3613 results for "*geneti*"

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• Whole-Genome Sequencing Analysis of Extrachromosomal DNA with Amplicon Architect

  The study is related to our manuscript entitled "Single-cell genetic heterogeneity linked to immune infiltration in glioblastoma". Using multiplexed FISH analysis of 3-4 tumor cores from 17 glioblastoma formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumors, we identified two classes of tumors based on single cell co-occurrence of EGFR and CDK4 amplification. Tumors with a low odds ratio for finding EGFR and CDK4 amplified in the same cell (ORlow tumors) had higher EGFR copy number and higher diversity of copy number in cells harboring EGFR amplification. This suggested that in ORlow tumors EGFR is likely present on extrachromosomal DNA. To test this hypothesis, we performed whole genome sequencing on DNA extracted from FFPE slides from 3 ORlow samples and 3 ORhigh samples and used AmpliconArchitect to investigate the structure of the EGFR amplicon. We found multiple breakpoints and high complexity structure in the 3 tested ORlow samples, but not in the ORhigh samples, supporting the possibility of an extrachromosomal nature of EGFR amplification in the first group.

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• Genetic and Phenotypic Analysis of Multiple Sclerosis in Hispanics

  We sought to identify MS susceptibility variants specific to the Major Histocompatibility Complex and to assess the effect of ancestral risk modification within 2652 Latinx and Hispanic individuals, as well as 2435 Black and African American individuals ascertained in collaboration with the Alliance for Research in Hispanic MS (ARHMS). All DNA samples were obtained through whole blood extraction and were genotyped on the MS Chip, an Illumina Infinium custom genotyping array that contains targeted and dense coverage of the extended MHC, specifically designed for imputation. Classical HLA alleles, SNPs, and amino acid residues were imputed simultaneously from genotyped SNPs using HLA-TAPAS and a multi-ethnic reference panel of 2504 samples from the 1000 Genomes Project. We have identified several novel susceptibility alleles which are rare in European populations including HLA-B*53:01, and we have identified an independent role for HLA-DRB1*15:01 and HLA-DQB1*06:02 on MS risk. We found a decrease in Native American ancestry in MS cases vs controls across the MHC, peaking near the previously identified MICB locus; and we have identified several susceptibility variants for which MS risk is modified by global or local ancestry. We are making data on all genotyped and imputed SNPs, classical HLA alleles, and amino acid residues available through dbGaP for the Hispanic and African American samples utilized in these analyses.

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• Genetic Effects on miRNA Expression During Mid-Gestation Neocortical Development

  In this study we aimed to find common genetic variants that influence miRNA expression during mid-gestation neocortical development. Small RNA-sequencing from 212 fetal cortical tissue samples between 14 and 21 weeks gestation were used to profile miRNA expression. Combined with donor genotypes, we were able to find miRNA-eQTLs during neocortical development. The dataset provided here includes 212 Small RNA-sequencing files in FASTQ format from cortical wall samples. Also provided here are 212 donor genotypes in PLINK format (hg19).

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• Role of Genetic Factors in the Pathogenesis of Lung Disease

  Three individuals with lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) underwent evaluation for Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC)-associated mucocutaneous and internal findings. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) of cutaneous findings was used to confirm clinical suspicion for mosaic TSC in individuals with LAM. Mosaic mutations in TSC2 were found in these three individuals.

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• Genetics of Male Infertility Initiative (GEMINI)

  The Genetics of Male Infertility Initiative (GEMINI) project is a multi-center study designed to discover and characterize genetic variants conferring risk for male infertility. Patients enrolled in GEMINI have been clinically diagnosed with male infertility. Patients are recruited from multiple medical centers and are primarily of European ancestry. DNA from each patient is extracted from peripheral blood or saliva and used for exome sequencing. Genetic data generated by the GEMINI project has contributed to the discovery of over a dozen genes involved in human infertility. A VCF file of genetic data from GEMINI patients that have been appropriately consented will be available through dbGaP.

