Large genomic rearrangements in the CFTR gene contribute to CBAVD

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>By performing extensive scanning of whole coding and flanking sequences of the <it>CFTR (Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator</it>) gene, we had previously identified point mutations in 167 out of 182 (91.7%) males with isolated congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens (CBAVD). Conventional PCR-based methods of mutation analysis do not detect gross DNA lesions. In this study, we looked for large rearrangements within the whole <it>CFTR </it>locus in the 32 CBAVD patients with only one or no mutation.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We developed a semi-quantitative fluorescent PCR assay (SQF-PCR), which relies on the comparison of the fluorescent profiles of multiplex PCR fragments obtained from different DNA samples. We confirmed the gross alterations by junction fragment amplification and identified their breakpoints by direct sequencing.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We detected two large genomic heterozygous deletions, one encompassing exon 2 (c.54-5811_c.164+2186del8108ins182) [or <it>CFTRdele2</it>], the other removing exons 22 to 24 (c.3964-3890_c.4443+3143del9454ins5) [or <it>CFTRdele 22_24</it>], in two males carrying a typical CBAVD mutation on the other parental <it>CFTR </it>allele. We present the first bioinformatic tool for exon phasing of the <it>CFTR </it>gene, which can help to rename the exons and the nomenclature of small mutations according to international recommendations and to predict the consequence of large rearrangements on the open reading frame.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Identification of large rearrangements further expands the <it>CFTR </it>mutational spectrum in CBAVD and should now be systematically investigated. We have designed a simple test to specifically detect the presence or absence of the two rearrangements identified in this study.</p

Human Splicing Finder: an online bioinformatics tool to predict splicing signals

Thousands of mutations are identified yearly. Although many directly affect protein expression, an increasing proportion of mutations is now believed to influence mRNA splicing. They mostly affect existing splice sites, but synonymous, non-synonymous or nonsense mutations can also create or disrupt splice sites or auxiliary cis-splicing sequences. To facilitate the analysis of the different mutations, we designed Human Splicing Finder (HSF), a tool to predict the effects of mutations on splicing signals or to identify splicing motifs in any human sequence. It contains all available matrices for auxiliary sequence prediction as well as new ones for binding sites of the 9G8 and Tra2-β Serine-Arginine proteins and the hnRNP A1 ribonucleoprotein. We also developed new Position Weight Matrices to assess the strength of 5′ and 3′ splice sites and branch points. We evaluated HSF efficiency using a set of 83 intronic and 35 exonic mutations known to result in splicing defects. We showed that the mutation effect was correctly predicted in almost all cases. HSF could thus represent a valuable resource for research, diagnostic and therapeutic (e.g. therapeutic exon skipping) purposes as well as for global studies, such as the GEN2PHEN European Project or the Human Variome Project

Description and analysis of genetic variants in French hereditary breast and ovarian cancer families recorded in the UMD-BRCA1/BRCA2 databases

BRCA1 and BRCA2 are the two main genes responsible for predisposition to breast and ovarian cancers, as a result of protein-inactivating monoallelic mutations. It remains to be established whether many of the variants identified in these two genes, so-called unclassified/unknown variants (UVs), contribute to the disease phenotype or are simply neutral variants (or polymorphisms). Given the clinical importance of establishing their status, a nationwide effort to annotate these UVs was launched by laboratories belonging to the French GGC consortium (Groupe Génétique et Cancer), leading to the creation of the UMD-BRCA1/BRCA2 databases (http://www.umd.be/BRCA1/ and http://www.umd.be/BRCA2/). These databases have been endorsed by the French National Cancer Institute (INCa) and are designed to collect all variants detected in France, whether causal, neutral or UV. They differ from other BRCA databases in that they contain co-occurrence data for all variants. Using these data, the GGC French consortium has been able to classify certain UVs also contained in other databases. In this article, we report some novel UVs not contained in the BIC database and explore their impact in cancer predisposition based on a structural approach

Variation d'hydrophobicité et structure secondaire des protéines transmembranaires

