Custom wheat microarray development for analysis of grain quality

BACKGROUND: Germline mutations in the SMAD4 gene lead to both juvenile polyposis syndrome and hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT). CASE DESCRIPTION: A 23-year-old man underwent colectomy with ileo-anal pouch anastomosis at the age of 12 due to colorectal juvenile polyposis. At follow-up, recurrent juvenile polyps in the pouch were removed. No gastric polyps were found. The family history was negative for intestinal polyposis. In addition, the patient had recurrent epistaxis. DNA testing revealed a pathogenic SMAD4 mutation: c.1558G>T; p.(Glu520*). Further examination confirmed suspected HHT. CONCLUSION: DNA testing in patients with juvenile polyposis is important for subclassification of this syndrome with implications for the management of patients and family members

Hereditary cancer registries improve the care of patients with a genetic predisposition to cancer: contributions from the Dutch Lynch syndrome registry

The Dutch Hereditary Cancer Registry was established in 1985 with the support of the Ministry of Health (VWS). The aims of the registry are: (1) to promote the identification of families with hereditary cancer, (2) to encourage the participation in surveillance programs of individuals at high risk, (3) to ensure the continuity of lifelong surveillance examinations, and (4) to promote research, in particular the improvement of surveillance protocols. During its early days the registry provided assistance with family investigations and the collection of medical data, and recommended surveillance when a family fulfilled specific diagnostic criteria. Since 2000 the registry has focused on family follow-up, and ensuring the quality of surveillance programs and appropriate clinical management. Since its founding, the registry has identified over 10,000 high-risk individuals with a diverse array of hereditary cancer syndromes. All were encouraged to participate in prevention programmes. The registry has published a number of studies that evaluated the outcome of surveillance protocols for colorectal cancer (CRC) in Lynch syndrome, as well as in familial colorectal cancer. In 2006, evaluation of the effect of registration and colonoscopic surveillance on the mortality rate associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) showed that the policy led to a substantial decrease in the mortality rate associated with CRC. Following discovery of MMR gene defects, the first predictive model that could select families for genetic testing was published by the Leiden group. In addition, over the years the registry has produced many cancer risk studies that have helped to develop appropriate surveillance protocols. Hereditary cancer registries in general, and the Lynch syndrome registry in particular, play an important role in improving the clinical management of affected families.Hereditary cancer genetic

Informing family members about a hereditary predisposition to cancer: attitudes and practices among clinical geneticists

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[DNA-based diagnosis of hereditary tumour predisposition],DNA-diagnostiek naar erfelijke aanleg voor tumoren.

Item does not contain fulltextOf all forms of cancer, approximately 5% are caused by factors leading to a strong genetic predisposition. DNA diagnosis is currently used in families with hereditary tumour syndromes, such as familial adenomatous polyposis, hereditary non-polyposis colorectal carcinoma (Lynch syndrome), and hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Those persons who have not inherited the predisposition no longer have to undergo regular examinations. DNA diagnosis for a hereditary predisposition is currently also performed in patients with cancer at a relatively young age, even if the family history is unclear or negative. Consideration of the patient in the context of his or her family is important for both medico-technical and psychosocial reasons. This is true of both diagnostic and presymptomatic DNA diagnosis. For these reasons, the clinical application of the DNA diagnosis of hereditary tumours has become an integral part of the work of the multidisciplinary cancer family clinics of the university medical centres and the cancer centres. Guidelines for the management of hereditary tumours have recently been issued, with criteria for referral to the specialised outpatient clinics

Fine mapping of the uterine leiomyoma locus on 1q43 close to a lncRNA in the RGS7-FH interval

Contains fulltext : 155285.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access)Mutations in fumarate hydratase (FH) on chromosome 1q43 cause a rare cancer syndrome, hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer (HLRCC), but are rare in nonsyndromic and common uterine leiomyoma (UL) or fibroids. Studies suggested that variants in FH or in a linked gene may also predispose to UL. We re-sequenced 2.3 Mb of DNA spanning FH in 96 UL cases and controls from the multiethnic NIEHS-uterine fibroid study, and in 18 HLRCC-associated UL probands from European families then selected 221 informative SNPs for follow-up genotyping. We report promising susceptibility associations with UL peaking at rs78220092 (P=7.0x10(-5)) in the RGS7-FH interval in African Americans. In race-combined analyses and in meta-analyses (n=916), we identified promising associations with risk peaking upstream of a non-protein coding RNA (lncRNA) locus located in the RGS7-FH interval closer to RGS7, and associations with tumor size peaking in the distal phospholipase D family, member 5 (PLD5) gene at rs2654879 (P=1.7x10(-4)). We corroborated previously reported FH mutations in nine out of the 18 HLRCC-associated UL cases and identified two missense mutations in FH in only two nonsyndromic UL cases and one control. Our fine association mapping and integration of existing gene profiling data showing upregulated expression of the lncRNA and downregulation of PLD5 in fibroids, as compared to matched myometrium, suggest a potential role of this genomic region in UL pathogenesis. While the identified variations at 1q43 represent a potential risk locus for UL, future replication analyses are required to substantiate our observation