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• Genetic Epidemiology of Ovarian Cancer Histotypes

  Epithelial ovarian cancer is a highly fatal malignancy with known genetic etiology; however, it is estimated that a substantial portion of narrow sense heritability remains to be discovered. The goal of this research was to use genetic information from distantly related ovarian cancer cases to identify regions of the genome that may harbor rare risk variants for epithelial ovarian cancer. The study was conducted in the setting of the Utah Population Database, a statewide data resource in which extensive ancestry data are linked to Utah Cancer Registry records. Focusing on families with a statistically significant excess risk of epithelial ovarian cancer, we used the Infinium Global Screening Array v.3.0 to generate germline genotyping data for distantly related cases. We then applied Shared Genomic Segment Analysis to each set of related cases to identify genomic regions that may harbor ovarian cancer risk variants. Eleven regions were identified. Genotype data are available through dbGaP for one case from each pedigree. Genotype data from other ovarian cancer cases within the high-risk pedigrees as well as the pedigrees' corresponding structures can be requested and made available with approval from the Utah Resource for Genetic and Epidemiologic Research (RGE).

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• 3/7 Psychiatric Genomics Consortium: Finding Actionable Variation

  The goal of this study was to generate new therapeutic hypotheses by targeted sequencing of 161 genes most likely to harbor schizophrenia (SCZ) causal variants in multi-ancestry schizophrenia case-control cohorts. The gene panel was intended to contain putative SCZ risk genes, from within which, the majority of new discoveries from additional WES/WGS would come. To this end, we integrated current knowledge of the genetic architecture of SCZ (results from The Schizophrenia Exome Sequencing Meta-Analysis Consortium, or SCHEMA) and gene membership in gene sets that have been implicated in SCZ using a Bayesian framework. A total of 23,352 individuals selected to be non-overlapping with SCHEMA, as well as other previous and ongoing sequencing efforts in the field, were identified from over 20 individual study sites. Sequencing of the exonic regions of 161 prioritized genes was performed on the Ion Torrent platform in between June 2018 and April 2019. Sequencing plates were matched with respect to ancestry and case/control composition whenever possible. The average sequencing depth across all samples was 224x. Single sample calling was performed using Torrent Variant Caller v5.8.0, which is specially optimized to exploit the underlying flow signal information generated by the Ion Torrent sequencing. The schizophrenia case-control status was obtained from each original study site.

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• Genetic Progression of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

  These data are tumor/normal-matched exome sequencing results on 45 participants (median age of 58.6 years) treated for squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx at Mass Eye and Ear (MEE; Boston, MA, USA). Some tumors had two portions sequenced separately. All research complied with all relevant ethical regulations. Human subject research on patients at MEE was approved by the MEE Human Studies Committee under protocol HSC 11-024H, with informed consent obtained from participants. Participants were not compensated. Clinical data, including HPV status, were abstracted from patient records. Sequencing and clinical data were combined with TCGA data on 486 cases of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The PhylogicNDT suite of genomic analysis tools was used to infer the relative timing of genetic events during tumor progression for major molecularly defined classes of HNSCC: HNSCC negative for human papillomavirus (HPV), HPV-associated HNSCC, and HPV-negative HNSCC involving mutations in CASP8, NSD1, and NOTCH1. The timing of the development of whole-genome somatic events leading to tetraploidy or triploidy and to increased measures of intratumor genetic heterogeneity was determined. Associations of heterogeneity measures with clinical outcomes were assessed. The analysis identified genes with early mutations that likely play roles in HPV-tumor initiation (FBXW7, NOTCH1, CASP8, FAT1, NSD1, HRAS, EP300, CREBBP, KMT2D). Genes with mutations at later median relative timing (PK3CA, NFE2L2, HLA-A, SPEN, and KMT2C) were more likely to be important for progressing to later stages of the disease. Gain of chromosome arm 3q and loss of arm 11q were found to occur more frequent in HPV+ HNSCC cases. A high prevalence of 3p and 17p loss were also observed in HPV+ HNSCC cases.

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• Predicting the Prevalence of Complex Genetic Diseases from Individual Genotype Profiles Using Capsule Networks

  Diseases with a complex genetic architecture, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) as a most prominent example, are hard to disentangle. "Human mind-friendly" methods, such as linear approaches used in genome wide association studies (GWAS), remain blind to many genetic variants that matter. On the other hand, methods that are sufficiently sophisticated to entirely capture the characteristic interplay of genetic variants remain black boxes for the human mind. Here, we give this a decided, and as we argue, a very promising try. We present DiseaseCapsule, a capsule network-based approach that enables us to predict prevalence/occurrence of a genetically complex disease from individual genotype profiles. Importantly, capsule networks are considerably easier to decompose into their components than ordinary deep neural networks, which promotes the interpretability of their results. The data we used are from Project MinE, a large-scale study that aims to reveal the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that underlie ALS in the framework of a globally concerted collaboration. Specifically, we used data from the Dutch cohort of the project, which contains 7213 healthy ('control') individuals and 3192 individuals affected with ALS. The cohort includes 5208 females and 5197 males. All participants of the study were genotyped using an Illumina 2.5M SNP array.

