1
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Peres A, Lees WD, Rodriguez OL, Lee NY, Polak P, Hope R, Kedmi M, Collins AM, Ohlin M, Kleinstein S, Watson C, Yaari G. IGHV allele similarity clustering improves genotype inference from adaptive immune receptor repertoire sequencing data. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:e86. [PMID: 37548401 PMCID: PMC10484671 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Revised: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023] Open
Abstract
In adaptive immune receptor repertoire analysis, determining the germline variable (V) allele associated with each T- and B-cell receptor sequence is a crucial step. This process is highly impacted by allele annotations. Aligning sequences, assigning them to specific germline alleles, and inferring individual genotypes are challenging when the repertoire is highly mutated, or sequence reads do not cover the whole V region. Here, we propose an alternative naming scheme for the V alleles, as well as a novel method to infer individual genotypes. We demonstrate the strengths of the two by comparing their outcomes to other genotype inference methods. We validate the genotype approach with independent genomic long-read data. The naming scheme is compatible with current annotation tools and pipelines. Analysis results can be converted from the proposed naming scheme to the nomenclature determined by the International Union of Immunological Societies (IUIS). Both the naming scheme and the genotype procedure are implemented in a freely available R package (PIgLET https://bitbucket.org/yaarilab/piglet). To allow researchers to further explore the approach on real data and to adapt it for their uses, we also created an interactive website (https://yaarilab.github.io/IGHV_reference_book).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayelet Peres
- Faculty of Engineering, Bar Ilan University, 5290002 Ramat Gan, Israel
- Bar Ilan Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar Ilan University, 5290002 Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - William D Lees
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Birkbeck College, University of London, London, WC1E 7JE, UK
| | - Oscar L Rodriguez
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY, 40202, USA
| | - Noah Y Lee
- Program in Computational Biology & Bioinformatics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Pazit Polak
- Faculty of Engineering, Bar Ilan University, 5290002 Ramat Gan, Israel
- Bar Ilan Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar Ilan University, 5290002 Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Ronen Hope
- Faculty of Engineering, Bar Ilan University, 5290002 Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Meirav Kedmi
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
- Division of Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, 5262000, Israel
- Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Andrew M Collins
- School of Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Mats Ohlin
- Department of Immunotechnology Lund University, Lund, 221 00, Sweden
| | - Steven H Kleinstein
- Program in Computational Biology & Bioinformatics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Corey T Watson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY, 40202, USA
| | - Gur Yaari
- Faculty of Engineering, Bar Ilan University, 5290002 Ramat Gan, Israel
- Bar Ilan Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar Ilan University, 5290002 Ramat Gan, Israel
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2
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Snir T, Philip H, Gordin M, Zilberberg A, Efroni S. The temporal behavior of the murine T cell receptor repertoire following Immunotherapy. Sci Data 2023; 10:108. [PMID: 36823176 PMCID: PMC9950060 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-023-01982-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy is now an essential tool for cancer treatment, and the unique features of an individual's T cell receptor repertoire are known to play a key role in its effectiveness. The repertoire, famously vast due to a cascade of cellular mechanisms, can be quantified using repertoire sequencing. In this study, we sampled the repertoire over several time points following treatment with anti-CTLA-4, in a syngeniec mouse model for colorectal cancer, generating a longitudinal dataset of T cell clones and their abundance. The dynamics of the repertoire can be observed in response to treatment over a period of four weeks, as clonal expansion of specific clones ascends and descends. The data made available here can be used to determine treatment and predict its effect, while also providing a unique look at the behavior of the immune system over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Snir
- The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Hagit Philip
- The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Miri Gordin
- The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Alona Zilberberg
- The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Sol Efroni
- The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel.
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3
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Mullan KA, Zhang JB, Jones CM, Goh SJ, Revote J, Illing PT, Purcell AW, La Gruta NL, Li C, Mifsud NA. TCR_Explore: A novel webtool for T cell receptor repertoire analysis. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2023; 21:1272-1282. [PMID: 36814721 PMCID: PMC9939424 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2023.01.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
T cells expressing either alpha-beta or gamma-delta T cell receptors (TCR) are critical sentinels of the adaptive immune system, with receptor diversity being essential for protective immunity against a broad array of pathogens and agents. Programs available to profile TCR clonotypic signatures can be limiting for users with no coding expertise. Current analytical pipelines can be inefficient due to manual processing steps, open to data entry errors and have multiple analytical tools with unique inputs that require coding expertise. Here we present a bespoke webtool designed for users irrespective of coding expertise, coined 'TCR_Explore', enabling analysis either derived via Sanger sequencing or next generation sequencing (NGS) platforms. Further, TCR_Explore incorporates automated quality control steps for Sanger sequencing. The creation of flexible and publication ready figures are enabled for different sequencing platforms following universal conversion to the TCR_Explore file format. TCR_Explore will enhance a user's capacity to undertake in-depth TCR repertoire analysis of both new and pre-existing datasets for identification of T cell clonotypes associated with health and disease. The web application is located at https://tcr-explore.erc.monash.edu for users to interactively explore TCR repertoire datasets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerry A. Mullan
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia,Corresponding authors.
| | - Justin B. Zhang
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Claerwen M. Jones
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Shawn J.R. Goh
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Jerico Revote
- Monash eResearch Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Patricia T. Illing
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Anthony W. Purcell
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Nicole L. La Gruta
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Chen Li
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Nicole A. Mifsud
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia,Corresponding authors.
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4
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Andrade DS, Terrematte P, Rennó-Costa C, Zilberberg A, Efroni S. GENTLE: a novel bioinformatics tool for generating features and building classifiers from T cell repertoire cancer data. BMC Bioinformatics 2023; 24:32. [PMID: 36717789 PMCID: PMC9885559 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-023-05155-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In the global effort to discover biomarkers for cancer prognosis, prediction tools have become essential resources. TCR (T cell receptor) repertoires contain important features that differentiate healthy controls from cancer patients or differentiate outcomes for patients being treated with different drugs. Considering, tools that can easily and quickly generate and identify important features out of TCR repertoire data and build accurate classifiers to predict future outcomes are essential. RESULTS This paper introduces GENTLE (GENerator of T cell receptor repertoire features for machine LEarning): an open-source, user-friendly web-application tool that allows TCR repertoire researchers to discover important features; to create classifier models and evaluate them with metrics; and to quickly generate visualizations for data interpretations. We performed a case study with repertoires of TRegs (regulatory T cells) and TConvs (conventional T cells) from healthy controls versus patients with breast cancer. We showed that diversity features were able to distinguish between the groups. Moreover, the classifiers built with these features could correctly classify samples ('Healthy' or 'Breast Cancer')from the TRegs repertoire when trained with the TConvs repertoire, and from the TConvs repertoire when trained with the TRegs repertoire. CONCLUSION The paper walks through installing and using GENTLE and presents a case study and results to demonstrate the application's utility. GENTLE is geared towards any researcher working with TCR repertoire data and aims to discover predictive features from these data and build accurate classifiers. GENTLE is available on https://github.com/dhiego22/gentle and https://share.streamlit.io/dhiego22/gentle/main/gentle.py .
