequencing run identifier, date of sampling, sex, age, height, weight, nationality, disease status, and Bristol stool type. Sequencing was performed using the Illumina MiSeq and iSeq 100 platforms. The cohort includes individuals with no reported disease (n = 889), gastrointestinal diseases (n = 217), allergies and asthma (n = 194), thyroid gland disorders (n = 117), cardiovascular diseases (n = 103), various general health conditions (n = 139), cancer (n = 28), diabetes (n = 20), gynaecological issues (n = 7). Disease status was unavailable for 112 samples.

Dataset EGAD50000002306

The DIRECT study: A roadmap for ctDNA-based risk prediction, molecular profiling and MRD detection in Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma

DIRECT was a prospective, multisite study assessing the feasibility and utility of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in 188 patients with aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma using capture panel sequencing and an open-source computational pipeline. The aims of the study were 1)baseline risk stratification, 2)genetic profiling and 3)ultrasensitive minimal residual disease (MRD) assessment. This study highlighted the considerable potential, but also the caveats and limitations, of ctDNA technology when applied to aggressive B-cell lymphoma.

Study EGAS50000000968

Single Cell RNAseq at various stages of HiPSCs differentiating toward definitive endoderm and endoderm derived lineages

When comparing the differentiation capacities of pluripotent stem cell lines that have different genetic backgrounds, batch to batch experimental variablility poses a significant challenge, especially when trying to identify smaller effects. One way to address this issue is to differentiate several different lines in the same culture dish, thereby elimating experimental variation. In addition, it allows researchers to analyze many more lines with less experiments. Parallel single cell RNA-Seq exploits that individual cells are tagged and hence each cell can be reliably assigned to the donor of origin based on the genetic variants it contains. In addition, analyzing the genetic signature of single cells within a differentiating population can reveal differentation stages that are not easily detected in bulk RNAseq data. 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/

Dataset EGAD00001005741

10x dataset of an obese human subject

Biopsies from visceral adipose tissue from the omental depot (OAT) were obtained from an obese individual with participant informed consent obtained after the nature and possible consequences of the studies were explained under protocols approved by the Institutional Review Boards of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, or the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. The obese donor underwent bariatric surgery, the lean donor underwent cholecystectomy. OAT samples were placed in 1 mL of DMEM, and finely minced under sterile conditions before digestion in 50 mL of DMEM with 3 mg/1 mL collagenase IV (Gibco). Samples were incubated at 37°C in a rotating oven for 20-60 min. Adipocyte and stromal vascular fractions (SVF) were separated by centrifugation, and red blood cells (RBCs) were removed from the SVF by histopaque gradient (Sigma). Single-cell RNA-sequencing libraries were prepared using the Chromium platform (10x genomics), and sequenced on the MiSeq 500 or HiSeq 2500 Sequencing System (Illumina).

Dataset EGAD00001005101

UCSF Pediatric Bithalamic Glioma Genome Project

Targeted next-generation sequencing of 13 pediatric bithalamic diffuse gliomas. BAM files of targeted next-generation DNA sequencing data of 13 pediatric gliomas, with multi-region sequencing data from 2 of these cases (17 total tumor samples). Genomic DNA was extracted from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded blocks of tumor tissue from using the QIAamp DNA FFPE Tissue Kit (Qiagen). Capture-based next-generation DNA sequencing was performed at the University of California, San Francisco Clinical Cancer Genomics Laboratory, using an assay that targets all coding exons of 480 cancer-related genes, select introns of 47 genes, and TERT promoter with a total sequencing footprint of 2.8 Mb (UCSF500 Cancer Panel). Sequencing libraries were prepared from genomic DNA, and target enrichment was performed by hybrid capture using a custom oligonucleotide library (Nimblegen SeqCap EZ Choice). Captured libraries were sequenced as paired-end 100 bp reads on an Illumina HiSeq 2500 instrument. Duplicate sequencing reads were removed computationally to allow for accurate allele frequency determination and copy number calling.

Dataset EGAD00001005499

MARS-seq dataset of five obese human subjects and a lean human subject

Biopsies from visceral adipose tissue from the omental depot (OAT) were obtained from five obese individuals and one lean donor with participant informed consent obtained after the nature and possible consequences of the studies were explained under protocols approved by the Institutional Review Boards of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, or the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. The obese donors underwent bariatric surgery, the lean donor underwent cholecystectomy. OAT samples were placed in 1 mL of DMEM, and finely minced under sterile conditions before digestion in 50 mL of DMEM with 3 mg/1 mL collagenase IV (Gibco). Samples were incubated at 37°C in a rotating oven for 20-60 min. Adipocyte and stromal vascular fractions (SVF) were separated by centrifugation, and red blood cells (RBCs) were removed from the SVF by histopaque gradient (Sigma). Single-cell RNA-sequencing libraries were prepared using the MARS-seq pipeline, and sequenced on the MiSeq 500 or HiSeq 2500 Sequencing System (Illumina).

Dataset EGAD00001005100

Human liver mtDNA sequencing

BAM files containing paired-end mtDNA sequencing data from morphologically normal human liver. Clonal CCO-deficient patches of hepatocytes were identified in human liver samples, and samples were taken along a line spanning approximately from the portal triad to the central hepatic vein. Individual BAM files are named according to their patch, line and cut, where cut 1 is nearest to the portal triad, and cuts 2, 3 etc. lying further from the portal triad. Other file types include "Bulk" samples, contain sequencing data of the remaining CCO-deficient cells that were not sampled as part of the line of cuts, and "Stroma" control samples (used for identifying germ-line variants). Sequenced on NextSeq 500 platform.

Dataset EGAD00001007991

The mutational landscape of normal human endometrial epithelium

All normal somatic cells are thought to acquire mutations. However, characterisation of the patterns and consequences of somatic mutation in normal tissues is limited. Uterine endometrium is a dynamic tissue undergoing cyclical shedding and reconstitution lined by a gland-forming epithelium. Whole genome sequencing of normal endometrial glands showed that most are clonal cell populations derived from a recent common ancestor, with mutation burdens differing from other normal cell types and many fold lower than endometrial cancers. Mutational signatures found ubiquitously account for most mutations. Many, in some women all, endometrial glands are colonised by cell clones carrying driver mutations in cancer genes, often with multiple drivers. Total and driver mutation burdens increase with age, but are also influenced by other factors, including body mass index and parity, and clones with drivers often originate during early decades of life. The somatic mutational landscapes of normal cells differ between cell types and are revealing the procession of neoplastic change leading to cancer.

Dataset EGAD00001004547

Integrative single-cell and cell-free plasma RNA transcriptomics elucidates placental cellular dynamics

10 single-cell placental RNA libraries were generated using the Chromium Single Cell 3′ Reagent Kit (10X Genomics). All single-cell libraries were sequenced with a customized paired end with dual indexing (98/14/8/10-bp) format according to the recommendation by 10X Genomics. The data were aligned using the Cell Ranger Single-Cell Software Suite (version 1.0). Moreover, plasma RNA from 22 samples were extracted using the RNeasy Mini Kit (Qiagen). cDNA reverse transcription, second-strand synthesis, and RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) library construction were performed using the Ovation RNA-seq System V2 (NuGEN) kit according to the manufacturer’s protocol. For alignment of the plasma RNA library, adaptor sequences and low-quality bases on the fragment ends (i.e., quality score < 5) were trimmed, and reads were aligned to the human reference genome (hg19) using the TopHat (v2.0.4) software. All aligned reads were deposited in bam file format.

Dataset EGAD00001003705

Genome-wide search for higher order epistasis as modifiers of treatment effects on bone mineral density in childhood cancer survivors

Survivors of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) exposed to curative treatments that adversely affect BMD (age- and sex-adjusted BMD Z-scores, measured via QCT). Specifically, after SNP QC and annotation, we considered 75523 autosomal SNPs mapped to putative promoter or enhancer regions to restrict our search to 3-way SNP interactions that potentially reflect gene regulation events that influence BMD. We replicated 3-SNP interactions as modifiers of treatment effects in a cohort of adult survivors of non-ALL pediatric cancers (N=1428).

Study EGAS00001002645

DERMATLAS: Hidradenoma papilliferum_RNAseq

Virtually no other tumour type is associated with so many different forms as skin cancer. Histologically, tumours of the skin may arise from epithelium, including epidermis, hair follicle, sebaceous or sweat gland, melanocytes, dermal-associated mesenchymal structures or tissue resident immune cells, making for a diversity of clinical presentations. Importantly, many skin tumour types have an extremely poor prognosis. Many skin tumour subtypes have never undergone molecular profiling, or if they have, targeted sequencing has been used and the number of cases analyzed has been so limited that deriving firm conclusions about the profile of driver genes, DNA mutational signatures and germline alleles has not been possible.For 70 key skin tumour subtypes defined by the World Health Organization, that have not undergone extensive genetic analysis previously, we propose to perform whole exome and transcriptome sequencing, from a range of body sites, to build a genomic atlas of dermatological tumours, including detailed maps of SNVs, copy number alterations, genome-wide methylation and expression profiles.

Dataset EGAD00001015480

Extensive three-dimensional intratumor proteomic heterogeneity revealed by multiregion sampling in high-grade serous ovarian tumor specimens

Enriched tumor epithelium, tumor-associated stroma, and whole tissue were collected by laser microdissection from thin sections across spatially separated levels of ten high-grade serous ovarian carcinomas (HGSOCs) and analyzed by mass spectrometry, reverse phase protein arrays, and RNA sequencing. Unsupervised analyses of protein abundance data revealed independent clustering of an enriched stroma and enriched tumor epithelium, with whole tumor tissue clustering driven by overall tumor “purity.” Comparing these data to previously defined prognostic HGSOC molecular subtypes revealed protein and transcript expression from tumor epithelium correlated with the differentiated subtype, whereas stromal proteins (and transcripts) correlated with the mesenchymal subtype. Protein and transcript abundance in the tumor epithelium and stroma exhibited decreased correlation in samples collected just hundreds of microns apart. These data reveal substantial tumor microenvironment protein heterogeneity that directly bears on prognostic signatures, biomarker discovery, and cancer pathophysiology and underscore the need to enrich cellular subpopulations for expression profiling.

Dataset EGAD00001008344

Precise reconstruction of the tumor microenvironment using bulk RNA-seq and a unique machine learning-based algorithm trained on artificial transcriptomes

Cellular deconvolution algorithms virtually reconstruct tissue composition by analyzing the gene expression of complex tissues. Here, we present the decision tree machine learning algorithm, Kassandra, trained on a broad collection of > 9,400 tissue and blood sorted cell RNA profiles to accurately reconstruct the tumor microenvironment (TME). Bioinformatic correction for technical and biological variability, aberrant cancer cell expression inclusion, and the accurate quantification and normalization of transcript expression increased the stability and robustness of Kassandra. Performance was validated on over 4,000 H&E tissue slides and more than 1,000 normal and tumor tissues by comparison with cytometric, immunohistochemical or single-cell RNA-seq measurements. Kassandra accurately deconvolved stromal and immune elements of blood and tumors, revealing the role of the TME in tumor pathogenesis. Digital TME reconstruction revealed that the presence of PD1-positive CD8+ T cells strongly correlated with immunotherapy response and increased the predictive potential of established biomarkers, indicating that Kassandra could potentially be utilized in future clinical applications.

Dataset EGAD00001008776

Dataset for urologic_cancer-RNA

Rare cancer sequencing data of 75 runs in tumor/control pairs, which were uploaded to umbrella studies. The sequencing was always paired

Dataset EGAD00001008851

Whole exome sequencing of non-small cell lung cancer patient-derived xenografts

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Only a fraction of NSCLC harbour actionable driver mutations and there is an urgent need for patient-derived model systems that will enable the development of new targeted therapies. We generated NSCLC patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) that recapitulate the histology and molecular features of primary NSCLC. Here, we completed whole exome sequencing on 122 NSCLC PDXs.

Dataset EGAD00001008601

RNA sequencing on colonic biopsies from inflammatory bowel disease patients treated with vehicle control, MEK inhibitor, or infliximab

This dataset consists of RNA sequencing data (FASTQs) from intestinal mucosal biopsies from 9 IBD patients. All patients endoscopically active disease and were not receiving immunosuppressive or biologic therapies. All biopsies (6 per donor) were collected from a single inflamed site. Biopsies were cultured for 18 hours at an air-liquid interface in media containing either DMSO (vehicle control), PD-0325901 (0.5uM) or infliximab (10ug/ml; MSD) - two biopsies per condition. Sequencing was performed on a NovaSeq 6000 (100bp, PE reads). After 18 hours, biopsies were harvested and snap frozen. After lysis, RNA was extracted using an AllPrep DNA/RNA Mini Kit (Qiagen). Sequencing libraries were prepared from 10ng RNA using the SMARTer Stranded Total RNA-Seq Kit v2 - Pico Input Mammalian (Takara) following the manufacturer’s instructions. The quality and molarity of all libraries was assessed using a BioAnalyzer 2100 and the libraries were sequenced on a NovaSeq 6000 (100bp, PE reads).