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• International Cancer Proteogenomics Consortium (ICPC): Proteogenomics of East-Asian Breast Cancer

  The incidence of invasive breast cancer is rapidly increasing in East Asia, enriching in younger patients and luminal disease. We presented a deep proteogenomic landscape of a prospectively enrolled early-stage cohort in Taiwan to uncover the etiology, age-related subtype and oncogenic vulnerabilities underlying the heterogeneous disease. Multilayer proteogenomic architecture revealed distinct endogenous and environmental carcinogen-associated mutagenesis, linking APOBEC (apolipoprotein-B mRNA editing enzyme, catalytic polypeptide-like) cytidine deaminase and DBAC (dibenz[a,j] acridine) signatures to significantly elevated hormone biosynthesis and chemical carcinogenesis in younger patients, and identifying a novel subset of high mutation burden and immune escape potentially beneficial from combined epigenetic therapy and immunotherapy. A proteomics-informed classification resolves luminal heterogeneity, defines high-risk recurrent luminal disease and nominates biomarkers and actionable druggable pathways. Furthermore, proteogenomics profile distinguished a young luminal population susceptible to exogenous carcinogen and having DNA repair deficiency. This study illuminates the age-related molecular subtypes and oncogenic vulnerabilities, providing a proteogenomics-transformative guide for patient stratification and precision therapeutics beyond clinical staging.

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• Genetics of Glucose Regulation in Gestation and Growth (Gen3G) Cohort - Placenta Transcriptomics RNA Sequencing

  The overarching goals of Genetics of Glucose regulation in Gestation and Growth (Gen3G) are to increase our understanding of biological, environmental, and genetic determinants of glucose regulation during pregnancy and their impact on fetal/child development. Gen3G is a prospective cohort study: we initially recruited 1,024 pregnant women between 2010-2013 at Blood Sampling in Pregnancy Clinic during the first trimester of pregnancy (median 9 weeks of gestation) in Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada. We assessed 898 pregnant women at second trimester (median 26 weeks of gestation), when participants completed a 75g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) as clinically indicated for screening of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). We collected data for 854 mother-child dyads at delivery (from medical records), in addition to placenta and/or cord blood samples in majority of newborns.The overall goal of the grant that supported data that is included in this dbGaP submission was to discover novel placental factors that regulate glucose metabolism in pregnancy and predict GDM by conducting genome-wide transcriptomics (RNA and miRNA) in carefully collected placenta samples from Gen3G.

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• Enhancing Open Data Sharing for Functional Genomics Experiments: Measures to Quantify Genomic Information Leakage and File Formats for Privacy Preservation

  This study was designed to develop methods that address the privacy risk associated with genetic variants obtained from genomic sequencing experiments. The preponderance of readily available genetic sequencing experiments has enabled the generation of datasets whose target purposes range from the genotyping of individuals for medical and forensic analyses, to the acquisition of molecular information for biological model development. However, by virtue of the experimental procedure, the raw sequences are tagged with small bits of patients' private variant information. In addition, depending on the protocol, these experiments may identify sequences from exogenous species. Raw human and microbial sequences can be analyzed as a whole to learn both general facts about biology, but can also be used to determine sensitive information about an individual. This presents a privacy conundrum for data sharing.To address privacy concerns, we have developed several mathematical and computational approaches to quantify the risk of disclosure of sensitive information from genetic sequence data, and to sanitize the associated reads in a manner that optimally maintains the utility of the data. In addition, we have generated environmental samples containing genetic information from consented individuals to evaluate the risk posed by such data. These samples were then used to assess the efficacy of the computational methods. Human-derived and -associated samples that are damaged or obscured by environmental factors represent the scope of samples used for experimentation in this study. Samples include, but were not limited to, swabs of contacted objects and glass slides coated in saliva from consented individuals. Blood samples were also acquired from the same consented individuals to create gold-standard comparison datasets.

