二代测序与羊水染色体核型分析胎儿染色体复杂结构异常一例

目的:产前诊断染色体病患儿生育史及平衡易位核型携带者孕妇胎儿染色体结构是否正常。方法:收集孕妇及患儿的表型。孕妇外周血核型分析,联合应用胎儿羊水细胞染色体核型分析及拷贝数变异检测分析对后两次怀孕胎儿进行产前诊断。结果:孕妇外周血核型结果46,XX,t(5;6)(p15：p23);一孩外周血核型结果46,XX,？der(...     

Spectrum of mutations in leiomyosarcomas identified by clinical targeted next-generation sequencing

Recurrent genomic mutations in uterine and non-uterine leiomyosarcomas have not been well established. Using a next generation sequencing (NGS) panel of common cancer-associated genes, 25 leiomyosarcomas arising from multiple sites were examined to explore genetic alterations, including single nucleotide variants (SNV), small insertions/deletions (indels), and copy number alterations (CNA). Sequencing showed 86 non-synonymous, coding region somatic variants within 151 gene targets in 21 cases, with a mean of 4.1 variants per case; 4 cases had no putative mutations in the panel of genes assayed. The most frequently altered genes were TP53 (36%), ATM and ATRX (16%), and EGFR and RB1 (12%). CNA were identified in 85% of cases, with the most frequent copy number losses observed in chromosomes 10 and 13 including PTEN and RB1; the most frequent gains were seen in chromosomes 7 and 17. Our data show that deletions in canonical cancer-related genes are common in leiomyosarcomas. Further, the spectrum of gene mutations observed shows that defects in DNA repair and chromosomal maintenance are central to the biology of leiomyosarcomas, and that activating mutations observed in other common cancer types are rare in leiomyosarcomas.     

应用下一代半导体靶向测序技术检测Marfan综合征致病突变

目的 应用Ion Torrent PGM半导体测序仪和Ion AmpliSeqTMInherited Disease Panel对3例马凡综合征(Marfan syndrome,MFS)进行致病基因突变检测,明确其致病突变,并评价下一代半导体靶向测序诊断复杂单基因遗传病的效果.方法 在知情同意的基础上采集3例MFS患者及1名正常志愿者外周血,提取基因组DNA,经多重PCR扩增富集目的基因片段.每个样本用特异性序列标签进行标记后,应用Ion One Touch系统进行模板制备、乳化PCR及磁珠颗粒富集;最后用318半导体测序芯片进行高通量测序.用Ion Torrent Suite 3.2软件进行序列比对及SNPs和Indels提取,再用dbSNP 137数据库过滤得到SNPs和indels,剩余的可疑突变经Sanger法测序验证.结果 用一张318芯片得到855.80Mb的总数据量,4个样本的平均测序深度均达到100×以上,对目的区域的覆盖度在98％以上.数据经软件分析及数据库过滤后,在3例MFS患者中分别得到3个FBN1基因可疑突变,并经Sanger法测序验证,一个为已报道FBN1基因错义突变(p.E1811K),另外两个为新发现的突变,包括一个无义突变(p.E2264X),1个插入突变(p.L871FfsX23).结论 在3例MFS患者中都成功检出FBN1基因致病突变,表明半导体靶向测序可对复杂单基因遗传病进行高效、准确的基因诊断.     

