Centenarian Exomes as a Tool for Evaluating the Clinical Relevance of Germline Tumor Suppressor Mutations
TECHNOLOGY IN CANCER RESEARCH & TREATMENT
Authors: Balabanski, Lubomir; Serbezov, Dimitar; Nikolova, Dragomira; Antonova, Olga; Nesheva, Desislava; Hammoudeh, Zora; Vazharova, Radoslava; Karachanak-Yankova, Sena; Staneva, Rada; Mihaylova, Marta; Damyanova, Vera; Hadjidekova, Savina; Toncheva, Draga
Abstract
Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical relevance of mutations in tumor suppressor genes using whole-exome sequencing data from centenarians and young healthy individuals. Methods: Two pools, one of centenarians and one of young individuals, were constructed and whole-exome sequencing was performed. We examined the whole-exome sequencing data of Bulgarian individuals for carriership of tumor suppressor gene variants. Results: Of all variants annotated in both pools, 5080 (0.06%) are variants in tumor suppressor genes but only 46 show significant difference in allele frequencies between the two studied groups. Four variants (0.004%) are pathogenic/risk factors according to single nucleotide polymorphism database: rs1566734 in PTPRJ, rs861539 in XRCC3, rs203462 in AKAP10, and rs486907 in RNASEL. Discussion: Based on their high minor allele frequencies and presence in the centenarian group, we could reclassify them from pathogenic/risk factors to benign. Our study shows that centenarian exomes can be used for re-evaluating the clinically uncertain variants.
Survey of the effect of genetic variations on gene expression in human prefrontal cortex and its application to genetics of psychiatric disorders
NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH
Authors: Iwamoto, Kazuya; Ueda, Junko; Bundo, Miki; Kojima, Toshio; Kato, Tadafumi
Abstract
Identifying the genetic basis of gene expression variation in the human brain is important for understanding brain physiology and pathophysiology. We investigated the genetic basis of gene expression variation in human prefrontal cortex using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and taking into consideration brain sample pH. From approximately 12,000 brain-expressed transcripts, we identified 187 cis-regulated transcripts. Some of the transcripts were identified as cis-regulated in the lymphoblastoid cells or lymphocytes, which suggests common cis-regulation across different tissues. Knowledge of genetic variations contributing to differences in gene expression in the brain would be particularly useful in the study of neuropsychiatric disorders in combination with a large-scale genome-wide association study. Using Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium association study data, we identified SNPs associated with bipolar disorder and gene expression variation in the human brain. We found that SNPs in the AKAP10 and PRKCI genes are significantly associated with bipolar disorder and gene expression variation. Crown Copyright (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd and the Japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.