Dataset EGAD00001011333

20210708_EGA_Melanoma_mk2 WGS 570 donors

Illumina platform whole genome sequencing data for matched tumour-normal DNA samples from 570 melanoma patients

Dataset EGAD00001008798

Dataset for soft_tissue_tumor-EXON

Rare cancer sequencing data of 246 runs in tumor/control pairs, which were uploaded to umbrella studies. The sequencing was always paired

Dataset EGAD00001008897

The polarity and specificity of antiviral T lymphocyte responses determine susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection in cancer patients and healthy individuals

We monitored patient's anti SARS-CoV-2 immune responses using an in vitro cross presentation assay. The goal of this study was to identify immune correlates of clinical protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Briefly, peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patient were divided into a monocyte and lymphocyte. Monocyte were differentiated into monocyte derived dendritic (mo-DC)cells using GM-CSF and Interferon alpha. Mo-DC were then loaded with SARS-CoV-2 culture lysates , or VeroE86 lysates. SARS-CoV-2 loaded mo-DC were then used to stimulates their autologous lymphocytes and T cell cytokine secretion was monitored in the supernatant. We discriminated patients producing IL-2 and patients producing IL-5. RNA sequencing was performed for 18 patients, to identify gene profile associated with IL-2 or IL-5 production.

Dataset EGAD00001008538

A developmental cell atlas of the human thyroid gland - WGS

The thyroid gland produces hormones essential for health from embryogenesis to adulthood. Thyroid disorders, including congenital hypothyroidism and thyroid carcinoma, are prevalent and pose significant health challenges. Congenital hypothyroidism often results from thyroid dysgenesis or impaired hormone synthesis, is particularly prevalent in trisomy 21 (T21), while thyroid carcinoma is the most frequent endocrine malignancy, affecting both paediatric and adult populations. Understanding the molecular basis of these conditions requires deeper insights into fetal thyroid development. We generated a spatiotemporal atlas of the human thyroid during early pregnancy, revealing key cell types, including hormone-producing thyrocytes. Thyroid follicular cells are heterogeneous, with two functional cell states (fTFC1, fTFC2) that persist into adulthood, with fTFC2 characterised by elevated PAX8 expression. We demonstrated that T21 thyroids displayed dysgenesis with disrupted follicular morphology, and altered extracellular matrix interactions, and that the fTFC2 signature was enriched in paediatric papillary thyroid cancer compared to adults. These findings uncover thyrocyte heterogeneity across the lifespan, advancing understanding of thyroid development and disease.

Dataset EGAD00001015447

A developmental cell atlas of the human thyroid gland - RNA

The thyroid gland produces hormones essential for health from embryogenesis to adulthood. Thyroid disorders, including congenital hypothyroidism and thyroid carcinoma, are prevalent and pose significant health challenges. Congenital hypothyroidism often results from thyroid dysgenesis or impaired hormone synthesis, is particularly prevalent in trisomy 21 (T21), while thyroid carcinoma is the most frequent endocrine malignancy, affecting both paediatric and adult populations. Understanding the molecular basis of these conditions requires deeper insights into fetal thyroid development. We generated a spatiotemporal atlas of the human thyroid during early pregnancy, revealing key cell types, including hormone-producing thyrocytes. Thyroid follicular cells are heterogeneous, with two functional cell states (fTFC1, fTFC2) that persist into adulthood, with fTFC2 characterised by elevated PAX8 expression. We demonstrated that T21 thyroids displayed dysgenesis with disrupted follicular morphology, and altered extracellular matrix interactions, and that the fTFC2 signature was enriched in paediatric papillary thyroid cancer compared to adults. These findings uncover thyrocyte heterogeneity across the lifespan, advancing understanding of thyroid development and disease.

Dataset EGAD00001015448

Transcriptional consequences of SETBP1 variants in developmental disorders and malignancies

The SETBP1 gene encodes a DNA-binding nuclear protein that regulates gene expression across multiple tissues. Precise control of SETBP1 dosage is essential for normal cellular function, as both loss- and gain-of-function variants of SETBP1 can lead to severe phenotypic consequences. De novo germline gain-of-function point mutations that prolong SETBP1 half-life result in Schinzel-Giedion syndrome (SGS), an ultra-rare and severe congenital disorder associated with extensive developmental abnormalities and health complications. These SGS-associated variants cluster within a hotspot in the SKI-homology domain of SETBP1, overlapping with somatic mutations recurrently observed in myeloid leukaemia with poor prognosis. Thus far, the precise mechanisms by which these SETBP1 mutations drive disease remain largely unclear. Here, through single-cell and single-nucleus mRNA sequencing of a rare collection of primary patient samples with SGS and myeloid leukaemia, we examined the transcriptional consequences of SETBP1 gain-of-function variants in haematopoietic cells, comparing their impacts when acquired in the germline and somatically in malignancies.

Dataset EGAD00001015482

Genomic Advances in Sepsis (GAinS) genotyping

This cohort comprises a subset of patients enrolled in the Genomic Advances in Sepsis (GAinS) study, an established biobank of adult sepsis patients. Sepsis is defined as life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. Patients with sepsis due to community acquired pneumonia or faecal peritonitis were recruited from 35 hospitals across the UK from 2005-2018, with samples for functional genomics and detailed clinical information collected over the first five days of ICU admission to investigate how host genetics affects the individual repsonse to sepsis. DNA was extracted from buffy coat or whole blood samples using the Qiagen DNA extraction protocol, the automated Maxwell Blood purification kit (Promega), or the QIAamp Blood Midi kit protocol (Qiagen). Genotyping data were generated using the Illumina HumanOmniExpress BeadChip (295 patients), the Infinium CoreExome BeadChip (655 patients), and the Infinium Global Screening Array BeadChip (307 patients). Genotyping QC and imputation into the Haplotype Reference Consortium was perfomed within each batch. The datasets were combined and following post-imputation filtering data were available on 1168 samples.

Dataset EGAD00001015369

Genomics of acral lentiginous melanoma

Melanoma is the most aggressive type of skin cancer, causing about 75% of dermatological cancer deaths. Acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) is the most common subtype of melanoma in admixed Latin American populations, but very few tumour genomes and exomes, all from European-descent individuals, have been analysed across several studies. Because of this, the genomic landscape of ALM is mostly unknown. Our aim in this project is to define this landscape and identify driver somatic alterations by whole-exome sequencing a collection of ALM germline/tumour paired FFPE samples from the National Cancer Institute of Mexico. . This dataset contains all the data available for this study on 2023-03-09.

Dataset EGAD00001010126

RNA sequencing in primary inflammatory (TPP) macrophages following deletion of a disease-associated gene desert at chr21q22, disruption of ETS2, or treatment of ETS2-edited macrophages with a HIF1α stabiliser.

This dataset comprises raw RNA sequencing data (FASTQs) from primary inflammatory (TPP) macrophages that were unedited (non-targeting control, NTC), edited to delete the disease-associated chr21q22 enhancer region (n=5), or edited to disrupt ETS2 with 1 of 2 independent gRNAs (n=9). We also performed RNA-sequencing in NTC or ETS2-edited TPP macrophages that were treated for 12 hours with vehicle (DMSO) or roxadustat (30 uM, n=3). Macrophages were detached using Accutase and lysed. RNA was extracted from cell lysates using an AllPrep DNA/RNA Mini Kit (Qiagen). Sequencing libraries were prepared from 10ng RNA using the SMARTer Stranded Total RNA-Seq Kit v2 - Pico Input Mammalian (Takara) following the manufacturer’s instructions. The quality and molarity of all libraries was assessed using a BioAnalyzer 2100 and the libraries were sequenced on a NextSeq500. Raw data are provided as 50 bp paired-end Illumina reads.

Dataset EGAD00001011338

The ALT pathway generates telomere fusions that can be detected in the blood of cancer patients

Telomere fusions (TFs) can trigger the accumulation of oncogenic alterations leading to malignant transformation and drug resistance. Despite their relevance in tumour evolution, our understanding of the patterns and consequences of TFs in human cancers remains limited. Here, we characterize the rates and spectrum of somatic TFs across >30 cancer types using whole-genome sequencing data. TFs are pervasive in human tumours with rates varying markedly across and within cancer types. In addition to end-to-end fusions, we find novel patterns of TFs that we mechanistically link to the activity of the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) pathway. We show that TFs can be detected in the blood of cancer patients, which enables cancer detection with high specificity and sensitivity even for early-stage tumours and cancers of high unmet clinical need. Overall, we report a novel genomic footprint that enables characterization of the telomere maintenance mechanism of tumours and liquid biopsy analysis.

Dataset EGAD00001012101

Haplotype-specific assembly of shattered chromosomes in oesophageal adenocarciomas

Genomic and epigenomic sequencing of 5 oesphageal adenocarciomas with evidence of chromothripsis. Genomic sequencing includes: Pacbio circular consensus sequencing, Pacbio continuous long read sequencing, 10X linked read and Illumia HiSeq X Ten sequencing. Epigenomic sequencing includes: Hi-C chromosome capture, ATAC-seq, ChIP seq (for H3K27ac, H3K4me3, H3K27me3 and CTCF) and long read RNA sequencing. All data types have the bam files which have not undergone haplotype resolution (demarcated as unresolved) and some data types also have haplotype resolved reads (demarcated as resolved).

Dataset EGAD00001010871

DERMATLAS: Hidradenoma papilliferum_WES

Virtually no other tumour type is associated with so many different forms as skin cancer. Histologically, tumours of the skin may arise from epithelium, including epidermis, hair follicle, sebaceous or sweat gland, melanocytes, dermal-associated mesenchymal structures or tissue resident immune cells, making for a diversity of clinical presentations. Importantly, many skin tumour types have an extremely poor prognosis. Many skin tumour subtypes have never undergone molecular profiling, or if they have, targeted sequencing has been used and the number of cases analyzed has been so limited that deriving firm conclusions about the profile of driver genes, DNA mutational signatures and germline alleles has not been possible.For 70 key skin tumour subtypes defined by the World Health Organization, that have not undergone extensive genetic analysis previously, we propose to perform whole exome and transcriptome sequencing, from a range of body sites, to build a genomic atlas of dermatological tumours, including detailed maps of SNVs, copy number alterations, genome-wide methylation and expression profiles.

Dataset EGAD00001015481

A non-canonical lymphoblast in refractory childhood T-cell leukaemia

Refractory cancers may arise either through the acquisition of resistance mechanisms or represent distinct disease states. The origin of childhood T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL) that does not respond to initial treatment, i.e. refractory disease, is unknown. Refractory T-ALL carries a poor prognosis and cannot be predicted at diagnosis. Here, we perform single cell mRNA sequencing of T-ALL from 58 children (84 samples) who did, or did not respond to initial treatment. We identify a transcriptionally distinctive blast population, exhibiting features of innate-like lymphocytes, as the major source of refractory disease. Evidence of such blasts at diagnosis heralds refractory disease across independent datasets and is associated with survival in a large, contemporary trial cohort. Our findings portray refractory T-ALL as a distinct disease with the potential for immediate clinical utility. This dataset contains 56 single-cell RNA sequencing data files with corresponding single-cell T cell receptor sequencing data files. The data here form the validation cohort in our paper.

Dataset EGAD00001015673

Melanoma PEACE Dataset

Dataset for the initial melanoma PEACE paper in Cancer Discovery, March 2023.

Dataset EGAD00001010877

Gene expression QTL mapping in stimulated iPSC-derived macrophages

Immune cells sense and respond to external stimuli, initiating an inflammatory response, with genetic variants potentially altering these responses. Traditional QTL mapping often uses naïve cells, missing condition-specific variants detectable post-stimulation. Our study uses a high-throughput platform to map eQTLs across 24 conditions using iPSC-derived macrophages, identifying that 76% of eQTLs in stimulated conditions were also present in naïve cells. We found response eQTLs (reQTLs) vary widely across conditions, with rare single-condition reQTLs being overrepresented among disease-colocalizing eQTLs. This study nominates 21.7% more disease effector genes at GWAS loci through reQTL colocalization, with 38.6% not found in the GTEx catalogue, highlighting the importance of condition-specific regulatory variation in understanding disease risk alleles. Our findings underscore the value of condition-specific studies in elucidating the genetic mechanisms underlying complex diseases. 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/

Dataset EGAD00001015380

Multi-omic and functional analysis for classification and treatment of sarcomas with FUS-TFCP2 or EWSR1-TFCP2 fusions(H021/INF)

Many rare cancers are not well understood, and pathogenesis-directed therapies are often lacking, resulting in poor patient outcomes. Leveraging two (inter)national precision oncology trials that enroll large numbers of rare cancers, we investigated the clinical, histopathologic, molecular, and functional characteristics of rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) with fusions of FUS or EWSR1 to the TFCP2 transcription factor, a recently discovered ultra-rare entity whose classification, pathogenesis, and optimal treatment are unclear. Unusually for fusion-driven sarcomas, most cases had highly rearranged genomes, including chromothripsis, and signs of defective homologous recombination DNA repair. All tumors showed extreme expression of a truncated TERT variant and the ALK receptor tyrosine kinase, which was additionally affected by intragenic deletions and aberrant splicing, resulting in the expression of shortened variants in 58% of cases. Three ALK variants were oncogenic in immortalized cells, and patient-derived tumor cells expressing two variants responded to certain ALK inhibitors. Other recurrent alterations included CDKN2A/MTAP co-deletions and mutations in PAPPA2, encoding an IGFBP5-specific proteinase, in 67% and 25% of cases, respectively. DNA methylation analysis, along with 19 other soft-tissue sarcoma classes, revealed a close relationship with undifferentiated sarcoma but not other RMS subtypes, suggesting that TFCP2-rearranged RMS is a separate entity, possibly arising from a distinct cell of origin. Expression of TFCP2 fusions in immortalized human cells blocked late myogenic differentiation and significantly induced genes that were also highly expressed in patient tumors, including ALK, TERT, and two known regulators of skeletal muscle cells, IGFBP5 and PTH1R. Genome-wide chromatin profiling demonstrated direct binding of FUS-TFCP2 to the ALK and TERT loci outside their regular promoters, which correlated with the expression of alternative transcript variants. Finally, FUS-TFCP2 inhibited the repair of DNA double-strand breaks in immortalized cells, rendering them sensitive to treatment with cisplatin. This study provides insight into the pathogenesis and therapeutic vulnerabilities of a new RMS subtype and illustrates the value of linking comprehensive molecular diagnostics and functional annotation within multicenter consortia to improve the understanding and clinical management of rare cancers.

