Monoallelic and biallelic mutations in RELN underlie a graded series of neurodevelopmental disorders
Brain. 2022 Jun 30:awac164. doi: 10.1093/brain/awac164. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Reelin, a large extracellular protein, plays several critical roles in brain development and function. It is encoded by RELN, first identified as the gene disrupted in the reeler mouse, a classic neurological mutant exhibiting ataxia, tremors and a ‘reeling’ gait. In humans, biallelic variants […]
Endocannabinoid dysfunction in neurological disease: neuro-ocular DAGLA-related syndrome (NODRS)
Brain. 2022 Jun 23:awac223. doi: 10.1093/brain/awac223. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT The endocannabinoid system is a highly conserved and ubiquitous signaling pathway with broad ranging effects. Despite critical pathway functions, gene variants have not previously been conclusively linked to human disease. We identified nine children from eight families with heterozygous, de novo truncating variants in […]
Better and Faster is Cheaper
Hum Mutat. 2022 Jun 20. doi: 10.1002/humu.24422. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT The rapid pace of advancement in genomic sequencing technology has recently reached a new milestone, with a record-setting time to molecular diagnosis of a mere eight hours. The catalyst behind this achievement is the accumulation of evidence indicating that quicker results more often […]
The Role of Genome Sequencing in Neonatal Intensive Care Units
Annu Rev Genomics Hum Genet. 2022 Jun 8. doi: 10.1146/annurev-genom-120921-103442. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Genetic diseases disrupt the functionality of an infant’s genome during fetal-neonatal adaptation and represent a leading cause of neonatal and infant mortality in the United States. Due to disease acuity, gene locus and allelic heterogeneity, and overlapping and diverse clinical […]
A phenotypic spectrum of autism is attributable to the combined effects of rare variants, polygenic risk and sex
Nat Genet. 2022 Jun 2. doi: 10.1038/s41588-022-01064-5. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT The genetic etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is multifactorial, but how combinations of genetic factors determine risk is unclear. In a large family sample, we show that genetic loads of rare and polygenic risk are inversely correlated in cases and greater in […]
Coming in from the cold: overcoming the hostile immune microenvironment of medulloblastoma
Genes Dev. 2022 May 1;36(9-10):514-532. doi: 10.1101/gad.349538.122. ABSTRACT Medulloblastoma is an aggressive brain tumor that occurs predominantly in children. Despite intensive therapy, many patients die of the disease, and novel therapies are desperately needed. Although immunotherapy has shown promise in many cancers, the low mutational burden, limited infiltration of immune effector cells, and immune-suppressive microenvironment […]
A genome-wide association study of obstructive heart defects among participants in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study
Am J Med Genet A. 2022 Apr 22. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.a.62759. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Obstructive heart defects (OHDs) share common structural lesions in arteries and cardiac valves, accounting for ~25% of all congenital heart defects. OHDs are highly heritable, resulting from interplay among maternal exposures, genetic susceptibilities, and epigenetic phenomena. A genome-wide association study […]
Somatic mosaicism reveals clonal distributions of neocortical development
Nature. 2022 Apr 20. doi: 10.1038/s41586-022-04602-7. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT The structure of the human neocortex underlies species-specific traits and reflects intricate developmental programs. Here we sought to reconstruct processes that occur during early development by sampling adult human tissues. We analysed neocortical clones in a post-mortem human brain through a comprehensive assessment of […]
Best practices for the interpretation and reporting of clinical whole genome sequencing
NPJ Genom Med. 2022 Apr 8;7(1):27. doi: 10.1038/s41525-022-00295-z. ABSTRACT Whole genome sequencing (WGS) shows promise as a first-tier diagnostic test for patients with rare genetic disorders. However, standards addressing the definition and deployment practice of a best-in-class test are lacking. To address these gaps, the Medical Genome Initiative, a consortium of leading health care and […]
Efficacy of Caffeine in ADCY5-Related Dyskinesia: A Retrospective Study
Mov Disord. 2022 Apr 5. doi: 10.1002/mds.29006. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: ADCY5-related dyskinesia is characterized by early-onset movement disorders. There is currently no validated treatment, but anecdotal clinical reports and biological hypotheses suggest efficacy of caffeine. OBJECTIVE: The aim is to obtain further insight into the efficacy and safety of caffeine in patients […]