Enhanced virome sequencing using targeted sequence capture

Metagenomic shotgun sequencing (MSS) is an important tool for characterizing viral populations. It is culture independent, requires no a priori knowledge of the viruses in the sample, and may provide useful genomic information. However, MSS can lack sensitivity and may yield insufficient data for detailed analysis. We have created a targeted sequence capture panel, ViroCap, designed to enrich nucleic acid from DNA and RNA viruses from 34 families that infect vertebrate hosts. A computational approach condensed ∼1 billion bp of viral reference sequence into <200 million bp of unique, representative sequence suitable for targeted sequence capture. We compared the effectiveness of detecting viruses in standard MSS versus MSS following targeted sequence capture. First, we analyzed two sets of samples, one derived from samples submitted to a diagnostic virology laboratory and one derived from samples collected in a study of fever in children. We detected 14 and 18 viruses in the two sets, comprising 19 genera from 10 families, with dramatic enhancement of genome representation following capture enrichment. The median fold-increases in percentage viral reads post-capture were 674 and 296. Median breadth of coverage increased from 2.1% to 83.2% post-capture in the first set and from 2.0% to 75.6% in the second set. Next, we analyzed samples containing a set of diverse anellovirus sequences and demonstrated that ViroCap could be used to detect viral sequences with up to 58% variation from the references used to select capture probes. ViroCap substantially enhances MSS for a comprehensive set of viruses and has utility for research and clinical applications.High-throughput, massively parallel nucleotide sequence analysis has made in-depth studies of the human microbiome feasible. Thus far, most microbiome studies have focused on bacteria (Turnbaugh et al. 2009; Arumugam et al. 2011; Gajer et al. 2012; Human Microbiome Project Consortium 2012), although some include fungi (Paulino et al. 2006; Findley et al. 2013; Cleland et al. 2014; Willger et al. 2014) and viruses (Reyes et al. 2010; Minot et al. 2011; Wylie et al. 2012, 2014; De Vlaminck et al. 2013). Viruses are particularly understudied, in part due to the challenges of assessing their presence in clinical samples. Viruses as a group have highly variable genomes, with no gene shared among all viruses that can be surveyed by an amplicon-based sequencing strategy. Therefore, studies of viruses based on nucleotide sequencing require a metagenomic approach. Metagenomic shotgun sequencing (MSS) is a relatively unbiased, culture-independent method in which nucleic acid extracted from a sample is sequenced. Sequence reads are classified based on similarity to reference genomes. This approach allows comprehensive study of the viral component of the microbiome (the virome) and has led to the discovery of novel viruses (for review, see Chiu 2013) and the characterization of viruses present in healthy and sick people (Reyes et al. 2010; Minot et al. 2011; Lysholm et al. 2012; Wylie et al. 2012, 2014; Holtz et al. 2014; Oh et al. 2014; Young et al. 2014). When adequate numbers of sequence reads are generated, viruses can be characterized with regard to taxonomy and the presence of genes associated with virulence and resistance to antiviral drugs.A limitation of MSS as employed to date for virus detection is that the amount and proportion of viral nucleic acid in samples from humans may be very low, and in these cases, few viral sequences are generated. In our experience using MSS, we have detected fewer than 10 viral sequences per 25 million sequence reads generated for a virus that was detected in a sample by a molecular assay (Wylie et al. 2012). In other instances, we have failed to detect viruses known to be present based on molecular assays (Wylie et al. 2012). These difficulties may reflect the small genome size of some viruses and/or low levels of virus in the sample. This can be a particular problem for studies of the virome of healthy, asymptomatic individuals (Wylie et al. 2012, 2014), in whom virus levels may be low. In efforts to increase the sequence yield, purification or enrichment procedures have been employed, including low-speed centrifugation and/or filtration to remove bacterial and host cells, sample treatment with nucleases to digest nucleic acid not protected within virions (Allander et al. 2001), or concentration of viral particles by high-speed gradient centrifugation (for review, see Duhaime and Sullivan 2012). Each of these procedures may bias against detection of some viruses (Breitbart and Rohwer 2005; Young et al. 2014).An alternative method for enrichment of viral sequences in a metagenomic sample prior to sequencing is targeted sequence capture, a well-established approach for targeted enrichment of specific nucleic acids. Targeted sequence capture has been used extensively to assess the human exome, as well as specific gene targets (Lovett et al. 1991; Albert et al. 2007; Hodges et al. 2007; Okou et al. 2007). Sequence capture has also been applied to the study of specific viruses (Depledge et al. 2011; Duncavage et al. 2011; Koehler et al. 2014). Our aim was to develop a comprehensive viral targeted sequence capture panel that could be used to (1) assess all viruses known to infect vertebrate cells and (2) detect divergent viruses. To this end, we created ViroCap, a targeted sequence capture panel that enhances the detection of a comprehensive set of viruses with vertebrate hosts. Here we describe the first application of ViroCap to enrich a broad range of viruses from human clinical samples.     

