scholarly journals The utility of whole exome sequencing in diagnosing pediatric neurological disorders

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 17-24
Author(s):  
OY Muthaffar

Abstract Pediatric neurological disorders have a wide spectrum of clinical presentations and can be challenging to diagnose. Whole exome sequencing (WES) is increasingly becoming an integral diagnostic tool in medicine. It is cost-effective and has high diagnostic yield, especially in consanguineous populations. This study aims to review WES results and its value in diagnosing neurological disorders. A retrospective chart review was performed for WES results between the period of January 2018 to November 2019. Whole exome sequencing was requested for children with unexplained neurological signs and symptoms such as epilepsy, developmental delay, visual impairment, spasticity, hypotonia and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain changes. It was conducted for children in a pediatric neurology clinic of a tertiary center at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Twenty-six children with undiagnosed neurological conditions were identified and underwent WES diagnosis. Nineteen patients (73.0%) of the cohort were diagnosed with pathogenic variants, likely pathogenic variants or variants of unknown significance (VUS). Consanguinity was positive in 18 families of the cohort (69.0%). Seven patients showed homozygous mutations. Five patients had heterozygous mutations. There were six patients with VUS and six patients had negative WES results. Whole exome sequencing showed a high diagnostic rate in this group of children with variable neurological disorders.

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elias L. Salfati ◽  
Emily G. Spencer ◽  
Sarah E. Topol ◽  
Evan D. Muse ◽  
Manuel Rueda ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Whole-exome sequencing (WES) has become an efficient diagnostic test for patients with likely monogenic conditions such as rare idiopathic diseases or sudden unexplained death. Yet, many cases remain undiagnosed. Here, we report the added diagnostic yield achieved for 101 WES cases re-analyzed 1 to 7 years after initial analysis. Methods Of the 101 WES cases, 51 were rare idiopathic disease cases and 50 were postmortem “molecular autopsy” cases of early sudden unexplained death. Variants considered for reporting were prioritized and classified into three groups: (1) diagnostic variants, pathogenic and likely pathogenic variants in genes known to cause the phenotype of interest; (2) possibly diagnostic variants, possibly pathogenic variants in genes known to cause the phenotype of interest or pathogenic variants in genes possibly causing the phenotype of interest; and (3) variants of uncertain diagnostic significance, potentially deleterious variants in genes possibly causing the phenotype of interest. Results Initial analysis revealed diagnostic variants in 13 rare disease cases (25.4%) and 5 sudden death cases (10%). Re-analysis resulted in the identification of additional diagnostic variants in 3 rare disease cases (5.9%) and 1 sudden unexplained death case (2%), which increased our molecular diagnostic yield to 31.4% and 12%, respectively. Conclusions The basis of new findings ranged from improvement in variant classification tools, updated genetic databases, and updated clinical phenotypes. Our findings highlight the potential for re-analysis to reveal diagnostic variants in cases that remain undiagnosed after initial WES.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 00213-2020
Author(s):  
Alex Gileles-Hillel ◽  
Hagar Mor-Shaked ◽  
David Shoseyov ◽  
Joel Reiter ◽  
Reuven Tsabari ◽  
...  

The diagnosis of primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) relies on clinical features and sophisticated studies. The detection of bi-allelic disease-causing variants confirms the diagnosis. However, a standardised genetic panel is not widely available and new disease-causing genes are continuously identified.To assess the accuracy of untargeted whole-exome sequencing (WES) as a diagnostic tool for PCD, patients with symptoms highly suggestive of PCD were consecutively included. Patients underwent measurement of nasal nitric oxide (nNO) levels, ciliary transmission electron microscopy analysis (TEM) and WES. A confirmed PCD diagnosis in symptomatic patients was defined as a recognised ciliary ultrastructural defect on TEM and/or two pathogenic variants in a known PCD-causing gene.Forty-eight patients (46% male) were enrolled, with a median age of 10.0 years (range 1.0–37 years). In 36 patients (75%) a diagnosis of PCD was confirmed, of which 14 (39%) patients had normal TEM. A standalone untargeted WES had a diagnostic yield of 94%, identifying bi-allelic variants in 11 known PCD-causing genes in 34 subjects. A nNO<77 nL·min was nonspecific when including patients younger than 5 years (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) 0.75, 95% CI 0.60–0.90). Consecutive WES considerably improved the diagnostic accuracy of nNO in young children (AUC 0.97, 95% CI 0.93–1). Finally, WES established an alternative diagnosis in four patients.In patients with clinically suspected PCD and low nNO levels, WES is a simple, beneficial and accurate next step to confirm the diagnosis of PCD or suggest an alternative diagnosis, especially in preschool-aged children in whom nNO is less specific.


Author(s):  
L Gauquelin ◽  
T Hartley ◽  
M Tarnopolsky ◽  
DA Dyment ◽  
B Brais ◽  
...  

