Gain-of-function variants in the WDR44 gene have recently been associated with an X-linked ciliopathy-related neurodevelopmental phenotype. Here, we report on a WDR44 loss-of-function (LOF) variant identified in the genome sequence from a male fetus enrolled in the Prenatal Genetic Diagnosis by Genomic Sequencing (PrenatalSEQ) multicenter study. The phenotype is consistent with the described X-linked ciliopathy that includes developmental delay, microcephaly, congenital heart defects, kidney abnormalities, cryptorchidism, musculoskeletal abnormalities, craniofacial dysmorphism, and effusions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe vast majority of severe (Type 0) spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) cases are caused by homozygous deletions of survival motor neuron 1 (). We report a case in which the patient has two copies of but clinically presents as Type 0 SMA. The patient is an African American male carrying a homozygous maternally inherited missense variant (c.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), such as intellectual disability (ID) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), exhibit genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity, making them difficult to differentiate without a molecular diagnosis. The Clinical Genome Resource Intellectual Disability/Autism Gene Curation Expert Panel (GCEP) uses systematic curation to distinguish ID/ASD genes that are appropriate for clinical testing (ie, with substantial evidence supporting their relationship to disease) from those that are not.
Methods: Using the Clinical Genome Resource gene-disease validity curation framework, the ID/Autism GCEP classified genes frequently included on clinical ID/ASD testing panels as Definitive, Strong, Moderate, Limited, Disputed, Refuted, or No Known Disease Relationship.
With advances in genomic sequencing technology, the number of reported gene-disease relationships has rapidly expanded. However, the evidence supporting these claims varies widely, confounding accurate evaluation of genomic variation in a clinical setting. Despite the critical need to differentiate clinically valid relationships from less well-substantiated relationships, standard guidelines for such evaluation do not currently exist.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOften papers are published where the underlying data supporting the research are not made available because of the limitations of making such large data sets publicly and permanently accessible. Even if the raw data are deposited in public archives, the essential analysis intermediaries, scripts or software are frequently not made available, meaning the science is not reproducible. The GigaScience journal is attempting to address this issue with the associated data storage and dissemination portal, the GigaScience database (GigaDB).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGenomic structural variation (SV) can be thought of on a continuum from a single base pair insertion/deletion (INDEL) to large megabase-scale rearrangements involving insertions, deletions, duplications, inversions, or translocations of whole chromosomes or chromosome arms. These variants can occur in coding or noncoding DNA, they can be inherited or arise sporadically in the germline or somatic cells. Many of these events are segregating in the population and can be considered common alleles while others are new alleles and thus rare events.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWith the launch of GigaScience journal, here we provide insight into the accompanying database GigaDB, which allows the integration of manuscript publication with supporting data and tools. Reinforcing and upholding GigaScience's goals to promote open-data and reproducibility of research, GigaDB also aims to provide a home, when a suitable public repository does not exist, for the supporting data or tools featured in the journal and beyond.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC) aims to assign a unique and ideally meaningful name and symbol to every human gene. The HGNC database currently comprises over 24 000 public records containing approved human gene nomenclature and associated gene information. Following our recent relocation to the European Bioinformatics Institute our homepage can now be found at http://www.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium (IHGSC) recently completed a sequence of the human genome. As part of this project, we have focused on chromosome 8. Although some chromosomes exhibit extreme characteristics in terms of length, gene content, repeat content and fraction segmentally duplicated, chromosome 8 is distinctly typical in character, being very close to the genome median in each of these aspects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC) aims to give every human gene a unique and ideally meaningful name and symbol. The HGNC database, previously known as Genew, contains over 22,000 public records with approved human gene nomenclature and associated information. The database has undergone major improvements throughout the last year, is publicly available for online searching at http://www.
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