Contexte. Les protéines transmembranaires ont une importance considérable tant au niveau de la survie d'une cellule qu'au niveau de ces interactions avec les autres cellules. En raison de contraintes techniques, la cristallisation de ce type de protéine demeure très complexe, ce qui limite grandement l exploration de leur structure. Pour contourner ces difficultés, différents outils de prédiction ont été développés,en se fondant originellement sur l'hydrophobicité des régions enfouies dans la membrane. Méthode. L'outil développé repose sur une dérivation de la moyenne d'hydrophobicité calculée sur deux ensembles de taille de fenêtres. Le premier ensemble (G1) contient des petites tailles de fenêtres ce qui correspond à des événements locaux, tandis que le second (G2) correspond à des tailles de fenêtres plus larges, adaptées à la taille des hélices formant certaines protéines transmembranaires. La variation d'hydrophobicité est obtenue en dérivant les moyennes d'hydrophobicité. Un consensus est établi pour chaque groupe, et les résultats sont comparés à un ensemble de protéines transmembranaires cristallisées. Résultats. Les variations d'hydrophobicité G2 sont liées aux extrémités des hélices transmembranaires,tandis que les variations G1 sont en relation avec la limites des structures et certaines irrégularités structurelles.Ces résultats nous ont amené à introduire une nouvelle notion : les unités transmembranaires(TMU). Les TMU consistent en un ensemble de sous-structures qui composent les structures transmembranaires.Background. Few high-resolution structures of integral membranes proteins are available, as crystallization of such proteins needs yet to overcome too many technical limitations. Nevertheless, prediction oftheir transmembrane (TM) structure by bioinformatics tools provides interesting insights on the topology of these proteins.Method. We describe here how to extract new information from the analysis of hydrophobicity variations or hydrophobic pulses (HPulses) in the sequence of integral membrane proteins using the Hydrophobic Pulse Predictor, a new tool we developed for this purpose. To analyze the primary sequence of 70 integralmembrane proteins we defined two levels of analysis : G1-HPulses for sliding windows of n=2 to 6 andG2-HPulses for sliding windows of n=12 to 16.Results. The G2-HPulse analysis of 541 transmembrane helices allowed the definition of the new conceptof transmembrane unit (TMU) that groups together transmembrane helices and segments with potentialadjacent structures. In addition, the G1-HPulse analysis identified helix irregularities that correspondedto kinks, partial helices or unannotated structural events. These irregularities could represent key dynamicelements that are alternatively activated depending on the channel status as illustrated by the crystalstructures of the lactose permease in different conformations. Our results open a new way in the understanding of transmembrane secondary structures : hydrophobicity through hydrophobic pulses stronglyimpacts on such embedded structures and is not confined to define the transmembrane status of aminoacids.MONTPELLIER-BU Pharmacie (341722105) / SudocSudocFranceF

Bioinformatique et épissage dans les pathologies humaines

Découvert en 1977, l'épissage est une étape de maturation post-transcriptionnelle consistant à rabouter les exons et éliminer les introns d'un ARN pré-messager. Pour que l'épissage soit correctement pris en charge par l'épisome et ses protéines auxiliaires, différents signaux sont présents le long de la séquence de l'ARN pré-messager. Il est maintenant reconnu que près de la moitié des mutations pathogènes chez l'homme impactent l'épissage, aboutissant à un dysfonctionnement du gène. Il est ainsi indispensable pour les biologistes d'être capables de détecter ces signaux sur une séquence génomique.Cette thèse a donc pour but de concevoir de nouveaux algorithmes permettant d'apporter la puissance de calcul des ordinateurs au service de la biologie de l'épissage. La solution proposée, Human Splicing Finder (HSF), est capable de prédire les trois types de signaux d'épissage à partir d'une séquence quelconque extraite du génome humain. Nous avons évalué l'efficacité de prédiction d'HSF dans l'ensemble des situations associées à des mutations pathogènes pour lesquelles il a été démontré expérimentalement leur impact sur l'épissage et par rapport aux autres algorithmes de prédiction. Parallèlement à ces apports directs tant pour la connaissance des processus biologiques de l'épissage que pour le diagnostic, les nouvelles approches thérapeutiques génotype-spécifiques peuvent également bénéficier de ces nouveaux algorithmes. Ainsi HSF permet de mieux cibler les oligonucléotides anti-sens utilisés pour induire le saut d'exon dans la myopathie de Duchenne et les dysferlinopathies.La reconnaissance récente de l'intérêt majeur de l'épissage dans des domaines aussi variés que la recherche fondamentale, la thérapeutique et le diagnostic nécessitaient un point central d'accès aux signaux d'épissage. HSF a pour objet de remplir ce rôle, en étant régulièrement mis à jour pour intégrer de nouvelles connaissances, et est d'ores et déjà reconnu comme un outil de référence.Discovered in 1977, splicing is a post-transcriptional maturation process that consists in link-ing exons together and removing introns from a pre-messanger RNA. For splicing to be cor-rectly undertaken by the spliceosome and its auxiliary proteins, several signals are located along the pre-messanger RNA sequence. Nearly half of pathogenous mutations in humans are now recognized to impact splicing and leading to a gene dysfunction. Therefore it is es-sential for biologists to detect those signals in any genomic sequence.Thus, the goals of this thesis were to conceive new algorithms: i) to identify splicing signals; ii) to predict the impact of mutations on these signals and iii) to give access to this information to researchers thanks to the power of bioinformatics. The proposed solution, Human Splicing Finder (HSF), is a web application able to predict all types of splicing signals hidden in any sequence extracted from the human genome. We demonstrated the prediction's efficiency of HSF for all situations associated with pathogenous mutations for which an impact on splicing has been experimentally demonstrated. Along with these direct benefits for the knowledge of biological processes for splicing and diagnosis, new genotype-specific therapeutic approaches can also benefit from these new algorithms. Thus, HSF allows to better target antisense olignucleotides used to induce exon skipping in Duchenne myopathy and dysferlinopathies.The recent recognition of the major interest of splicing in various domains such as fundamen-tal research, therapeutics and diagnosis needed a one stop shop for splicing signals. HSF has for object to fulfill this need, being regularly updated to integrate new knowledge and is already recognized as an international reference tool.MONTPELLIER-BU Médecine UPM (341722108) / SudocSudocFranceF