Study EGAS00001006939

University of Pennsylvania CAR T Cell Responding and Non-responding Patients

The adoptive transfer of autologous T cells genetically modified to express a CD19-specific, 4-1BB/CD3zeta-signaling chimeric antigen receptor (CAR; CTL019) has shown remarkable activity in patients with B acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Similar therapy can induce long-term remissions for relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients, but in only a small subset of subjects. The determinants of response and resistance to CTL019 therapy of CLL are not fully understood. We employed next generation sequencing of RNA (RNA-seq) to identify predictive indicators of response to CTL019 treatment. We performed RNA-seq on leukapheresis and manufactured infusion product T cells from patients with heavily pre-treated and high-risk disease. To characterize potency, we also performed RNA-seq on the cellular infusion product after CAR-specific stimulation. Our findings indicate that durable remission in CLL is associated with gene expression signatures of early memory T cell differentiation (e.g., STAT3), while T cells from poorly- or non-responding patients exhibited elevated expression of key regulators of late memory as well as effector T cell differentiation, apoptosis, aerobic glycolysis, hypoxia and exhaustion. These gene expression signatures, along with additional immunological biomarkers, may be used to identify which patients are most likely to respond to cellular therapies and suggest manufacturing modifications that might potentiate the generation of maximally efficacious infusion products. In a follow-up study, we report multiplex CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing on T cells in humans to test the hypothesis that disrupting genes encoding the endogenous T cell receptor (TCR), TCRα (TRAC) and TCRβ (TRBC), as well as PD-1 (PDCD1) would enhance the efficacy of autologous T cells engineered to express a transgenic NY-ESO TCR. We used single cell RNA-seq to comprehensively characterize the transcriptomic phenotype of this T cell product and its evolution over time in a patient with sarcoma. Notably, this patient's transferred T cells that persisted in vivo demonstrated increases in expression of genes associated with a central memory state (IL7R, TCF7). These findings may guide future trials involving administration of genetically redirected, genome -edited T cells.In this follow-up study, we investigated whether CRISPR-Cas9-mediated disruption of PDCD1 and/or CTLA-4 could restore CART dysfunction in healthy donors and/or CLL patients. We show that depletion of CTLA-4 rescues the function of T cells from leukemia patients that previously failed CART cell treatment. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing and characterized the transcriptomic landscape of CTLA-4 KO CART19 cells that showed higher proliferation and anti-tumor efficacy by permitting unopposed CD28 signaling and maintenance of CAR expression on the T cell surface under stress-test conditions of chronic antigen exposure. Our findings reveal that selective disruption of CTLA-4 invigorates dysfunctional patient T cells, providing a strategy for increasing patient responses to CART cell therapy.

Study phs001707

Defining T cell States Associated with Response to Checkpoint Immunotherapy in Melanoma

Checkpoint blockade therapy using antibodies targeting CTLA4, PD1 or PDL1 have changed the way cancer patients with advanced disease are being treated, as evident by their FDA approval in a wide variety of malignancies, and their ability to induce high response rates when compared to conventional therapies (e.g. chemotherapy). However, even in melanoma, despite the high response rate, most patients are refractory to therapy or acquire resistance in 10-12 months. To identify key immunological elements coupled with response or resistance to checkpoint immunotherapy, we performed an unbiased analysis on 16,291 CD45+ immune cells from 32 patients (48 samples) treated with checkpoint therapy (anti-PD1=37; anti-PD1/CTLA4=11), using single cell transcriptomics. Initial unsupervised clustering of all CD45+ cells identified 11 clusters. When examining the association of these clusters with clinical outcome, we found that two clusters (B-cells, p=0.005; memory T-cells, p=0.03) were significantly enriched in responder lesions while 4 clusters (monocytes/macrophages, p=0.003; dendritic cells, p=0.015; exhausted CD8+ T-cells, p=0.005; and exhausted/cell-cycle lymphocytes, 1.3x10-5) are enriched in non-responder lesions. Next, by leveraging our unbiased single cell approach, we identified not only clusters but also specific markers associated with either responder lesions (PLAC8, LTB, LY9, SELL, TCF7, IGKC and CCR7) or non-responder ones (CCL3, CD38, HAVCR2, ENTPD1 and WARS), many of which were not previously reported to be associated with clinical outcome to checkpoint therapy. Due to the importance of CD8+ T-cells in controlling tumors, the significant association of T-cell states with clinical outcome, and their high abundance in melanoma tumors, we next focused our analysis on CD8+ T-cells and identified 2 main clusters CD8_G (with increased expression of genes linked to memory) and CD8_B (enriched for genes linked to cell dysfunction), that were significantly enriched in responder (CD8_G, p=1.4x10-6) and non-responder (CD8_B, p=0.005) lesions, respectively. Since cells with both states coexist in each of the responder and non-responder lesions, we decided to calculate the ratio between the number of cells in these 2 clusters and observed a significant separation between responders (CD8_G/CD8_B>1) and non-responders (CD8_G/CD8_B<1) when looking at all samples, baseline or post samples separately. Similar results were detected when looking at the expression of a single transcription factor, TCF7, in CD8 T-cells in an independent cohort (n=43) using a simple immunofluorescence assay. Additionally, we validated the identity and function of some of the newly identified cell states as well as their epigenetic landscape, and found that cells expressing the inhibitory molecules CD39 and TIM3, on top of being enriched in non-responder lesions, are likely to play a crucial role in T-cell exhaustion in melanoma. Collectively, our study provides extensive unbiased data in human tumors for discovery of predictors and therapeutic targets to checkpoint immunotherapy.

Study phs001680

Blood Somatic Mutations in TCGA Donors Suffering from Solid Tumors

Blood somatic mutations identified across 8,530 solid tumor patients in TCGA cohort. We reasoned that low-coverage whole-genome sequencing of blood samples routinely carried out in cancer genomics projects may be repurposed to detect clonal hematopoiesis (CH). Thus, inspired by a previous approach to identify early mutations in the development of the hematopoietic system, we implemented a pipeline to systematically carry out this "reverse" somatic mutation calling on the paired blood/tumor samples. Blood somatic mutations were called using a 'reverse' approach, in which the tumor sample taken from each patient was used as control of their germline genome. Blood somatic mutations are thus detected as variants in the blood (with respect to the human reference genome) that are absent in the tumor sample. The variant calling was carried out in our in house cluster on downloaded blood/tumor BAM files. The matched blood and tumoral BAM files -- masked and deduplicated using GATK -- of 8,530 whole-exome patients were obtained as described above. The variant calling was carried out using Strelka2 (employing default parameters) with the blood sample as the tumoral input and the tumor sample as control (reverse calling). All variants with two or more supporting reads matching the caller PASS filter and with VAF<0.5 were kept. Mutations in lowly mappable regions as defined by the DUST algorithm (k=30) and UMAP68 (36-kmers) were excluded. Contiguous variants were merged into double-base substitutions. Variants with greater frequency across the cohorts than the DNMT3A R882H or JAK2 V617F hotspot in a cohort-specific Panel of Normals and in gnomAD v2.1 were removed. This was equivalent to discarding variants present in these datasets with an allele frequency greater than 0.008 in PoN TCGA and 0.0003 in gnomAD v2.1. Additionally, common SNPs as defined by the dbSNP 151 Common UCSC track and dbSNP were excluded. Mutations within segmental duplications, simple repeats and masked regions as defined in UCSC tracks were also removed. Finally, samples with the mutation count above the 97.5 percentile of the mutation burden across the cohort were deemed unreliable and excluded for further analyses. We call the set of variants obtained after the application of these filters the full set. A more conservative subset of somatic mutations was generated from the full set of blood somatic mutations. To this end, we applied MosaicForecast, a software designed to phase mutations to polymorphisms with the aim of identifying somatic mutations in a small number of cells and also predict mosaicism for the unphased ones with a random forest classifier. As a result, we obtained a subset of mosaic-phased mutations, and a subset of mutations likely to be somatic (mosaic set).In order to obtain access to this study, please first obtain access to TCGA study (phs000178).

Study phs002867

NHLBI GO-ESP: Heart Cohorts Exome Sequencing Project (Siblings with Ischemic Stroke Study, SWISS)

The NHLBI "Grand Opportunity" Exome Sequencing Project (GO-ESP), a signature project of the NHLBI Recovery Act investment, was designed to identify genetic variants in coding regions (exons) of the human genome (the "exome") that are associated with heart, lung and blood diseases. These and related diseases that are of high impact to public health and individuals from diverse racial and ethnic groups will be studied. These data may help researchers understand the causes of disease, contributing to better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases, as well as determine whether to tailor prevention and treatments to specific populations. This could lead to more effective treatments and reduce the likelihood of side effects. GO-ESP is comprised of five collaborative components: 3 cohort consortia - HeartGO, LungGO, and WHISP - and 2 sequencing centers - BroadGO and SeattleGO. The Siblings with Ischemic Stroke Study (SWISS) is an affected sibpair (ASP) study of patients and their brothers/sisters who have had similar strokes. The study was conducted to determine the genes that contribute to an individual's risk of developing an ischemic stroke (a stroke due to sudden interruption of blood flow to a part of the brain). Over 600 people have participated in SWISS, with the coordination of the recruitment and flow of the samples occurring at the Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, under the direction of James F. Meschia, MD. The University of Virginia (Stephen S. Rich, PhD) served as the analytic site for the genetic data. Participants were excluded from SWISS if they had stroke following an invasive cerebrovascular or cardiovascular procedure, if their stroke occurred shortly following an aneurismal subarachnoid hemorrhage, if the stroke occurred in the setting of a mechanical aortic or mitral valve, if the patient had definite CNS vasculitis or if the patient had a Mendelian mitochondrial stroke disorder, including CADASIL, MELAS, Fabry disease, sickle cell anemia or homocysteinemia. For the NHLBI ESP, the youngest 51 ASPs (102 individuals) from SWISS were selected to undergo exome sequencing. These ASPs were selected from among all SWISS participants, excluding those pedigrees with individuals who had TOAST subtypes of stroke of other etiology or of stroke with undetermined etiology. In addition, the affected siblings were required to have the same TOAST subtype (both small vessel (lacunar) or both large vessel (atherosclerotic)). Of those selected, 98 samples passed initial quality control metrics, and 94 completed exome sequencing and were deposited in dbGaP. An additional set of 590 samples from the SWISS collection has been genotyped on the ExomeChip that contained a subset of rare/infrequent variants identified by exome sequencing. These samples include 495 affected individuals (from multiple affected family members) as well as 95 unaffected family members. These genetic and phenotypic data also will reside in dbGaP.

Study phs000327

NHLBI and NIA The New England Centenarian Study (NECS)

Supercentenarians (age 110+ years old) generally delay or escape age-related diseases and disability well beyond the age one hundred and this exceptional survival is likely to be influenced by a genetic predisposition that includes both common and rare genetic variants. In this report, we describe the complete genomic sequences of male and female supercentenarians, both age >114 years old. We show that: (1) the sequence variant spectrum of these two individuals' DNA sequences is largely comparable to existing non-supercentenarian genomes; (2) the two individuals do not appear to carry most of the well-established human longevity enabling variants already reported in the literature; (3) they have a comparable number of known disease-associated variants relative to most human genomes sequenced to date; (4) approximately 1% of the variants these individuals possess are novel and may point to new genes involved in exceptional longevity; and (5) both individuals are enriched for longevity-associated variants that we discovered through a large genome-wide association study. These analyses suggest that there are both common and rare longevity associated variants that may counter the effects of disease predisposing variants and extend lifespan. The continued analysis of the genomes of these rare individuals who have survived to extremely old ages should provide insight into the processes that contribute to the maintenance of health during extreme ageing.