Background: Cerebellar atrophy is characterized by loss of cerebellar tissue, with evidence on brain imaging of enlarged interfolial spaces compared to the foliae. Genetic ataxias associated with cerebellar atrophy are a heterogeneous group of disorders. We investigated the prevalence in Canada and the diagnostic yield of whole exome sequencing (WES) for this group of conditions. Methods: Between 2011 and 2017, WES was performed in 91 participants with cerebellar atrophy as part of one of two national research programs, Finding of Rare Genetic Disease Genes (FORGE) or Enhanced Care for Rare Genetic Diseases in Canada (Care4Rare). Results: A genetic diagnosis was established in 58% of cases (53/91). Pathogenic variants were found in 24 known genes, providing a diagnosis for 46/53 participants (87%), and in four novel genes, accounting for 7/53 cases (13%). 38/91 cases (42%) remained unsolved. The most common diagnoses were channelopathies in 12/53 patients (23%) and mitochondrial disorders in 9/53 (17%). Inheritance was autosomal recessive in the majority of cases. Additional clinical findings provided useful clues to some of the diagnoses. Conclusions: This is the first report on the prevalence of genetic ataxias associated with cerebellar atrophy in Canada, and the utility of WES for this group of conditions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 106 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heming Wei ◽  
Angeline Lai ◽  
Ee Shien Tan ◽  
Mark Jean Aan Koh ◽  
Ivy Ng ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo test the utility and diagnostic yield of a medical-exome gene panel for identifying pathogenic variants in Mendelian disorders.MethodsNext-generation sequencing was performed with the TruSight One gene panel (targeting 4813 genes) followed by MiSeq sequencing on 216 patients who presented with suspected genetic disorders as assessed by their attending physicians.ResultsThere were 56 pathogenic and 36 likely pathogenic variants across 57 genes identified in 87 patients. Causal mutations were more likely to be truncating and from patients with a prior clinical diagnosis. Another 18 promising variants need further evaluation for more evidence to meet the requirement for potential upgrade to pathogenic. Forty-five of the 92 clinically significant variants were novel.ConclusionThe 40.3% positive yield compares favourably with similar studies using either this panel or whole exome sequencing, demonstrating that large gene panels could be a good alternative to whole exome sequencing for quick genetic confirmation of Mendelian disorders.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeong Eun Lee ◽  
WooYeong Chung ◽  
BoLyun Lee ◽  
SooHyun Ku ◽  
Ga Won Jeon ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose: Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology is a highthroughput method for genome sequencing which assists clinicians with diagnosis of patients with suspected genetic disorders. This study was to investigate diagnostic yield and clinical utility of whole exome sequencing prospectively in the rare genetic diseases. Method: WES was performed a total of 178 patients with suspected genetic disorder. Buccal swab samples were collected from the patients to extract genomic DNA. WES and variant interpretation was conducted in 3 Billion Inc (Seoul, Republic of Korea), based on their own software. Patients’ phenotype was interpreted by clinical geneticists. Results: WES reported 117 variants (66.7%). According to the ACMG/AMP guidelines, there were 25 pathogenic variants (14%), 37 likely pathogenic variants (32%), and 55 VUS (31%). Among the 117 patients who detected variants, genotype-phenotype correlation was analyzed and resulted that 44 (38%) were found to be apparently causal mutation of the disease, 37 (32%) were not considered the cause of the disease, and 36 (31%) were withheld judgement. Of the VUS variants, 13% were likely to be the causal variants of the disease considering phenotype of patients. Conclusion: This study showed 38% of diagnostic yield in patients with unidentified genetic condition by using prospective WES based on automating variant interpretation system. In the diagnosis of rare genetic disease, we identified the need for a multi-disciplinary team to select appropriate subjects and interpret the clinical significance of the found genetic variants.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Peng ◽  
Shuting Yang ◽  
Xiaoliang Huang ◽  
Jialun Pang ◽  
Jing Liu ◽  
...  

Background: Skeletal dysplasias (SDs) are a heterogeneous group of genetic disorders that primarily affect bone and cartilage. This study aims to identify the genetic causes for fetal SDs, and evaluates the diagnostic yield of prenatal whole-exome sequencing (WES) for this disorder.Methods: WES was performed on 38 fetuses with sonographically identified SDs and normal results of karyotype and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis. Candidate variants were selected by bioinformatics analysis, and verified by Sanger sequencing.Results: WES revealed pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants associated with SDs in 65.79% (25/38) of fetuses, variants of uncertain significance (VUS) in SDs-related genes in 10.53% (4/38) cases, and incidental findings in 31.58% (12/38) fetuses. The SDs-associated variants identified in the present study affected 10 genes, and 35.71% (10/28) of the variants were novel.Conclusion: WES has a high diagnostic rate for prenatal SDs, which improves pregnancy management, prenatal counseling and recurrence risk assessment for future pregnancies. The newly identified variants expanded mutation spectrum of this disorder.