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhiego Souto Andrade
- grid.411233.60000 0000 9687 399XBioinformatics Multidisciplinary Environment (BioME), Metropole Digital Institute (IMD), Federal University of Rio Grande Do Norte (UFRN), Natal, 59078-970 Brazil
| | - Patrick Terrematte
- grid.411233.60000 0000 9687 399XBioinformatics Multidisciplinary Environment (BioME), Metropole Digital Institute (IMD), Federal University of Rio Grande Do Norte (UFRN), Natal, 59078-970 Brazil
| | - César Rennó-Costa
- grid.411233.60000 0000 9687 399XBioinformatics Multidisciplinary Environment (BioME), Metropole Digital Institute (IMD), Federal University of Rio Grande Do Norte (UFRN), Natal, 59078-970 Brazil
| | - Alona Zilberberg
- grid.22098.310000 0004 1937 0503The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Sol Efroni
- grid.22098.310000 0004 1937 0503The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
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5
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McCarthy PM, Valdera FA, Smolinsky TR, Adams AM, O’Shea AE, Thomas KK, Van Decar S, Carpenter EL, Tiwari A, Myers JW, Hale DF, Vreeland TJ, Peoples GE, Stojadinovic A, Clifton GT. Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes as an endpoint in cancer vaccine trials. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1090533. [PMID: 36960052 PMCID: PMC10029975 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1090533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Checkpoint inhibitors have invigorated cancer immunotherapy research, including cancer vaccination. Classic early phase trial design and endpoints used in developing chemotherapy are not suited for evaluating all forms of cancer treatment. Peripheral T cell response dynamics have demonstrated inconsistency in assessing the efficacy of cancer vaccination. Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), reflect the local tumor microenvironment and may prove a superior endpoint in cancer vaccination trials. Cancer vaccines may also promote success in combination immunotherapy treatment of weakly immunogenic tumors. This review explores the impact of TILs as an endpoint for cancer vaccination in multiple malignancies, summarizes the current literature regarding TILs analysis, and discusses the challenges of providing validity and a standardized implementation of this approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick M. McCarthy
- Department of Surgery, Brooke Army Medical Center, Ft. Sam Houston, TX, United States
| | - Franklin A. Valdera
- Department of Surgery, Brooke Army Medical Center, Ft. Sam Houston, TX, United States
| | - Todd R. Smolinsky
- Department of Surgery, Brooke Army Medical Center, Ft. Sam Houston, TX, United States
- *Correspondence: Todd R. Smolinsky, ; Elizabeth L. Carpenter,
| | - Alexandra M. Adams
- Department of Surgery, Brooke Army Medical Center, Ft. Sam Houston, TX, United States
| | - Anne E. O’Shea
- Department of Surgery, Brooke Army Medical Center, Ft. Sam Houston, TX, United States
| | - Katryna K. Thomas
- Department of Surgery, Brooke Army Medical Center, Ft. Sam Houston, TX, United States
| | - Spencer Van Decar
- Department of Surgery, Brooke Army Medical Center, Ft. Sam Houston, TX, United States
| | - Elizabeth L. Carpenter
- Department of Surgery, Brooke Army Medical Center, Ft. Sam Houston, TX, United States
- *Correspondence: Todd R. Smolinsky, ; Elizabeth L. Carpenter,
| | - Ankur Tiwari
- Department of Surgery, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - John W. Myers
- Department of Surgery, Madigan Army Medical Center, Ft. Lewis, WA, United States
| | - Diane F. Hale
- Department of Surgery, Brooke Army Medical Center, Ft. Sam Houston, TX, United States
| | - Timothy J. Vreeland
- Department of Surgery, Brooke Army Medical Center, Ft. Sam Houston, TX, United States
| | | | | | - Guy T. Clifton
- Department of Surgery, Brooke Army Medical Center, Ft. Sam Houston, TX, United States
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6
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Porciello N, Franzese O, D’Ambrosio L, Palermo B, Nisticò P. T-cell repertoire diversity: friend or foe for protective antitumor response? JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL & CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH : CR 2022; 41:356. [PMID: 36550555 PMCID: PMC9773533 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-022-02566-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Profiling the T-Cell Receptor (TCR) repertoire is establishing as a potent approach to investigate autologous and treatment-induced antitumor immune response. Technical and computational breakthroughs, including high throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS) approaches and spatial transcriptomics, are providing unprecedented insight into the mechanisms underlying antitumor immunity. A precise spatiotemporal variation of T-cell repertoire, which dynamically mirrors the functional state of the evolving host-cancer interaction, allows the tracking of the T-cell populations at play, and may identify the key cells responsible for tumor eradication, the evaluation of minimal residual disease and the identification of biomarkers of response to immunotherapy. In this review we will discuss the relationship between global metrics characterizing the TCR repertoire such as T-cell clonality and diversity and the resultant functional responses. In particular, we will explore how specific TCR repertoires in cancer patients can be predictive of prognosis or response to therapy and in particular how a given TCR re-arrangement, following immunotherapy, can predict a specific clinical outcome. Finally, we will examine current improvements in terms of T-cell sequencing, discussing advantages and challenges of current methodologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicla Porciello
- grid.417520.50000 0004 1760 5276Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Unit, IRCCS-Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Ornella Franzese
- grid.6530.00000 0001 2300 0941Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Lorenzo D’Ambrosio
- grid.417520.50000 0004 1760 5276Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Unit, IRCCS-Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Belinda Palermo
- grid.417520.50000 0004 1760 5276Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Unit, IRCCS-Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Nisticò
- grid.417520.50000 0004 1760 5276Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Unit, IRCCS-Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
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7
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Safety and efficacy of atezolizumab with obinutuzumab and bendamustine in previously untreated follicular lymphoma. Blood Adv 2022; 6:5659-5667. [PMID: 35359000 PMCID: PMC9582582 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2021006131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Obinutuzumab (G) chemoimmunotherapy demonstrated improved progression-free survival (PFS) vs rituximab-based chemoimmunotherapy in patients with previously untreated follicular lymphoma (FL) in the GALLIUM trial. Atezolizumab (atezo) is a programmed death-ligand 1 inhibitor with a complementary mechanism of action to G by restoring cytotoxic T-cell function. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of atezo-G-bendamustine in patients with previously untreated FL in a phase Ib/II trial (#NCT02596971). A safety run-in phase was followed by an expansion phase with atezo-G-bendamustine induction and atezo-G maintenance for ≤24 months. Forty patients with previously untreated FL were enrolled and treated with atezo-G-bendamustine. The primary endpoint, complete response (CR) rate, assessed by an independent review committee (IRC; modified Lugano 2014 criteria) was 75.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 61.3% to 85.8%). Three-year investigator-assessed PFS and overall survival rates were 80.9% (95% CI, 63.9% to 90.5%) and 89.3% (95% CI, 73.9% to 95.9%), respectively. At baseline, 21/40 patients had circulating lymphoma-specific clonotypes and underwent repeat testing at end of induction; all were minimal residual disease negative (10-5 sensitivity), with 16 (76.2%) CRs, 3 (14.3%) partial responses, and 2 (9.5%) with stable disease (IRC assessed). Grade 5 (fatal) adverse events (AEs) were reported in 5 patients. The efficacy of atezo-G-bendamustine in previously untreated FL did not appear superior to G-bendamustine efficacy as seen in the GALLIUM trial, and the addition of atezo to G-bendamustine was associated with an increased risk of AEs. Particularly due to the unfavorable safety profile, this regimen cannot be recommended in patients with previously untreated FL. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02596971.
