Recombinant Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist Is an Effective First-Line Treatment Strategy in New-Onset Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, Irrespective of HLA-DRB1 Background and IL1RN Variants

OBJECTIVE

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DRB1*15:01 has been recently associated with interstitial lung disease (LD), eosinophilia, and drug reactions in systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA). Additionally, genetic variants in IL1RN have been linked to poor response to anakinra. We sought to reproduce these findings in a prospective cohort study of patients with new-onset sJIA treated with anakinra as first-line therapy.

METHODS

HLA and IL1RN risk alleles were identified via whole-genome sequencing. Treatment responses and complications were compared between carriers versus noncarriers.

RESULTS

Seventeen of 65 patients (26%) carried HLA-DRB1*15:01, comparable with the general population, and there was enrichment for HLA-DRB1*11:01, a known risk locus for sJIA. The rates of clinical inactive disease (CID) at 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years were generally high, irrespective of HLA-DRB1 or IL1RN variants, but significantly lower in carriers of an HLA-DRB1*11:01 allele. One patient, an HLA-DRB1*15:01 carrier, developed sJIA-LD. Of the three patients with severe drug reactions to biologics, one carried HLA-DRB1*15:01. The prevalence of eosinophilia did not significantly differ between HLA-DRB1*15:01 carriers and noncarriers at disease onset (6.2% vs 14.9%, P = 0.67) nor after the start of anakinra (35.3% vs 37.5% in the first 2 years of disease).

CONCLUSION

We observed high rates of CID using anakinra as first-line treatment irrespective of HLA-DRB1 or IL1RN variants. Only one of the 17 HLA-DRB1*15:01 carriers developed sJIA-LD, and of the three patients with drug reactions to biologics, only one carried HLA-DRB1*15:01. Although thorough monitoring for the development of drug hypersensitivity and refractory disease courses in sJIA, including sJIA-LD, remains important, our data support the early start of biologic therapy in patients with new-onset sJIA irrespective of HLA-DRB1 background or IL1RN variants.

Lack of Evidence for the Role of the p.(Ser96Ala) Polymorphism in Histidine-Rich Calcium Binding Protein as a Secondary Hit in Cardiomyopathies

Inherited forms of arrhythmogenic and dilated cardiomyopathy (ACM and DCM) are characterized by variable disease expression and age-related penetrance. Calcium (Ca2+) is crucially important for proper cardiac function, and dysregulation of Ca2+ homeostasis seems to underly cardiomyopathy etiology. A polymorphism, c.286T>G p.(Ser96Ala), in the gene encoding the histidine-rich Ca2+ binding (HRC) protein, relevant for sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ cycling, has previously been associated with a marked increased risk of life-threatening arrhythmias among idiopathic DCM patients. Following this finding, we investigated whether p.(Ser96Ala) affects major cardiac disease manifestations in carriers of the phospholamban (PLN) c.40_42delAGA; p.(Arg14del) pathogenic variant (cohort 1); patients diagnosed with, or predisposed to, ACM (cohort 2); and DCM patients (cohort 3). We found that the allele frequency of the p.(Ser96Ala) polymorphism was similar across the general European-American population (control cohort, 40.3-42.2%) and the different cardiomyopathy cohorts (cohorts 1-3, 40.9-43.9%). Furthermore, the p.(Ser96Ala) polymorphism was not associated with life-threatening arrhythmias or heart failure-related events across various patient cohorts. We therefore conclude that there is a lack of evidence supporting the important role of the HRC p.(Ser96Ala) polymorphism as a modifier in cardiomyopathy, refuting previous findings. Further research is required to identify bona fide genomic predictors for the stratification of cardiomyopathy patients and their risk for life-threatening outcomes.

Identification of novel genetic risk factors of dilated cardiomyopathy: from canine to human

BACKGROUND

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a life-threatening heart disease and a common cause of heart failure due to systolic dysfunction and subsequent left or biventricular dilatation. A significant number of cases have a genetic etiology; however, as a complex disease, the exact genetic risk factors are largely unknown, and many patients remain without a molecular diagnosis.