Array-based sequence capture and next-generation sequencing for the identification of primary immunodeficiencies

Primary immunodeficiencies are genetic disorders in which components of immunological pathways are either missing or dysregulated. With the advent of next-generation sequencing, testing for genes in conditions with a heterogeneous genetic background seems more promising. We designed a custom microarray with 385K probe capacity to capture exons of 395 human genes, known or predicted to be associated with primary immunodeficiency and immune regulation. Enriched target DNA was sequenced using a GS FLX Titanium 454 platform. The patients selected were likely to have an underlying immunodeficiency. In one patient with hepatosplenomegaly, recurrent infections and an elevated IgM level, sequence analysis of the patient and his two unaffected parents identified ATM (ataxia telangiectasia mutated) as the underlying defect. In a second child with a clinical SCID phenotype, we detected a mutation in the ARTEMIS gene after focusing on SCID-associated genes. 454 sequencing yielded 152,000-397,000 high-quality reads per patient. 78-99% of the targeted nucleotides were covered at least one time, 76-82% at least five times. Array-based sequence capture expands our capacities to sequence large targeted DNA regions in a less laborious and time-consuming approach. Our array was capable to find the underlying genetic defect in two patients with suspected primary immunodeficiency. Upcoming whole-exome sequencing definitely will add more valuable data, but bioinformatical analysis and validation of variants already pose major challenges.     

Phenotypic predictors and final diagnoses in patients referred for RASopathy testing by targeted next-generation sequencing

IntroductionRASopathies include disorders generally characterized by developmental delay, specific heart defects, short stature, cardiac hypertrophy, and facial dysmorphisms. Next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based panels have widespread acceptance as a diagnostic tool for RASopathies.Materials and methodsThe first 126 patients evaluated by clinical examination and the NGS RASopathy panel at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia were enrolled. We calculated diagnosis rate, correlated reported clinical findings with positive or negative test results, and identified final molecular diagnoses in 28/96 patients who tested negative for RASopathies.ResultsTwenty-four patients had pathogenic variants on the RASopathy panel, for a diagnostic yield of 19%. Reported features of pulmonic stenosis and ptosis were significantly correlated with a positive test result; no reported features were significantly correlated with a negative test result. We identified 27 different alternative diagnoses for patients originally suspected of having RASopathies.DiscussionThis study provides information that can assist in guiding differential diagnosis and genetic testing for patients suspected of having a RASopathy disorder.Genet Med advance online publication 20 October 2016     

Mapping translocation breakpoints by next-generation sequencing

Balanced chromosome rearrangements (BCRs) can cause genetic diseases by disrupting or inactivating specific genes, and the characterization of breakpoints in disease-associated BCRs has been instrumental in the molecular elucidation of a wide variety of genetic disorders. However, mapping chromosome breakpoints using traditional methods, such as in situ hybridization with fluorescent dye-labeled bacterial artificial chromosome clones (BAC-FISH), is rather laborious and time-consuming. In addition, the resolution of BAC-FISH is often insufficient to unequivocally identify the disrupted gene. To overcome these limitations, we have performed shotgun sequencing of flow-sorted derivative chromosomes using "next-generation" (Illumina/Solexa) multiplex sequencing-by-synthesis technology. As shown here for three different disease-associated BCRs, the coverage attained by this platform is sufficient to bridge the breakpoints by PCR amplification, and this procedure allows the determination of their exact nucleotide positions within a few weeks. Its implementation will greatly facilitate large-scale breakpoint mapping and gene finding in patients with disease-associated balanced translocations.     