Study phs000451

North Carolina Clinical Genomic Evaluation by NextGen Exome Sequencing (NCGENES)

North Carolina Clinical Genomic Evaluation by Next-generation Exome Sequencing This study is part of a larger consortium project investigating the validity and best use of next-generation sequencing (in particular, whole exome sequencing, or WES) in clinical care. Participants are patients who were either seen in the UNC Cancer and Adult Genetics Clinic or referred to the study by their physician. They will be approached by their physician or a genetic counselor for recruitment. Once enrolled, a clinical geneticist or genetic counselor will obtain consent and collect blood samples to be analyzed using WES. Results may include information related to a diagnosis and incidental information. Medically actionable incidental findings will be CLIA-certified and returned to participants in a routine genetic counseling session, along with diagnostic findings. Eligible adult participants will be randomized to have the opportunity to choose to get certain types of non-medically actionable incidental findings, as well. Their decisions will be investigated, as will psychosocial and behavioral responses to sequencing and receiving sequencing information. This is a longitudinal, mixed methods study (i.e., multiple assessments pre- and post-return of results, with both quantitative and qualitative methods used to gather data). Because only the quantitative component of the study uses randomization, only measures and procedures associated with that component are included here. The third study release includes data of additional n=189 subjects.

Study phs000827

BRAIN Cell EncyclOpeDia of Transcribed Elements (BRAINcode)

BRAINCODE: How Does the Human Genome Function in Specific Brain Neurons? The human brain comprises about 86 billion neurons whose function is central to human biology. How does the human genome program high performing neurons and neural networks in response to experience? What subprograms does the genome express in physiologically and morphologically distinct brain cells? The goal of the BRAIN Cell encyclOpeDia of transcribed Elements Consortium (BRAINcode) is to provide a map of gene expression - both protein-coding and non-coding - in specific cell types, not in culture, but in situ in brains of people. Going beyond traditional mRNA sequencing, polyadenylated and non-polyadenylated transcripts were ultra deeply sequenced using ribo-depleted RNA from neurons laser-captured from human post-mortem brains. Three prototypical neuron types, dopamine neurons, pyramidal neurons, and Betz cells, were prioritized because of their key biologic roles and differential vulnerability to important neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease. Genetic variation between individuals was examined for correlation with differences in transcribed sequences to identify regions of the genome that influence whether, how, and how much a transcript is expressed in specific cell types in human brains. Our results indicate a vast universe of annotated and novel non-coding RNAs expressed in brain cells and suggest a more diverse and much more complex transcriptional architecture than previously imagined.

Study phs001556

OMRF SLEGEN GWAS Data from European-American Women with Lupus

"Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a common systemic autoimmune disease with complex etiology but strong clustering in families (lambda(S) = approximately 30). We performed a genome-wide association scan using 317,501 SNPs in 720 women of European ancestry with SLE and in 2,337 controls, and we genotyped consistently associated SNPs in two additional independent sample sets totaling 1,846 affected women and 1,825 controls. Aside from the expected strong association between SLE and the HLA region on chromosome 6p21 and the previously confirmed non-HLA locus IRF5 on chromosome 7q32, we found evidence of association with replication (1.1 x 10-7 < P(overall) < 1.6 x 10-23; odds ratio = 0.82-1.62) in four regions: 16p11.2 (ITGAM), 11p15.5 (KIAA1542), 3p14.3 (PXK) and 1q25.1 (rs10798269). We also found evidence for association (P < 1 x 10-5) at FCGR2A, PTPN22 and STAT4, regions previously associated with SLE and other autoimmune diseases, as well as at > or =9 other loci (P < 2 x 10-7). Our results show that numerous genes, some with known immune-related functions, predispose to SLE." Reprinted from Nature Genetics, 2008 Feb; 40(2):204-10, PMID:18204446, with permission from Nature Publishing Group. Data submitted to dbGaP includes 297 samples from Oklahoma. (Please see also Study Accession: phs000216.v1.p1)

Study phs000202

GWAS in African Americans, Latinos and Japanese

The Multiethnic Cohort Study is a population-based prospective cohort study (n=215,251) that was initiated between 1993 and 1996 and includes subjects from various ethnic groups - African Americans and Latinos primarily from Californian (great Los Angeles area) and Native Hawaiians, Japanese-Americans, and European Americans primarily from Hawaii. State drivers' license files were the primary sources used to identify study subjects in Hawaii and California. Additionally, in Hawaii, state voter's registration files were used, and, in California, Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) files were used to identify additional African American study subjects. In the cohort, incident cancer cases are identified annually through cohort linkage to population-based cancer Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registries in Hawaii and Los Angeles County as well as to the California State cancer registry. Information on estrogen receptor status is also obtained through these registries. Blood sample collection in the MEC began in 1994 and targeted incident breast cancer cases and a random sample of study participants to serve as controls for genetic analyses. Subjects are frequency matched on age at blood draw and ethnicity. The following number of breast cancer cases and controls were genome-wide scanned as part of this study: African Americans, 473 cases and 464 controls; Japanese: 885 cases and 822 controls; Latinos, 520 cases and 544 controls.

Study phs000517

Genomic Analysis of Extra-Nodal Natural Killer/T-Cell Lymphoma (ENKTCL)

In this study, we performed extensive genetic profiling on 209 extra-nodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTCL) nasal-type cases, including 174 Chinese from four hospitals in China, and 31 Hispanic and 4 Caucasian patients from City of Hope and Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen. All of the cases were reviewed by experienced hematopathologists to confirm diagnosis. Written informed consents from patients were reviewed and approved by the institutional review board of each institution. We deposited targeted exon sequencing data of a selected 333-gene panel on the ENKTCL cases in dbGaP. DNA was extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues with an AllPrep DNA/RNA FFPE Kit. A custom platform (Agilent SureSelect) was used to capture target exons from genomic DNA of ENKTCL tumors. DNA was fragmented to 200bp using a Covaris S220 Focused-ultrasonicator and was end-repaired and ligated to Illumina adaptors with a KAPA Hyper Prep Kit. Ligated products were purified and amplified with a 7-cycle PCR. Exome capture from the PCR products was performed using a SureSelect Target Enrichment Kit. The captured exomes were further amplified with an 8-cycle PCR and purified for cluster generation using the cBot cluster generation system with a HiSeq PE Cluster Kit V4. 100bp paired-end reads were generated from an Illumina HiSeq 2500 system with a HiSeq SBS Kit V4.

Study phs002925

The Human Gut Microbiome and Recurrent Abdominal Pain in Children

This project explores the nature of the human intestinal microbiome in healthy children and children with recurrent abdominal pain. The overall goal is to obtain a robust knowledge-base of the intestinal microbiome in children without evidence of pain or gastrointestinal disease, children with functional abdominal pain, and children with abdominal pain and changes in bowel habits (irritable bowel syndrome). Multiple strategies have been deployed to navigate and understand the nature of the intestinal microbiome in childhood. These strategies include 454 pyrosequencing-based strategies to sequence 16S rRNA genes and understand the detailed composition of microbes in healthy and disease groups. Microarray-based hybridization with the PhyloChip and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) probes are being applied as complementary strategies to gain an understanding of the intestinal microbiome from various perspectives. Data collected and analyzed during the HMP UH2 and UH3 Demo project, from a set of healthy and IBS children may enable the identification of core microbiomes in children in addition to variable components that may distinguish healthy from diseased pediatric states. We are currently analyzing the dataset for the presence of disease-specific signatures in the human microbiome, and correlating these microbial signatures with pediatric health or IBS disease status. This study explores the nature of core and variable human microbiomes in pre-adolescent healthy children and children with recurrent abdominal pain.

Study phs000265

Epigenomics of Human CD8 T cell Differentiation and Aging

The efficacy of the adaptive immune response declines dramatically with age, but the cell-intrinsic mechanisms driving the changes characteristic of immune aging in humans remain poorly understood. One hallmark of immune aging is the loss of self-renewing naive cells and the accumulation of differentiated but dysfunctional cells within the CD8 T cell compartment. Using ATAC-seq, we first inferred the transcription factor binding activities that maintain the naive and central and effector memory CD8 T cell states in young adults. Integrating our results with RNA-seq, we determined that BATF, ETS1, Eomes, and Sp1 govern transcription networks associated with specific CD8 T cell subset properties, including activation and proliferative potential. Extending our analysis to aged humans, we found that the differences between memory and naive CD8 T cells were largely preserved across age, but that naive and central memory cells from older individuals exhibited a shift toward a more differentiated pattern of chromatin openness. Additionally, aged naive cells displayed a loss in chromatin openness at gene promoters, a phenomenon that appears to be due largely to a loss in binding by NRF1, leading to a marked drop-off in the ability of the naive cell to initiate transcription of mitochondrial genes. Our findings identify BATF- and NRF1-driven gene regulation as targets for delaying CD8 T cell aging and restoring T cell function.

Study phs001187

Whole exome sequencing to discover genetic variation associated with aortopathy in Turner Syndrome

Turner syndrome is a disorder affecting only girls and women, which is caused by a complete or partial loss of the second sex chromosome. Girls and women with Turner syndrome have a variety of phenotypes. Of interest to this study is aortopathy, including bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) and thoracic aortic dilation (TAD) in which we know that 25 - 50% of girls with Turner syndrome are born with. The aorta is the main artery that conducts the blood out of the heart. The aortic valve guards the entrance to the aorta. When the aortic valve has two leaflets instead of the usual three it is called a BAV. BAV is more common than all other congenital heart defects combined. BAV commonly causes obstructions to blood flow out of the heart or become leaky over time. BAV often occurs in combination with TAD. In Turner syndrome, TADs are increased 50-100 fold compared to the general population. Currently, there are no effective approaches or pre-surgical treatments for aortic disease. Therefore, progression of aortic disease in individuals with BAV/TAD can result in catastrophic aortic dissection, rupture, and death. Our goal is to leverage DNA sequencing and carefully curated patient samples to gain a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that cause these inter-related aortic diseases.

Study phs001531

Targeted Sequencing of GWAS Loci in Cleft Lip and Palate

Nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate (NSCL/P) is a complex disorder caused by both genetic and environmental factors and has been the focus of an extensive effort to identify genetic risk factors. A number of candidate gene studies have been performed but have not been widely replicated. To date, four independent genome wide association studies have been performed as well as a meta-analysis. Together these studies have identified many loci associated with NSCL/P. The goal of this project is to use targeted sequencing to further characterize these regions and to progress from the association signals identified by GWAS to the identification of causative genes and/or variants. This study is part of the GWASeq project, a collaboration of five disease studies, which will sequence genomic regions from GWAS to characterize the genetic variation underlying these diseases and to compare study design and methods for the follow-up of GWAS studies by sequencing. The goal of this study is to sequence 1000+ NSCL/P case-parent trios from China and the Philippines and 400 trios of European ancestry. Targeted sequencing was performed on intervals ranging between 60kb to 1Mb surrounding 13 genes/loci previously associated with NSCL/P including: IRF6, MAFB, ARHGAP29, 8q24, PAX7, VAX1, NTN1, NOG, FOXE1, MSX1, BMP4, FGFR2, PTCH1.

Study phs000625

Integrated Metabolic Profiling and Gene Expression Analysis Reveals Therapeutic Modalities in Breast Cancer

In this study, we performed metabolite profiling and RNA-sequencing on human breast cancer tumors and normal breast tissue samples, including triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), estrogen receptor positive breast cancer (ER+) and paired normal samples, and patient-derived xenografts (PDX) samples. Here, we report two distinctive groups defined by metabolites; a TNBC-HIGH group that shows high levels of pyrimidine pathway metabolites and biosynthetic enzymes, and an ER-HIGH group that shows high levels of fatty acid and arginine biosynthesis intermediates. We identify different metabolic enrichment profiles between cell lines grown in vitro vs. in vivo; cell lines grown in vivo recapitulate patient tumors metabolic profiles. Further, we identify a subset of genes that strongly correlates with the TNBC-HIGH metabolic profile using integrated metabolic and gene expression profiling, which strongly predicts patient prognosis when tested on larger human datasets. As a proof-of-principle, when we target TNBC-HIGH metabolic dysregulation with a pyrimidine biosynthesis inhibitor (Brequinar), and/or a glutaminase inhibitor (CB-839), we observe therapeutic efficacy and decreased tumor growth in representative TNBC cell lines, murine p53-null mammary tumors, and in vivo patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) upon multi-agent drug treatment. This study highlights potential new therapeutic opportunities in breast cancers guided by a genomic biomarker, which could prove impactful for breast cancers that rapidly proliferate.

