scholarly journals Phenotypic Heterogeneity and Genotypic Spectrum of Primary Immunodeficiencies with Whole Exome Sequencing in a Thai Patient Cohort

Author(s):  
Maliwan Tengsujaritkul ◽  
Narissara Suratannon ◽  
Chupong Ittiwut ◽  
Rungnapa Ittiwut ◽  
Pantipa Chatchatee ◽  
...  

Background: Primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs) comprise more than 400 rare diseases with potential life-threatening conditions. Clinical manifestations and genetic defects are heterogeneous and diverse among populations. Here, we aimed to characterize the clinical, immunological and genetic features of Thai pediatric patients with PIDs. The use of whole exome sequencing (WES) in diagnosis and clinical decision making was also assessed. Methods: 36 unrelated patients with clinical and laboratory findings consistent with PIDs were recruited from January 2010 to December 2020. WES was performed to identify the underlying genetic defects. Results: The median age of disease onset was 4 months (range; 1 month to 13 years) and 24 were male (66.7%). Recurrent sinopulmonary tract infection was the most common clinical presentation followed by septicemia, and severe pneumonia. Using WES, we successfully identified the underlying genetic defects in 18 patients (50%). Of the 20 variants identified, six have not been previously described (30%). According to the International Union of Immunological Societies (IUIS), 38.9% of these detected cases (7/18) were found to harbor variants associated with genes in combined immunodeficiencies with associated or syndromic features (Class II). Conclusion: The diagnostic yield of WES in this patient cohort was 50%. Six novel genetic variants in PID genes were identified. The clinical usefulness of WES in PIDs was demonstrated, emphasizing it as an effective diagnostic strategy in these genetically heterogeneous disorders.

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Meyer ◽  
Matthias Begemann ◽  
Christian Thomas Hübner ◽  
Daniela Dey ◽  
Alma Kuechler ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Silver-Russell syndrome (SRS) is an imprinting disorder which is characterised by severe primordial growth retardation, relative macrocephaly and a typical facial gestalt. The clinical heterogeneity of SRS is reflected by a broad spectrum of molecular changes with hypomethylation in 11p15 and maternal uniparental disomy of chromosome 7 (upd(7)mat) as the most frequent findings. Monogenetic causes are rare, but a clinical overlap with numerous other disorders has been reported. However, a comprehensive overview on the contribution of mutations in differential diagnostic genes to phenotypes reminiscent to SRS is missing due to the lack of appropriate tests. With the implementation of next generation sequencing (NGS) tools this limitation can now be circumvented. Main body We analysed 75 patients referred for molecular testing for SRS by a NGS-based multigene panel, whole exome sequencing (WES), and trio-based WES. In 21/75 patients a disease-causing variant could be identified among them variants in known SRS genes (IGF2, PLAG1, HMGA2). Several patients carried variants in genes which have not yet been considered as differential diagnoses of SRS. Conclusions WES approaches significantly increase the diagnostic yield in patients referred for SRS testing. Several of the identified monogenetic disorders have a major impact on clinical management and genetic counseling.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Ka-Yee Kwong ◽  
Mandy Ho-Yin Tsang ◽  
Jasmine Lee-Fong Fung ◽  
Christopher Chun-Yu Mak ◽  
Kate Lok-San Chan ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Movement disorders are a group of heterogeneous neurological diseases including hyperkinetic disorders with unwanted excess movements and hypokinetic disorders with reduction in the degree of movements. The objective of our study is to investigate the genetic etiology of a cohort of paediatric patients with movement disorders by whole exome sequencing and to review the potential treatment implications after a genetic diagnosis. Results We studied a cohort of 31 patients who have paediatric-onset movement disorders with unrevealing etiologies. Whole exome sequencing was performed and rare variants were interrogated for pathogenicity. Genetic diagnoses have been confirmed in 10 patients with disease-causing variants in CTNNB1, SPAST, ATP1A3, PURA, SLC2A1, KMT2B, ACTB, GNAO1 and SPG11. 80% (8/10) of patients with genetic diagnosis have potential treatment implications and treatments have been offered to them. One patient with KMT2B dystonia showed clinical improvement with decrease in dystonia after receiving globus pallidus interna deep brain stimulation. Conclusions A diagnostic yield of 32% (10/31) was reported in our cohort and this allows a better prediction of prognosis and contributes to a more effective clinical management. The study highlights the potential of implementing precision medicine in the patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuchen Gu ◽  
Yimin Khoong ◽  
Xin Huang ◽  
Tao Zan