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8
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Dao FY, Lv H, Su W, Sun ZJ, Huang QL, Lin H. iDHS-Deep: an integrated tool for predicting DNase I hypersensitive sites by deep neural network. Brief Bioinform 2021; 22:6158360. [PMID: 33751027 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbab047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2020] [Revised: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
DNase I hypersensitive site (DHS) refers to the hypersensitive region of chromatin for the DNase I enzyme. It is an important part of the noncoding region and contains a variety of regulatory elements, such as promoter, enhancer, and transcription factor-binding site, etc. Moreover, the related locus of disease (or trait) are usually enriched in the DHS regions. Therefore, the detection of DHS region is of great significance. In this study, we develop a deep learning-based algorithm to identify whether an unknown sequence region would be potential DHS. The proposed method showed high prediction performance on both training datasets and independent datasets in different cell types and developmental stages, demonstrating that the method has excellent superiority in the identification of DHSs. Furthermore, for the convenience of related wet-experimental researchers, the user-friendly web-server iDHS-Deep was established at http://lin-group.cn/server/iDHS-Deep/, by which users can easily distinguish DHS and non-DHS and obtain the corresponding developmental stage ofDHS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fu-Ying Dao
- Informational Biology at University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, China
| | - Hao Lv
- Informational Biology at University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, China
| | - Wei Su
- Informational Biology at University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, China
| | - Zi-Jie Sun
- Informational Biology at University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, China
| | - Qin-Lai Huang
- Informational Biology at University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, China
| | - Hao Lin
- Informational Biology at University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, China
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9
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Systemic Inflammation and Tumour-Infiltrating T-Cell Receptor Repertoire Diversity Are Predictive of Clinical Outcome in High-Grade B-Cell Lymphoma with MYC and BCL2 and/or BCL6 Rearrangements. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13040887. [PMID: 33672644 PMCID: PMC7924187 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13040887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Revised: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The current version of the World-Health-Organization (WHO) classification of tumors of hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues acknowledges the provisional entity of high-grade B-cell lymphoma, with MYC and BCL2 and/or BCL6 rearrangements (HGBL-DH/TH) which is associated with dire prognosis compared to triple-negative diffuse-large-B-cell-lymphoma (tnDLBCL). There is growing evidence for the essential prognostic role of the tumor-microenvironment (TME) and especially the extent of tumor-infiltration by the adaptive immune-system through tumor-infiltrating-lymphocytes (TIL) across a variety of cancers. More precisely, the clonal-architecture of the tumor-infiltrating T-cell-receptor (TCR)-repertoire has recently emerged as a key determinant of risk-stratification in patients with hematological malignancies. Moreover, inflammation-based prognostic-scores, such as the Glasgow-prognostic-score (GPS) were shown to reflect the TME. We therefore performed a large scale next-generation-sequencing (NGS) and clinicopathological study of the TCR-β-chain-repertoire in HGBL-DH/TH revealing several entity-exclusive clonotypes distinct from tnDLBCL, suggestive of tumor-neoantigen-selection and correlate our findings with the GPS in context of clinical outcome in HGBL-DH/TH. Abstract High-grade B-cell lymphoma, with MYC and BCL2 and/or BCL6 rearrangements (double/triple-hit high grade B-cell lymphoma, HGBL-DH/TH) constitutes a provisional entity among B-cell malignancies with an aggressive behavior and dire prognosis. While evidence for the essential prognostic role of the composition of the tumor-microenvironment (TME) in hematologic malignancies is growing, its prognostic impact in HGBL-DH/TH remains unknown. In this study, we outline the adaptive immune response in a cohort of 47 HGBL-DH/TH and 27 triple-negative diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (tnDLBCL) patients in a large-scale, next-generation sequencing (NGS) investigation of the T-cell receptor (TCR) β-chain repertoire and supplement our findings with data on the Glasgow-Prognostic Score (GPS) at diagnosis, as a score-derived measure of systemic inflammation. We supplement these studies with an immunophenotypic investigation of the TME. Our findings demonstrate that the clonal architecture of the TCR repertoire of HGBL-DH/TH differs significantly from tnDLBCL. Moreover, several entity-exclusive clonotypes, suggestive of tumor-neoantigen selection are identified. Additionally, both productive clonality and percentage of maximum frequency clone as measures of TCR repertoire diversity and tumor-directed activity of the adaptive immune system had significant impact on overall survival (OS; productive clonality: p = 0.0273; HR: 2.839; CI: 1.124–7.169; maximum productive frequency: p = 0.0307; HR: 2.167; CI: 1.074–4.370) but not PFS (productive clonality: p = 0.4459; maximum productive frequency: p = 0.5567) in HGBL-DH/TH patients, while GPS was a significant predictor of both OS and PFS (OS: p < 0.0001; PFS: p = 0.0002). Subsequent multivariate analysis revealed GPS and the revised international prognostic index (R-IPI) to be the only prognosticators holding significant impact for OS (GPS: p = 0.038; R-IPI: p = 0.006) and PFS (GPS: p = 0.029; R-IPI: p = 0.006) in HGBL-DH/TH. Through the identification of expanded, recurrent and entity-exclusive TCR-clonotypes we provide indications for a distinct subset of tumor-neoantigenic elements exclusively shared among HGBL-DH/TH. Further, we demonstrate an adverse prognostic role for both systemic inflammation and uniform adaptive immune response.