Study phs002396

A Genome-Wide Association Study of Peripheral Arterial Disease

The Electronic Medical Record Phenotypes and Community-engaged Genomic Association Study aims to identify genetic variants mediating susceptibility to peripheral arterial disease (PAD). The study leverages a biorepository of blood samples of 1688 PAD cases and 1649 controls, and the electronic medical record (EMR) to annotate the biorepository. PAD cases were identified from the vascular laboratory database as having an ankle brachial index (ABI) <0.9 at rest or after exercise or having non-compressible vessels. Controls were without prior history of atherosclerotic vascular disease and when tested, no evidence of ischemia on a stress test. Phenotypes and environmental exposures including age, ethnicity, demographic and anthropometric data are derived from the Mayo Electronic Medical Record (EMR). Comorbidities were determined using algorithms for diabetes and hypertension based on ICD-9 codes and medication use. Relevant laboratory data, including lipid levels, fasting blood sugar and serum creatinine at index date or within a 1-year window of the index date were extracted. Medication classes at index date were identified using Mayo's Natural Language Processing-based system with RxNorm codification and NDF-RT terminologies mapping. Smoking status was confirmed by natural language processing of clinical notes. Genotyping of ~600,000 SNPs across the genome is being conducted at the Broad Institute using the Illumina 660W platform. Statistical analyses will be conducted to identify genetic variants associated with susceptibility to PAD.

Study phs000203

Transformation of Dysplasia in Barrett's Esophagus

Complex chromosomal alterations are a hallmark of advanced cancers but rarely seen in normal tissue. The progression of precancerous lesions to malignancy is often accompanied by increasing complexity of chromosomal alterations that can drive their transformation through focal oncogenic amplifications. However, the etiology and evolution dynamics of these alterations are poorly understood. Here we study chromosomal copy-number evolution in the progression of Barrett's esophagus (BE) to esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) by multi-regional whole-genome sequencing analysis of BE samples with dysplasia and microscopic EAC foci. Through haplotype-specific copy-number analysis of BE genome evolution, we identified distinct patterns of episodic copy-number evolution consistent with the outcomes of abnormal mitosis and dicentric chromosome breakage. While abnormal mitosis, including whole-genome duplication, accounts for most chromosome or arm-level copy-number changes, segmental copy-number alterations display signatures of multi-generational evolution of unstable dicentric chromosomes. Continuous evolution of dicentric chromosomes through breakage-fusion-bridge cycles and chromothripsis rapidly increases genomic complexity and diversity among BE cells, culminating in the generation of distinct focal amplifications. These mutational processes enable multiple subclones within small dysplastic areas to undergo parallel transformation to cancer following acquisition of distinct oncogenic amplifications. Our results demonstrate how chromosomal instability drives clonal diversification in precancer evolution and promotes tumorigenesis in primary human samples.

Study phs002706

An Advanced Molecular Medicine Case Report of a Rare Human Tumor Using Genomics, Pathomics, and Radiomics

The associated data of this study is derived from a single female patient with pulmonary sclerosing pneumocytoma (PSP). The aim of this study is to provide the most comprehensive, multi-modality sequencing study of a single case of PSP to-date. To this end, the following sequencing experiments were performed: i) RNA-Seq of the primary tumor and adjacent normal tissues (6 replicates for each tissue type), which was intended to analyze RNA-Seq fusions, gene expression, expression mutations, ii) low-pass DNA whole genome sequencing (WGS) from primary tumor tissue and germline, which was intended to analyze copy number aberrations, and iii) DNA targeted panel sequencing of lung cancer associated genes, using primary tumor tissue and germline from white blood cells, which was intended to analyze somatic mutations. Principal findings: i) the PSP hallmark mutation AKT1 (p.E17K) was detected within both the DNA and RNA, and ii) the TP53 signaling pathway was found to be statistically significant by three different pathway analysis tools of analyzing gene expression and pathway ramifications. Among proteins within the TP53 signaling pathway, the p53 inhibitor encoded by MDM2 was found to be overexpressed (by differential gene expression analysis). The original sequencing data (i.e., FastQ files) from each of the aforementioned samples will be accessible through dbGaP.

Study phs003154

OncoArray: Follow-up of Ovarian Cancer Genetic Association and Interaction Studies (FOCI)

The Follow-up of Ovarian Cancer Genetic Association and Interaction Studies (FOCI) was one of five projects funded in 2010 as part of the NCI's Genetic Associations and Mechanisms in Oncology (GAME-ON) initiative (http://epi.grants.cancer.gov/gameon/). FOCI represents a collective effort that builds upon the strengths and history of collaboration inherent in the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium (OCAC), a multidisciplinary group comprised of epidemiologists, genetic epidemiologists, statistical geneticists, molecular and cell biologists and clinicians that was formed in 2005. The other four funded GAME-ON projects were: the ColoRectal TransdisciplinaryStudy (CORECT), Elucidating Loci Involved in Prostate Cancer Susceptibility (ELLIPSE), Discovery, Biology, and Risk of Inherited Variants in Breast Cancer (DRIVE), and Transdisciplinary Research in Cancer of the Lung (TRICL). As part of our aim to discover, expand, and replicate ovarian cancer susceptibility loci, the GAME-ON projects and other consortia formed the OncoArray network (http://epi.grants.cancer.gov/oncoarray/) to develop and genotype a new custom genotyping array in large numbers of cancer cases and controls (over 400,000 samples) across multiple cancer types. The FOCI data includes over 50,000 ovarian cancer cases and controls genotyped with the Oncoarray at the Center for Inherited Disease Research (CIDR). Genotype calling and quality control procedures were performed under a standardized protocol across the Oncoarray consortium, and over 490,000 SNPs passed QC and are included under this dbGaP submission.

Study phs001882

Mid-pass Whole-genome Sequencing in a Malagasy Cohort Uncovers Body Composition Associations

The majority of human genomic research studies have been conducted in European-ancestry cohorts, reducing the likelihood of detecting potentially novel and globally impactful findings. Here, we present mid-pass whole-genome sequencing data and a genome-wide association study in a cohort of 264 self-reported Malagasy individuals from three locations on the island of Madagascar. We describe genetic variation in this Malagasy cohort, providing insight into the shared and unique patterns of genetic variation across the island. We observe phenotypic variation by location, and find high rates of hypertension particularly in the Southern Highlands sampling site as well as elevated self-reported malaria prevalence in the West Coast site relative to other sites. After filtering to a subset of 214 minimally-related individuals, we find a number of genetic associations with body composition traits, including many variants that are only observed in African populations or populations with admixed African ancestry from the 1000 Genomes Project. This study highlights the importance of including diverse populations in genomic research for the potential to gain novel insights, even with small cohort sizes. This project was conducted in partnership and consultation with local stakeholders in Madagascar and serves as an example of genomic research that prioritizes community engagement and that has potential impacts on our understanding of human health and disease.

Study EGAS50000000496

Identification and characterisation of pathogenic and non-pathogenic FGF14 repeat expansions

Repeat expansions in FGF14 cause autosomal dominant late-onset cerebellar ataxia (SCA27B) with estimated pathogenic thresholds of 250 (incomplete penetrance) and 300 AAG repeats (full penetrance), but the sequence of pathogenic and non-pathogenic expansions remains unexplored. Here, we demonstrate that STRling and ExpansionHunter accurately detect FGF14 expansions from short-read genomic data using outlier approaches. By combining long-range PCR and nanopore sequencing in 169 patients with cerebellar ataxia and 802 controls, we compare FGF14 expansion alleles, including interruptions and flanking regions. Uninterrupted AAG expansions are significantly enriched in patients with ataxia from a lower threshold (180-200 repeats) than previously reported based on expansion size alone. Conversely, AAGGAG hexameric expansions are equally frequent in patients and controls. Distinct 5' flanking regions, interruptions and pre-repeat sequences correlate with repeat size. Furthermore, pure AAG (pathogenic) and AAGGAG (non-pathogenic) repeats form different secondary structures. Regardless of expansion size, SCA27B is a recognizable clinical entity characterized by frequent episodic ataxia and downbeat nystagmus, similar to the presentation observed in a family with a previously unreported nonsense variant (SCA27A). Overall, this study suggests that SCA27B is a major overlooked cause of adult-onset ataxia, accounting for 23-31% of unsolved patients. We strongly recommend re-evaluating pathogenic thresholds and integrating expansion sequencing into the molecular diagnostic process.

Study EGAS50000000481

Germline Genetics of Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) and Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are part of a heterogeneous and overlapping group of clonal diseases that arise in the hematopoietic stem or progenitor cells and also include acute myeloid leukemia (AML), myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), and the hybrid MDS/MPN entities. Individuals with MDS have a high risk of progressing to leukemia, with approximately 30% expected to develop AML. This study evaluates genetic susceptibility to myeloid malignancy using data from population-based case control studies of myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukemia in adults (ages 18-85 years) and pediatric MDS cases with banked samples at the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR). Adult cases were identified through the Minnesota Cancer Reporting System and controls were recruited from the State Driver's License/Identification Card list. DNA samples were collected via mouthwash collection kits (AML cases and controls) or Oragene saliva collection kits (adult MDS cases and controls). Pediatric MDS samples were banked at CIBMTR prior to receipt of a transplant and DNA was extracted from isolated T cells or whole blood samples. Genotyping data were generated using the Illumina Global Diversity array and quality control and genotype calling was conducted using established best practices. Our primary analyses investigated the contribution of genetic variation to MDS risk and evaluated the role of the killer cell immunoglobulin receptors (KIR) on incidence and survival.

Study phs002962

DLK1 Distinguishes Subsets of NF1-Associated Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors with Divergent Molecular Signatures

Study Design and Aims We aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the malignant transformation of pre-existing neurofibromas (PNST) to malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNST) in individuals with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Our primary focus was on the role of DLK1 in this transformation process and its potential as a biomarker for diagnosis, risk assessment, and therapeutic stratification. Population InformationThis study consisted of a case set of peripheral nerve sheath tumor specimens, including plexiform neurofibromas, atypical neurofibromas, and MPNSTs, acquired under IRB approval at our institution. The majority of the subjects had neurofibromatosis type 1. Principal Findings DLK1 Overexpression: The study found that DLK1 is significantly increased in MPNST compared to non-malignant neurofibromas.Early Marker: DLK1 overexpression may precede histological changes indicative of malignancy.Serum Levels: Higher serum levels of DLK1 were observed in both mice and humans with MPNST.Molecular Stratification: Divergent levels of DLK1 expression identified distinct MPNST subsets with unique molecular characteristics and potential therapeutic targets.Clinical Implications: Overexpression of DLK1 was associated with the reactivation of embryonic signatures, an immunosuppressive microenvironment, and poorer overall survival in NF1-MPNST patients. Data Availability Whole exome sequencing, bulk RNA sequencing, and single-cell RNA sequencing data from this study will be made available through the database of Genotypes and Phenotypes (dbGaP) to support further research and validation studies.

Study phs003835

NIH RECOVER: A Multi-Site Pathology Study of Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection

The RECOVER tissue pathology study is a cross-sectional study designed to define and characterize the epidemiology, natural history, clinical spectrum, and underlying mechanisms of post-acute effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a diverse population representative of the general COVID-19 population in the US. The autopsy study will characterize the pathology of PASC in decedents who die more than 60 days after initial onset or after hospital discharge, whether in-hospital or out-of-hospital at time of death, and who meet the working definition of PASC as defined by the recent World Health Organization publication given in Section 5.4. The autopsy study will also explore the pathology of acute SARS-CoV-2 infection in a smaller subset of decedents who died between15-60 days from symptom onset. This protocol defines the common set of clinical data elements, autopsy procedures for tissue collection, core measures, pathology protocols, shared pathology tissues, data elements, and methodology. Each investigator site is expected to perform autopsies on the decedents to address the pathophysiology of the potential long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on human health. The Consortium analysis plan aims to address research questions by incorporating: 1) tissue obtained from autopsies performed at each Phase II participant's site; and 2) tissue available from other pathology investigators/autopsy sites within the Consortium.

Study phs003768

Genetic and Hormonal Contributions to Gene Expression in Immune Cells

The origins of sex differences in human disease are elusive, in part because of difficulties in separating the effects of sex hormones and sex chromosomes. To isolate the effects of testosterone, estradiol, and sex chromosome complement (XX or XY) in humans, we implemented a four-state, cross-sectional study design of trans- and cisgender individuals, the former receiving exogenous testosterone or estradiol for at least a year as part of their gender-affirming medical care. This study design allowed us to compare four combinations of sex hormones and sex chromosomes in humans: XX individuals treated with exogenous testosterone (n=21), XY individuals treated with exogenous estradiol (n=13), untreated XX individuals (n=20), and untreated XY individuals (n=15). We chose to focus on the human immune system because it displays an impressively broad range of sex-differential biology. We collected blood samples from each individual and isolated PBMCs the same day. We performed 10X Genomics 3' single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) on PBMCs from the 69 individuals. We generated 150-bp paired end reads from a total of 358,426 cells (with an average of 48,007 reads/cell) and identified 18 distinct immune cell types. We found that testosterone, estradiol, and sex chromosome complement have unique, non-overlapping effects on PBMC cell abundances and gene expression.

