Search Results - EGA European Genome-Phenome Archive

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

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

Study phs002756

NHLBI GO-ESP: Lung Cohorts Exome Sequencing Project (Lung Health Study of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)

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 Lung Health Study I was a randomized multicenter clinical trial with 5887 participants carried out from October 1986 to April 1994, designed to test the effectiveness of smoking cessation and bronchodilator administration in smokers aged 35 to 60 with mild lung function impairment. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: usual care, who received no intervention smoking intervention with the inhaled bronchodilator ipratroprium bromide smoking intervention with an inhaled placebo The effect of intervention was evaluated by the rate of decline of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1).

Study phs000291

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

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

Study phs001196

National Cancer Institute (NCI) Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) of Renal Cell Carcinoma in African Americans

The NCI GWAS of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in African Americans was undertaken to provide insight into genetic loci affecting susceptibility to this malignancy in a racial group known to be at elevated risk. We genotyped 1,136,723 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) among 255 cases and 375 controls of African ancestry from the NCI Kidney Cancer Study, and further investigated 16 SNPs in a replication set consisting of 140 cases and 543 controls from a case-control study conducted at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The variant rs10771279 located on 12p11, 77kb from a European-ancestry RCC risk marker, was associated with RCC risk in the GWAS (P=1.2 x 10-7) but did not replicate (P=0.99). The variant 7105934 on 11q13.3, previously associated with RCC in a GWAS using European-ancestry samples, was associated with risk in both studies [meta-analysis odds ratio (OR)=0.76, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.64-0.91; P=0.0022]. The frequency of this allele was higher than that observed in the European-ancestry GWAS (0.56 and 0.07 respectively among controls). The rs7105934 association was stronger for clear cell RCC (ccRCC: OR=0.56; P=7.4 x 10-7) and absent for cases of other or unknown histology (OR=1.02; P=0.86). In conclusion, this study provides evidence that rs7105934 is a susceptibility locus for RCC, and clear-cell RCC in particular, among African Americans.

Study phs000863

Center for Common Disease Genomics (CCDG) Neuropsychiatric: Multimodal Developmental Neurogenetics of Females

In this study, we address the enormous challenges common complex diseases pose for genomic analysis and the enormous opportunities surmounting them offers for advancing healthcare. The common genetic disorders proposed for study here are believed to have extreme locus heterogeneity, requiring the analysis of large numbers of samples to comprehensively identify the genomic variants underlying them. We propose that a combination of deep population studies and joint analysis of SNPs, indels, and structural variants, both in coding and noncoding regions, will provide the next level of understanding of common genetic disorders. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) will be critical to this next-generation approach to the genomics of complex disease. WGS will need to be accompanied by the technical ability to generate and handle very large data sets, a particular focus and strength of NYGC. WGS will also need to be accompanied by new statistical tools and algorithms, which will be developed by the strong core group committed to this proposal. An overarching goal of this proposal, one that capitalizes on the power of WGS, is to identify disease-associated variants at the individual nucleotide level. In many cases, pathogenic mutations fall in noncoding regions of the genome, which can only be fruitfully explored with WGS. A major effort was put into building new computational strategies to functionally annotate noncoding transcribed sequences, and to build new datasets to enable such strategies, opening new frontiers of understanding of disease-related regulatory variants.

Study phs002043

MAITS in HCC

Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death and can be considered a prototype of inflammation-derived cancer arising from chronic liver injury. The cell composition of the HCC tumor immune microenvironment (TiME) has a major impact on cancer biology as the TiME can have divergent capacities on tumor initiation, progress, and response to therapy. Recent development of multi-omics and single-cell technologies help us to comprehensively quantify the cellular heterogeneity and spatial organization of the TiME and to further our understanding of antitumor immunity. We investigated the cellular composition of liver cancer patient samples (n=8) using single-cell RNA-seq. For this purpose, mononuclear cells were isolated from human liver cancer samples. Three locations within the tumor-bearing liver were used: adjacent liver, rim and tumor core. Then, cells were FACS sorted (either CD45+ cells or MAIT cells) and subjected to 10X Chromium-based scRNA-seq. We investigated immune cell changes and the cellular heterogeneity of the HCC TiME with a focus on MAIT cells. Annotated H5 files are provided. Clinical metadata including TMN stage, sex, gender, ethnicity, pretreatment, and histopathological reports are available for all patient samples. Further details on the study can be obtained in our paper once it’s published.A complementary dataset derived from ultrahighplex CO-Detection by indEXing (CODEX) from paired patient samples can be accessed through The Cancer Imaging Archives (TCIA) under DOI: https://doi.org/10.7937/bh0r-y074.

Study phs003279

Systems genetics in human endothelial cells identifies non-coding variants modifying enhancers, expression, and complex disease traits

Identification of causal variants and mechanisms underlying complex disease traits in humans requires strategies to locate and fine-map functional regulatory variants in disease-relevant cell types. To discover functional regulatory variants in primary aortic endothelial cells (ECs) from humans, we collected genetic, transcriptomic, and four epigenomic phenotypes in a population of 153 human donors representing individuals of both sexes and three major ancestries. We found thousands of EC eQTLs that were not present in GTEx at all ranges of effect sizes, indicating novel functional variants not observable from tissue data. We performed several epigenetic assays across 53 donors' EC to enable molecular QTL mapping, which included chromatin accessibility, histone modification, and transcription factor binding of proteins ERG and NF-kB/p65 in two activation states. We discovered over 3000 regulatory elements where cis-regulatory variants associated to significant differences in epigenetic marks. Co-localization with our eQTLs, TF motif mutations, and 3D confirmation capture data in ECs enabled our discovery of hundreds of high-confidence functional regulatory elements that perturb endothelial molecular phenotypes. Furthermore, this set of variants is enriched at GWAS loci for Coronary Artery disease and other disease traits, with some SNPs demonstrating pleiotropic effects. Together, our dataset and analytical approach provide the genetics and vascular biology communities with specific variants affecting EC biology and serves as a proof-of-principle for how to detect functional regulatory variants in human cells with relevance to complex traits.

Study phs002057

International Consortium on the Genetics of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLEGEN)

The genetic makeup of an individual strongly influences the risk of developing systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The identification of genes that predispose an individual to SLE will lead to earlier and better diagnosis, better treatments, and possibly prevention. To this end, the International Consortium on the Genetics of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLEGEN) was formed in 2005 and is composed of lupus researchers who agreed to pool their knowledge and resources to search for genes that predispose to lupus. Eight laboratories contributed DNA samples for genotyping at the Broad Institute and association with SLE was performed by the Data Coordinating Center (Wake Forest University), as part of a four stage study design. Stages one and two of this design were graciously funded by the Alliance for Lupus Research (www.lupusresearch.org). In this stage of the study, approximately 767 SLE patients (cases) were compared to approximately 383 non-SLE patients (controls) for differences among the Illumina HumanHap300. The affected individuals are all females of European decent. 82% of the cases are the index case from multiplex pedigrees for SLE and the remaining 18% have self-reported first degree relatives with SLE. A detailed summary of the methods and results can be found in the manuscript in Nature Genetics February 2008 by SLEGEN "Genome-wide association scan in women with systemic lupus erythematosus identifies susceptibility variants ITGAM, PXK, KIAA1542 and other loci". (Please see also Study Accession: phs000202.v1.p1)

Study phs000216

Center for Common Disease Genomics [CCDG] - Neuropsychiatric: Genomics of Autism Spectrum Disorder (GASD)

In this study, we address the enormous challenges common complex diseases pose for genomic analysis and the enormous opportunities surmounting them offers for advancing healthcare. The common genetic disorders proposed for study here are believed to have extreme locus heterogeneity, requiring the analysis of large numbers of samples to comprehensively identify the genomic variants underlying them. We propose that a combination of deep population studies and joint analysis of SNPs, indels, and structural variants, both in coding and noncoding regions, will provide the next level of understanding of common genetic disorders. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) will be critical to this next-generation approach to the genomics of complex disease. WGS will need to be accompanied by the technical ability to generate and handle very large data sets, a particular focus and strength of New York Genome Center (NYGC). WGS will also need to be accompanied by new statistical tools and algorithms, which will be developed by the strong core group committed to this proposal.An overarching goal of this proposal, one that capitalizes on the power of WGS, is to identify disease-associated variants at the individual nucleotide level. In many cases, pathogenic mutations fall in noncoding regions of the genome, which can only be fruitfully explored with WGS. A major effort was put into building new computational strategies to functionally annotate noncoding transcribed sequences, and to build new datasets to enable such strategies, opening new frontiers of understanding of disease-related regulatory variants.

