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In recent years, gene fusions have gained significant recognition as biomarkers. They can assist treatment decisions, are seldom found in normal tissue and are detectable through Next-generation sequencing (NGS) of the transcriptome (RNA-seq). To transform the data provided by the sequencer into robust gene fusion detection several analysis steps are needed. Usually the first step is to map the sequenced transcript fragments (RNA-seq) to a reference genome. One standard application of this approach is to estimate expression and detect variants within known genes, e.g. SNPs and indels. In case of gene fusions, however, completely novel gene structures have to be detected. Here, we describe the detection of such gene fusion events based on our comprehensive transcript annotation (ElDorado). To demonstrate the utility of our approach, we extract gene fusion candidates from eight breast cancer cell lines, which we compare to experimentally verified gene fusions. We discuss several gene fusion events, like BCAS3-BCAS4 that was only detected in the breast cancer cell line MCF7. As supporting evidence we show that gene fusions occur more frequently in copy number enriched regions (CNV analysis). In addition, we present the Transcriptome Viewer (TViewer) a tool that allows to interactively visualize gene fusions. Finally, we support detected gene fusions through literature mining based annotations and network analyses. In conclusion, we present a platform that allows detecting gene fusions and supporting them through literature knowledge as well as rich visualization capabilities. This enables scientists to better understand molecular processes, biological functions and disease associations, which will ultimately lead to better biomedical knowledge for the development of biomarkers for diagnostics and therapies.

LitInspector is a literature search tool providing gene and signal transduction pathway mining within NCBI's PubMed database. The automatic gene recognition and color coding increases the readability of abstracts and significantly speeds up literature research. A main challenge in gene recognition is the resolution of homonyms and rejection of identical abbreviations used in a 'non-gene' context. LitInspector uses automatically generated and manually refined filtering lists for this purpose. The quality of the LitInspector results was assessed with a published dataset of 181 PubMed sentences. LitInspector achieved a precision of 96.8%, a recall of 86.6% and an F-measure of 91.4%. To further demonstrate the homonym resolution qualities, LitInspector was compared to three other literature search tools using some challenging examples. The homonym MIZ-1 (gene IDs 7709 and 9063) was correctly resolved in 87% of the abstracts by LitInspector, whereas the other tools achieved recognition rates between 35% and 67%. The LitInspector signal transduction pathway mining is based on a manually curated database of pathway names (e.g. wingless type), pathway components (e.g. WNT1, FZD1), and general pathway keywords (e.g. signaling cascade). The performance was checked for 10 randomly selected genes. Eighty-two per cent of the 38 predicted pathway associations were correct. LitInspector is freely available at http://www.litinspector.org/.

5-methylcytosine (5mC) is converted to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) by the TET family of enzymes as part of a recently discovered active DNA de-methylation pathway. 5hmC plays important roles in regulation of gene expression and differentiation and has been implicated in T cell malignancies and autoimmunity. Here, we report early and widespread 5mC/5hmC remodeling during human CD4(+) T cell differentiation ex vivo at genes and cell-specific enhancers with known T cell function. We observe similar DNA de-methylation in CD4(+) memory T cells in vivo, indicating that early remodeling events persist long term in differentiated cells. Underscoring their important function, 5hmC loci were highly enriched for genetic variants associated with T cell diseases and T-cell-specific chromosomal interactions. Extensive functional validation of 22 risk variants revealed potentially pathogenic mechanisms in diabetes and multiple sclerosis. Our results support 5hmC-mediated DNA de-methylation as a key component of CD4(+) T cell biology in humans, with important implications for gene regulation and lineage commitment. Funding Agencies|Swedish Research Council; Ake Wibergs Foundation; Cancerfonden; Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen; Technische Universitat Munchen; Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC); CEFIC; Medical Research Council (MRC)