Study phs003860

Somatic rearrangements causing oncogenic ectodomain deletions of FGFR1 in squamous cell lung cancer

The discovery of frequent 8p11-p12 amplifications in squamous cell lung cancer (SQLC) has fueled hopes that FGFR1, located inside this amplicon, might be a therapeutic target. In a clinical trial, only 11% of patients with 8p11 amplification (detected by FISH) responded to FGFR kinase inhibitor treatment. To understand the mechanism of FGFR1 dependency, we performed deep genomic characterization of 52 SQLCs with 8p11-p12 amplification, including 10 tumors obtained from patients who had been treated with FGFR inhibitors. We discovered somatically altered variants of FGFR1 with deletion of exons 1-8 that resulted from intragenic tail-to-tail rearrangements. These ectodomain-deficient FGFR1 variants (ΔEC-FGFR1) were expressed in the affected tumors and were tumorigenic in both in vitro and in vivo models of lung cancer. Mechanistically, breakage-fusion-bridges were the source of 8p11-p12 amplification, resulting from frequent head-to-head and tail-to-tail rearrangements. Generally, tail-to-tail rearrangements within or in close proximity upstream of FGFR1 were associated with FGFR1 dependency. Thus, the genomic events shaping the architecture of the 8p11-p12 amplicon provide a mechanistic explanation for the emergence of FGFR1-driven SQLC. Specifically, we believe that FGFR1 ectodomain-deficient and FGFR1-centered amplifications caused by tail-to-tail rearrangements are a novel somatic genomic event that might be predictive of therapeutically relevant FGFR1 dependency.

Study EGAS50000001368

Treg cell subset-specific gene expression patterns in human head and neck cancer

Backgrand: The occurrence of head and neck cancer has been increased all over the world. Although the prognosis has been improved by using several treatment modalities including immunotherapy, it is still unsatisfying. It is still unclear why the immunotherapy is effective only for partial amount of patients. To resolve this problem and to make a new treatment strategy based on human immune system, further investigation of antitumor immunity is required. Regulatory T (Treg) cells play critical roles in human immune responses including antitumor immunity. Therefore, the research to elucidate Treg function is strongly urged to clarify the mechanisms of antitumor immunity. Methods: We performed RNA-seuencing analysis of regulatory T cells infiltrating head and neck cancer. We devided into four populations, DP, CD25+, CTLA4+, DN and analyzed gene expressions. Results: The gene expression patterns of Treg-related genes were different between CD25+ cells and CD25- cells. Furthermore, DP cells had unique gene expression pattern compared to other populations. Conclusions: We found Treg cells infiltrating head and neck cancer had high expression levels of Treg-related genes and DP cells had unique gene expression pattern that may become a target of new treatment strategy. Regulatory T (Treg) cells play critical roles in human immune responses including antitumor immunity. Therefore, the research to elucidate Treg function is strongly urged to clarify the mechanisms of antitumor immunity.

Study JGAS000135

Immune heterogeneity in small cell lung cancer and vulnerability to immune checkpoint blockade

Following the pivotal Phase III IMpower133 study, atezolizumab (anti–PD-L1), combined with carboplatin and etoposide (CE), was the first immune checkpoint inhibitor approved for first-line treatment of extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) and is now a standard of care. A clearer understanding of therapeutically relevant SCLC subsets is needed to improve outcomes and to identify rational combination strategies. Transcriptomic analyses and nonnegative matrix factorization were conducted on 271 pre-treatment patient tumor samples from IMpower133 and four subsets with general concordance to previously reported SCLC subtypes were identified. Deeper investigation into the immune heterogeneity relevant to clinical outcomes uncover two subsets with differing neuroendocrine (NE) versus non-neuroendocrine (non-NE) phenotypes that demonstrated hallmarks of immune cell infiltration. The balance of tumor-associated macrophage (TAM) to T-effector signals distinguished these inflamed subsets. Tumors with low TAM but high T-effector signals had a NE phenotype and demonstrated longer overall survival with PD-L1 blockade and CE versus CE alone than did tumors with high TAM and high T-effector signal, which had a non-NE phenotype. The delineation of SCLC immune heterogeneity offers a clinically relevant approach to discriminate SCLC patients likely to benefit most from immunotherapeutic approaches and highlights the complex mechanisms underlying response and resistance to immune checkpoint blockade.

Study EGAS50000000138

Osteosarcoma 3D patient derived cultures to test genome-informed personalized treatment options; a feasibility study

Background: Improving osteosarcoma treatment beyond conventional (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy and resection remains challenging. An urgent need for novel therapeutic options, particularly personalized and targeted approaches, has emerged due to high inter-patient molecular heterogeneity. A lack of representative in vitro and in vivo models impedes therapeutic development, therefore we aimed to create 3D in vitro long term culture models directly from patient material. Methods: Tumour cells from seven osteosarcoma patients were propagated in monolayer or collagen hydrogels, while whole-exome sequencing of corresponding primary tumour tissue was performed to identify potential drug targets. Established cultures were subsequently used to assess efficacy of the identified personalized treatment options. Results: Three out of seven hydrogel cultures harboured the same genetic alterations as the corresponding primary tumours. Among these, the L6565 patient line exhibited homozygous CDKN2A loss with retained Rb expression, rendering tumour cells sensitive to CDK4/CDK6 inhibition via palbociclib. This patient line was used to evaluate genome-informed therapy and to compare cell culture models of increasing complexity. Our findings demonstrate feasibility of establishing long-term patient-derived osteosarcoma cultures with a success rate of 14%. Tumour heterogeneity was reflected in advanced culture methods producing more variability in treatment response. Conclusion: These results highlight the potential of genome-informed therapies in osteosarcoma and the importance of refining culture techniques to enhance translational research and therapeutic outcomes.

Study EGAS50000001583

What is metadata?

What is metadata? Data represents units of information and metadata can be seen, simply put, as data about other data. For example, in a simple experiment in which a patient genome was sequenced, there are multiple and diverse fields of metadata: from the biological sex of the patient to the sequencing platform used. Another way to understand metadata, following our genomic experiment example, is going through the different layers of (meta)data: One of the basic units of information (data) would be the sequence of nucleotides (e.g. GCTGG and GCCGG). This DNA sequence can be contextualised within a chromosome by providing its locus (e.g. β-globin gene). This data, the locus, is about other data, the sequence of nucleotides, which would render it metadata. We can go one step further, and provide more context, by giving the associated phenotype of each of these sequences: GCTGG corresponds to a healthy individual, while GCCGG corresponds to a person with β-thalassaemia. Once again, this data is contextualising the data we have provided up to this point, which makes it metadata. With this simple example, what we are doing is adding layers of data that describe the ones below. Had we given the sequences alone, little would be possible from the researchers' point of view. But, now that the data has its accompanying metadata, a researcher could compare both sequences and their phenotypes to infer a possible cause of the disorder. Each layer of information broadens the possible applications of the data. Now that we know what metadata is, it is time to emphasise the importance of submitting good quality metadata. The quality of the metadata will determine whether the data is usable, discoverable, and interpretable by researchers and clinicians. One example that highlights the importance of good quality metadata is the description of biological sex of a patient: while the terms "female," "girl," or "woman" all represent the same concept, they are not harmonised. These different representations of a concept can create confusion and errors in data analysis. By applying standard definitions and terminologies to biological sex metadata, we can avoid misunderstandings and facilitate the integration of different datasets. In order to comply with the FAIR principles and, more specifically, to allow for the (meta)data to be interoperable (i.e. used universally and unambiguously), we need to place some standards onto the (meta)data EGA archives. These can be as simple as asserting that the given patient's biological sex is one of the correct terms (e.g. female or male); or as complex as multiple layers and combinations of validation steps with existing records. You can find further details on how EGA manages these standards on our metadata model page.

Documentation submission/metadata/what-is-metadata

Prebiotic inulin-type fructans induce specific changes in the human gut microbiota

ObjectiveContrary to the long-standing prerequisite of inducing selective (i.e. bifidogenic) effects, recent findings suggest that prebiotic interventions lead to ecosystem-wide microbiota shifts. Yet, a comprehensive characterization of this process is still lacking. Here, we apply 16S rDNA microbiota profiling and matching (GC-MS) metabolomics to assess the consequences of inulin fermentation both on the composition of the colon bacterial ecosystem and fecal metabolites profiles.DesignFecal samples collected during a double blind, randomized, cross-over intervention study (NCT02548247) set up to assess the effect of inulin consumption on stool frequency in healthy adults with mild constipation were analyzed. Fecal microbiota composition and metabolite profiles were linked to the study’s clinical outcome as well as to quality-of-life measurements recorded.ResultsWhile fecal metabolite profiles were not significantly altered by inulin consumption, our analyses did detect a modest effect on global microbiota composition. At the same time, specific inulin-induced changes in relative abundances of Anaerostipes, Bilophila, and Bifidobacterium were identified. The observed decrease in Bilophila abundances following inulin consumption was associated with both softer stools and a favorable change in constipation-specific quality of life measures.ConclusionsEcosystem-wide analysis of the effect of a dietary intervention with prebiotic inulin-type fructans on the colon microbiota revealed that this effect is specifically associated to three genera, one of which (Bilophila) representing a promising novel target for mechanistic research.

Study EGAS00001002173

Targeted_replication_of_LVOTO_genes

Non-syndromic cases of congenital heart defects (CHD) exhibit variable modes of inheritance (Mendelian and non-Mendelian). Several studies have identified strong candidates in humans by taking a candidate gene approach as well as by using whole exome next generation sequencing (NGS). So far these studies could only explain a minor fraction of the observed phenotype in humans, most of them in syndromic cases and no single study has focused on the subset of cases with left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO). To discover novel disease-causing genes a large cohort of patients with LVOTO, approximately 100 cases, 25 families and 100 trios have been exome sequenced. This study based on NGS sequencing data yielded several known and novel compelling candidate genes, such as MYH6, NR2F2 and MYH11, but also novel ones, such as ITGB4. To evaluate the significance of our findings in a replication cohort we assembled another 1614 cases with an LVOTO phenotype from our collaborators in Toronto, Berlin and Amsterdam. Targeted resequencing in this additional cohort will help to find additional cases with mutations in the identified candidate genes to strengthen genotype-phenotype association. We will use control data from the INTERVAL project for case/control analyses The pulldowns will be performed as 24-plex ISC with 192 or greater indexes, and the sequencing will be performed with 192 samples per lane, requiring 9 lanes of sequencing.

Study EGAS00001001238

Analysis_of_genomic_integrity_of_disease_corrected_human_induced_pluripotent_stem_cells_by_exome_sequencing

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

Study EGAS00001000055

Landscape of somatic mutations and clonal evolution in mantle cell lymphoma

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an aggressive tumor, but a subset of patients may follow an indolent clinical course. To understand the mechanisms underlying this biological heterogeneity, we performed whole-genome and/or whole-exome sequencing on 29 MCL cases and their respective matched normal DNA, as well as 6 MCL cell lines. Recurrently mutated genes were investigated by targeted sequencing in an independent cohort of 172 MCL patients. We identified 25 significantly mutated genes, including known drivers such as ataxia-telangectasia mutated (ATM), cyclin D1 (CCND1), and the tumor suppressor TP53; mutated genes encoding the anti-apoptotic protein BIRC3 and Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2); and the chromatin modifiers WHSC1, MLL2, and MEF2B. We also found NOTCH2 mutations as an alternative phenomenon to NOTCH1 mutations in aggressive tumors with a dismal prognosis. Analysis of two simultaneous or subsequent MCL samples by whole-genome/whole-exome (n = 8) or targeted (n = 19) sequencing revealed subclonal heterogeneity at diagnosis in samples from different topographic sites and modulation of the initial mutational profile at the progression of the disease. Some mutations were predominantly clonal or subclonal, indicating an early or late event in tumor evolution, respectively. Our study identifies molecular mechanisms contributing to MCL pathogenesis and offers potential targets for therapeutic intervention.

