Rare instances of non-random dropout with the monochrome multiplex qPCR assay for mitochondrial DNA copy number

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Y Yang ◽  
Charles E Newcomb ◽  
Stephanie L Battle ◽  
Anthony YY Hsieh ◽  
Hailey L Chapman ◽  
...  

Mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN) is a proxy for mitochondrial function and has been of increasing interest to the mitochondrial research community. There are several ways to measure mtDNA-CN, ranging from whole genome sequencing to qPCR. A recent article from the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics described a novel method for measuring mtDNA-CN that is both inexpensive and reproducible. However, we show that certain individuals, particularly those with very low qPCR mtDNA measurements, show poor concordance between qPCR and whole genome sequencing measurements. After examining whole genome sequencing data, this seems to be due to polymorphisms within the D-loop primer region. Non-concordant mtDNA-CN was observed in all instances of polymorphisms at certain positions in the D-loop primer regions, however, not all positions are susceptible to this effect. In particular, these polymorphisms appear disproportionately in individuals with the L, T, and U mitochondrial haplogroups, indicating non-random dropout.

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (9) ◽  
pp. 1399-1401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Qian ◽  
Thomas J Butler ◽  
Krista Opsahl-Ong ◽  
Nicholas S Giroux ◽  
Carlo Sidore ◽  
...  

2014 ◽  
Vol 13s3 ◽  
pp. CIN.S14023
Author(s):  
Hatice Gulcin Ozer ◽  
Aisulu Usubalieva ◽  
Adrienne Dorrance ◽  
Ayse Selen Yilmaz ◽  
Michael Caligiuri ◽  
...  

The genome-wide discoveries such as detection of copy number alterations (CNA) from high-throughput whole-genome sequencing data enabled new developments in personalized medicine. The CNAs have been reported to be associated with various diseases and cancers including acute myeloid leukemia. However, there are multiple challenges to the use of current CNA detection tools that lead to high false-positive rates and thus impede widespread use of such tools in cancer research. In this paper, we discuss these issues and propose possible solutions. First, since the entire genome cannot be mapped due to some regions lacking sequence uniqueness, current methods cannot be appropriately adjusted to handle these regions in the analyses. Thus, detection of medium-sized CNAs is also being directly affected by these mappability problems. The requirement for matching control samples is also an important limitation because acquiring matching controls might not be possible or might not be cost efficient. Here we present an approach that addresses these issues and detects medium-sized CNAs in cancer genomes by (1) masking unmappable regions during the initial CNA detection phase, (2) using pool of a few normal samples as control, and (3) employing median filtering to adjust CNA ratios to its surrounding coverage and eliminate false positives.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie L Battle ◽  
Daniela Puiu ◽  
Eric Boerwinkle ◽  
Kent Taylor ◽  
Jerome Rotter ◽  
...  

Mitochondrial diseases are a heterogeneous group of disorders that can be caused by mutations in the nuclear or mitochondrial genome. Mitochondrial DNA variants may exist in a state of heteroplasmy, where a percentage of DNA molecules harbor a variant, or homoplasmy, where all DNA molecules have a variant. The relative quantity of mtDNA in a cell, or copy number (mtDNA-CN), is associated with mitochondrial function, human disease, and mortality. To facilitate accurate identification of heteroplasmy and quantify mtDNA-CN, we built a bioinformatics pipeline that takes whole genome sequencing data and outputs mitochondrial variants, and mtDNA-CN. We incorporate variant annotations to facilitate determination of variant significance. Our pipeline yields uniform coverage by remapping to a circularized chrM and recovering reads falsely mapped to nuclear-encoded mitochondrial sequences. Notably, we construct a consensus chrM sequence for each sample and recall heteroplasmy against the sample's unique mitochondrial genome. We observe an approximately 3-fold increased association with age for heteroplasmic variants in non-homopolymer regions and, are better able to capture genetic variation in the D-loop of chrM compared to existing software. Our bioinformatics pipeline more accurately captures features of mitochondrial genetics than existing pipelines that are important in understanding how mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to disease.


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Bordoni ◽  
Vanessa Smerilli ◽  
Cinzia Nasuti ◽  
Rosita Gabbianelli

Abstract Background Since both genomic and environmental factors are involved in obesity etiology, several studies about the influence of adiposity on both nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA methylation patterns have been carried out. Nevertheless, few evidences exploring the usage of buccal swab samples to study mitochondrial DNA epigenetics can be found in literature. Methods In this study, mitochondrial DNA from buccal swabs collected from a young Caucasian population (n = 69) have been used to examine potential correlation between mitochondrial DNA copy number and methylation with body composition (BMI, WHtR and bioimpedance measurements). Results A negative correlation between mitochondrial DNA copy number and BMI was measured in females (p = 0.028), but not in males. The mean percentage of D-loop methylation is significantly higher in overweight than in lean female subjects (p = 0.003), and a specific CpG located in the D-loop shows per se an association with impaired body composition (p = 0.004). Body composition impairment is predicted by a combined variable including mtDNA copy number and the D-loop methylation (AUC = 0.785; p = 0.009). Conclusions This study corroborates the hypothesis that mitochondrial DNA carries relevant information about body composition. However, wider investigations able to validate the usage of mtDNA methylation from buccal swabs as a biomarker are warranted.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isidro Cortés-Ciriano ◽  
June-Koo Lee ◽  
Ruibin Xi ◽  
Dhawal Jain ◽  
Youngsook L. Jung ◽  
...  

SummaryChromothripsis is a newly discovered mutational phenomenon involving massive, clustered genomic rearrangements that occurs in cancer and other diseases. Recent studies in cancer suggest that chromothripsis may be far more common than initially inferred from low resolution DNA copy number data. Here, we analyze the patterns of chromothripsis across 2,658 tumors spanning 39 cancer types using whole-genome sequencing data. We find that chromothripsis events are pervasive across cancers, with a frequency of >50% in several cancer types. Whereas canonical chromothripsis profiles display oscillations between two copy number states, a considerable fraction of the events involves multiple chromosomes as well as additional structural alterations. In addition to non-homologous end-joining, we detect signatures of replicative processes and templated insertions. Chromothripsis contributes to oncogene amplification as well as to inactivation of genes such as mismatch-repair related genes. These findings show that chromothripsis is a major process driving genome evolution in human cancer.


2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 15.9.1-15.9.17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keiran M. Raine ◽  
Peter Van Loo ◽  
David C. Wedge ◽  
David Jones ◽  
Andrew Menzies ◽  
...  

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