Study phs002509

Center for Common Disease Genomics (CCDG) Neuropsychiatric: Homozygosity Mapping Consortium for Autism (HMCA)

In this study, we address the enormous challenges common complex diseases pose for genomic analysis and the enormous opportunities surmounting them offers for advancing healthcare. The common genetic disorders proposed for study are believed to have extreme locus heterogeneity, requiring the analysis of large numbers of samples to comprehensively identify the genomic variants underlying them. We propose that a combination of deep population studies and joint analysis of SNPs, indels, and structural variants, both in coding and noncoding regions, will provide the next level of understanding of common genetic disorders. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) will be critical to this next-generation approach to the genomics of complex disease. WGS will need to be accompanied by the technical ability to generate and handle very large data sets, a particular focus and strength of NYGC. WGS will also need to be accompanied by new statistical tools and algorithms, which will be developed by the strong core group committed to this proposal. An overarching goal of this proposal, one that capitalizes on the power of WGS, is to identify disease-associated variants at the individual nucleotide level. In many cases, pathogenic mutations fall in noncoding regions of the genome, which can only be fruitfully explored with WGS. A major effort was put into building new computational strategies to functionally annotate noncoding transcribed sequences, and to build new datasets to enable such strategies, opening new frontiers of understanding of disease-related regulatory variants.

Study phs001894

Center for Common Disease Genomics [CCDG] - Neuropsychiatric: Simons Searchlight

In this study, we address the enormous challenges common complex diseases pose for genomic analysis and the enormous opportunities surmounting them offers for advancing healthcare. The common genetic disorders proposed for study here are believed to have extreme locus heterogeneity, requiring the analysis of large numbers of samples to comprehensively identify the genomic variants underlying them. We propose that a combination of deep population studies and joint analysis of SNPs, indels, and structural variants, both in coding and noncoding regions, will provide the next level of understanding of common genetic disorders. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) will be critical to this next-generation approach to the genomics of complex disease. WGS will need to be accompanied by the technical ability to generate and handle very large data sets, a particular focus and strength of New York Genome Center (NYGC). WGS will also need to be accompanied by new statistical tools and algorithms, which will be developed by the strong core group committed to this proposal.An overarching goal of this proposal, one that capitalizes on the power of WGS, is to identify disease-associated variants at the individual nucleotide level. In many cases, pathogenic mutations fall in noncoding regions of the genome, which can only be fruitfully explored with WGS. A major effort was put into building new computational strategies to functionally annotate noncoding transcribed sequences, and to build new datasets to enable such strategies, opening new frontiers of understanding of disease-related regulatory variants.

Study phs002512

Indexing Genes Impacted by Copy Number Variation in Developmental Disorders

A challenge in clinical genomics is to predict whether copy number variation (CNV) affecting a gene or multiple genes will manifest as disease. Increasing recognition of gene dosage effects in neurodevelopmental disorders prompted us to develop a computational approach based on critical-exon (highly expressed in brain, highly conserved) examination for potential etiologic effects. Using a large CNV dataset, our updated analyses revealed significant (P < 1.64 x 10-15) enrichment of critical-exons within rare CNVs in cases compared to controls. Separately, we used a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to construct an unbiased protein module from prenatal and adult tissues and found it significantly enriched for critical exons in prenatal (P < 1.15 x 10-50, OR = 2.11) and adult (P < 6.03 x 10-18, OR = 1.55) development. WGCNA yielded 1,206 proteins for which we prioritized the corresponding genes as likely to have a role in neurodevelopmental disorders. We compared the gene lists obtained from critical-exon and WGCNA analysis and found 438 candidate genes associated with CNVs annotated as pathogenic, or variants of uncertain significance (VOUS), from among 10,619 developmental delay cases. We identified genes containing CNVs previously considered to be VOUS, to be new candidate genes for neurodevelopmental disorders (GIT1, MVB12B and PPP1R9A) demonstrating the utility of this strategy to index the clinical effects of CNVs. Reprinted from Uddin et al, 2016, with permission from Scientific Reports.

Study phs001154

Center for Common Disease Genomics (CCDG) Neuropsychiatric: Autism Center of Excellence (ACE II)

In this study, we address the enormous challenges common complex diseases pose for genomic analysis and the enormous opportunities surmounting them offers for advancing healthcare. The common genetic disorders proposed for study here are believed to have extreme locus heterogeneity, requiring the analysis of large numbers of samples to comprehensively identify the genomic variants underlying them. We propose that a combination of deep population studies and joint analysis of SNPs, indels, and structural variants, both in coding and noncoding regions, will provide the next level of understanding of common genetic disorders. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) will be critical to this next-generation approach to the genomics of complex disease. WGS will need to be accompanied by the technical ability to generate and handle very large data sets, a particular focus and strength of NYGC. WGS will also need to be accompanied by new statistical tools and algorithms, which will be developed by the strong core group committed to this proposal. An overarching goal of this proposal, one that capitalizes on the power of WGS, is to identify disease-associated variants at the individual nucleotide level. In many cases, pathogenic mutations fall in noncoding regions of the genome, which can only be fruitfully explored with WGS. A major effort was put into building new computational strategies to functionally annotate noncoding transcribed sequences, and to build new datasets to enable such strategies, opening new frontiers of understanding of disease-related regulatory variants.

Study phs002042

Center for Common Disease Genomics (CCDG) Neuropsychiatric: Study of Autism Genetics Exploration (SAGE)

In this study, we address the enormous challenges common complex diseases pose for genomic analysis and the enormous opportunities surmounting them offers for advancing healthcare. The common genetic disorders proposed for study here are believed to have extreme locus heterogeneity, requiring the analysis of large numbers of samples to comprehensively identify the genomic variants underlying them. We propose that a combination of deep population studies and joint analysis of SNPs, indels, and structural variants both in coding and noncoding regions will provide the next level of understanding of common genetic disorders. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) will be critical to this next-generation approach to the genomics of complex disease. WGS will need to be accompanied by the technical ability to generate and handle very large data sets, a particular focus and strength of NYGC. WGS will also need to be accompanied by new statistical tools and algorithms, which will be developed by the strong core group committed to this proposal. An overarching goal of this proposal, one that capitalizes on the power of WGS, is to identify disease-associated variants at the individual nucleotide level. In many cases pathogenic mutations fall in noncoding regions of the genome, which can only be fruitfully explored with WGS. A major effort was put into building new computational strategies to functionally annotate noncoding transcribed sequences, and to build new datasets to enable such strategies, opening new frontiers of understanding of disease-related regulatory variants.

Study phs001740

Genomic Architecture of Progression and Treatment Response in AMD

Numerous studies have identified common and rare genetic variation associated with risk of advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD). However, risk is just one facet of AMD disease architecture. Both disease progression and response to treatment are two critical elements that may also be influenced by genetic variation. The primary aim of this study was to identify genetic variation influencing progression and response to treatment for AMD, with a secondary aim of further elucidating the genetic etiology of AMD risk. We ascertained AMD cases and controls of European ancestry from Vanderbilt Eye Institute (VEI) and the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute (BPEI) and obtained blood samples from all participants. Eyes were examined using standard ophthalmological methods, and graded according the modified Age-Related Eye Disease Study scale (AREDS grades 1-5) using fundus photography. Individuals were re-examined in follow-up exams at regular intervals to assess any change in AMD grade. Eyes with advanced neovascular AMD that were examined using ocular coherence tomography imaging (OCT), treated with anti-angiogenesis therapy and monitored for response to treatment. All individuals ascertained for the study were exome-chipped for genome-wide single nucleotide variation coverage. To target rare genetic variation, whole exome sequencing was performed on individuals at the phenotypic extremes based on 1) AMD grade, 2) rate of progression from intermediate to advanced AMD and 3) response to anti-VEGF treatment for eyes with advanced neovascular AMD.

