Supplementary Material for: Genetic Variation in Genes Underlying Diverse Dementias May Explain a Small Proportion of Cases in the Alzheimer’s Disease Sequencing Project

<b><i>Background/Aims:</i></b> The Alzheimer’s Disease Sequencing Project (ADSP) aims to identify novel genes influencing Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Variants within genes known to cause dementias other than AD have previously been associated with AD risk. We describe evidence of co-segregation and associations between variants in dementia genes and clinically diagnosed AD within the ADSP. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We summarize the properties of known pathogenic variants within dementia genes, describe the co-segregation of variants annotated as “pathogenic” in ClinVar and new candidates observed in ADSP families, and test for associations between rare variants in dementia genes in the ADSP case-control study. The participants were clinically evaluated for AD, and they represent European, Caribbean Hispanic, and isolate Dutch populations. <b><i>Results/Conclusions:</i></b> Pathogenic variants in dementia genes were predominantly rare and conserved coding changes. Pathogenic variants within <i>ARSA</i>, <i>CSF1R</i>, and <i>GRN</i> were observed, and candidate variants in <i>GRN</i> and <i>CHMP2B</i> were nominated in ADSP families. An independent case-control study provided evidence of an association between variants in <i>TREM2</i>, <i>APOE</i>, <i>ARSA</i>, <i>CSF1R</i>, <i>PSEN1</i>, and <i>MAPT</i> and risk of AD. Variants in genes which cause dementing disorders may influence the clinical diagnosis of AD in a small proportion of cases within the ADSP

An integrated encyclopedia of DNA elements in the human genome.

The human genome encodes the blueprint of life, but the function of the vast majority of its nearly three billion bases is unknown. The Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) project has systematically mapped regions of transcription, transcription factor association, chromatin structure and histone modification. These data enabled us to assign biochemical functions for 80% of the genome, in particular outside of the well-studied protein-coding regions. Many discovered candidate regulatory elements are physically associated with one another and with expressed genes, providing new insights into the mechanisms of gene regulation. The newly identified elements also show a statistical correspondence to sequence variants linked to human disease, and can thereby guide interpretation of this variation. Overall, the project provides new insights into the organization and regulation of our genes and genome, and is an expansive resource of functional annotations for biomedical research