Author(s):  
Adam L. Numis ◽  
Gilberto da Gente ◽  
Elliott H. Sherr ◽  
Hannah C. Glass

Abstract Background The contribution of pathogenic gene variants with development of epilepsy after acute symptomatic neonatal seizures is not known. Methods Case–control study of 20 trios in children with a history of acute symptomatic neonatal seizures: 10 with and 10 without post-neonatal epilepsy. We performed whole-exome sequencing (WES) and identified pathogenic de novo, transmitted, and non-transmitted variants from established and candidate epilepsy association genes and correlated prevalence of these variants with epilepsy outcomes. We performed a sensitivity analysis with genes associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). We analyzed variants throughout the exome to evaluate for differential enrichment of functional properties using exploratory KEGG searches. Results Querying 200 established and candidate epilepsy genes, pathogenic variants were identified in 5 children with post-neonatal epilepsy yet in only 1 child without subsequent epilepsy. There was no difference in the number of trios with non-transmitted pathogenic variants in epilepsy or CAD genes. An exploratory KEGG analysis demonstrated a relative enrichment in cell death pathways in children without subsequent epilepsy. Conclusions In this pilot study, children with epilepsy after acute symptomatic neonatal seizures had a higher prevalence of coding variants with a targeted epilepsy gene sequencing analysis compared to those patients without subsequent epilepsy. Impact We performed whole-exome sequencing (WES) in 20 trios, including 10 children with epilepsy and 10 without epilepsy, both after acute symptomatic neonatal seizures. Children with post-neonatal epilepsy had a higher burden of pathogenic variants in epilepsy-associated genes compared to those without post-neonatal epilepsy. Future studies evaluating this association may lead to a better understanding of the risk of epilepsy after acute symptomatic neonatal seizures and elucidate molecular pathways that are dysregulated after brain injury and implicated in epileptogenesis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Meyer ◽  
Matthias Begemann ◽  
Christian Thomas Hübner ◽  
Daniela Dey ◽  
Alma Kuechler ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Silver-Russell syndrome (SRS) is an imprinting disorder which is characterised by severe primordial growth retardation, relative macrocephaly and a typical facial gestalt. The clinical heterogeneity of SRS is reflected by a broad spectrum of molecular changes with hypomethylation in 11p15 and maternal uniparental disomy of chromosome 7 (upd(7)mat) as the most frequent findings. Monogenetic causes are rare, but a clinical overlap with numerous other disorders has been reported. However, a comprehensive overview on the contribution of mutations in differential diagnostic genes to phenotypes reminiscent to SRS is missing due to the lack of appropriate tests. With the implementation of next generation sequencing (NGS) tools this limitation can now be circumvented. Main body We analysed 75 patients referred for molecular testing for SRS by a NGS-based multigene panel, whole exome sequencing (WES), and trio-based WES. In 21/75 patients a disease-causing variant could be identified among them variants in known SRS genes (IGF2, PLAG1, HMGA2). Several patients carried variants in genes which have not yet been considered as differential diagnoses of SRS. Conclusions WES approaches significantly increase the diagnostic yield in patients referred for SRS testing. Several of the identified monogenetic disorders have a major impact on clinical management and genetic counseling.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Ka-Yee Kwong ◽  
Mandy Ho-Yin Tsang ◽  
Jasmine Lee-Fong Fung ◽  
Christopher Chun-Yu Mak ◽  
Kate Lok-San Chan ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Movement disorders are a group of heterogeneous neurological diseases including hyperkinetic disorders with unwanted excess movements and hypokinetic disorders with reduction in the degree of movements. The objective of our study is to investigate the genetic etiology of a cohort of paediatric patients with movement disorders by whole exome sequencing and to review the potential treatment implications after a genetic diagnosis. Results We studied a cohort of 31 patients who have paediatric-onset movement disorders with unrevealing etiologies. Whole exome sequencing was performed and rare variants were interrogated for pathogenicity. Genetic diagnoses have been confirmed in 10 patients with disease-causing variants in CTNNB1, SPAST, ATP1A3, PURA, SLC2A1, KMT2B, ACTB, GNAO1 and SPG11. 80% (8/10) of patients with genetic diagnosis have potential treatment implications and treatments have been offered to them. One patient with KMT2B dystonia showed clinical improvement with decrease in dystonia after receiving globus pallidus interna deep brain stimulation. Conclusions A diagnostic yield of 32% (10/31) was reported in our cohort and this allows a better prediction of prognosis and contributes to a more effective clinical management. The study highlights the potential of implementing precision medicine in the patients.


Author(s):  
J Fonseca ◽  
C Melo ◽  
C Ferreira ◽  
M Sampaio ◽  
R Sousa ◽  
...  

AbstractEarly infantile epileptic encephalopathy-64 (EIEE 64), also called RHOBTB2-related developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE), is caused by heterozygous pathogenic variants (EIEE 64; MIM#618004) in the Rho-related BTB domain-containing protein 2 (RHOBTB2) gene. To date, only 13 cases with RHOBTB2-related DEE have been reported. We add to the literature the 14th case of EIEE 64, identified by whole exome sequencing, caused by a heterozygous pathogenic variant in RHOBTB2 (c.1531C > T), p.Arg511Trp. This additional case supports the main features of RHOBTB2-related DEE: infantile-onset seizures, severe intellectual disability, impaired motor functions, postnatal microcephaly, recurrent status epilepticus, and hemiparesis after seizures.


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