Study phs001046

Center for Common Disease Genomics (CCDG)-Neuropsychiatric: A Study of the Genetic Causes of Complex Pediatric Disorders (CAG)

In this study, we address the enormous challenges common complex diseases pose for genomic analysis and the enormous opportunities surmounting them offers for advancing healthcare. The common genetic disorders proposed for study here are believed to have extreme locus heterogeneity, requiring the analysis of large numbers of samples to comprehensively identify the genomic variants underlying them. We propose that a combination of deep population studies and joint analysis of SNPs, indels, and structural variants both in coding and noncoding regions will provide the next level of understanding of common genetic disorders. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) will be critical to this next-generation approach to the genomics of complex disease. WGS will need to be accompanied by the technical ability to generate and handle very large data sets, a particular focus and strength of NYGC. WGS will also need to be accompanied by new statistical tools and algorithms, which will be developed by the strong core group committed to this proposal. An overarching goal of this proposal, one that capitalizes on the power of WGS, is to identify disease-associated variants at the individual nucleotide level. In many cases pathogenic mutations fall in noncoding regions of the genome, which can only be fruitfully explored with WGS. A major effort was put into building new computational strategies to functionally annotate noncoding transcribed sequences, and to build new datasets to enable such strategies, opening new frontiers of understanding of disease-related regulatory variants.

Study phs002004

Center for Common Disease Genomics (CCDG) Neuropsychiatric: Autism Genetic Resource Exchange

In this study, we address the enormous challenges common complex diseases pose for genomic analysis and the enormous opportunities surmounting them offers for advancing healthcare. The common genetic disorders proposed for study here are believed to have extreme locus heterogeneity, requiring the analysis of large numbers of samples to comprehensively identify the genomic variants underlying them. We propose that a combination of deep population studies and joint analysis of SNPs, indels, and structural variants both in coding and noncoding regions will provide the next level of understanding of common genetic disorders. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) will be critical to this next-generation approach to the genomics of complex disease. WGS will need to be accompanied by the technical ability to generate and handle very large data sets, a particular focus and strength of NYGC. WGS will also need to be accompanied by new statistical tools and algorithms, which will be developed by the strong core group committed to this proposal. An overarching goal of this proposal, one that capitalizes on the power of WGS, is to identify disease-associated variants at the individual nucleotide level. In many cases pathogenic mutations fall in noncoding regions of the genome, which can only be fruitfully explored with WGS. A major effort was put into building new computational strategies to functionally annotate noncoding transcribed sequences, and to build new datasets to enable such strategies, opening new frontiers of understanding of disease-related regulatory variants.

Study phs001766

Detection and Targeting of Splicing Deregulation in Pediatric Acute Myeloid Leukemia Stem Cells

This study evaluates the gene expression and splicing changes between pediatric patients with and without Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) and pediatric and adult patients with AML. We obtained bone marrow or peripheral blood from patients and isolated CD34+ stem and/or progenitor cells from pediatric patients with AML (10) or without AML (6) and adult patients with AML (5). In parallel, a targeted analysis for known, deleterious, genetic mutations in the KRAS, NRAS, and KMT2C genes identified 2, 5, and 6 AML patients with alterations, respectively. Additionally, Tapestri analysis further identified a mutation in the intronic region of the SF3B1 gene in multiple pediatric AML patients. RNA-Seq was performed on the purified cell populations at The Scripps Research Institute Next Generation Core on an Illumina NextSeq 500 sequencer with 150bp paired-end reads.These datasets revealed that, similar to adult AML, pediatric AML samples were enriched for Leukemia Stem Cells (LSC) markers. A deeper analysis showed widespread dysregulation of splicing in pediatric AML samples compared to age-matched non-leukemic samples. In addition, the splicing regulator RBFOX2 was downregulated with an accompanying increase in specific CD47 splice isoforms in the pediatric AML samples. Thus, the increased presence of LSCs in pediatric AML is possibly driven by global splicing deregulation, and the treatment with splicing modulators like Rebecsinib has a potential therapeutic value for eradicating LSCs in these patients.

Study phs003196

Tumor Mutation Burden, Expressed Neoantigen and Immune Microenvironment in Diffuse Gliomas

A consistent correlation between tumor mutation burden (TMB) and tumor immune microenvironment has not been observed in gliomas as in other cancers. Driver germline and somatic mutations, TMB, neoantigen, and immune cell signatures were analyzed using whole exome sequencing (WES) and transcriptome sequencing of tumor and WES of matched germline DNA in a cohort of 66 glioma samples (44 IDH-mutant and 22 IDH-wildtype). Fourteen samples revealed a hypermutator phenotype (HMP). Eight pathogenic (P) or likely pathogenic (LP) germline variants were detected in 9 (19%) patients. Six of these 8 genes were DNA damage repair genes. P/LP germline variants were found in 22% of IDH-mutant gliomas and 12.5%of IDH-wildtype gliomas (p= 0.7). TMB was correlated with expressed neoantigen but showed an inverse correlation with immune score (R =−0.46, p= 0.03) in IDH-wildtype tumors and no correlation in IDH-mutant tumors. Antigen Processing and Presentation (APP) score correlates with immune score. The APP is higher in non-hypermutator phenotype (NHMP) samples versus HMP samples in the IDH-wildtype gliomas, but higher in HMP samples versus NHMP samples in the IDH-mutant gliomas. Conclusion: TMB was inversely correlated with the immune score in the IDH-wildtype gliomas, and showed no correlation in the IDH-mutant tumors. The APP was correlated with the immune score, and may be further investigated as a biomarker for response to immunotherapy in gliomas. Studies of germline variants in a large glioma cohort are warranted.

Study phs002653

Genetic Basis for Clinical Response to CTLA-4 Blockade in Melanoma

Immune checkpoint inhibitors are effective cancer treatments, but molecular determinants of clinical benefit are unknown. Ipilimumab and tremelimumab are antibodies against cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4). Anti-CTLA-4 treatment prolongs overall survival in patients with melanoma. CTLA-4 blockade activates T cells and enables them to destroy tumor cells. We obtained tumor tissue from patients with melanoma who were treated with ipilimumab or tremelimumab. Whole-exome sequencing was performed on tumors and matched blood samples. Somatic mutations and candidate neoantigens generated from these mutations were characterized. Neoantigen peptides were tested for the ability to activate lymphocytes from ipilimumab-treated patients. Malignant melanoma exomes from 64 patients treated with CTLA-4 blockade were characterized with the use of massively parallel sequencing. A discovery set consisted of 11 patients who derived a long-term clinical benefit and 14 patients who derived a minimal benefit or no benefit. Mutational load was associated with the degree of clinical benefit (P = 0.01) but alone was not sufficient to predict benefit. Using genomewide somatic neoepitope analysis and patient-specific HLA typing, we identified candidate tumor neoantigens for each patient. We elucidated a neo-antigen landscape that is specifically present in tumors with a strong response to CTLA-4 blockade. We validated this signature in a second set of 39 patients with melanoma who were treated with anti-CTLA-4 antibodies. Predicted neoantigens activated T cells from the patients treated with ipilimumab.

Study phs001041

Center for Common Disease Genomics (CCDG) Neuropsychiatric: The Autism Simplex Collection (TASC)

In this study, we address the enormous challenges common complex diseases pose for genomic analysis and the enormous opportunities surmounting them offers for advancing healthcare. The common genetic disorders proposed for study here are believed to have extreme locus heterogeneity, requiring the analysis of large numbers of samples to comprehensively identify the genomic variants underlying them. We propose that a combination of deep population studies and joint analysis of SNPs, indels, and structural variants both in coding and noncoding regions will provide the next level of understanding of common genetic disorders. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) will be critical to this next-generation approach to the genomics of complex disease. WGS will need to be accompanied by the technical ability to generate and handle very large data sets, a particular focus and strength of NYGC. WGS will also need to be accompanied by new statistical tools and algorithms, which will be developed by the strong core group committed to this proposal. An overarching goal of this proposal, one that capitalizes on the power of WGS, is to identify disease-associated variants at the individual nucleotide level. In many cases pathogenic mutations fall in noncoding regions of the genome, which can only be fruitfully explored with WGS. A major effort was put into building new computational strategies to functionally annotate noncoding transcribed sequences, and to build new datasets to enable such strategies, opening new frontiers of understanding of disease-related regulatory variants.