METHODS

We performed GWAS followed by whole-genome, transcriptome, and immunohistochemical analyses in a spontaneously occurring canine model of DCM. Canine gene discovery was followed up in three human DCM cohorts.

RESULTS

Our results revealed two independent additive loci associated with the typical DCM phenotype comprising left ventricular systolic dysfunction and dilatation. We highlight two novel candidate genes, RNF207 and PRKAA2, known for their involvement in cardiac action potentials, energy homeostasis, and morphology. We further illustrate the distinct genetic etiologies underlying the typical DCM phenotype and ventricular premature contractions. Finally, we followed up on the canine discoveries in human DCM patients and discovered candidate variants in our two novel genes.

CONCLUSIONS

Collectively, our study yields insight into the molecular pathophysiology of DCM and provides a large animal model for preclinical studies.

National external quality assessment for next-generation sequencing-based diagnostics of primary immunodeficiencies

Dutch genome diagnostic centers (GDC) use next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based diagnostic applications for the diagnosis of primary immunodeficiencies (PIDs). The interpretation of genetic variants in many PIDs is complicated because of the phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity. To analyze uniformity of variant filtering, interpretation, and reporting in NGS-based diagnostics for PID, an external quality assessment was performed. Four main Dutch GDCs participated in the quality assessment. Unannotated variant call format (VCF) files of two PID patient analyses per laboratory were distributed among the four GDCs, analyzed, and interpreted (eight analyses in total). Variants that would be reported to the clinician and/or advised for further investigation were compared between the centers. A survey measuring the experiences of clinical laboratory geneticists was part of the study. Analysis of samples with confirmed diagnoses showed that all centers reported at least the variants classified as likely pathogenic (LP) or pathogenic (P) variants in all samples, except for variants in two genes (PSTPIP1 and BTK). The absence of clinical information complicated correct classification of variants. In this external quality assessment, the final interpretation and conclusions of the genetic analyses were uniform among the four participating genetic centers. Clinical and immunological data provided by a medical specialist are required to be able to draw proper conclusions from genetic data.

Genetics-first approach improves diagnostics of ESKD patients younger than 50 years

BACKGROUND

Often only CKD patients with high likelihood of genetic disease are offered genetic testing. Early genetic testing could obviate the need for kidney biopsies, allowing for adequate prognostication and treatment. To test the viability of a 'genetics first' approach for CKD, we performed genetic testing in a group of kidney transplant recipients <50 years, irrespective of cause of transplant.

METHODS

From a cohort of 273 transplant patients, we selected 110 that were in care in the UMC Utrecht, had DNA available and were without clear-cut non-genetic disease. Forty patients had been diagnosed with a genetic disease prior to enrollment, in 70 patients we performed a whole exome sequencing based 379 gene panel analysis.

RESULTS

Genetic analysis yielded a diagnosis in 51%. Extrapolated to the 273 patient cohort, who did not all fit the inclusion criteria, the diagnostic yield was still 21%. Retrospectively, in 43% of biopsied patients the kidney biopsy would not have had added diagnostic value if genetic testing had been performed as a first tier diagnostic.

CONCLUSIONS

Burden of monogenic disease in transplant patients with ESKD of any cause prior to the age of 50 is between 21 and 51%. Early genetic testing can provide a non-invasive diagnostic, impacting prognostication and treatment and obviating the need for an invasive biopsy. We conclude that in patients who one expects to develop ESKD prior to the age of 50, genetic testing should be considered as first mode of diagnostics.

Modifier genes in SCN1A-related epilepsy syndromes

Background

SCN1A is one of the most important epilepsy‐related genes, with pathogenic variants leading to a range of phenotypes with varying disease severity. Different modifying factors have been hypothesized to influence SCN1A‐related phenotypes. We investigate the presence of rare and more common variants in epilepsy‐related genes as potential modifiers of SCN1A‐related disease severity.

Methods

87 patients with SCN1A‐related epilepsy were investigated. Whole‐exome sequencing was performed by the Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI). Functional variants in 422 genes associated with epilepsy and/or neuronal excitability were investigated. Differences in proportions of variants between the epilepsy genes and four control gene sets were calculated, and compared to the proportions of variants in the same genes in the ExAC database.