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10
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Rieken J, Bernard V, Witte HM, Peter W, Merz H, Olschewski V, Hertel L, Lehnert H, Biersack H, von Bubnoff N, Feller AC, Gebauer N. Exhaustion of tumour-infiltrating T-cell receptor repertoire diversity is an age-dependent indicator of immunological fitness independently predictive of clinical outcome in Burkitt lymphoma. Br J Haematol 2020; 193:138-149. [PMID: 32945554 DOI: 10.1111/bjh.17083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is an aggressive B-cell-malignancy derived from germinal-centre B-cells. Curative therapy traditionally requires intensive immunochemotherapy. Recently, immuno-oncological approaches, modulating the T-cell tumour response, were approved for the treatment of a variety of malignancies. The architecture of the tumour-infiltrating T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire in BL remains insufficiently characterized. We therefore performed a large-scale, next-generation sequencing study of the complimentary-determining region (CDR)-3 region of the TCRβ chain repertoire in a large cohort of all epidemiological subtypes of BL (n = 82) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL; n = 34). Molecular data were subsequently assessed for correlation with clinical outcome. Our investigations revealed an age-dependent immunoprofile in BL as in DLBCL. Moreover, we found several public clonotypes in numerous patients suggestive of shared tumour neoantigen selection exclusive to BL and distinct from DLBCL regardless of Epstein-Barr virus and/or human immunodeficiency virus status. Compared with baseline, longitudinal analysis unveiled significant repertoire restrictions upon relapse (P = 0·0437) while productive TCR repertoire clonality proved to be a useful indicator of both overall and progression-free-survival [OS: P = 0·0001; hazard ratio (HR): 6·220; confidence interval (CI): 2·263-11·78; PFS: P = 0·0025; HR: 3·086; CI: 1·555-7·030]. Multivariate analysis confirmed its independence from established prognosticators, including age at diagnosis and comorbidities. Our findings establish the clinical relevance of the architecture and clonality of the TCR repertoire and its age-determined dynamics in BL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Rieken
- Department of Haematology and Oncology, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Luebeck, Germany
| | - Veronica Bernard
- Hämatopathologie Lübeck, Reference Centre for Lymph Node Pathology and Haematopathology, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Hanno M Witte
- Department of Haematology and Oncology, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Luebeck, Germany.,Department of Haematology and Oncology, Federal Armed Hospital Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Peter
- HLA Typing Laboratory of the Stefan-Morsch-Foundation, Birkenfeld, Germany
| | - Hartmut Merz
- Hämatopathologie Lübeck, Reference Centre for Lymph Node Pathology and Haematopathology, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Vito Olschewski
- Department of Haematology and Oncology, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Luebeck, Germany
| | - Lars Hertel
- Department of Neuro- and Bioinformatics, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Luebeck, Germany
| | - Hendrik Lehnert
- Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Luebeck, Germany
| | - Harald Biersack
- Department of Haematology and Oncology, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Luebeck, Germany
| | - Nikolas von Bubnoff
- Department of Haematology and Oncology, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Luebeck, Germany
| | - Alfred C Feller
- Hämatopathologie Lübeck, Reference Centre for Lymph Node Pathology and Haematopathology, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Niklas Gebauer
- Department of Haematology and Oncology, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Luebeck, Germany
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11
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De Mattos-Arruda L, Vazquez M, Finotello F, Lepore R, Porta E, Hundal J, Amengual-Rigo P, Ng CKY, Valencia A, Carrillo J, Chan TA, Guallar V, McGranahan N, Blanco J, Griffith M. Neoantigen prediction and computational perspectives towards clinical benefit: recommendations from the ESMO Precision Medicine Working Group. Ann Oncol 2020; 31:978-990. [PMID: 32610166 PMCID: PMC7885309 DOI: 10.1016/j.annonc.2020.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Revised: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The use of next-generation sequencing technologies has enabled the rapid identification of non-synonymous somatic mutations in cancer cells. Neoantigens are mutated peptides derived from somatic mutations not present in normal tissues that may result in the presentation of tumour-specific peptides capable of eliciting antitumour T-cell responses. Personalised neoantigen-based cancer vaccines and adoptive T-cell therapies have been shown to prime host immunity against tumour cells and are under clinical trial development. However, the optimisation and standardisation of neoantigen identification, as well as its delivery as immunotherapy are needed to increase tumour-specific T-cell responses and, thus, the clinical efficacy of current cancer immunotherapies. METHODS In this recommendation article, launched by the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), we outline and discuss the available framework for neoantigen prediction and present a systematic review of the current scientific evidence. RESULTS A number of computational pipelines for neoantigen prediction are available. Most of them provide peptide major histocompatibility complex (MHC) binding affinity predictions, but more recent approaches incorporate additional features like variant allele fraction, gene expression, and clonality of mutations. Neoantigens can be predicted in all cancer types with high and low tumour mutation burden, in part by exploiting tumour-specific aberrations derived from mutational frameshifts, splice variants, gene fusions, endogenous retroelements and other tumour-specific processes that could yield more potently immunogenic tumour neoantigens. Ongoing clinical trials will highlight those cancer types and combinations of immune therapies that would derive the most benefit from neoantigen-based immunotherapies. CONCLUSIONS Improved identification, selection and prioritisation of tumour-specific neoantigens are needed to increase the scope of benefit from cancer vaccines and adoptive T-cell therapies. Novel pipelines are being developed to resolve the challenges posed by high-throughput sequencing and to predict immunogenic neoantigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- L De Mattos-Arruda
- IrsiCaixa, Hospital Universitari Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Spain; Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), Badalona, Spain.