Study phs001741

NIAID Centralized Sequencing Program

Investigators at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) use next-generation sequencing technologies to help determine genetic contributions to immune diseases. These efforts have increased rates of molecular diagnosis for a subset of NIAID participants as well as uncovered fundamental insights into the cellular and signaling pathways in host defense and immune regulation. Despite these successes, analysis and interpretation of genomic data remain a substantial challenge. Simply, researchers do not understand the functional and clinical consequences of most human genetic variation. Making progress in this area requires a coordinated, systematic, and transparent approach to clinical genomics research. This protocol is specific to genetic testing and explicitly aims to both strengthen clinical care and enhance research. Probands provide biological specimens for genetic testing and primary clinical and research evaluations are completed via a research protocol at NIAID. This protocol serves as a vehicle for a programmatic effort that includes standardized phenotyping, test ordering through the Clinical Research Information System (CRIS) at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, sample collection and isolation, nucleic acid analysis, bioinformatics, clinical interpretation, reporting in CRIS, genetic counseling, and supporting effective use of genomics as a research tool throughout the institute. Overall, increased process standardization will support data integrity and efficiency while still accommodating the need for investigator flexibility. This study aims to generate and analyze evidence regarding the genetic contribution to diverse immune diseases studied by the NIAID intramural research program.

Study phs001899

Medulloblastoma exome sequence analysis

Medulloblastomas are the most common malignant brain tumors in children. Identifying and understanding the genetic events that drive these tumors is critical for the development of more effective diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic strategies. Recently, our group and others described distinct molecular subtypes of medulloblastoma based on transcriptional and copy number profiles. Here, we utilized whole exome hybrid capture and Illumina sequencing to identify somatic mutations across the coding regions of 92 primary medulloblastoma/normal pairs. Overall, medulloblastomas exhibit low mutation rates consistent with other pediatric tumors, with a median of 0.35 non-silent mutations per megabase. We identified twelve genes mutated at statistically significant frequencies, including previously known mutated genes in medulloblastoma such as CTNNB1, PTCH1, MLL2, SMARCA4 and TP53. Recurrent somatic mutations were identified in an RNA helicase gene, DDX3X, often concurrent with CTNNB1 mutations, and in the nuclear co-repressor (N-CoR) complex genes GPS2, BCOR, and LDB1, to our knowledge novel findings in medulloblastoma and all cancer. We show that mutant DDX3X potentiates transactivation of a TCF promoter and enhances cell viability in combination with mutant but not wild type beta-catenin. Together, our study reveals the alteration of Wnt, Hedgehog, histone methyltransferase and now N-CoR pathways across medulloblastomas and nominates the RNA helicase DDX3X as a component of pathogenic beta-catenin signaling in medulloblastoma. "Reprinted from 'MEDULLOBLASTOMA EXOME SEQUENCING UNCOVERS SUBTYPE-SPECIFIC SOMATIC MUTATION', with permission from Nature"

Study phs000504

The Chromatin Landscape of Pathogenic Transcriptional Cell States in Rheumatoid Arthritis

In this study, we characterized 24 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovial tissue chromatin classes (i.e., cell states defined by chromatin accessibility) across 5 cell types (T, B/plasma, myeloid, stromal, and endothelial). We also investigated the transcription factors that may regulate these chromatin classes, their connections to transcriptional cell states in a proposed superstate model, and their interplay with RA pathology through associations with histological parameters and risk variants.As part of the Accelerating Medicines Partnership (AMP) network, we obtained 18 synovial tissue samples from 14 RA and 4 osteoarthritis (OA) patients for this study. Samples were collected from 7 clinical sites. We performed a 10x single cell ATAC-seq experiment on each sample.We further collected synovial tissue samples from 11 RA patients and 1 OA patient from 2 clinical sites; each sample was used for a 10x single cell multimodal ATAC and Gene Expression experiment.For additional support of the proposed superstate model, we also collected peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 4 RA patients, sorted for 4 populations (CD4+CD127-CD25hi Tregs, CD4+CD127-CD25int Tregs, CD4+CD25-PD1+CXCR5- TPH, CD4+CD25-PD1+CXCR5+ TFH), tagged each population with a hashing antibody, and pooled populations for one multimodal sequencing run.The FASTQ files are available for controlled access via dbGaP. Additional data can be found on Synapse.The presence of pooled subjects inflates the automatically-generated subject count; the actual consented subject count for this data is 34.

Study phs003417

Comprehensive Genomic Characterization of Translocation Renal Cell Carcinoma

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

Study phs003008

METABRIC miRNA landscape

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key players in cancer pathogenesis1. They display differential expression across breast cancer subtypes, and play oncogenic and tumor-suppressive roles2-6. A systematic study of the global miRNA landscape in breast cancer and the factors shaping it has not been undertaken. Here we report the results of profiling miRNA expression in 1,302 breast tumors with detailed clinical annotation and long-term follow-up, and for which matching genomic and mRNA expression data were available7. This provides a comprehensive view of the quantity, distribution and variation of the miRNA population and dissects how much genomic, transcriptional and post-transcriptional events contribute to miRNA expression architecture. The key clinical parameters and cellular pathways related to the miRNA landscape are identified, exemplified by context-dependent interaction with cell adhesion and Wnt signaling. Strikingly, in breast cancer miRNAs appear to act as modulators of mRNA-mRNA interactions rather than molecular switches. We demonstrate an important modulatory role for miRNAs in the biology of breast tumors devoid of somatic copy number aberrations, a common subtype where immune response is prominent. Remarkably, prognostic miRNA signatures derived in this subtype are consistently prognostic across several other subtypes and validate in external cohorts. These findings represent a new framework to study the biology of miRNA in human cancer.

Study EGAS00000000122

Risk Factors for Asymptomatic Diverticulosis

Data for this analysis came from a prospective study of colonic diverticulosis at the University of North Carolina Hospital in Chapel Hill, North Carolina (NIH R01DK094738). This is a case-control genetic and transcriptomic study to identify the genetic and cellular determinants underlying colonic diverticulosis and the relationship with other gastrointestinal disorders. The study inclusion and exclusion are described below. DNA and RNA sequencing were performed on colonic tissue from 404 patients with (N=172) and without (N=232) diverticulosis. We assessed variation in the transcriptome associated with diverticulosis and integrated this variation with human intestine single-cell RNA-seq data. We integrated our expression quantitative trait loci with GWAS using Mendelian Randomization. A polygenic risk score analysis examined associations between severity of diverticulosis and other gastrointestinal disorders. We identified 38 genes with differential expression and 17 genes with varied transcript usage linked to diverticulosis. Our results suggest tissue remodeling as a primary mechanism for diverticula formation. The presence of diverticulosis was linked to stromal and epithelial cells in the colon including endothelial cells, myofibroblasts, fibroblasts, goblet, tuft, enterocytes, neurons, and glia. MR highlighted five genes including CCN3, CRISPLD2, ENTPD7, PHGR1, and TNFSF13. In diverticulosis cases, ENTPD7 upregulation was confirmed. A greater burden of diverticula was positively correlated with genetic predisposition to diverticulitis. The data related to the study including total RNA-Seq, SNP array and imputed genotypes will be available through dbGaP.