Abstract Background Manitoba-oculo-tricho-anal (MOTA) syndrome is a rare syndrome with only 27 cases reported worldwide so far, but none was reported in the population of Eastern Asia. Such extremely low prevalence might be contributed by misdiagnosis due to its similarities in ocular manifestations with facial cleft. In our study, we discovered the first case of MOTA syndrome in the population of China, with 2 novel FRAS1 related extracellular matrix 1 (FREM1) gene stop-gain mutations confirmed by whole exome sequencing. Case presentation A 12-year-old Chinese girl presented with facial cleft-like deformities including aberrant hairline, blepharon-coloboma and broad bifid nose since birth. Whole exome sequencing resulted in the identification of 2 novel stop-gain mutations in the FREM1 gene. Diagnosis of MOTA syndrome was then established. Conclusions We discovered the first sporadic case of MOTA syndrome according to clinical manifestations and genetic etiology in the Chinese population. We have identified 2 novel stop-gain mutations in FREM1 gene which further expands the spectrum of mutational seen in the MOTA syndrome. Further research should be conducted for better understanding of its mechanism, establishment of an accurate diagnosis, and eventually the exploitation of a more effective and comprehensive therapeutic intervention for MOTA syndrome.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Sara Mumtaz ◽  
Huma Shehwana ◽  
Sabba Mehmood

Prenatal screening and diagnosis are increasingly becoming a part of medical practice. Prenatal screening can reduce the incidence of birth defects which cause morbidity and mortality in newborns. With emerging technologies, now it is possible to diagnose the genetic basis of birth defects more accurately in the prenatal period for early management. Different approaches are available for detecting genetic defects at different levels like karyotyping, chromosomal microarrays and Sanger sequencing. However, many cases still remain undiagnosed. Next generation sequencing has revolutionized the field of genetics that can detect genetic defects at the level of a single base pair. It includes both whole exome sequencing (WES) and whole genome sequencing (WGS). WES has particularly accelerated the discovery of disease-causing variants in many monogenic anomalies postnatally. Research is being conducted on the use of whole exome sequencing in the prenatal diagnostics of genetic anomalies detected by ultrasound. It is a more efficient way of getting an insight into the molecular basis of birth defects compared with conventional genetic approaches. However, technical and ethical issues need to be addressed before introducing this technique into routine prenatal clinical practice. Fetal cell sampling is done by invasive medical procedures like amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling. However, noninvasive strategy of collecting fetal DNA from maternal plasma is an exciting and emerging domain. It is evident that in the coming years, we shall be able to use these techniques in the routine clinical setting and to improve the diagnosis and management of birth disorders during prenatal period.


Author(s):  
Karin E. M. Diderich ◽  
Kathleen Romijn ◽  
Marieke Joosten ◽  
Lutgarde C. P. Govaerts ◽  
Marike Polak ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elias L. Salfati ◽  
Emily G. Spencer ◽  
Sarah E. Topol ◽  
Evan D. Muse ◽  
Manuel Rueda ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Whole-exome sequencing (WES) has become an efficient diagnostic test for patients with likely monogenic conditions such as rare idiopathic diseases or sudden unexplained death. Yet, many cases remain undiagnosed. Here, we report the added diagnostic yield achieved for 101 WES cases re-analyzed 1 to 7 years after initial analysis. Methods Of the 101 WES cases, 51 were rare idiopathic disease cases and 50 were postmortem “molecular autopsy” cases of early sudden unexplained death. Variants considered for reporting were prioritized and classified into three groups: (1) diagnostic variants, pathogenic and likely pathogenic variants in genes known to cause the phenotype of interest; (2) possibly diagnostic variants, possibly pathogenic variants in genes known to cause the phenotype of interest or pathogenic variants in genes possibly causing the phenotype of interest; and (3) variants of uncertain diagnostic significance, potentially deleterious variants in genes possibly causing the phenotype of interest. Results Initial analysis revealed diagnostic variants in 13 rare disease cases (25.4%) and 5 sudden death cases (10%). Re-analysis resulted in the identification of additional diagnostic variants in 3 rare disease cases (5.9%) and 1 sudden unexplained death case (2%), which increased our molecular diagnostic yield to 31.4% and 12%, respectively. Conclusions The basis of new findings ranged from improvement in variant classification tools, updated genetic databases, and updated clinical phenotypes. Our findings highlight the potential for re-analysis to reveal diagnostic variants in cases that remain undiagnosed after initial WES.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 00213-2020
Author(s):  
Alex Gileles-Hillel ◽  
Hagar Mor-Shaked ◽  
David Shoseyov ◽  
Joel Reiter ◽  
Reuven Tsabari ◽  
...  