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• Phenotypic and Genotypic Study of Keratoconus

  Keratoconus, a disease in which the cornea is abnormally steep and thin, affects approximately 1 in 2000 individuals and usually begins in the second decade of life. Keratoconus is a progressive disorder that results in loss of vision that cannot be alleviated by contact lenses or glasses alone and is a leading indication for corneal transplantation in developed countries (Udar et al., 2006, PMID: 16877401). Keratoconus has a strong genetic component, and while several causative genes are clearly suspected, the underlying pathogenic processes have not yet been identified. The goal of our research is to identify genes that harbor mutations contributing to keratoconus and underlying biochemical processes relevant to keratoconus pathogenesis and to develop a better understanding of the etiology of keratoconus, leading to improved detection, treatment, and management. We will enroll isolated keratoconus along with familial cases and unaffected relatives when available. The subject population will consist of individuals diagnosed with keratoconus and unaffected relatives in families. Individuals/families will be ascertained through support groups and clinical collaborators. The identities of the study participants will be known only to Dr. Chakravarti, the study coordinator, physicians in the team and the post-doctoral fellow(s) working directly on the project. DNA, lymphocytes, and lymphoblastoid cell lines may be prepared from the blood samples for future use. Molecular analyses using markers and sequencing and statistical analyses of these data will be used to identify regions of human chromosomes where putative keratoconus disease genes reside. Analyses of coding DNA sequences within genes from keratoconus subjects will be compared to published control sequences to identify disease specific variants. Additionally, to understand disease pathogenesis, subsets of patients may be asked to provide tear samples. Study subjects will not directly benefit from participation and results will not be disclosed to participants nor their health care providers, unless medically relevant.

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• Malnutrition and Enteric Disease Network (Mal-ED) Birth Cohort in Brazil

  The Malnutrition and Enteric Disease Network (Mal-ED) Birth Cohort in Brazil enrolled 242 children between 2010 and 2014; an additional 101 infants recruited under the ICIDR (International Center for Infectious Disease Research) program and evaluated by the same procedures as Mal-ED were included in the cohort. The aim of the study was to evaluate the role of enteropathogens in causing intestinal inflammation and a failure of growth and development.This submission includes genetic and corresponding anthropometric data on a subset of 279 participants. More information on this project and its related projects can be found here: Studies of diarrheal susceptibility, growth, and development, in pediatric populations in Northeastern Brazil

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• Malnutrition and Enteric Disease Network (Mal-ED) Case-Control Study in Brazil

  The Malnutrition and Enteric Disease Network (Mal-ED) Case-Control Study enrolled children in the age range 6-24 months between 2010 and 2014 in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.The aim of the study was to understand the etiology and pathogenesis of malnutrition. Children were prospectively enrolled cases defined as weight for age Z Score (WAZ) <-2 and age and neighborhood matched controls defined as WAZ>-1.This submission includes genetic and associated phenotypic data on a subset of 336 participants. More information on this project and its related projects can be found here: Studies of diarrheal susceptibility, growth, and development, in pediatric populations in Northeastern Brazil

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• Intervention with Micronutrients and Long-Term Impact in Brazil-RECODISA

  Intervention with Micronutrients and Long-Term Impact in Brazil, a partnership between the Federal University of Ceará, Brazil and the University of Virginia, USA, enrolled infants in the age group of 2-36 months to investigate trends in gastrointestinal infections and their effects on growth and development and to identify genetic factors contributing to these diseases.A total of 1044 children from six urban communities in Brazil's semiarid region, were enrolled during active surveillance; those with diarrhea (three or more liquid stools in the last 24 hours at enrollment) were defined as a cases and matched with controls having no diarrhea during the past two weeks (at enrollment) to evaluate their growth and development. A subset of 664 children with their genetic and associated phenotypic data is included in this submission. More information on this project and its related projects can be found here: Studies of diarrheal susceptibility, growth, and development, in pediatric populations in Northeastern Brazil

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• Long-term Impact and Intervention with Micronutrients in Brazil, Parque Universitário, Community-Based Study

  The Parque Universitário Zinc-Vitamin A cohort was a prospective, double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial with 324 children enrolled between 2000 and 2004 and randomized into 8 treatment arms: Placebo, Vitamin A, Glutamine, Vitamin A + Glutamine, Zinc + Glutamine, Zinc, Vitamin A + Zinc, Vitamin A + Zinc + Glutamine.The Parque Universitário Zinc-Arginine study conducted between 2006 and 2010 enrolled 349 infants from the Parque Universitário favela in Fortaleza. Participants were randomized into Placebo, Zinc, and Zinc + Arginine arms.This submission includes genetic and corresponding anthropometric data on a subset of 210 participants from the Zinc-Vitamin A (96) and Zinc-Arginine cohorts (114). More information on this project and its related projects can be found here: Studies of diarrheal susceptibility, growth, and development, in pediatric populations in Northeastern Brazil