| | - M Vazquez
- Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Barcelona, Spain
| | - F Finotello
- Biocenter, Institute of Bioinformatics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - R Lepore
- Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Barcelona, Spain
| | - E Porta
- Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Barcelona, Spain; Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), Badalona, Spain
| | - J Hundal
- The McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, USA
| | | | - C K Y Ng
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - A Valencia
- Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Barcelona, Spain; Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
| | - J Carrillo
- IrsiCaixa, Hospital Universitari Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Spain; Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), Badalona, Spain
| | - T A Chan
- Center for Immunotherapy and Precision-Immuno-Oncology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, USA
| | - V Guallar
- Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Barcelona, Spain; Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
| | - N McGranahan
- Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, University College London Cancer Institute, University College, London, UK; Cancer Genome Evolution Research Group, University College London Cancer Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | - J Blanco
- IrsiCaixa, Hospital Universitari Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Spain; Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), Badalona, Spain; Universitat de Vic-Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVic-UCC), Vic, Spain
| | - M Griffith
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, USA
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12
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Ritari J, Hyvärinen K, Clancy J, Partanen J, Koskela S. Increasing accuracy of HLA imputation by a population-specific reference panel in a FinnGen biobank cohort. NAR Genom Bioinform 2020; 2:lqaa030. [PMID: 33575586 PMCID: PMC7671345 DOI: 10.1093/nargab/lqaa030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Revised: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 04/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The HLA genes, the most polymorphic genes in the human genome, constitute the strongest single genetic susceptibility factor for autoimmune diseases, transplantation alloimmunity and infections. HLA imputation via statistical inference of alleles based on single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in linkage disequilibrium (LD) with alleles is a powerful first-step screening tool. Due to different LD structures between populations, the accuracy of HLA imputation may benefit from matching the imputation reference with the study population. To evaluate the potential advantage of using population-specific reference in HLA imputation, we constructed an HLA reference panel consisting of 1150 Finns with 5365 major histocompatibility complex region SNPs consistent between genome builds. We evaluated the accuracy of the panel against a European panel in an independent test set of 213 Finnish subjects. We show that the Finnish panel yields a lower imputation error rate (1.24% versus 1.79%). More than 30% of imputation errors occurred in haplotypes enriched in Finland. The frequencies of imputed HLA alleles were highly correlated with clinical-grade HLA allele frequencies and allowed accurate replication of established HLA–disease associations in ∼102 000 biobank participants. The results show that a population-specific reference increases imputation accuracy in a relatively isolated population within Europe and can be successfully applied to biobank-scale genome data collections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jarmo Ritari
- Research and Development, Finnish Red Cross Blood Service, Kivihaantie 7, 00310 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kati Hyvärinen
- Research and Development, Finnish Red Cross Blood Service, Kivihaantie 7, 00310 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jonna Clancy
- Research and Development, Finnish Red Cross Blood Service, Kivihaantie 7, 00310 Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Jukka Partanen
- Research and Development, Finnish Red Cross Blood Service, Kivihaantie 7, 00310 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Satu Koskela
- Research and Development, Finnish Red Cross Blood Service, Kivihaantie 7, 00310 Helsinki, Finland
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13
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Richters MM, Xia H, Campbell KM, Gillanders WE, Griffith OL, Griffith M. Best practices for bioinformatic characterization of neoantigens for clinical utility. Genome Med 2019; 11:56. [PMID: 31462330 PMCID: PMC6714459 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-019-0666-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neoantigens are newly formed peptides created from somatic mutations that are capable of inducing tumor-specific T cell recognition. Recently, researchers and clinicians have leveraged next generation sequencing technologies to identify neoantigens and to create personalized immunotherapies for cancer treatment. To create a personalized cancer vaccine, neoantigens must be computationally predicted from matched tumor-normal sequencing data, and then ranked according to their predicted capability in stimulating a T cell response. This candidate neoantigen prediction process involves multiple steps, including somatic mutation identification, HLA typing, peptide processing, and peptide-MHC binding prediction. The general workflow has been utilized for many preclinical and clinical trials, but there is no current consensus approach and few established best practices. In this article, we review recent discoveries, summarize the available computational tools, and provide analysis considerations for each step, including neoantigen prediction, prioritization, delivery, and validation methods. In addition to reviewing the current state of neoantigen analysis, we provide practical guidance, specific recommendations, and extensive discussion of critical concepts and points of confusion in the practice of neoantigen characterization for clinical use. Finally, we outline necessary areas of development, including the need to improve HLA class II typing accuracy, to expand software support for diverse neoantigen sources, and to incorporate clinical response data to improve neoantigen prediction algorithms. The ultimate goal of neoantigen characterization workflows is to create personalized vaccines that improve patient outcomes in diverse cancer types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan M Richters
- Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Forest Park Avenue, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63108, USA
| | - Huiming Xia
- Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Forest Park Avenue, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63108, USA
| | - Katie M Campbell
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Medical Plaza Driveway, Department of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, USA
| | - William E Gillanders
- Department of Surgery, South Euclid Avenue, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, Parkview Place, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Obi L Griffith
- Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Forest Park Avenue, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63108, USA.
- Siteman Cancer Center, Parkview Place, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
- Department of Genetics, South Euclid Avenue, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
| | - Malachi Griffith
- Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Forest Park Avenue, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63108, USA.