The diagnosis of primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) relies on clinical features and sophisticated studies. The detection of bi-allelic disease-causing variants confirms the diagnosis. However, a standardised genetic panel is not widely available and new disease-causing genes are continuously identified.To assess the accuracy of untargeted whole-exome sequencing (WES) as a diagnostic tool for PCD, patients with symptoms highly suggestive of PCD were consecutively included. Patients underwent measurement of nasal nitric oxide (nNO) levels, ciliary transmission electron microscopy analysis (TEM) and WES. A confirmed PCD diagnosis in symptomatic patients was defined as a recognised ciliary ultrastructural defect on TEM and/or two pathogenic variants in a known PCD-causing gene.Forty-eight patients (46% male) were enrolled, with a median age of 10.0 years (range 1.0–37 years). In 36 patients (75%) a diagnosis of PCD was confirmed, of which 14 (39%) patients had normal TEM. A standalone untargeted WES had a diagnostic yield of 94%, identifying bi-allelic variants in 11 known PCD-causing genes in 34 subjects. A nNO<77 nL·min was nonspecific when including patients younger than 5 years (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) 0.75, 95% CI 0.60–0.90). Consecutive WES considerably improved the diagnostic accuracy of nNO in young children (AUC 0.97, 95% CI 0.93–1). Finally, WES established an alternative diagnosis in four patients.In patients with clinically suspected PCD and low nNO levels, WES is a simple, beneficial and accurate next step to confirm the diagnosis of PCD or suggest an alternative diagnosis, especially in preschool-aged children in whom nNO is less specific.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Linlin Zhang ◽  
Jinshuang Gao ◽  
Hailiang Liu ◽  
Yuan Tian ◽  
Xiaoli Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Epilepsy is a group of neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epilepsy is affected by many factors, approximately 20–30% of cases are caused by acquired conditions, but in the remaining cases, genetic factors play an important role. Early establishment of a specific diagnosis is important to treat and manage this disease. Methods In this study, we have recruited 43 epileptic encephalopathy patients and the molecular genetic analysis of those children was performed by whole-exome sequencing (WES). Results Fourteen patients (32.6%, 14/43) had positive genetic diagnoses, including fifteen mutations in fourteen genes. The overall diagnostic yield was 32.6%. A total of 9 patients were diagnosed as pathogenic mutations, including 4 variants had been reported as pathogenic previously and 6 novel variants that had not been reported previously. Therefore, WES heralds promise as a tool for clinical diagnosis of patients with genetic disease. Conclusion Early establishment of a specific diagnosis, on the one hand, is necessary for providing an accurate prognosis and recurrence risk as well as optimizing management and treatment options. On the other hand, to unveil the genetic architecture of epilepsy, it is of vital importance to investigate the phenotypic and genetic complexity of epilepsy.


Blood ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 122 (21) ◽  
pp. 1034-1034
Author(s):  
Tomas Racek ◽  
Jacek Puchalka ◽  
Naschla Kohistani ◽  
Christoph Klein

Abstract Congenital neutropenia (CN) is a heterogeneous disorder. More than 30 distinct genetic defects have been discovered in patients with genetic diseases associated with decreased numbers of peripheral neutrophil granulocytes. Currently, most molecular diagnostic laboratories use Sanger-based sequencing techniques to define disease-causing mutations in patients with CN. In approximately 50% of patients no known genetic disorder can be found. To identify novel genes that can be causative for unexplained CN cases we embarked on next-generation whole-exome sequencing using SOLiD 5500™ and Ion Proton™ sequencers. Up to date we sequenced whole exomes of 49 families, in which children were diagnosed with CN. The fragment libraries were constructed using the SureSelect™ V4+UTRs System (Agilent) allowing us to target whole coding sequence and the majority of UTRs of human genome (approx. 71 Mb). The vast majority of the families were analysed in the “Trio” approach and suitable homozygous or compound heterozygous rare variations (frequency below 1%) in protein coding regions or in splice sites were chosen for further validations. In seven cases mutations previously described as causative for neutropenia were identified including G6PC3, HAX1, and ELANE. Four other rare variants are currently being analysed for their potential to cause CN. In 35 patients, no plausible candidate could be identified so far. When we assessed variants within the genes related to CN, our data revealed unequal coverage pattern over these genes. Around 10% of the exons were insufficiently covered (coverage of less than 10) to allow for reliable variant and genotype call. These facts limit the power of whole exome sequencing as a diagnostic tool, as mutations at the non-covered positions cannot be ruled out, and demonstrate the need of an alternative comprehensive approach. We are currently assessing sensitivity and specificity of a robust, rapid, and cost-effective approach that comprehensively analyses the sequence of 34 CN-relevant genes. Our approach is based on enrichment of specific exon regions by amplification using custom made AmpliSeq™ (Life Technologies) panel. For 25 genes we are able to sequence coding region as well as both UTR sequences, for 9 genes sequencing is limited to coding regions. This approach will provide a reliable, quick, and inexpensive diagnostic strategy for CN patients which will be offered free-of-charge to patients worldwide, independent of ethnic, national, or financial considerations. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document