Study EGAS00001000510

INSPIRE - Investigator-initiated Phase 2 Study of Pembrolizumab Immunological Response in Metastatic Solid Tumors

Whole exome and RNA sequencing source data for: Clouthier, D.L., Lien, S.C., Yang, S.Y.C. et al. An interim report on the investigator-initiated phase 2 study of pembrolizumab immunological response evaluation (INSPIRE). j. immunotherapy cancer 7, 72 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40425-019-0541-0 Bratman S*, Yang SYC*, Iafolla MAJ, Liu Z, Hansen AR, Bedard P, Lheureux S, Spreafico A, Razak AA, Shchegrova S, Louie M, Billings P, Zimmerman B, Sethi H, Aleshi A, Torti D, Marsh K, Eagles J, Cirlan I, Hanna Y, Clouthier D, Lien SC, Ohashi PS, Xu W, Siu LL, Pugh TJ. Personalized circulating tumor DNA analysis as a predictive biomarker in solid tumor patients treated with pembrolizumab. Nature Cancer. 2020:1:873-881. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43018- 020-0096-5. Yang SYC, Lien SC, Wang BX, Clouthier DL, Hanna Y, Cirlan I, Zhu K, Bruce JP, El Ghamrasni S, Iafallo MAJ, Oliva M, Hansen AR, Spreafico A, Bedard PL, Lheureux S, Razak A, Speers V, Berman HK, Aleshin A, Haibe-Kains B, Brooks DG, McGaha TL, Butler MO, Bratman SV, Ohashi PS, Siu LL, and Pugh TJ. Pan-cancer analysis of longitudinal metastatic tumors reveals genomic alterations and immune landscape dynamics associated with pembrolizumab sensitivity. Nature Comm 2021:12, 5137. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-25432-7

Study EGAS00001003280

Enrichment of oral-derived bacteria in inflamed colorectal tumors and distinct associations of Fusobacterium in the mesenchymal subtype

The association between colorectal cancer (CRC) clinical variables and Fusobacterium, but not other intra-tumoral bacteria, has been extensively studied. Here we leveraged whole-transcriptome sequencing from 807 CRC tumor samples from the AVANT phase III trial to dually characterize tumor gene expression and intra-tumoral bacteria. After stringent filtering, 74 high-confidence taxa were identified. 17 of these species, including 4 Fusobacterium spp., were classified as orally-derived and had a robust signal within right-sided, MSI-H, and BRAF mutant tumors. Across consensus molecular subtypes (CMS), integration of Fusobacterium animalis presence and tumor gene expression revealed that F. animalis had the greatest number of associations in mesenchymal CMS4 tumors, despite an overall lower prevalence than in immune CMS1 tumors. Pathway analysis within CMS4 revealed that F. animalis, but not other highly prevalent species, was uniquely associated with pathways for collagen degradation and formation as well as IL-6 and IL-1 cytokine signaling. These associations could explain in part why Fusobacterium has been previously associated with reduced survival in mesenchymal populations. Overall, this study identified oral-derived bacteria, including Fusobacterium, as broadly more prevalent in inflamed CRC tumors compared to the other subtypes, and the association of intra-tumoral bacteria on tumor gene expression is context- and species-specific.

Study EGAS00001006757

Intratumoural heterogeneity and immune modulation in lung adenocarcinoma of female smokers and never smokers

Lung cancer is still the leading cause of cancer death worldwide despite declining smoking prevalence in industrialised countries. Although lung cancer is highly associated with smoking status, a significant proportion of lung cancer cases develop in patients who never smoked, with an observable bias towards female never smokers. A better understanding of lung cancer heterogeneity and immune system involvement during tumour evolution and progression in never smokers is therefore highly warranted. We employed single nucleus transcriptomics of surgical lung adenocarcinoma (LADC) and normal lung tissue samples from patients with or without smoking history. Immune cells as well as fibroblasts and endothelial cells respond to tobacco smoke exposure by inducing a highly inflammatory state in normal lung tissue. In the presence of LADC, we identified differentially expressed transcriptional programmes in macrophages and cancer-associated fibroblasts, providing insight into how the niche favours tumour progression. Within tumours, we distinguished eight subpopulations of neoplastic cells in female smokers and never smokers. Through pseudotemporal ordering, we inferred a trajectory towards two differentiated tumour cell states implicated in cancer progression and invasiveness. A proliferating cell population sustaining tumour growth exhibits differential immune modulating signatures in both patient groups. Our results resolve cellular heterogeneity and immune interactions in LADC, with a special emphasis on female never smokers and implications for the design of therapeutic approaches.

Study EGAS00001006331

Target gene sequencing for human normal endometrial glands

The raw fastq files target sequencing of 112 genes for 1,298 endometrial glands and matched blood samples. The paired-end sequencing data sets (R1 and R2) are deposited. ABCC1, ACRC, ANK3, ARHGAP35, ARID1A, ARID5B, ATCAY, ATM, ATR, BARD1, BCOR, BRCA1, BRCA2, BRD4, BRIP1, CAMTA1, CDC23, CDYL, CFAP54, CHD4, CHEK1, CHEK2, CTCF, CTNNB1, CUX1, DGKA, DISP2, DYNC2H1, EMSY, FAAP24, FAM135B, FAM175A, FAM65C, FANCA, FANCB, FANCC, FANCD2, FANCE, FANCF, FANCG, FANCI, FANCL, FANCM, FAT1, FAT3, FBN2, FBXW7, FGFR2, FRG1, GPR50, HEATR1, HIST1H4B, HNRNPCL1, HOOK3, KIAA1109, KIF26A, KMT2B, KMT2C, KRAS, LAMA2, LRP1B, MLH1, MON2, MRE11A, MSH2, MSH6, MTOR, NBN, PALB2, PHEX, PIK3CA, PIK3R1, PLXNB2, PLXND1, PMS2, POLE, POLR3B, PPP2R1A, PTEN, PTPN13, RAD50, RAD51, RAD51B, RAD51C, RAD51D, RAD52, RAD54B, RAD54L, RICTOR, SACS, SIGLEC9, SLC19A1, SLX4, SPEG, STT3A, TAF1, TAF2, TAS2R31, TFAP2C, TNC, TONSL, TP53, TTC6, UBA7, VNN1, WT1, XIRP2, ZBED6, ZC3H13, ZFHX3, ZFHX4, ZMYM4.

Dataset EGAD00001008465

Transcriptional regulatory networks of tumor-associated macrophages that drive malignancy in mesenchymal glioblastoma

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) is a complex disease with extensive molecular and transcriptional heterogeneity. GBM can be subcategorized into four distinct subtypes; tumors that shift towards the mesenchymal phenotype upon recurrence are generally associated with treatment resistance, unfavorable prognosis, and the infiltration of pro-tumorigenic macrophages. Results: We explore the transcriptional regulatory networks of mesenchymal-associated tumor-associated macrophages (MA-TAMs), which drive the malignant phenotypic state of GBM, and identify macrophage receptor with collagenous structure (MARCO) as the most highly differentially expressed gene. MARCOhigh TAMs induce a phenotypic shift towards mesenchymal cellular state of glioma stem cells, promoting both invasive and proliferative activities, as well as therapeutic resistance to irradiation. MARCOhigh TAMs also significantly accelerate tumor engraftment and growth in vivo. Moreover, both MA-TAM master regulators and their target genes are significantly correlated with poor clinical outcomes, and are often associated with genomic aberrations in neurofibromin 1 (NF1) and phosphoinositide 3-kinases/mammalian target of rapamycin/Akt pathway (PI3K-mTOR-AKT)-related genes. We further demonstrate origination of MA-TAMs from peripheral blood, as well as their potential association with tumor-induced polarization states and immunosuppressive environments. Conclusions: Collectively, our study characterizes the global transcriptional profile of TAMs driving mesenchymal GBM pathogenesis, providing potential therapeutic targets for improving the effectiveness of GBM immunotherapy.

Study EGAS00001002443

Insular Celtic population structure and genomic footprints of migration

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

Study EGAS00001002769

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

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

Study EGAS00001002830

PAX5 biallelic genomic alterations define a novel subgroup of B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Chromosomal rearrangements and specific aneuploidy patterns are initiating events and define subgroups in B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL). Here we analyzed 250 BCP-ALL cases and identified a novel subgroup (‘PAX5-plus’, n=19) by distinct DNA methylation and gene expression profiles. All patients in this subgroup harbored mutations in the B-lineage transcription factor PAX5, with p.P80R as hotspot. Mutations either affected two independent codons, consistent with compound heterozygosity, or suffered LOH predominantly through chromosome 9p aberrations. These biallelic events resulted in disruption of PAX5 transcriptional programs regulating B cell differentiation and tumor suppressor functions. Homozygous CDKN2A/B deletions and RAS activating hotspot mutations were highly enriched as cooperating events in the genomic profile of PAX5-plus ALL. Together this defined a specific pattern of triple alterations, exclusive to the novel subgroup. PAX5-plus ALL was observed in pediatric and adult patients. Although restricted by the limited sample size, a tendency for more favorable clinical outcome was observed with 10 of 12 adult PAX5-plus patients achieving long-term survival. PAX5-plus represents the first BCP-ALL subgroup defined by sequence alterations in contrast to gross chromosomal events and exemplifies how deregulated differentiation (PAX5), impaired cell cycle control (CDKN2A/B) together with sustained proliferative signaling (RAS) cooperatively drives leukemogenesis.

Study EGAS00001003209

MutWP1__CRUK_Grand_Challenge_Mutographs_of_Cancer__pancreas

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

Study EGAS00001002726

Human Pancreatic Islet RNAseq - Lund

Most signals detected by genome-wide association studies map to non-coding sequence and their tissue-specific effects influence transcriptional regulation. However, many key tissues and cell-types required for appropriate functional inference are absent from large-scale resources such as ENCODE and GTEx. We explored the relationship between genetic variants influencing predisposition to type 2 diabetes (T2D) and related glycemic traits, and human pancreatic islet transcription using RNA-Seq and genotyping data from 420 islet donors. We find: (a) eQTLs have a variable replication rate across the 44 GTEx tissues (<73%), indicating that our study captured islet-specific cis-eQTL signals; (b) islet eQTL signals show marked overlap with islet epigenome annotation, though eQTL effect size is reduced in the stretch enhancers most strongly implicated in GWAS signal location; (c) selective enrichment of islet eQTL overlap with the subset of T2D variants implicated in islet dysfunction; and (d) colocalization between islet eQTLs and variants influencing T2D or related glycemic traits, delivering candidate effector transcripts at 23 loci, including DGKB and TCF7L2. Our findings illustrate the advantages of performing functional and regulatory studies in tissues of greatest disease-relevance while expanding our mechanistic insights into complex traits association loci activity with an expanded list of putative transcripts implicated in T2D development.

Study EGAS00001004042

GWAS data on human pancreatic islets from 191 donors - Lund

Most signals detected by genome-wide association studies map to non-coding sequence and their tissue-specific effects influence transcriptional regulation. However, many key tissues and cell-types required for appropriate functional inference are absent from large-scale resources such as ENCODE and GTEx. We explored the relationship between genetic variants influencing predisposition to type 2 diabetes (T2D) and related glycemic traits, and human pancreatic islet transcription using RNA-Seq and genotyping data from 420 islet donors. We find: (a) eQTLs have a variable replication rate across the 44 GTEx tissues (<73%), indicating that our study captured islet-specific cis-eQTL signals; (b) islet eQTL signals show marked overlap with islet epigenome annotation, though eQTL effect size is reduced in the stretch enhancers most strongly implicated in GWAS signal location; (c) selective enrichment of islet eQTL overlap with the subset of T2D variants implicated in islet dysfunction; and (d) colocalization between islet eQTLs and variants influencing T2D or related glycemic traits, delivering candidate effector transcripts at 23 loci, including DGKB and TCF7L2. Our findings illustrate the advantages of performing functional and regulatory studies in tissues of greatest disease-relevance while expanding our mechanistic insights into complex traits association loci activity with an expanded list of putative transcripts implicated in T2D development.

Study EGAS00001004044

MutWP1__CRUK_Grand_Challenge_Mutographs_of_Cancer__Oesophageal_squamous_cell_carcinoma

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

Study EGAS00001002725

Hyperhaploid Multiple Myeloma

Hyperhaploid multiple myeloma is a rare numerical aberration group defined by a range of 24-34 chromosomes which is associated with a poor prognosis. Hyperhaploid samples were sequenced by either exome or targeted panel sequencing. Samples had a median of 13 monosomies (range 12-14), which in general were those not associated with trisomies in hyperdiploid samples. The chromosomes traditionally trisomic in hyperdiploid myeloma were disomic in hyperhaploid myeloma with retention of heterodisomy. We examined the hyperhaploid samples for frequently mutated genes and found that 9/9 (100%) hyperhaploid samples had a mutation in TP53, exceeding the overall rate of mutation in newly diagnosed patients (5.5%), indicating an oncogenic dependency in this group. All samples with TP53 mutation also had monosomy of chromosome 17, indicating bi-allelic inactivation of TP53. As such, this high risk group is part of Double-Hit myeloma. DNA was obtained from either CD138+ cells from the bone marrow of multiple myeloma patients (tumor) or from stem cell harvests from the same patient (control). 100 ng of DNA was fragmented, end-repaired, and adapters ligated using the HyperPlus kit (KAPA Biosystems). After PCR amplification the libraries were hybridized with probes against either the entire exome (MedExome, Nimblegen) or a targeted panel of 140 genes using SeqCap reagents (Nimblegen). Hybridized libraries underwent further amplification before being sequenced on a NextSeq500 (Illumina) using 75 bp paired end reads.