- Siteman Cancer Center, Parkview Place, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
- Department of Genetics, South Euclid Avenue, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
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14
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Chen Y, Chen A. Unveiling the gene regulatory landscape in diseases through the identification of DNase I-hypersensitive sites. Biomed Rep 2019; 11:87-97. [PMID: 31423302 PMCID: PMC6684942 DOI: 10.3892/br.2019.1233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
DNase I-hypersensitive sites (DHSs) serve key roles in the regulation of gene transcription as markers of cis-regulatory elements (CREs). Recent advances in next-generation sequencing have enabled the genome-wide location and annotation of DHSs in a variety of cells. Numerous studies have confirmed that DHSs are involved in several processes in cell fate decision and development. DHSs have also been indicated in cancer and inherited diseases as driver distal regulatory elements. Here, the definition of DHSs is reviewed, in addition to high-throughput methods of DHS identification. Furthermore, the function of DHSs in gene expression is probed. The roles of DHSs in disease occurrence are also reviewed and discussed. Concomitant advances in the identification of essential roles of DHSs will assist in disclosing the underlying molecular mechanisms, supplementing gene transcription and enlarging the molecular basis of DHS-related bioprocesses, phenotypes, distinct traits and diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Chen
- Central Laboratory, The Affiliated Wuxi Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214002, P.R. China
| | - Ailing Chen
- Central Laboratory, The Affiliated Wuxi Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214002, P.R. China
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15
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Rheumatoid arthritis-relevant DNA methylation changes identified in ACPA-positive asymptomatic individuals using methylome capture sequencing. Clin Epigenetics 2019; 11:110. [PMID: 31366403 PMCID: PMC6668183 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-019-0699-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective To compare DNA methylation in subjects positive vs negative for anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA), a key serological marker of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) risk. Methods With banked serum from a random subset (N = 3600) of a large general population cohort, we identified ACPA-positive samples and compared them to age- and sex-matched ACPA-negative controls. We used a custom-designed methylome panel to conduct targeted bisulfite sequencing of 5 million CpGs located in regulatory or hypomethylated regions of DNA from whole blood (red blood cell lysed). Using binomial regression models, we investigated the differentially methylated regions (DMRs) between ACPA-positive vs ACPA-negative subjects. An independent set of T cells from RA patients was used to “validate” the differentially methylated sites. Results We measured DNA methylation in 137 subjects, of whom 63 were ACPA-positive, 66 were ACPA-negative, and 8 had self-reported RA. We identified 1303 DMRs of relevance, of which one third (402) had underlying genetic effects. These DMRs were enriched in intergenic CpG islands (CGI) and CGI shore regions. Furthermore, the genes associated with these DMRs were enriched in pathways related to Epstein-Barr virus infection and immune response. In addition, 80 (38%) of 208 RA-specific DMRs were replicated in T cells from RA samples. Conclusions Sequencing-based high-resolution methylome mapping revealed biologically relevant DNA methylation changes in asymptomatic individuals positive for ACPA that overlap with those seen in RA. Pathway analyses suggested roles for viral infections, which may represent the effect of environmental triggers upstream of disease onset. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13148-019-0699-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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16
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Ritari J, Hyvärinen K, Koskela S, Niittyvuopio R, Nihtinen A, Salmenniemi U, Putkonen M, Volin L, Kwan T, Pastinen T, Itälä-Remes M, Partanen J. Computational Analysis of HLA-presentation of Non-synonymous Recipient Mismatches Indicates Effect on the Risk of Chronic Graft-vs.-Host Disease After Allogeneic HSCT. Front Immunol 2019; 10:1625. [PMID: 31379830 PMCID: PMC6646417 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.01625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2019] [Accepted: 07/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic mismatches in protein coding genes between allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) recipient and donor can elicit an alloimmunity response via peptides presented by the recipient HLA receptors as minor histocompatibility antigens (mHAs). While the impact of individual mHAs on allo-HSCT outcome such as graft-vs.-host and graft-vs.-leukemia effects has been demonstrated, it is likely that established mHAs constitute only a small fraction of all immunogenic non-synonymous variants. In the present study, we have analyzed the genetic mismatching in 157 exome-sequenced sibling allo-HSCT pairs to evaluate the significance of polymorphic HLA class I associated peptides on clinical outcome. We applied computational mismatch estimation approaches based on experimentally verified HLA ligands available in public repositories, published mHAs, and predicted HLA-peptide affinites, and analyzed their associations with chronic graft-vs.-host disease (cGvHD) grades. We found that higher estimated recipient mismatching consistently increased the risk of severe cGvHD, suggesting that HLA-presented mismatching influences the likelihood of long-term complications in the patient. Furthermore, computational approaches focusing on estimation of HLA-presentation instead of all non-synonymous mismatches indiscriminately may be beneficial for analysis sensitivity and could help identify novel mHAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jarmo Ritari
- Finnish Red Cross Blood Service, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Satu Koskela
- Finnish Red Cross Blood Service, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Riitta Niittyvuopio
- Stem Cell Transplantation Unit, Department of Hematology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Anne Nihtinen
- Stem Cell Transplantation Unit, Department of Hematology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Urpu Salmenniemi
- Stem Cell Transplantation Unit, Division of Medicine, Department of Hematology, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Mervi Putkonen
- Stem Cell Transplantation Unit, Division of Medicine, Department of Hematology, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Liisa Volin
- Stem Cell Transplantation Unit, Department of Hematology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tony Kwan
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University and Genome Quebec Innovation Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Tomi Pastinen
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University and Genome Quebec Innovation Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Center for Pediatric Genomic Medicine, Children's Mercy, Kansas City, MO, United States
| | - Maija Itälä-Remes
- Stem Cell Transplantation Unit, Division of Medicine, Department of Hematology, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
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17
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Hoff SNK, Baalsrud HT, Tooming-Klunderud A, Skage M, Richmond T, Obernosterer G, Shirzadi R, Tørresen OK, Jakobsen KS, Jentoft S. Long-read sequence capture of the haemoglobin gene clusters across codfish species. Mol Ecol Resour 2018; 19:245-259. [PMID: 30329222 PMCID: PMC7379720 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.12955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2018] [Revised: 10/05/2018] [Accepted: 10/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Combining high-throughput sequencing with targeted sequence capture has become an attractive tool to study specific genomic regions of interest. Most studies have so far focused on the exome using short-read technology. These approaches are not designed to capture intergenic regions needed to reconstruct genomic organization, including regulatory regions and gene synteny. Here, we demonstrate the power of combining targeted sequence capture with long-read sequencing technology for comparative genomic analyses of the haemoglobin (Hb) gene clusters across eight species separated by up to 70 million years. Guided by the reference genome assembly of the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) together with genome information from draft assemblies of selected codfishes, we designed probes covering the two Hb gene clusters. Use of custom-made barcodes combined with PacBio RSII sequencing led to highly continuous assemblies of the LA (~100 kb) and MN (~200 kb) clusters, which include syntenic regions of coding and intergenic sequences. Our results revealed an overall conserved genomic organization of the Hb genes within this lineage, yet with several, lineage-specific gene duplications. Moreover, for some of the species examined, we identified amino acid substitutions at two sites in the Hbb1 gene as well as length polymorphisms in its regulatory region, which has previously been linked to temperature adaptation in Atlantic cod populations. This study highlights the use of targeted long-read capture as a versatile approach for comparative genomic studies by generation of a cross-species genomic resource elucidating the evolutionary history of the Hb gene family across the highly divergent group of codfishes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siv Nam Khang Hoff