Results

Statistically significant excesses of variants in epilepsy genes were observed in the complete cohort and in the combined group of mildly and severely affected patients, particularly for variants with minor allele frequencies of <0.05. Patients with extreme phenotypes showed much greater excesses of epilepsy gene variants than patients with intermediate phenotypes.

Conclusion

Our results indicate that relatively common variants in epilepsy genes, which would not necessarily be classified as pathogenic, may play a large role in modulating SCN1A phenotypes. They may modify the phenotypes of both severely and mildly affected patients. Our results may be a first step toward meaningful testing of modifier gene variants in regular diagnostics for individual patients, to provide a better estimation of disease severity for newly diagnosed patients.

Assessment of parental mosaicism in SCN1A-related epilepsy by single-molecule molecular inversion probes and next-generation sequencing

Background

Dravet syndrome is a severe genetic encephalopathy, caused by pathogenic variants in SCN1A. Low-grade parental mosaicism occurs in a substantial proportion of families (7%–13%) and has important implications for recurrence risks. However, parental mosaicism can remain undetected by methods regularly used in diagnostics. In this study, we use single-molecule molecular inversion probes (smMIP), a technique with high sensitivity for detecting low-grade mosaic variants and high cost-effectiveness, to investigate the incidence of parental mosaicism of SCN1A variants in a cohort of 90 families and assess the feasibility of this technique.

Methods

Deep sequencing of SCN1A was performed using smMIPs. False positive rates for each of the proband’s pathogenic variants were determined in 145 unrelated samples. If parents showed corresponding variant alleles at a significantly higher rate than the established noise ratio, mosaicism was confirmed by droplet digital PCR (ddPCR).

Results

Sequence coverage of at least 100× at the location of the corresponding pathogenic variant was reached for 80 parent couples. The variant ratio was significantly higher than the established noise ratio in eight parent couples, of which four (5%) were regarded as true mosaics, based on ddPCR results. The false positive rate of smMIP analysis without ddPCR was therefore 50%. Three of these variants had previously been considered de novo in the proband by Sanger sequencing.

Conclusion

smMIP technology combined withnext generation sequencing (NGS) performs better than Sanger sequencing in the detection of parental mosaicism. Because parental mosaicism has important implications for genetic counselling and recurrence risks, we stress the importance of implementing high-sensitivity NGS-based assays in standard diagnostics.

BRAF mutation-specific promoter methylation of FOX genes in colorectal cancer

Background

Cancer-specific hypermethylation of (promoter) CpG islands is common during the tumorigenesis of colon cancer. Although associations between certain genetic aberrations, such as BRAF mutation and microsatellite instability, and the CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP), have been found, the mechanisms by which these associations are established are still unclear. We studied genome-wide DNA methylation differences between colorectal tumors carrying a BRAF mutation and BRAF wildtype tumors.

Results

Using differential methylation hybridization on oligonucleotide microarrays representing 32,171 CpG-rich regions, we identified 1,770 regions with differential methylation between colorectal tumor and paired normal colon. Next, we compared the tumor/normal methylation ratios between different groups of patients. Related to CIMP, we identified 749 differentially methylated regions, of which 86% had a higher tumor/normal methylation ratio in the CIMP-positive group. We identified 758 regions with a BRAF mutation-specific methylation change, of which 96% had a higher tumor/normal methylation ratio in the BRAF mutant group. Among the genes affected by BRAF mutation-specific methylation changes, we found enrichment of several cancer-related pathways, including the PI3 kinase and Wnt signaling pathways. To focus on genes that are silenced in a tumor-specific rather than a lineage-specific manner, we used information on the epigenetic silencing mark H3K27me³ in embryonic stem (ES) cells. Among the genes showing BRAF mutation-specific promoter methylation but no H3K27me³ mark in ES cells were forkhead box (FOX) transcription factors associated with the PI3 kinase pathway, as well as MLH1 and SMO. Repression of FOXD3 gene expression in tumors could be related to its promoter hypermethylation.

Conclusions

We identified new BRAF mutation-specific methylation changes in colorectal cancer. Epigenetic downregulation of these targets may contribute to mutationally active BRAF-driven tumorigenesis, explaining its association with aberrant DNA methylation.