Study phs003556

The Dynamic Immune Behavior of Primary and Metastatic Ovarian Carcinoma

Patients with high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma are usually diagnosed at an advanced stage and often develop resistance to conventional therapy. Epithelial ovarian tumors have been shown to be rich in CD8+ lymphocytes, which infiltrate both primary and omental sites. In recent years, several prominent studies have highlighted a positive association between the presence of these immune cells and a good prognosis; however, clinical trials of immune checkpoint inhibitors have so far shown unsatisfactory results in ovarian cancer. In this study, we used an innovative combination of single-cell sequencing and spatial transcriptomics to identify the molecular mechanisms that lead to immunosuppression in primary and metastatic HGSC. Primary tumors consistently showed a more active immune microenvironment than did omental tumors. In addition, while several immune cell subtypes were present in all samples, their relative abundance differed between primary and omental tumors. Finally, we found that primary tumors were mostly populated by dysfunctional CD4 and CD8 T cells in later stages of differentiation, while omental tumors were mostly populated by naïve immune cells; this, in turn, was correlated with expression changes in the interferon α and γ pathways in epithelial cells, showing that cross-communication between the epithelial and immune compartments is important for immune suppression in ovarian cancer. These findings can impact the timing and choice of immune-modulating drugs and should be considered when planning treatment for patients with high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma.

Study EGAS50000000038

The Genomic and Transcriptomic Landscape of a HeLa Cell Line

HeLa is the most widely used model cell line for studying human cellular and molecular biology. To date, no genomic reference for this cell line has been released, and experiments have relied on the human reference genome. Effective design and interpretation of molecular genetic studies performed using HeLa cells require accurate genomic information. Here we present a detailed genomic and transcriptomic characterization of a HeLa cell line. We performed DNA and RNA sequencing of a HeLa Kyoto cell line and analyzed its mutational portfolio and gene expression profile. Segmentation of the genome according to copy number revealed a remarkably high level of aneuploidy and numerous large structural variants at unprecedented resolution. Some of the extensive genomic rearrangements are indicative of catastrophic chromosome shattering, known as chromothripsis. Our analysis of the HeLa gene expression profile revealed that several pathways, including cell cycle and DNA repair, exhibit significantly different expression patterns from those in normal human tissues. Our results provide the first detailed account of genomic variants in the HeLa genome, yielding insight into their impact on gene expression and cellular function as well as their origins. This study underscores the importance of accounting for the strikingly aberrant characteristics of HeLa cells when designing and interpreting experiments, and has implications for the use of HeLa as a model of human biology. Copyright Landry et al., "The Genomic and Transcriptomic Landscape of a HeLa Cell Line," G3: Genes | Genomes | Genetics (2013).

Study phs000643

HuBMAP: A Spatially Resolved Molecular Atlas of Human Endothelium

The human circulatory system plays a vital role in the proper functioning of every organ in the human body. Because vascular related diseases, such as atherosclerosis, do not occur homogeneously throughout the vascular tree, differences in the endothelium of various organs must exist. There is even evidence of heterogeneity of adjacent endothelial cells. We are studying normal endothelium throughout the body and across individuals of different ages to characterize these differences. The first step will be to procure normal tissue samples from a wide range of organs. From disaggregated samples of these tissues, we will perform single cell combinatorial indexing (sci-) to generate chromatin accessibility (sci-ATAC-seq) and transcriptome (sci-RNA-seq) data from millions of single cells across hundreds of samples.  Molecular heterogeneity might correlate with multiple facets of the anatomical distribution of endothelium, including vascular vs. lymphatic, arteries vs. veins, capillaries vs. larger vessels, differences between organs, organ zonation, cell-to-cell differences, etc. Based on heterogeneous markers defined from deep profiling of disaggregated cells, we will employ seqFISH to spatially relate the distinct endothelial subpopulations arising from the single nuclei data to histologic preparations. For example, this will allow us to identify subpopulations with particular markers as arterial, capillary, venous, or lymphatic. The end product will include multiparameter images in which the complete gene expression and chromatin accessibility profile can be interactively visualized for every cell.

Study phs002267

Delineating pediatric brain tumor progression using single-nuclei sequencing

Pediatric brain cancers are the most common solid tumors in children with varying survival rates depending on molecular features of cancer cells and associated microenvironment. Several studies have used single-cell RNA sequencing to define transcriptional programs active in cancer cells and highlighted supportive roles of non-cancerous cells embedded in these tumors. Although application of single-cell RNA sequencing technology has expanded our understanding of intratumoral heterogeneity and underlying transcriptional mechanisms in brain tumors at diagnosis, mechanisms of disease remains elusive. Therefore, the purpose of this proposal is to characterize cellular and transcriptional states of malignant and non-malignant compartments at primary diagnosis and at relapse. In this study, we performed single-nuclei sequencing of 42 patient samples taken at various disease stages (initial diagnosis, progressive disease, and relapsed disease) from 20 patients with low-grade glioma or Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor (ATRT). Bulk whole genome and RNA-seq data for these samples are available from the Children’s Brain Tumor Network and the Gabriella Miller Kids First Data Resource Center. Findings from our study will help define the mechanistic shifts of tumor and non-cancerous cells over course of disease progression. Collectively with the single-cell Pediatric Cancer Atlas funded, this project lays the foundation of an important data set focused on lethal relapsed cancers that can continue to be expanded to identify cancer-intrinsic and extrinsic microenvironmental factors supporting recurrence of pediatric brain tumors.

Study EGAS50000001288

Systematic Growth Factor Profiling Platform for 3D Tumor Models Reveals EstradiolResponsive Cellular Mechanisms of Immunotherapy Resistance

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) exhibits significant molecular heterogeneity, which is thought to be influenced by the tumor microenvironment (TME). However, the specific factors driving this heterogeneity remain poorly understood. In this study, we integrated growth factoromics and genomic data to identify TME factors contributing to EOC heterogeneity and immunosuppression. Our analysis revealed distinct subgroups of EOC samples with differential responsiveness to specific growth factors, particularly estradiol and R-spondin. Notably, samples with high responsiveness to estradiol and Wnt (C1 cluster) were enriched in the Mesenchymal (MES) molecular subtype, while samples with high responsiveness to R-spondin (C2 cluster) were associated with the Differentiated (DIF) and Immunoreactive (IMR) subtypes. We discovered that the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER), rather than the classical estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), was the key mediator of estrogen responsiveness and a determinant of molecular subtype classification. Single-cell sequencing analysis identified subsets of estrogen-responsive malignant cell (MAL.PDCD5) and cancer-associated fibroblast (FB.TNFSF10), which were associated with immunosuppressive patterns in the TCGA cohort. Importantly, the interaction between these cell populations significantly increased upon estrogen treatment, suggesting a potential mechanism by which estrogen signaling may contribute to the development of an immunosuppressive TME. Our findings highlight the critical role of estrogen signaling in shaping the molecular heterogeneity and immunosuppressive TME of EOC and provide novel insights into potential therapeutic targets for overcoming immunosuppression in this malignancy.

Study EGAS50000000422

CRISPR screening in human trophoblast stem cells reveals both shared and distinct aspects of human and mouse placental development

The placenta serves as the interface between the mother and fetus, facilitating the exchange of gases and nutrients between their separate blood circulation systems. Trophoblasts in the placenta play a central role in this process. Our current understanding of mammalian trophoblast development relies largely on mouse models. However, given the diversification of mammalian placentas, findings from the mouse placenta cannot be readily extrapolated to other mammalian species, including humans. To fill this knowledge gap, we performed CRISPR knockout (KO) screening in human trophoblast stem cells (hTSCs). We targeted genes essential for mouse placental development and identified more than 100 genes as critical regulators in both human hTSCs and mouse placentas. Among them, we further characterized in detail two transcription factors, DLX3 and GCM1, and revealed their essential roles in hTSC differentiation. Moreover, a gene function-based comparison between human and mouse trophoblast subtypes suggests that their relationship may differ significantly from previous assumptions based on tissue localization or cellular function. Notably, our data reveal that hTSCs may not be analogous to mouse TSCs or the extraembryonic ectoderm (ExE) in which in vivo TSCs reside. Instead, hTSCs may be analogous to progenitor cells in the mouse ectoplacental cone and chorion. This finding is consistent with the absence of ExE-like structures during human placental development. Our data not only deepen our understanding of human trophoblast development but also facilitate cross-species comparison of mammalian placentas.