Correction: Dispelling myths about rare disease registry system development

After publication of this work [1], we noted that we inadvertently failed to include important Acknowledgments in our final version of the manuscript. Please see below the modification

Clinical Interpretation of Variants from Next-Generation Sequencing: The 2016 Scientific Meeting of the HumanGenome Variation Society

The 2016 scientific meeting of the Human Genome Variation Society (HGVS; http://www.hgvs.org) was held on the 20th of May in Barcelona, Spain, with the theme of “Clinical Interpretation of Variants from Next-Generation Sequencing"

UMD (Universal Mutation Database): 2005 update

International audienceCommunicated by Marc Greenblatt With the completion of the Human Genome Project, our vision of human genetic diseases has changed. The cloning of new disease-causing genes can now be performed in silico, and thousands of mutations are being identified in diagnostic and research laboratories yearly. Knowledge about these mutations and their association with clinical and biological data is essential for clinicians, geneticists, and researchers. To collect and analyze these data, we developed a generic software called Universal Mutation Databases (UMD s) to create locus-specific databases. Here we report the new release (September 2004) of this freely available tool (www.umd.be), which allows the creation of LSDBs for virtually any gene and includes a large set of new analysis tools. We have implemented new features to integrate noncoding sequences, clinical data, pictures, monoclonal antibodies, and polymorphic markers (SNPs). Today the UMD retains all specifically designed tools to analyze mutations at the molecular level, as well as new sets of routines to search for genotype–phenotype correlations. We also created specific tools for infrequent mutations such as gross deletions and duplications, and deep intronic mutations. A large set of dedicated tools are now available for intronic mutations, including methods to calculate the consensus values (CVs) of potential splice sites and to search for exonic splicing enhancer (ESE) motifs. In addition, we have created specific routines to help researchers design new therapeutic strategies, such as exon skipping, aminoglycoside read-through of stop codons, or monoclonal antibody selection and epitope scanning for gene therapy. Hum Mutat 26(3), 184–191, 2005. r r 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc

DYT6 dystonia: Review of the literature and creation of the UMD locus-specific database (LSDB) for mutations in the THAP1 gene: review

International audienceBy family-based screening, first Fuchs and then many other authors showed that mutations in THAP1 (THAP [thanatos-associated protein] domain-containing, apoptosis-associated protein 1) account for a substantial proportion of familial, early-onset, nonfo-cal, primary dystonia cases (DYT6 dystonia). THAP1 is the first transcriptional factor involved in primary dysto-nia and the hypothesis of a transcriptional deregulation, which was primarily proposed for the X-linked dystonia-parkinsonism (DYT3 dystonia), provided thus a new way to investigate the possible mechanism underlying the development of dystonic movements. Currently, 56 families present with a THAP1 mutation; however, no geno-type/phenotype relationship has been found. Therefore, we carried out a systematic review of the literature on the THAP1 gene to colligate all reported patients with a specific THAP1 mutation and the associated clinical signs in order to describe the broad phenotypic continuum of this disorder. To facilitate the comparison of the identified mutations, we created a Locus-Specific Database (UMD-THAP1 LSDB) available at http://www.umd.be/THAP1/. Currently, the database lists 56 probands and 43 relatives with the associated clinical phenotype when available. The identification of a larger number of THAP1 mutations and collection of high-quality clinical information for each described mutation through international collaborative effort will help investigating the structure– function and genotype–phenotype correlations in DYT6 dystonia

Dispelling myths about rare disease registry system development

Rare disease registries (RDRs) are an essential tool to improve knowledge and monitor interventions for rare diseases. If designed appropriately, patient and disease related information captured within them can become the cornerstone for effective diagnosis and new therapies. Surprisingly however, registries possess a diverse range of functionality, operate in different, often-times incompatible, software environments and serve various, and sometimes incongruous, purposes. Given the ambitious goals of the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) by 2020 and beyond, RDRs must be designed with the agility to evolve and efficiently interoperate in an ever changing rare disease landscape, as well as to cater for rapid changes in Information Communication Technologies. In this paper, we contend that RDR requirements will also evolve in response to a number of factors such as changing disease definitions and diagnostic criteria, the requirement to integrate patient/disease information from advances in either biotechnology and/or phenotypying approaches, as well as the need to adapt dynamically to security and privacy concerns. We dispel a number of myths in RDR development, outline key criteria for robust and sustainable RDR implementation and introduce the concept of a RDR Checklist to guide future RDR development