An efficient method to generate chromosomal rearrangements by targeted DNA double-strand breaks in Drosophila melanogaster

Homologous recombination (HR) is an indispensable tool to modify the genome of yeast and mammals. More recently HR is also being used for gene targeting in Drosophila. Here we show that HR can be used efficiently to engineer chromosomal rearrangements such as pericentric and paracentric inversions and translocations in Drosophila. Two chromosomal double-strand breaks (DSBs), introduced by the rare-cutting I-SceI endonuclease on two different mobile elements sharing homologous sequences, are sufficient to promote rearrangements at a frequency of 1% to 4%. Such rearrangements, once generated by HR, can be reverted by Cre recombinase. However, Cre-mediated recombination efficiency drops with increasing distance between recombination sites, unlike HR. We therefore speculate that physical constraints on chromosomal movement are modulated during DSB repair, to facilitate the homology search throughout the genome.     

Silent genetic alterations identified by targeted next-generation sequencing in pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma: A clinicopathological correlations

Aims

The goal of this pilot study was to develop a customized, cost-effective amplicon panel (Ampliseq) for target sequencing in a cohort of patients with sporadic phaeochromocytoma/paraganglioma.

Genome-wide detection of chromosomal rearrangements, indels, and mutations in circular chromosomes by short read sequencing

Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) with new short-read sequencing technologies has recently been applied for genome-wide identification of mutations. Genomic rearrangements have, however, often remained undetected by WGS, and additional analyses are required for their detection. Here, we have applied a combination of WGS and genome copy number analysis, for the identification of mutations that suppress the growth deficiency imposed by excessive initiations from the Escherichia coli origin of replication, oriC. The E. coli chromosome, like the majority of bacterial chromosomes, is circular, and DNA replication is initiated by assembling two replication complexes at the origin, oriC. These complexes then replicate the chromosome bidirectionally toward the terminus, ter. In a population of growing cells, this results in a copy number gradient, so that origin-proximal sequences are more frequent than origin-distal sequences. Major rearrangements in the chromosome are, therefore, readily identified by changes in copy number, i.e., certain sequences become over- or under-represented. Of the eight mutations analyzed in detail here, six were found to affect a single gene only, one was a large chromosomal inversion, and one was a large chromosomal duplication. The latter two mutations could not be detected solely by WGS, validating the present approach for identification of genomic rearrangements. We further suggest the use of copy number analysis in combination with WGS for validation of newly assembled bacterial chromosomes.     

Disparate genomic characteristics of concurrent endometrial adenocarcinoma and ovarian granulosa cell tumor,revealed by targeted next-generation sequencing

Concurrence of both endometrial adenocarcinoma and ovarian adult granulosa cell tumor (aGCT) is believed to be related to high estrogen milieu, but genomic alterations of the concurrent endometrial adenocarcinoma and aGCT are not known. For this, we analyzed an uterine endometrial adenocarcinoma and an ovarian aGCT in a same patient by a targeted next generation sequencing (NGS). We found a germline mutation in STK11 (p.L113fs). The endometrial adenocarcinoma harbored FGFR2 and TP53 mutations and the aGCT harbored a FOXL2 (p.C134?W) mutation. These germline and somatic mutations have been reported in non-concurrent tumors. These two tumors harbored 20 CNAs but only one CNA was exactly overlapped in the tumors. Our findings indicate that the concurrent endometrial adenocarcinoma and aGCT in this patient might not be genetically related to each other at germline or somatic level and suggest that such concurrence might be originated from non-genetic backgrounds including stimulated estrogen milieu.     

Chromothripsis and beyond: rapid genome evolution from complex chromosomal rearrangements

Recent genome sequencing studies have identified several classes of complex genomic rearrangements that appear to be derived from a single catastrophic event. These discoveries identify ways that genomes can be altered in single large jumps rather than by many incremental steps. Here we compare and contrast these phenomena and examine the evidence that they arise “all at once.” We consider the impact of massive chromosomal change for the development of diseases such as cancer and for evolution more generally. Finally, we summarize current models for underlying mechanisms and discuss strategies for testing these models.     