Study JGAS000659

Identification of RNA biomarkers in Parkinson's disease patients

Parkinson?s disease (PD) is an age-related, chronic and progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a loss of dopaminergic neurons and subsequent motor symptoms. These overt motor symptoms are often preceded by prodromal non-motor symptoms. Though a number of genetic and environmental factors have been identified to play a role in PD, more exact methods for both diagnosing and assessing prognosis are yet to be discovered. By analyzing the transcriptome of early-stage PD patients, this study aims to identify genes (including important non-coding RNAs) and pathways altered at disease onset that may be used as novel biomarkers for PD diagnosis as well as potential new drug targets. The study consists of three main sources of data: first year blood transcriptomes, second year blood transcriptome and matched neural stem cell (NSC)/neuron transcriptomes. All transcriptome libraries were synthesized and sequenced using no-amplification non-tagging cap analysis of gene expression (nAnT-iCAGE) on the Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform. Resulting data was mapped to the human genome annotation (hg38), processed CAGE tags were clustered ready for differential expression analyses. First year blood sequencing consisted of 22 PD patients and 10 healthy controls across four lanes. In the second year, a further four lanes were sequenced containing 17 PD patients (12 patients from the first year and 5 new patients) along with 10 healthy controls and 5 first year blood samples matching the new second year patients.

Study JGAS000119

Evolution of the African pygmy phenotype

The evolutionary history of the human ‘pygmy’ phenotype (small body size), a characteristic of African and Southeast Asian rainforest hunter-gatherers, is largely unknown. Here we use a genome-wide admixture mapping analysis to identify 16 genomic regions that are significantly associated with the pygmy phenotype in the Batwa, a rainforest hunter-gatherer population from Uganda (East Central Africa). The identified genomic regions have multiple attributes that provide supporting evidence of genuine association with the pygmy phenotype, including enrichments for SNPs previously associated with stature variation in Europeans and for genes with growth hormone receptor and regulation functions. To test adaptive evolutionary hypotheses we computed the haplotype-based iHS statistic and the level of population differentiation (FST) between the Batwa and their agricultural neighbors, the Bakiga, for each SNP. Both |iHS| and FST values were significantly higher for SNPs within the Batwa pygmy phenotype-associated regions than the remainder of the genome, a signature of polygenic adaptation. In contrast, when we expanded our analysis to include Baka rainforest hunter-gatherers from Cameroon and Gabon (West Central Africa) and Nzebi and Nzime neighboring agriculturalists, we did not observe elevated |iHS| or FST values in these genomic regions. Together, these results suggest adaptive and at least partially convergent origins of the pygmy phenotype even within Africa, supporting the hypothesis that small body size confers a selective advantage for tropical rainforest hunter-gatherers but raising questions about the antiquity of this behavior.

Study EGAS00001000908

Platelet RNAseq data for SLFN14 K219N patients

Pathogenic missense variants in SLFN14, which encodes an RNA endoribonuclease protein that regulates rRNA degradation, are known to cause inherited thrombocytopenia with impaired platelet aggregation and ATP secretion. Despite rather mild laboratory defects, these patients display an obvious bleeding phenotype. The function of SLFN14 in megakaryocyte (MK) and platelet biology is unknown. This study aims to characterize the platelet transcriptome in patients with a SLFN14 K219N variant and model the disease in the immortalized megakaryocyte cell line imMKCL. Total platelet RNA was sequenced for two patients and 19 healthy controls. Differential gene expression analysis yielded a total of 2999 and 2888 significantly (|log2FC|>1, FDR<0.05) up- and downregulated genes, respectively. Remarkably, these downregulated genes were not enriched for any biological pathway while upregulated genes were enriched for pathways involved in (mitochondrial) translation and transcription with a significant upregulation of 134 ribosomal protein genes (RPG). Heterozygous and homozygous SLFN14 K219N imMKCL showed a defect in MK differentiation that aggravated during cell passaging of undifferentiated cells and in proplatelet formation. SLFN14 defective platelets and MK showed signs of rRNA degradation while this was absent in undifferentiated imMKCL cells. Upregulation of RPG through increased mTOR signaling in SLFN14 K219N MK seems to be a compensatory response for rRNA degradation. Indeed, mTOR inhibition with rapamycin resulted in further enhanced rRNA degradation in SLFN14 K219N MK. Taken together, our study indicates dysregulation of mTOR-regulated ribosomal biogenesis as the disease mechanism for SLFN14-related thrombocytopenia.

Study EGAS00001006339

Plasma-Seq of patients with metastatic prostate cancer

Study 1 In this study we analysed patients with metastatic prostate cancer to scan their tumor genomes noninvasively in plasma DNA. We wanted to make whole-genome analysis from plasma DNA amenable to clinical routine applications and developed an approach based on a benchtop high-throughput platform, i.e. Illuminas MiSeq instrument. We performed whole-genome sequencing from plasma at a shallow sequencing depth to establish a genome-wide copy number profile of the tumor at low costs within 2 days. The genome-wide profiling in the plasma of our patients revealed multiple copy number aberrations including those previously reported in prostate tumors, such as losses in 8p and gains in 8q. High-level copy number gains in the AR locus were observed in patients with CRPC but not with CSPC disease. We identified the TMPRSS2-ERG rearrangement associated 3-Mbp deletion on chromosome 21 and found corresponding fusion plasma fragments in these cases. In an index case multiregional sequencing of the primary tumor identified different copy number changes in each sector, suggesting multifocal disease. Our plasma analyses of this index case, performed 13 years after resection of the primary tumor, revealed novel chromosomal rearrangements, which were stable in serial plasma analyses over a 9 months period, which is consistent with the presence of one metastatic clone. Our approach provides specific genomic signatures within 2 days which may therefore serve as “liquid biopsy”.

Study EGAS00001000451

Molecular Attributes Underlying Central Nervous System and Systemic Relapse in Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma

Central nervous system (CNS) relapse in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma remains a significant conundrum. While clinical risk scores and biomarkers allow the identification of patients with higher risk of CNS relapse, their predictive ability is low. Herein, we report findings from a comprehensive study examining gene expression changes, mutations and clonal evolution. Firstly, considering diagnostic samples from patients with CNS relapse, systemic relapse or no relapse, we found a striking enrichment of gene expression changes reflecting protein biosynthesis in patients who experienced CNS or systemic relapse. Furthermore, diagnostic specimens of relapsing cases were characterized by low immune infiltrates. The most discriminative gene feature in our analysis was SLAMF1, high expression of which was associated with favourable outcomes. Next, we assessed whether specific gene mutations were associated with subsequent CNS or systemic relapse. Activated B-cell-like genes such as PIM1, CD79B and PRDM1 were more frequently mutated in cases with CNS relapse, whereas TP53, BCL2 and FOXO1 mutations were associated with systemic relapse. Lastly, we performed tumor evolution analysis in five patients, identifying significant clonal divergence that accompanied CNS relapse. In summary, we identified both common biology underlying both CNS and systemic relapse, independent of cell-of-origin (COO), and specific COO-enriched gene mutations that conferred a higher risk of either CNS or systemic relapse. Moreover, we identified a pattern of clonal evolution that can explain difficulties in both predicting and treating CNS relapse.

Study EGAS00001004057

UK10K_RARE_HYPERCHOL

In the UK10K project we propose a series of complementary genetic approaches to find new low frequency/rare variants contributing to disease phenotypes. These will be based on obtaining the genome wide sequence of 4000 samples from the TwinsUK and ALSPAC cohorts (at 6x sequence coverage), and the exome sequence (protein coding regions and related conserved sequence) of 6000 samples selected for extreme phenotypes. Our studies will focus primarily on cardiovascular-related quantitative traits, obesity and related metabolic traits, neurodevelopmental disorders and a limited number of extreme clinical phenotypes that will provide proof-of-concept for future familial trait sequencing. We will analyse directly quantitative traits in the cohorts and the selected traits in the extreme samples, and also use imputation down to 0.1% allele frequency to extend the analyses to further sample sets with genome wide genotype data. In each case we will investigate indels and larger structural variants as well as SNPs, and use statistical methods that combine rare variants in a locus or pathway as well as single-variant approaches.Familial Hypercholesterolemia is a condition where the affected person has a consistently high level of LDL which can lead to early clogging of the coronary arteries. All patients selected for this study will have been found not to carry the common APOB and PCSK9 mutations, and to have no detectable LDLR mutations by testing for 18 common mutations. For further information with regard to this cohort please contact Steve Humphries(steve.humphries@ucl.ac.uk).