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• ALS Compute

  Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the progressive loss of brain and spinal cord motor neurons. Half of ALS patients display cognitive symptoms of frontotemporal dementia (FTD); reciprocally, about 40% of FTD patients show motor neuron deficits, and approximately 15% develop overt ALS. The clinical overlap between ALS and FTD means that the two conditions are thought to represent a disease spectrum (ALS/FTD). In recent years, the identification of several genetic causes of ALS/FTD has contributed significantly to our understanding of disease pathogenesis. Unfortunately, one-third of the underlying genetic causes of familial cases and ~90% of sporadic cases of ALS/FTD remain unexplained. As such, there is a dire need to identify additional genetic factors contributing to ALS/FTD. Such studies require huge cohorts of harmonized whole genome sequencing (WGS) data sets from cases and controls. Currently, there are several major ongoing sequencing efforts for ALS patients. Numerous centers lead to inefficiency, especially in terms of overall costs. At a minimum, this includes the cost of high-performance computing, the storage of large data files, and the duplication of effort between groups. This lack of data harmonization between groups precludes sharing of genetic information and weakens collaborative efforts. The cost and logistics are also a barrier to attracting talented investigators to the ALS/FTD field. To overcome this unmet need, we have founded the ALS Compute project. We are centralizing the storage of ALS/FTD WGS data from every significant sequencing effort in the United States and beyond within a single Cloud environment. This approach will facilitate data harmonization and improve accessibility to the data. To accomplish this, we have made the data and the computational infrastructure available via the Terra platform hosted by NHGRI's Genomic Data Science Analysis, Visualization, and Informatics Lab-Space (AnVIL). This will allow researchers worldwide to access this wealth of data, develop new theories of the disease, and yield breakthroughs in our understanding of ALS/FTD.

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• Overcoming Clinical Resistance to EZH2 Inhibition Using Rational Epigenetic Combination Therapy

  Essential epigenetic dependencies have become evident in many cancers. Based on functional antagonism between BAF/SWI/SNF and PRC2 in SMARCB1-deficient sarcomas, we and colleagues recently completed the clinical trial of the EZH2 inhibitor tazemetostat, leading to its FDA approval. However, the principles of tumor response to epigenetic therapy in general and tazemetostat in particular remain unknown. Using functional genomics of patient tumors and diverse experimental models, we defined molecular mechanisms of tazemetostat resistance. We found distinct classes of acquired mutations that converge on the RB1/E2F axis, decoupling EZH2-dependent differentiation and cell cycle control. This allows tumor cells to escape tazemetostat-induced G1 arrest despite EZH2 inhibition and suggests a general mechanism for effective EZH2 therapy. Using RNA-sequencing of patient tumor specimens, we identified specific genes as markers of a deficient RB1/E2F axis, which we propose as prospective biomarkers for therapy stratification. This offers a paradigm for rational epigenetic combination therapy suitable for immediate translation to clinical trials.This study was performed on archived tumor tissue collected as part of the above clinical trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Patient tumors were classified into "Response" or "Progression" groups based on RECIST 1.1 criteria. "Response" included tumors exhibiting a complete response, partial response, or stable disease. All other tumors were classified under the "Progression" group. Archived frozen tumor samples were weighed and up to 20-30mg were homogenized in RLT buffer, followed by extraction using the AllPrep DNA/RNA Mini Kit (QIAGEN catalog 80204) according to the manufacturer's instructions. RNA was eluted in 13 μL nuclease-free water. After RiboGreen quantification and quality control by Agilent BioAnalyzer, 1 μg of total RNA with DV200 percentages varying from 78% to 100% underwent ribosomal depletion and library preparation using the TruSeq Stranded Total RNA LT Kit (Illumina catalog RS-122-1202) according to instructions provided by the manufacturer with 8 cycles of PCR. Samples were barcoded and sequenced using NovaSeq 6000 in a PE150 mode, with the NovaSeq 6000 S4 Reagent Kit (Illumina). On average, 84 million paired reads were generated per sample and 70% of the data mapped to mRNA. For analysis, read adaptors were trimmed and quality filtered using 'trim_galore' and mapped to GRCh38/hg19 reference genome using STAR v2.7.9 with default parameters.

