Analysis
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Open Access
Featured
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Article |
A genomic mutational constraint map using variation in 76,156 human genomes
A genomic constraint map for the human genome constructed using data from 76,156 human genomes from the Genome Aggregation Database shows that non-coding constrained regions are enriched for regulatory elements and variants associated with complex diseases and traits.
- Siwei Chen
- , Laurent C. Francioli
- & Konrad J. Karczewski
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Article
| Open AccessA draft human pangenome reference
An initial draft of the human pangenome is presented and made publicly available by the Human Pangenome Reference Consortium; the draft contains 94 de novo haplotype assemblies from 47 ancestrally diverse individuals.
- Wen-Wei Liao
- , Mobin Asri
- & Benedict Paten
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Article
| Open AccessFinnGen provides genetic insights from a well-phenotyped isolated population
Genome-wide association studies of individuals from an isolated population (data from the Finnish biobank study FinnGen) and consequent meta-analyses facilitate the identification of previously unknown coding variant associations for both rare and common diseases.
- Mitja I. Kurki
- , Juha Karjalainen
- & Aarno Palotie
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Article |
APOE4 impairs myelination via cholesterol dysregulation in oligodendrocytes
APOE4 is associated with widespread gene expression changes across all cell types of the human brain, altered cholesterol homeostasis and transport signalling pathways, and decreased myelination in the brain.
- Joel W. Blanchard
- , Leyla Anne Akay
- & Li-Huei Tsai
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Article |
C. elegans as a model for inter-individual variation in metabolism
Using differences among strains as a model for inter-individual variation, this paper identifies a conserved metabolicadaptation in C. elegans that compensates for genetic variation.
- Bennett W. Fox
- , Olga Ponomarova
- & Albertha J. M. Walhout
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Article |
Rare coding variants in ten genes confer substantial risk for schizophrenia
Whole-exome sequencing identifies ten risk genes for schizophrenia implicated by rare protein-coding variants, a subset of which overlap with risk genes in other neurodevelopmental disorders.
- Tarjinder Singh
- , Timothy Poterba
- & Mark J. Daly
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Article
| Open AccessGenetic associations of protein-coding variants in human disease
A meta-analysis combining whole-exome sequencing data from UK Biobank participants and imputed genotypes from FinnGen participants enables identification of genetic associations with human disease in the rare and low-frequency allelic spectrum
- Benjamin B. Sun
- , Mitja I. Kurki
- & Heiko Runz
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Article |
Red blood cell tension protects against severe malaria in the Dantu blood group
The rare blood group Dantu is known to protect against severe malaria, and a mechanism is proposed here: Dantu red blood cells have a high membrane tension that prevents invasion by malaria parasites.
- Silvia N. Kariuki
- , Alejandro Marin-Menendez
- & Julian C. Rayner
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Article |
Identification of type 2 diabetes loci in 433,540 East Asian individuals
A meta-analysis of genome-wide association study data from 77,418 individuals of East Asian ancestry with type 2 diabetes identifies novel variants associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
- Cassandra N. Spracklen
- , Momoko Horikoshi
- & Xueling Sim
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Article
| Open AccessThe UK Biobank resource with deep phenotyping and genomic data
Deep phenotype and genome-wide genetic data from 500,000 individuals from the UK Biobank, describing population structure and relatedness in the cohort, and imputation to increase the number of testable variants to 96 million.
- Clare Bycroft
- , Colin Freeman
- & Jonathan Marchini
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Letter |
Common genetic variants contribute to risk of rare severe neurodevelopmental disorders
A genome-wide association study of approximately 7,000 patients with neurodevelopmental disorders demonstrates that overall risk and clinical presentation in putative monogenic disorders is also influenced by common genetic variants present in the general population.
- Mari E. K. Niemi
- , Hilary C. Martin
- & Jeffrey C. Barrett
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Letter |
Exome sequencing identifies rare LDLR and APOA5 alleles conferring risk for myocardial infarction
Exome sequence analysis of nearly 10,000 people was carried out to identify alleles associated with early-onset myocardial infarction; mutations in low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) or apolipoprotein A-V (APOA5) were associated with disease risk, identifying the key roles of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and metabolism of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins.
- Ron Do
- , Nathan O. Stitziel
- & Sekar Kathiresan
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Outlook |
Genetics: Deep exploration
Recent discoveries are redefining the role of the immune system in psoriasis, and may help to unravel the mystery of the disease's origins.
- Ken Garber
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Letter |
Mosaic PPM1D mutations are associated with predisposition to breast and ovarian cancer
Rare truncating mutations in the p53-inducible protein phosphatase PPM1D are shown to be associated with predisposition to breast cancer and ovarian cancer; notably, all of the mutations are mosaic in white blood cells but are not present in tumours, and probably have a gain-of-function effect.
- Elise Ruark
- , Katie Snape
- & Nazneen Rahman
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Outlook |
Perspective: Let the sunshine in!
Population and genetic studies are confirming the link between multiple sclerosis and vitamin D, says Richard Ransohoff.
- Richard M. Ransohoff
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News & Views |
Broken giant linked to heart failure
Genetic mutations can cause a type of heart disease called dilated cardiomyopathy, by predisposing the organ to enlarge and function poorly. It has now been found that 27% of cases are due to mutations that disrupt the muscle protein titin.
- Elizabeth M. McNally
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Letter |
Serial translocation by means of circular intermediates underlies colour sidedness in cattle
Colour sidedness in cattle breeds is reported to be determined by two alleles, created as a result of a serial translocation involving circular intermediates.