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Helle T Baalsrud
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ave Tooming-Klunderud
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Morten Skage
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | | | | | | | - Ole Kristian Tørresen
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Kjetill S Jakobsen
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Sissel Jentoft
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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18
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Morin A, Madore AM, Kwan T, Ban M, Partanen J, Rönnblom L, Syvänen AC, Sawcer S, Stunnenberg H, Lathrop M, Pastinen T, Laprise C. Exploring rare and low-frequency variants in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean population identified genes associated with asthma and allergy traits. Eur J Hum Genet 2018; 27:90-101. [PMID: 30206357 PMCID: PMC6303288 DOI: 10.1038/s41431-018-0266-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2017] [Revised: 08/08/2018] [Accepted: 08/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean (SLSJ) region is located in northeastern Quebec and is known for its unique demographic history and founder effect. As founder populations are enriched with population-specific variants, we characterized the variants distribution in SLSJ and compared it with four European populations (Finnish, Sweden, United Kingdom and France), of which the Finnish population is another founder population. Targeted sequencing of the coding and non-coding immune regulatory regions of the SLSJ asthma familial cohort and the four European populations were performed. Rare and low-frequency coding and non-coding regulatory variants identified in the SLSJ population were then investigated for variant- and gene-level associations with asthma and allergy-related traits (eosinophil percentage, immunoglobulin (Ig) E levels and lung function). Our data showed that (1) rare or deleterious variants were not enriched in the two founder populations as compared with the three non-founder European populations; (2) a larger proportion of founder population-specific variants occurred with higher frequencies; and (3) low-frequency variants appeared to be more deleterious. Furthermore, a rare variant, rs1386931, located in the 3ʹ-UTR of CXCR6 and intron of FYCO1 was found to be associated with eosinophil percentage. Gene-based analyses identified NRP2, MRPL44 and SERPINE2 to be associated with various asthma and allergy-related traits. Our study demonstrated the usefulness of using a founder population to identify new genes associated with asthma and allergy-related traits; thus better understand the genes and pathways implicated in pathophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andréanne Morin
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada.,McGill University and Genome Québec Innovation Centre, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Département des Sciences Fondamentales, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Saguenay, QC, Canada
| | - Anne-Marie Madore
- Département des Sciences Fondamentales, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Saguenay, QC, Canada
| | - Tony Kwan
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada.,McGill University and Genome Québec Innovation Centre, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Maria Ban
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jukka Partanen
- Research & Development, Finnish Red Cross Blood Service, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Lars Rönnblom
- Department of Medical Sciences, Section of Rheumatology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ann-Christine Syvänen
- Department of Medical Sciences, Molecular Medicine and Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Stephen Sawcer
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Hendrik Stunnenberg
- Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Mark Lathrop
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada.,McGill University and Genome Québec Innovation Centre, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Tomi Pastinen
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada.,McGill University and Genome Québec Innovation Centre, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Center for Pediatric Genomic Medicine, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Catherine Laprise
- Département des Sciences Fondamentales, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Saguenay, QC, Canada. .,Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Saguenay, QC, Canada.
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19
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Genomic prediction of relapse in recipients of allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Leukemia 2018; 33:240-248. [PMID: 30089915 PMCID: PMC6326954 DOI: 10.1038/s41375-018-0229-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2017] [Revised: 06/21/2018] [Accepted: 07/17/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation currently represents the primary potentially curative treatment for cancers of the blood and bone marrow. While relapse occurs in approximately 30% of patients, few risk-modifying genetic variants have been identified. The present study evaluates the predictive potential of patient genetics on relapse risk in a genome-wide manner. We studied 151 graft recipients with HLA-matched sibling donors by sequencing the whole-exome, active immunoregulatory regions, and the full MHC region. To assess the predictive capability and contributions of SNPs and INDELs, we employed machine learning and a feature selection approach in a cross-validation framework to discover the most informative variants while controlling against overfitting. Our results show that germline genetic polymorphisms in patients entail a significant contribution to relapse risk, as judged by the predictive performance of the model (AUC = 0.72 [95% CI: 0.63-0.81]). Furthermore, the top contributing variants were predictive in two independent replication cohorts (n = 258 and n = 125) from the same population. The results can help elucidate relapse mechanisms and suggest novel therapeutic targets. A computational genomic model could provide a step toward individualized prognostic risk assessment, particularly when accompanied by other data modalities.
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20
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Hidden genomic MHC disparity between HLA-matched sibling pairs in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Sci Rep 2018; 8:5396. [PMID: 29599509 PMCID: PMC5876349 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-23682-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2017] [Accepted: 03/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Matching classical HLA alleles between donor and recipient is an important factor in avoiding adverse immunological effects in HSCT. Siblings with no differences in HLA alleles, either due to identical-by-state or identical-by-descent status, are considered to be optimal donors. We carried out a retrospective genomic sequence and SNP analysis of 336 fully HLA-A, -B, -DRB1 matched and 14 partially HLA-matched sibling HSCT pairs to determine the level of undetected mismatching within the MHC segment as well as to map their recombination sites. The genomic sequence of 34 genes locating in the MHC region revealed allelic mismatching at 1 to 8 additional genes in partially HLA-matched pairs. Also, fully matched pairs were found to have mismatching either at HLA-DPB1 or at non-HLA region within the MHC segment. Altogether, 3.9% of fully HLA-matched HSCT pairs had large genomic mismatching in the MHC segment. Recombination sites mapped to certain restricted locations. The number of mismatched nucleotides correlated with the risk of GvHD supporting the central role of full HLA matching in HSCT. High-density genome analysis revealed that fully HLA-matched siblings may not have identical MHC segments and even single allelic mismatching at any classical HLA gene often implies larger genomic differences along MHC.