Study EGAS00001000129

The evolutionary history of human colitis-associated colorectal cancer

Inflammatory bowel disease confers an increased lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC), and colitis-associated CRC (CA-CRC) is molecularly distinct from sporadic CRC (S-CRC). Here we have dissected the evolutionary history of CA-CRC using multi-region sequencing. Exome sequencing was performed on fresh-frozen multiple regions of carcinoma, adjacent non-cancerous mucosa and blood from 12 CA-CRC patients (n=55 exomes), and key variants were validated with orthogonal methods. Genome-wide copy number profiling was performed using SNP arrays and low-pass whole genome sequencing on archival non-dysplastic mucosa (n=9), low-grade dysplasia (LGD, n=30), high-grade dysplasia (HGD, n=13), mixed LGD/HGD (n=7) and CA-CRC (n=19). Phylogenetic trees were reconstructed, and evolutionary analysis used to reveal the temporal sequence of events leading to CA-CRC. 10/12 tumors were microsatellite stable with a median mutation burden of 3.0 single nucleotide alterations (SNAs) per Mb, around 20% higher than S-CRC (2.5 SNAs/Mb), and consistent with elevated aging-associated mutational processes. Non-dysplastic mucosa had considerable mutation burden (median 47 SNAs), including mutations shared with the neighboring CA-CRC, indicating a pre-cancer mutational field. CA-CRCs were often near-triploid (42%) or near-tetraploid (21%) and phylogenetic analysis revealed that copy number alterations (CNAs) began to accrue in non-dysplastic bowel, but the LGD/HGD transition often involved a punctuated catastrophic CNA increase.

Study EGAS00001003028

Whole genome sequencing with linked reads of pediatric glioblastoma samples

Pediatric glioblastoma (pGBM) is a lethal cancer with no effective therapies. To understand mechanisms of tumor evolution in this cancer, we performed whole genome sequencing with linked reads on longitudinally resected pGBM samples. Our analyses showed that all diagnostic and recurrent samples were collections of genetically diverse subclones. Clonal composition rapidly evolved at recurrence, with less than 8% of non-synonymous single nucleotide variants being shared in diagnostic-recurrent pairs. In order to track the origins of the mutational events we observed in pGBM, we generated whole genome datasets for two patients and their parents. These trios showed that genetic variants could be (i) somatic, (ii) inherited from a healthy parent, or (iii) arose de novo in the germlines of pGBM patients. Analysis of variant allele frequencies supported a model of tumor growth involving slow-cycling cancer stem cells that give rise to fast-proliferating progenitor-like cells and to non-dividing cells. Interestingly, radiation and anti-mitotic chemotherapeutics did not increase overall tumor burden upon recurrence. These findings support an important role for slow-cycling stem cell populations in contributing to recurrences, since slow-cycling cell populations are expected to be less prone to genotoxic stress induced by these treatments and to accumulate few mutations. Our results highlight the need for new targeted treatments that account for the complex functional hierarchies and genomic heterogeneity of pGBM.

Study EGAS00001003432

Genetic and epigenetic characterization of adenoid cystic carcinoma

Translocation events are frequent in cancer and may create chimeric fusions or regulatory rearrangements that drive oncogene overexpression. Although regulatory rearrangements are increasingly recognized in hematopoietic and even solid tumors, the underlying mechanisms remain obscure. Here we identify super-enhancer translocations that drive overexpression of the oncogenic transcription factor MYB as a unifying theme in adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC). Whole genome sequencing data and chromatin state maps for 13 primary tumors and xenografts reveal distinct chromosomal rearrangements that juxtapose super-enhancer clusters to the MYB locus. Chromosome conformation capture confirms that the translocated enhancers physically interact with the MYB promoter. Remarkably, the MYB product itself binds to the translocated enhancers, thus creating a positive feedback loop that sustains its own expression. MYB also binds a large number of active enhancers that drive opposing regulatory programs in alternate cell lineages in ACC. MYB cooperates with the transcription factor TP63 in the myoepithelial component of the tumors, but promotes a Notch program in the luminal epithelial component. Bromodomain inhibitors, which disrupt enhancer function, slow tumor growth in ACC primagraft models in vivo, but are ineffective against high grade tumors that harbor activating mutations in the Notch pathway. Thus, our study identifies super-enhancer translocations as a unifying feature of ACC, and provides insight into the mechanism by which sustained MYB overexpression drives alternate cell fates in this disease.Processed ChIP-seq data is available on GEO under accession number GSE76465.

Study EGAS00001001457

Successful BRAF/MEK-inhibition in a young patient with BRAF V600E-mutated extrapancreatic acinar cell carcinoma (HIPO-021)

Pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma (PAC) is a rare disease with a poor prognosis. Treatment options for metastatic PAC are limited and often follow chemotherapeutic regimens for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Although recurrent genomic alterations, such as BRAF fusions and defects in genes involved in homologous recombination DNA repair, have been described in PAC, data on the clinical efficacy of molecularly guided, targeted treatment are scarce. Here we describe the case of a 27-yr-old patient with BRAF V600E-mutated PAC who was successfully treated with a combination of BRAF and MEK inhibitors. The patient presented to our clinic with abdominal pain and weight loss. Imaging showed extensive retroperitoneal disease as well as mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Because of elevated alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels and inconclusive histologic findings, a germ cell tumor was suspected; however, PEI chemotherapy was unsuccessful. A repeat biopsy yielded the diagnosis of PAC and treatment with FOLFIRINOX was initiated. Comprehensive molecular profiling within the MASTER (Molecularly Aided Stratification for Tumor Eradication Research) precision oncology program revealed a somatic BRAF V600E mutation and a germline PALB2 stop-gain mutation. Therapy was therefore switched to BRAF/MEK inhibition, resulting in almost complete remission and disease control for 12 mo and a remarkable improvement in the patient's general condition. These results indicate that BRAF alterations are a valid therapeutic target in PAC that should be routinely assessed in this patient population.

Study EGAS00001004282

UK10K NEURO ASD GALLAGHER

In the UK10K project we propose a series of complementary genetic approaches to find new low frequency/rare variants contributing to disease phenotypes. These will be based on obtaining the genome wide sequence of 4000 samples from the TwinsUK and ALSPAC cohorts (at 6x sequence coverage), and the exome sequence (protein coding regions and related conserved sequence) of 6000 samples selected for extreme phenotypes. Our studies will focus primarily on cardiovascular-related quantitative traits, obesity and related metabolic traits, neurodevelopmental disorders and a limited number of extreme clinical phenotypes that will provide proof-of-concept for future familial trait sequencing. We will analyse directly quantitative traits in the cohorts and the selected traits in the extreme samples, and also use imputation down to 0.1% allele frequency to extend the analyses to further sample sets with genome wide genotype data. In each case we will investigate indels and larger structural variants as well as SNPs, and use statistical methods that combine rare variants in a locus or pathway as well as single-variant approaches. This is an Irish sample set of individuals with ASD (approximately 50% with comorbid intellectual disability). Individuals have been diagnosed with ADI/ ADOS, measures of cognition/ adaptive function. They represent a more severe, narrowly defined cohort of ASD subjects. Family histories are available for some with measures of broader phenotype. For further information on this cohort please contact Nadia Bolshakova (bolshakn@tcd.ie).

Study EGAS00001000112

The Medical Genome Reference Bank: a whole genome data resource of 4,000 healthy elderly individuals.