Study EGAS00001003203

Phenotyping data on human pancreatic islets from 191 donors - Lund

Most signals detected by genome-wide association studies map to non-coding sequence and their tissue-specific effects influence transcriptional regulation. However, many key tissues and cell-types required for appropriate functional inference are absent from large-scale resources such as ENCODE and GTEx. We explored the relationship between genetic variants influencing predisposition to type 2 diabetes (T2D) and related glycemic traits, and human pancreatic islet transcription using RNA-Seq and genotyping data from 420 islet donors. We find: (a) eQTLs have a variable replication rate across the 44 GTEx tissues (&lt;73%), indicating that our study captured islet-specific cis-eQTL signals; (b) islet eQTL signals show marked overlap with islet epigenome annotation, though eQTL effect size is reduced in the stretch enhancers most strongly implicated in GWAS signal location; (c) selective enrichment of islet eQTL overlap with the subset of T2D variants implicated in islet dysfunction; and (d) colocalization between islet eQTLs and variants influencing T2D or related glycemic traits, delivering candidate effector transcripts at 23 loci, including DGKB and TCF7L2. Our findings illustrate the advantages of performing functional and regulatory studies in tissues of greatest disease-relevance while expanding our mechanistic insights into complex traits association loci activity with an expanded list of putative transcripts implicated in T2D development.

Study EGAS00001004056

Mutational signatures of aflatoxin

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a mutagen and IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) Group 1 carcinogen that causes hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here we present the first whole genome data on the mutational signatures of AFB1 exposure from a total of > 40,000 mutations in four experimental systems: two different human cell lines, and in liver tumors in wild-type mice and in mice that carried a hepatitis B surface antigen transgene – this to model the multiplicative effects of aflatoxin exposure and hepatitis B in causing HCC. AFB1 mutational signatures from all four experimental systems were remarkably similar. We integrated the experimental mutational signatures with data from newly-sequenced HCCs from Qidong County, China, a region of well-studied aflatoxin exposure. This indicated that COSMIC mutational signature 24, previously hypothesized to stem from aflatoxin exposure, indeed likely represents AFB1 exposure, possibly combined with other exposures. Among published somatic mutation data, we found evidence of AFB1 exposure in 0.7% of HCCs treated in North America, 1% of HCCs from Japan, but 16% of HCCs from Hong Kong. Thus, aflatoxin exposure apparently remains a substantial public health issue in some areas. This aspect of our study exemplifies the promise of future widespread resequencing of tumor genomes in providing new insights into the contribution of mutagenic exposures to cancer incidence.

Study EGAS00001002490

Exon4-mutations in KRAS Affect MEK-ERK and Pi3K-AKT Signaling in Multiple Myeloma

Approximately 40% of MM cases harbor a point mutation in either KRAS or NRAS. However, it is still unclear whether RAS-mutations are associated with disease outcome. Specifically, no information exists whether KRAS-mutations have an impact on survival in MM patients at diagnosis that were treated with novel agents (e.g. bortezomib, lenalidomide). Targeting KRAS directly for therapeutic purposes is still impossible, but recently the first covalent mutant-specific inhibitor targeting KRASG12C made it into clinical trials. However, other KRAS-hotspot-mutations exist in MM patients, including the less common exon4-mutations. Within the current study, the coding regions of KRAS in 80 MM patients at diagnosis, uniformly treated with bortezomib and high-dose chemotherapy, were deep-sequenced. Moreover, the functional impact of KRASG12A as well as the two exon4-mutations A146T (AMO1) and A146V (MM patient) on different survival pathways was investigated. Specifically, an siRNA-mediated knockdown in AMO1 was performed and KRASWT, KRASG12A, KRAS146T and KRAS146V were overexpressed in the KRASWT cell lines JJN3 and OPM2 using lentiviral transduction and the transposase based Sleeping Beauty system. KRAS-mutations were not associated with survival. Yet, the expression of all KRAS-mutants had an impact on MEK/ERK-signaling in two independent MM cell lines and on AKT/PI3K-signaling in one MM cell line.

Study EGAS00001004110

MutWP1__CRUK_Grand_Challenge_Mutographs_of_Cancer__Oesophageal_adenocarcinoma

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

Study EGAS00001003702

Comprehensive Genomic Characterization of Gene Therapy-Induced T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (H007)

Six out of ten patients in a hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy (GT) trial for Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) developed T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) associated with gamma-retroviral vector integration at the LMO2 locus. We hypothesized that detailed molecular analysis of T-ALL driven by temporally defined first deregulation of LMO2 might offer valuable insights into the pathogenesis of GT-associated and sporadic T-ALL (HIPO project 007). In all six patients whole-genome and transcriptome sequencing demonstrated that in addition to oncogenic chromosomal translocations involving the T-cell receptor loci, retrovirally induced leukemias faithfully recapitulated secondary genomic events observed in sporadic T-ALL. Multiple genetic events culminated in the development of a rapidly proliferating leukemic clone and onset of clinical manifestation at 1.3 to 5 years after infusion of the gene corrected transplant. These genetic alterations affected NOTCH1 and PI3K signaling, cell cycle regulation as wells as T-cell transcription factors LEF1 and TCF1. Two of the six cases displayed a phenotype reminiscent of early immature T-ALLs, and lacked additional T-ALL typical alterations. Our analysis shows that insertional mutagenesis involving the LMO2 locus triggers T-ALL development due to diverse genetic alterations in large parts, but not exclusively, in known T-ALL driver genes, demonstrating the molecular diversity of GT-associated T-ALL.

Study EGAS00001003870

5- FU treated organoids

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is a chemotherapeutic drug component that is commonly used for the treatment of solid cancers. The anticancer properties of 5-FU have been attributed to interference with nucleotide synthesis and through direct incorporation into the DNA as being a pyrimidine analog. As both mechanisms of action may have a mutational impact on surviving tumor cells, we performed three independent analyses to characterize the genomic consequences of 5-FU treatment: i) in vitro treatment of intestinal organoids with 5-FU followed by whole genome sequencing, ii) genome-wide mutation analyses in tumor samples from 5-FU treated patients with breast or colorectal cancer, and iii) analysis of paired biopsies from patients treated with 5-FU between biopsies. Our results demonstrate that both in vitro and in vivo 5-FU causes a mutational pattern that is dominated by T>G substitutions in a CTT context and with strong resemblance to COSMIC signature 17. Interestingly, this signature is also found in non 5-FU treated patients, most prominently in esophageal tumors, indicating that distinct endogenous and exogenous triggers can converge into highly similar mutational signatures. Furthermore, our results suggest that 5-FU may have adverse mutagenic effects on healthy cells and contributes to genetic variability in surviving cancer cells thereby contributing to tumor evolution.

Study EGAS00001003592

Genetic insights into the biological mechanisms governing human ovarian ageing

Reproductive longevity is critical for fertility and impacts healthy ageing in women, yet insights into the underlying biological mechanisms and treatments to preserve it are limited. Here, we identify 290 genetic determinants of ovarian ageing, assessed using normal variation in age at natural menopause (ANM) in ~200,000 women of European ancestry. These common alleles influence clinical extremes of ANM; women in the top 1% of genetic susceptibility have an equivalent risk of premature ovarian insufficiency to those carrying monogenic FMR1 premutations. Identified loci implicate a broad range of DNA damage response (DDR) processes and include loss-of-function variants in key DDR genes. Integration with experimental models demonstrates that these DDR processes act across the life-course to shape the ovarian reserve and its rate of depletion. Furthermore, we demonstrate that experimental manipulation of DDR pathways highlighted by human genetics increase fertility and extend reproductive life in mice. Causal inference analyses using the identified genetic variants indicates that extending reproductive life in women improves bone health and reduces risk of type 2 diabetes, but increases risks of hormone-sensitive cancers. These findings provide insight into the mechanisms governing ovarian ageing, when they act across the life-course, and how they might be targeted by therapeutic approaches to extend fertility and prevent disease.

Study EGAS00001004947

CYP2C19 long-read sequencing

Inter-individual differences in drug response based on genetic variations can lead to drug toxicity and treatment inefficacy. A large part of this variability is caused by genetic variants in pharmacogenes. Unfortunately, the Single Nucleotide Variant (SNV) panels currently used in clinical pharmacogenomic (PGx) testing are unable to detect all genetic variability in these genes. Long-read sequencing, on the other hand, has been shown to be able to resolve complex (pharmaco)genes. In this study we have assessed the added value of long-read sequencing for PGx focusing on the clinically important and highly polymorphic CYP2C19 gene. With a capture-based long-read sequencing panel we were able to characterize the entire region and assign variants to their allele of origin (phasing), resulting in the identification of 813 unique variants in 37 samples. To assess the clinical utility of this data we have compared the performance of three different *-allele tools (Aldy, PharmCat and PharmaKU) which are specifically designed to assign clinical haplotypes to pharmacogenes based on all input variants. We conclude that long-read sequencing can improve our ability to characterize the CYP2C19 locus, help to identify novel haplotypes and that *-allele tools are an useful asset in phenotype prediction. Ultimately, this approach could help to better predict an individual’s drug response and improve therapy outcomes.

Study EGAS00001006929

Loss of LGR4/GPR48 causes severe neonatal salt-wasting due to disrupted WNT signaling altering adrenal zonation

Disorders of isolated mineralocorticoid deficiency causing potentially life-threatening salt-wasting crisis early in life have been associated with gene variants of aldosterone biosynthesis or resistance, but in some patients no such variants are found. WNT/β-catenin signaling is crucial for differentiation and maintenance of the aldosterone producing adrenal zona glomerulosa (zG). We describe a highly consanguineous family with multiple perinatal deaths or infants presenting at birth with failure to thrive, severe salt-wasting crises associated with isolated hypoaldosteronism, nail anomalies, short stature, and deafness. Whole exome sequencing revealed a homozygous splice variant in the R-SPONDIN receptor LGR4 gene (c.618-1G>C) regulating WNT signaling. The resulting transcripts affected protein function and stability, and resulted in loss of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in vitro. The impact of LGR4 inactivation was analyzed by adrenal cortex specific ablation of Lgr4, using Lgr4Flox/Flox mated with Sf1:Cre mice. Inactivation of Lgr4 within the adrenal cortex in the mouse model caused decreased WNT signaling, aberrant zonation with deficient zG and reduced aldosterone production. Thus, human LGR4 mutations establish a direct link between LGR4 inactivation and decreased canonical WNT signaling with abnormal zG differentiation and endocrine function. Therefore, variants in WNT signaling and its regulators should systematically be considered in familial hyperreninemic hypoaldosteronism.

Study EGAS00001006808

BMP4 and temozolomide synergize in the majority of patient derived glioblastoma cultures

The poor prognosis of patients with glioblastoma is partly due to resistance to standard treatment, which combines chemoradiation using temozolomide (TMZ). The concept of cancer stem cells provided new insight into tumor resistance and management, and isolated Glioblastoma stem-like cells (GSCs) which contribute to this therapy resistance. Bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) is a differentiation factor that stimulates astroglial differentiation of such GSCs, thereby reducing their self-renewal. Exposing GSCs to BMP4 could therefore sensitize them to chemotherapy with TMZ, but previous studies with various treatment paradigms have produced contradictory results in this matter. Therefore, we re-defined the optimal treatment paradigm for the combination of TMZ and BMP4 and subsequently re-assessed the inter-tumoral variability in response to co-treatment with TMZ+BMP4 in vitro. First, the simultaneous treatment was found more effective than sequential therapy. Second, after application of our optimized treatment protocol, 70% of a total of 20 patient-derived glioblastoma cultures showed synergy when the treatments were combined. The synergistic effect was a result of increased cellular apoptosis and not of decreased proliferation. Comparative RNA-sequencing suggested that combination treatment results in decreased MAPK signaling. We conclude that addition of BMP4 to standard therapy with TMZ could enlarge the group of patients with good therapeutic response.

Study EGAS00001007095

RBMX functional retrocopy safeguards brain development

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

Study EGAS50000001650

The double-hit signature identifies double-hit diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with genetic events cryptic to FISH

High-grade B-cell lymphomas with MYC and BCL2 and/or BCL6 rearrangements (HGBL-DH/THs) include a group of diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCLs) with inferior outcomes after standard chemoimmunotherapy. We recently described a gene expression signature that identifies 27% of germinal center B-cell DLBCLs (GCB-DLBCLs) as having a double-hit-like expression pattern (DHITsig) and inferior outcomes; however, only half of these cases have both MYC and BCL2 translocations identifiable using standard breakapart fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Here, 20 DHITsig+ GCB-DLBCLs apparently lacking MYC and/or BCL2 rearrangements underwent whole-genome sequencing. This revealed 6 tumors with MYC or BCL2 rearrangements that were cryptic to breakapart FISH. Copy-number analysis identified 3 tumors with MYC and 6 tumors with MIR17HG gains or amplifications, both of which may contribute to dysregulation of MYC and its downstream pathways. Focal deletions of the PVT1 promoter were observed exclusively among DHITsig+ tumors lacking MYC translocations; this may also contribute to MYC overexpression. These results highlight that FISH fails to identify all HGBL-DH/THs, while revealing a range of other genetic mechanisms potentially underlying MYC dysregulation in DHITsig+ DLBCL, suggesting that gene expression profiling is more sensitive for identifying the biology underlying poor outcomes in GCB-DLBCL.

Study EGAS00001004285

DKFZ-HIPO Data Access Committee of Heidelberg Center for Personalized Oncology

Dac EGAC00001000452

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