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21
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Larjo A, Eveleigh R, Kilpeläinen E, Kwan T, Pastinen T, Koskela S, Partanen J. Accuracy of Programs for the Determination of Human Leukocyte Antigen Alleles from Next-Generation Sequencing Data. Front Immunol 2017; 8:1815. [PMID: 29326702 PMCID: PMC5733459 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.01815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2017] [Accepted: 12/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes code for proteins that play a central role in the function of the immune system by presenting peptide antigens to T cells. As HLA genes show extremely high genetic polymorphism, HLA typing at the allele level is demanding and is based on DNA sequencing. Determination of HLA alleles is warranted as HLA alleles are major genetic risk factors in autoimmune diseases and are matched in transplantation. Here, we compared the accuracy of several published HLA-typing algorithms that are based on next-generation sequencing (NGS) data. As genome sequencing is becoming increasingly common in research, we wanted to test how well HLA alleles can be deduced from genome data produced in studies with objectives other than HLA typing and in platforms not especially designed for HLA typing. The accuracies were assessed using datasets consisting of NGS data produced using an in-house sequencing platform, including the full 4 Mbp HLA segment, from 94 stem cell transplantation patients and exome sequences from 63 samples of the 1000 Genomes collection. In the patient dataset, none of the software gave perfect results for all the samples and genes when programs were used with the default settings. However, we found that ensemble prediction of the results or modifications of the settings could be used to improve accuracy. For the exome-only data, most of the algorithms did not perform very well. The results indicate that the use of these algorithms for accurate HLA allele determination is not straightforward when based on NGS data not especially targeted to the HLA typing and their accurate use requires HLA expertise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antti Larjo
- Finnish Red Cross Blood Service, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Robert Eveleigh
- McGill University and Genome Quebec Innovation Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Tony Kwan
- McGill University and Genome Quebec Innovation Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Tomi Pastinen
- McGill University and Genome Quebec Innovation Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Satu Koskela
- Finnish Red Cross Blood Service, Helsinki, Finland
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22
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Cheung WA, Shao X, Morin A, Siroux V, Kwan T, Ge B, Aïssi D, Chen L, Vasquez L, Allum F, Guénard F, Bouzigon E, Simon MM, Boulier E, Redensek A, Watt S, Datta A, Clarke L, Flicek P, Mead D, Paul DS, Beck S, Bourque G, Lathrop M, Tchernof A, Vohl MC, Demenais F, Pin I, Downes K, Stunnenberg HG, Soranzo N, Pastinen T, Grundberg E. Functional variation in allelic methylomes underscores a strong genetic contribution and reveals novel epigenetic alterations in the human epigenome. Genome Biol 2017; 18:50. [PMID: 28283040 PMCID: PMC5346261 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-017-1173-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2017] [Accepted: 02/17/2017] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The functional impact of genetic variation has been extensively surveyed, revealing that genetic changes correlated to phenotypes lie mostly in non-coding genomic regions. Studies have linked allele-specific genetic changes to gene expression, DNA methylation, and histone marks but these investigations have only been carried out in a limited set of samples. Results We describe a large-scale coordinated study of allelic and non-allelic effects on DNA methylation, histone mark deposition, and gene expression, detecting the interrelations between epigenetic and functional features at unprecedented resolution. We use information from whole genome and targeted bisulfite sequencing from 910 samples to perform genotype-dependent analyses of allele-specific methylation (ASM) and non-allelic methylation (mQTL). In addition, we introduce a novel genotype-independent test to detect methylation imbalance between chromosomes. Of the ~2.2 million CpGs tested for ASM, mQTL, and genotype-independent effects, we identify ~32% as being genetically regulated (ASM or mQTL) and ~14% as being putatively epigenetically regulated. We also show that epigenetically driven effects are strongly enriched in repressed regions and near transcription start sites, whereas the genetically regulated CpGs are enriched in enhancers. Known imprinted regions are enriched among epigenetically regulated loci, but we also observe several novel genomic regions (e.g., HOX genes) as being epigenetically regulated. Finally, we use our ASM datasets for functional interpretation of disease-associated loci and show the advantage of utilizing naïve T cells for understanding autoimmune diseases. Conclusions Our rich catalogue of haploid methylomes across multiple tissues will allow validation of epigenome association studies and exploration of new biological models for allelic exclusion in the human genome. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13059-017-1173-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warren A Cheung
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,McGill University and Genome Quebec Innovation Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Xiaojian Shao
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,McGill University and Genome Quebec Innovation Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Andréanne Morin
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,McGill University and Genome Quebec Innovation Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Valérie Siroux
- Team of Environmental Epidemiology applied to Reproduction and Respiratory Health, Inserm U1209, CNRS, University Grenoble Alpes, Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Grenoble, France
| | - Tony Kwan
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,McGill University and Genome Quebec Innovation Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Bing Ge
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,McGill University and Genome Quebec Innovation Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Dylan Aïssi
- Team of Environmental Epidemiology applied to Reproduction and Respiratory Health, Inserm U1209, CNRS, University Grenoble Alpes, Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Grenoble, France
| | - Lu Chen
- Department of Human Genetics, The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1HH, UK.,Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Long Road, Cambridge, CB2 0PT, UK
| | - Louella Vasquez
- Department of Human Genetics, The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1HH, UK
| | - Fiona Allum
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,McGill University and Genome Quebec Innovation Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Frédéric Guénard
- Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods (INAF), Laval University, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Emmanuelle Bouzigon
- Genetic Variation and Human Diseases Unit, UMR-946, INSERM, Université Paris Diderot, Université Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | | | - Elodie Boulier
- McGill University and Genome Quebec Innovation Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Adriana Redensek
- McGill University and Genome Quebec Innovation Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Stephen Watt
- Department of Human Genetics, The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1HH, UK
| | - Avik Datta
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Laura Clarke
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Paul Flicek
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Daniel Mead
- Department of Human Genetics, The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1HH, UK
| | - Dirk S Paul
- UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, 72 Huntley Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.,Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Strangeways Research Laboratory, Worts Causeway, Cambridge, CB1 8RN, UK
| | - Stephan Beck
- UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, 72 Huntley Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Guillaume Bourque
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,McGill University and Genome Quebec Innovation Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Mark Lathrop
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,McGill University and Genome Quebec Innovation Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - André Tchernof
- Québec Heart and Lung Institute, Laval University, Québec, QC, G1V 4G5, Canada
| | - Marie-Claude Vohl
- Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods (INAF), Laval University, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Florence Demenais
- Genetic Variation and Human Diseases Unit, UMR-946, INSERM, Université Paris Diderot, Université Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Isabelle Pin
- Team of Environmental Epidemiology applied to Reproduction and Respiratory Health, Inserm U1209, CNRS, University Grenoble Alpes, Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Grenoble, France.,Pédiatrie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Kate Downes
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Long Road, Cambridge, CB2 0PT, UK.,National Health Service (NHS) Blood and Transplant, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Long Road, Cambridge, CB2 0PT, UK
| | - Hendrick G Stunnenberg
- Faculty of Science, Department of Molecular Biology, Radboud University, Nijmegen, 6525GA, The Netherlands
| | - Nicole Soranzo
- Department of Human Genetics, The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1HH, UK.,Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Long Road, Cambridge, CB2 0PT, UK.,British Heart Foundation Centre of Excellence, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK.,The National Institute for Health Research Blood and Transplant Unit (NIHR BTRU) in Donor Health and Genomics, University of Cambridge, Strangeways Research Laboratory, Wort's Causeway, Cambridge, CB1 8RN, UK
| | - Tomi Pastinen
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. .,McGill University and Genome Quebec Innovation Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
| | - Elin Grundberg
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. .,McGill University and Genome Quebec Innovation Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
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