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 […]
El-Hattab-Alkuraya syndrome caused by biallelic WDR45B pathogenic variants: further delineation of the phenotype and genotype
Clin Genet. 2022 Mar 23. doi: 10.1111/cge.14132. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Homozygous pathogenic variants in WDR45B were first identified in six subjects from three unrelated families with global development delay, refractory seizures, spastic quadriplegia, and brain malformations. Since the initial report in 2018, no further cases have been described. In this report, we present […]
Healthcare Professionals’ Attitudes toward Rapid Whole Genome Sequencing in Pediatric Acute Care
Children. 2022; 9(3):357. Abstract We aimed to characterize knowledge and attitudes about rapid whole genome sequencing (rWGS) implementation of a broad constituency of healthcare professionals at hospitals participating in a statewide initiative to implement rWGS for hospitalized neonates and children up to 18 years of age meeting clinical criteria for testing. We surveyed 307 healthcare […]
Conventional Therapies Deplete Brain-Infiltrating Adaptive Immune Cells in a Mouse Model of Group 3 Medulloblastoma Implicating Myeloid Cells as Favorable Immunotherapy Targets
Front Immunol. 2022 Mar 3;13:837013. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.837013. eCollection 2022. ABSTRACT Medulloblastoma is the most common childhood brain cancer. Mainstay treatments of radiation and chemotherapy have not changed in decades and new treatment approaches are crucial for the improvement of clinical outcomes. To date, immunotherapies for medulloblastoma have been unsuccessful, and studies investigating the immune microenvironment […]
Consolidation of the clinical and genetic definition of a SOX4-related neurodevelopmental syndrome
J Med Genet. 2022 Mar 1:jmedgenet-2021-108375. doi: 10.1136/jmedgenet-2021-108375. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35232796. Abstract Background: A neurodevelopmental syndrome was recently reported in four patients with SOX4 heterozygous missense variants in the high-mobility-group (HMG) DNA-binding domain. The present study aimed to consolidate clinical and genetic knowledge of this syndrome. Methods: We newly identified 17 patients with SOX4 variants, predicted variant pathogenicity […]