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• Extrachromosomal DNA Amplification Contributes to Small Cell Lung Cancer Heterogeneity and is Associated with Worse Outcomes

  Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a very aggressive neuroendocrine lung cancer often associated with oncogenic MYC amplifications, which are known to drive SCLC heterogeneity marked by neuroendocrine (NE) and non-neuroendocrine (non-NE) cell states. The genetic mechanisms of MYC amplification and phenotypic plasticity between cell states is not known. Using data from cell-lines and a few patient-derived samples along with integrated whole-genome sequencing, long-range optical mapping, single-cell DNA sequencing, and fluorescence in situ hybridization, we have attempted to successfully characterize extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) as the primary source of MYC amplifications and driver fusions in SCLC.

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• ARST17B2-Q Germline and Somatic Genetic Landscape of Pediatric Rhabdomyosarcoma

  Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children. While these malignancies display aberrant myogenic differentiation, relatively little is known about genetic susceptibility to RMS, or how genetic variants influence subsequent somatic events and may be used in risk stratification strategies. A small percentage of cases are associated with mutations in TP53 (Li-Fraumeni syndrome), HRAS (Costello syndrome), and PTCH1 (nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome/Gorlin syndrome), suggesting the genetic origins of childhood RMS. In spite of this, little work has been done to characterize genetic susceptibility to this malignancy. We plan to leverage samples collected as part of D9902 to conduct one of the largest germline genomic studies of RMS. We anticipate that once genetic associations are identified, researchers can use the information to develop better strategies to detect, treat, and prevent childhood RMS.

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• Maternal and Developmental Risks from Environmental and Social Stressors (MADRES) Center for Environmental Health Disparities

  MADRES is a prospective pregnancy cohort based in urban Los Angeles, recruiting predominantly low income Hispanic mothers-to-be as part of a children's health study, funded by Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO). Participants were measured for a number of chemical exposures and biomarkers. Two epigenetic markers will be available through dbGaP: miRNA expression in pregnancy (measured via Nanostring human assay, v3) and DNA methylation from pregnancy and children's cord blood (measured via EPIC array). Principal findings of this research described differences in miRNA expression profiles between early and late pregnancy, as well as miRNA expression affected by psychosocial stress.

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• 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.

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• Genetic Study of Vascular Anomalies

  Vascular anomalies are malformations or tumors of the vasculature that can result in significant morbidity and mortality. Vascular anomalies are caused by germline or post-zygotic pathogenic variants in genes that regulate cell growth and vascular development. Complex or extensive vascular anomalies are often intractable despite interventions such as sclerotherapy, embolization, or surgery. In recent years, targeted therapy has played an increasingly crucial role in the management of these diseases. Identification of the molecular causes of vascular anomalies is essential to provide efficacious therapy; however, genetic profiling is often limited by difficulty obtaining affected tissues and limited sequencing depth. The lack of this information limits treatment options and the precision of targeted therapy, especially for primary complex lymphatic anomalies. To address these limitations, we have applied novel techniques, including analysis of unconventional samples such as endothelial cells isolated from lymphatic fluid and cell-free DNA, deep coverage exome sequencing, and unique molecular identifier ultra-deep targeted sequencing, in the molecular profiling of these diseases.

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• Genomic Analyses of Germline and Somatic Variation in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer

  The goal of this study was to identify and characterize germline and somatic genetic variation in women with high grade serous ovarian cancers treated at a single cancer center and their associations with relapse-free and overall survival. We conducted paired tumor/normal targeted next-generation sequencing of 577 genes in pathways of DNA repair, response to DNA damage, cell-cycle regulation, programmed cell death, MAPK, and P13K/AKT/MTOR signaling in 114 tumors from 71 women. In addition, we investigated single copy number alterations (SCNAs) and loss of heterozygosity in a subset of 61 tumors. We validated our results with data from ovarian tumors in TCGA. Our results were similar to other studies of high-grade serous carcinomas. As an example, we found that approximately one third of the tumors harbored loss of function variants in homologous recombination genes and that >90% had TP53 somatic mutations. Through GISTIC analysis of the OncoScan data on tumor DNA from 61 cases, we identified several regions of high copy number alterations including including NOTCH3 and PIK3R2 that were significantly associated with an increase in cancer recurrence and a reduction in overall survival. We identified few changes in mutation profiles where we had multiple tissues, either from multiple surgeries or from the primary site to metastatic sites within the same surgery. However, we did not investigate copy number alterations in multiple tissues from the same individuals, and so it may be that copy number alterations are more important. Data available through dbGAP will be the BAM files and the phenotypic data on the tumor samples, the age, race, ethnicity of the participants and their outcomes, and the Oncoscan OSCHP files.

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