Allele frequency data from human reference populations is of increasing value for filtering and assignment of pathogenicity to genetic variants. Aged and healthy populations are more likely to be selectively depleted of pathogenic alleles, and therefore particularly suitable as a reference populations for the major diseases of clinical and public health importance. However, reference studies of the healthy elderly have remained under represented in human genetics. We have developed the Medical Genome Reference Bank (MGRB), a large scale comprehensive whole genome dataset of confirmed healthy elderly individuals, to provide a publicly accessible resource for health related research, and for clinical genetics. It also represents a useful resource for studying the genetics of healthy aging. The MGRB comprises 4,000 healthy, older individuals with no reported history of cancer, cardiovascular disease or dementia, recruited from two Australian community based cohorts. DNA derived from blood samples will be subject to whole genome sequencing. The MGRB will measure genome wide genetic variation in 4,000 individuals, mostly of European decent, aged 60 to 95 years (mean age 75 years). The MGRB has committed to a policy of data sharing, employing a hierarchical data management system to maintain participant privacy and confidentiality, whilst maximizing research and clinical usage of the database. The MGRB will represent a dataset of international significance, broadly accessible to the clinical and genetic research community.

Study EGAS00001003511

Initial whole genome sequencing of plasma cell neoplasms in First Responders exposed to the World Trade Center attack of September 11, 2001

The World Trade Center (WTC) attack of September 11, 2001 created an unprecedented environmental exposure to known and suspected carcinogens. High incidence of multiple myeloma (MM) and precursor conditions has been reported among first responders to the WTC disaster. To expand on our prior screening studies, and to characterize the genomic impact of the exposure to known and potential carcinogens in the WTC debris, we were motivated to perform whole genome sequencing (WGS) of WTC first responders and recovery workers who developed a plasma cell disorder after the attack. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed WGS of 9 CD138-positive bone marrow mononuclear samples from patients who were diagnosed with plasma cell disorders after the WTC disaster. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed in comparing the post-WTC driver and mutational signatures landscape with 110 previously published WGS from 56 patients with MM and the CoMMpass WGS cohort (n=752). Leveraging constant activity of the single base substitution mutational signatures 1 and 5 over time, we estimated that tumor-initiating chromosomal gains were windowed to both pre- and post-WTC exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Although limitations in sample size preclude any definitive conclusions, our findings suggest that the observed increased incidence of plasma cell neoplasms in this population is due to complex and heterogeneous effects of the WTC exposure that may have initiated or contributed to progression of malignancy.

Study EGAS00001004467

Prostate cancer ancestral genomic disparity

Prostate cancer is characterised by significant global disparity; mortality rates in SubSaharan Africa are double to quadruple those in Eurasia. Hypothesising unknown interplay between genetic and non-genetic factors, tumour genome profiling envisages contributing mutational processes. Through whole-genome sequencing of treatment-naïve prostate cancer from 183 ethnically/globally distinct patients (African versus European), we generate the largest cancer genomics resource for Sub-Saharan Africa. Identifying ~2 million somatic variants, Africans carried the greatest burden. We describe a new molecular taxonomy using all mutational types and ethno39 geographic identifiers, including Asian. Defined as Global Mutational Subtypes (GMS) A–D, although Africans presented within all subtypes, we found GMS-B to be ‘African-specific’ and GMS-D ‘African-predominant’, including Admixed and European Africans. Conversely, Europeans from Australia, Africa and Brazil predominated within ‘mutationally-quiet’ and ethnically/globally ‘universal’ GMS-A, while European Australians shared a higher mutational burden with Africans in GMS45 C. GMS predicts clinical outcomes; reconstructing cancer timelines suggests four evolutionary trajectories with different mutation rates (GMS-A, low 0.968/year versus D, highest 1.315/year). Our data suggest both common genetic factors across extant populations and regional environmental factors contributing to carcinogenesis, analogous to gene-environment interaction defined here as a different effect of an environmental surrounding in persons with different ancestries or vice versa. We anticipate GMS acting as a proxy to intrinsic and extrinsic mutational processes in cancers, promoting global inclusion in landmark studies.

Study EGAS00001006425

Direct Comparative Analysis of 10X Genomics Chromium and Smart-seq2

Single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) is widely used for profiling transcriptomes of individual cells. The droplet-based 10X Genomics Chromium (10X) approach and the plate-based Smart-seq2 full-length method are two frequently-used scRNA-seq platforms, yet there are only a few thorough and systematic comparisons of their advantages and limitations. Here, by directly comparing the scRNA-seq data by the two platforms from the same samples of CD45- cells, we systematically evaluated their features using a wide spectrum of analysis. Smart-seq2 detected more genes in a cell, especially low abundance transcripts as well as alternatively spliced transcripts, but captured higher proportion of mitochondrial genes. The composite of Smart-seq2 data also resembled bulk RNA-seq data better. For 10X-based data, we observed higher noise for mRNA in the low expression level. Despite the poly(A) enrichment, approximately 10-30% of all detected transcripts by both platforms were from non-coding genes, with lncRNA accounting for a higher proportion in 10X. 10X-based data displayed more severe dropout problem, especially for genes with lower expression levels. However, 10X-data can better detect rare cell types given its ability to cover a large number of cells. In addition, each platform detected different sets of differentially expressed genes between cell clusters, indicating the complementary nature of these technologies. Our comprehensive benchmark analysis offers the basis for selecting the optimal scRNA-seq strategy based on the objectives of each study.

Study EGAS00001003973

Whole-genome sequencing of normal Singaporean volunteers

Sleep is associated with various health outcomes. Despite their growing adoption, the potential for consumer wearables to contribute sleep metrics to sleep-related biomedical research remains largely uncharacterized. Here we analyzed sleep tracking data, along with questionnaire responses and multi-modal phenotypic data generated from 482 normal volunteers. First, we compared wearable-derived and self-reported sleep metrics, particularly total sleep time (TST) and sleep efficiency (SE). We then identified demographic, socioeconomic and lifestyle factors associated with wearable-derived TST. Among others, male gender (β = -15.539, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -26.245 - -4.832, p = 0.005), older age (β = -0.493, CI = -0.941 - -0.044, p = 0.032) and manual labor (β = -26.856, CI = -49.715 - -3.997, p = 0.022) were associated with reduced TST, whereas alcohol consumption (β = 19.247, CI = 8.008 - 30.486, p = 8.54x10-04) was associated with increased TST. Multi-modal phenotypic data analysis showed that wearable-derived TST and SE were associated with various cardiovascular disease risk markers such as body mass index (β = -0.006, CI = -0.00 - -0.000, p = 0.040) and waist circumference (β = 0.001, CI = -0.015-0.017, p = 0.893), whereas self-reported measures were not. We then showed that insufficient sleep was associated with premature telomere attrition, using telomere length estimated using whole-genome sequencing (β = 1.275, CI = 0.187 - 2.363, p = 0.023) and quantitative PCR (β = 0.001, CI = 8.318x10-05 - 0.001, p = 0.028). Our study highlights the potential for sleep metrics from consumer wearables to provide novel insights into data generated from population cohort studies.

Study EGAS00001004007

The long term effects of chemotherapy on normal blood - WGS dataset

In developed countries, ~10% of individuals are exposed to systemic chemotherapy for cancer and other diseases. Many chemotherapeutic agents act by increasing DNA damage in cancer cells, hence triggering cell death. However, there is limited understanding of the extent and consequences of collateral DNA damage to normal tissues. To investigate the impact of chemotherapy on mutation burdens and cell population structure of a normal tissue we sequenced blood cell genomes from 23 individuals, aged 3-80 years, treated with a range of chemotherapy regimens. Substantial additional mutation loads with characteristic mutational signatures were imposed by some chemotherapeutic agents, but there were differences in burden between different classes of agent, different agents of the same class and different blood cell types. Chemotherapy also induced premature changes in the cell population structure of normal blood, similar to those of normal ageing. The results constitute an initial survey of the long-term biological consequences of cytotoxic agents to which a substantial fraction of the population is exposed during the course of their disease management, raising mechanistic questions and highlighting opportunities for mitigation of adverse effects.

Dataset EGAD00001015339

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