Efficient cross-species capture hybridization and next-generation sequencing of mitochondrial genomes from noninvasively sampled museum specimens

The ability to uncover the phylogenetic history of recently extinct species and other species known only from archived museum material has rapidly improved due to the reduced cost and increased sequence capacity of next-generation sequencing technologies. One limitation of these approaches is the difficulty of isolating and sequencing large, orthologous DNA regions across multiple divergent species, which is exacerbated for museum specimens, where DNA quality varies greatly between samples and contamination levels are often high. Here we describe the use of cross-species DNA capture hybridization techniques and next-generation sequencing to selectively isolate and sequence partial to full-length mitochondrial DNA genomes from the degraded DNA of museum specimens, using probes generated from the DNA of a single extant species. We demonstrate our approach on specimens from an enigmatic gliding mammal, the Sunda colugo, which is widely distributed throughout Southeast Asia. We isolated DNA from 13 colugo specimens collected 47-170 years ago, and successfully captured and sequenced mitochondrial DNA from every specimen, frequently recovering fragments with 10%-13% sequence divergence from the capture probe sequence. Phylogenetic results reveal deep genetic divergence among colugos, both within and between the islands of Borneo and Java, as well as between the Malay Peninsula and different Sundaic islands. Our method is based on noninvasive sampling of minute amounts of soft tissue material from museum specimens, leaving the original specimen essentially undamaged. This approach represents a paradigm shift away from standard PCR-based approaches for accessing population genetic and phylogenomic information from poorly known and difficult-to-study species.     

Whole cancer genome sequencing by next-generation methods

Traditional approaches to sequence analysis are widely used to guide therapy for patients with lung and colorectal cancer and for patients with melanoma, sarcomas (eg, gastrointestinal stromal tumor), and subtypes of leukemia and lymphoma. The next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach holds a number of potential advantages over traditional methods, including the ability to fully sequence large numbers of genes (hundreds to thousands) in a single test and simultaneously detect deletions, insertions, copy number alterations, translocations, and exome-wide base substitutions (including known "hot-spot mutations") in all known cancer-related genes. Adoption of clinical NGS testing will place significant demands on laboratory infrastructure and will require extensive computational expertise and a deep knowledge of cancer medicine and biology to generate truly useful "clinically actionable" reports. It is anticipated that continuing advances in NGS technology will lower the overall cost, speed the turnaround time, increase the breadth of genome sequencing, detect epigenetic markers and other important genomic parameters, and become applicable to smaller and smaller specimens, including circulating tumor cells and circulating free DNA in plasma.     

Assisted reproductive technology and complex chromosomal rearrangements: the limits of ICSI

Complex chromosomal rearrangements are very rare events in the human population. According to our knowledge on the consequences of simple reciprocal translocations for male fertility, translocations involving three or more chromosomes are thought to lead to severe reproductive impairments in terms of meiotic disturbance or chromosomal imbalance of gametes. We report the case of a 48 year old man whose sperm count revealed either oligozoospermia (<10(3) spermatozoa/ml) or azoospermia. He was referred to the laboratory for in-vitro fertilization after intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Cytogenetic investigations showed a complex chromosomal rearrangement involving firstly a translocation between the short arm of chromosome 7 and the long arm of chromosome 13 and secondly a translocation between the short arm of the same chromosome 13 and the short arm of chromosome 9. Diagnosis was ascertained by fluorescence in-situ hybridization and staining of the nucleolar organizer regions. Theoretical study of the translocated chromosomes predicted a 'chain' configuration of the hexavalent at the pachytene stage of meiosis. In all, 32 modes of segregation were considered and only one resulted either in a normal or a balanced gamete karyotype. Genetic counselling and choice of appropriate artificial reproduction technique are discussed.