- Keith Durkin
- , Wouter Coppieters
- & Carole Charlier
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Letter
| Open AccessA novel recurrent mutation in MITF predisposes to familial and sporadic melanoma
Whole-genome sequencing identifies a novel germline variant in the oncogene MITF, which is associated with the development of melanoma.
- Satoru Yokoyama
- , Susan L. Woods
- & Kevin M. Brown
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Letter |
Genetic risk and a primary role for cell-mediated immune mechanisms in multiple sclerosis
- Stephen Sawcer
- , Garrett Hellenthal
- & Alastair Compston
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News & Views |
The autism disconnect
Separating primary from secondary changes in the autistic brain has long been a research goal. With knowledge of wide-ranging molecular deficits, identification of the best therapeutic targets becomes a priority. See Letter p.380
- Željka Korade
- & Károly Mirnics
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Review Article |
Genetics and pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease
- Bernard Khor
- , Agnès Gardet
- & Ramnik J. Xavier
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Letter |
9p21 DNA variants associated with coronary artery disease impair interferon-γ signalling response
A non-coding region on chromosome 9p21 was previously shown to associate with coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes, and the region has been implicated in regulating neighbouring genes. Here, 33 distinct enhancers within this region are identified, showing that SNPs in one of the enhancers affect STAT1 binding. Furthermore, it is shown that in human vascular endothelial cells the enhancer interval physically interacts with a number of specific loci and that IFN-γ activation strongly affects the chromatin structure and transcriptional regulation of the 9p21 locus, including STAT1 binding, long-range enhancer interactions and expression of neighbouring genes.
- Olivier Harismendy
- , Dimple Notani
- & Kelly A. Frazer
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Article |
A population-specific HTR2B stop codon predisposes to severe impulsivity
Impulsive behaviour characterizes several psychiatric diseases and violent behaviour but its origins are complex. Here, exon sequencing focused on fourteen serotonin- and dopamine-related genes identified a mutation in HTR2B, which was associated with psychiatric diseases marked by impulsivity in a Finnish population. The role of this serotonin receptor in impulsivity is further supported by the knockout mouse phenotype.
- Laura Bevilacqua
- , Stéphane Doly
- & David Goldman
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Letter |
Integrative genomics identifies LMO1 as a neuroblastoma oncogene
Here, single nucleotide variants within the LMO1 locus are shown to be associated with inherited susceptibility to neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer of the sympathetic nervous system. Acquired structural variation in the same locus was also frequently found in neuroblastoma patients, leading to the suggestion that loci identified through genome-wide association studies might be also prone to somatic alterations and therefore identify potential therapy targets and/or biomarkers of tumour aggressiveness.
- Kai Wang
- , Sharon J. Diskin
- & John M. Maris
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Article |
Ataxin-2 intermediate-length polyglutamine expansions are associated with increased risk for ALS
The causes of the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are poorly understood, although the protein TDP-43 seems to be involved. These authors show that the polyglutamine-containing protein ataxin 2 interacts with TDP-43 and is a potent modifier of TDP-43 toxicity. Moreover, intermediate-length polyglutamine expansions in the ataxin 2 gene significantly associate with ALS. These data establish the ataxin 2 gene as a new and relatively common ALS disease susceptibility gene.
- Andrew C. Elden
- , Hyung-Jun Kim
- & Aaron D. Gitler
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News & Views |
Genes, viruses and microbes
Variations in several genes can increase an individual's susceptibility to complex disorders. But what tips the balance to cause the full-blown disease? For Crohn's disease, viruses could provide part of the answer.
- Alison Simmons
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News |
Gene linked to autoimmune diseases
Rare variants of a single gene seem to make patients more susceptible to multiple diseases.
- Alla Katsnelson
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Letter |
Functionally defective germline variants of sialic acid acetylesterase in autoimmunity
Sialic acid acetylesterase (SIAE) is an enzyme that is involved in B-cell activation and is required to maintain immunological tolerance in mice. It is shown here that rare, inherited and functionally defective SIAE variants are associated with a variety of autoimmune diseases in humans. The study provides one of the first examples of the importance of rare genetic variants in complex diseases, such as those involving autoimmunity.
- Ira Surolia
- , Stephan P. Pirnie
- & Shiv Pillai
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Letter |
Genome-wide SNP and haplotype analyses reveal a rich history underlying dog domestication
An extensive genome-wide survey of over 48,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms in dogs and their wild progenitor, the grey wolf, was conducted to shed light on the process of dog diversification. The results reveal that much of genome diversity came from Middle Eastern progenitors, combined with interbreeding with local wolf populations, and that recent evolution involved limited genetic variation to create the phenotypic diversity of modern dogs.
- Bridgett M. vonHoldt
- , John P. Pollinger
- & Robert K. Wayne
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Letter |
Sister chromosome pairing maintains heterozygosity in parthenogenetic lizards
The existence of all-female species of whiptail lizard, formed as a hybrid between sexual species, has been known since 1962; however, how the meiotic program is altered to produce diploid eggs while maintaining heterozygosity has remained unclear. Here it is shown in parthenogenetic species that meiosis initiates with twice the number of chromosomes compared to sexual species, and that pairing and recombination takes place between genetically identical sister chromosomes instead of between homologues.
- Aracely A. Lutes
- , William B. Neaves
- & Peter Baumann