To elucidate the role of hepatic cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (POR) in lipid metabolism, we characterized perturbations in lipid homeostasis in a mouse model deficient in liver POR. Using an integrative approach in which transcriptomics, lipidomics, and various bioinformatic algorithms were employed, a disruption in liver lipid mobilization, oxidation, and electron transport functions were identified. Analyzing the promoters of genes in these biological processes identified common binding motifs for nuclear receptors sensitive to lipid status, while Srebp-1c binding sites were only identified in genes involved in lipid metabolism. POR-null mice had drastic increases in hepatic lipid content (diacylglycerols, triacylglycerols, phosphatidylcholine, and cholesterol esters) and a specific enrichment in n-7 and n-9 monounsaturated fatty acids (FAs). It was found that while transporters involved in peroxisomal FA oxidation were induced, mitochondrial oxidation appeared to be more tightly controlled, supporting the increase in monounsaturated FAs. Genes coding for hepatic transporters were differentially expressed, where lipid uptake was induced and efflux repressed, indicating that in the absence of hepatic POR the liver serves as a lipid reservoir. Furthermore, while significant changes in intestinal gene expression were found in POR-deficient mice, only minor changes to plasma and intestinal lipid content were observed. Thus, while liver POR plays an important role regulating gene expression and lipid metabolism locally, the hepatic deficiency of this enzyme reverberates throughout the biological system and produces a coordinated response to the low levels of circulating cholesterol and bile.

Evaluation of cancer genomes in global context is of great interest in light of changing ethnic distribution of the world population. We focused our study on men of African ancestry because of their disproportionately higher rate of prostate cancer (CaP) incidence and mortality. We present a systematic whole genome analyses, revealing alterations that differentiate African American (AA) and Caucasian American (CA) CaP genomes. We discovered a recurrent deletion on chromosome 3q13.31 centering on the LSAMP locus that was prevalent in tumors from AA men (cumulative analyses of 435 patients: whole genome sequence, 14; FISH evaluations, 101; and SNP array, 320 patients). Notably, carriers of this deletion experienced more rapid disease progression. In contrast, PTEN and ERG common driver alterations in CaP were significantly lower in AA prostate tumors compared to prostate tumors from CA. Moreover, the frequency of inter-chromosomal rearrangements was significantly higher in AA than CA tumors. These findings reveal differentially distributed somatic mutations in CaP across ancestral groups, which have implications for precision medicine strategies.

SummaryGenome-wide association studies have revealed numerous risk loci associated with diverse diseases. However, identification of disease-causing variants within association loci remains a major challenge. Divergence in gene expression due to cis-regulatory variants in noncoding regions is central to disease susceptibility. We show that integrative computational analysis of phylogenetic conservation with a complexity assessment of co-occurring transcription factor binding sites (TFBS) can identify cis-regulatory variants and elucidate their mechanistic role in disease. Analysis of established type 2 diabetes risk loci revealed a striking clustering of distinct homeobox TFBS. We identified the PRRX1 homeobox factor as a repressor of PPARG2 expression in adipose cells and demonstrate its adverse effect on lipid metabolism and systemic insulin sensitivity, dependent on the rs4684847 risk allele that triggers PRRX1 binding. Thus, cross-species conservation analysis at the level of co-occurring TFBS provides a valuable contribution to the translation of genetic association signals to disease-related molecular mechanisms.

Phototransduction machinery in vertebrate photoreceptors is contained within the membrane discs of outer segments. Daily renewal of 10% of photoreceptor outer segments requires stringent control of gene expression. Rhodopsin constitutes over 90% of the protein in rod discs, and its altered expression or transport is associated with photoreceptor dysfunction and/or death. Two cis-regulatory sequences have been identified upstream of the rhodopsin transcription start site. While the proximal promoter binds to specific transcription factors, including NRL and CRX, the rhodopsin enhancer region (RER) reportedly contributes to precise and high-level expression of rhodopsin in vivo. Here, we report the identification of RER-bound proteins by mass spectrometry. We validate the binding of NonO (p54(nrb)), a protein implicated in coupling transcription to splicing, and three NonO-interacting proteins-hnRNP M, Ywhaz and Ppp1ca. NonO and its interactors can activate rhodopsin promoter in HEK293 cells and function synergistically with NRL and CRX. DNA-binding domain of NonO is critical for rhodopsin promoter activation. Chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by deep sequencing (ChIP-seq) analysis demonstrates high occupancy of NonO at rhodopsin and a subset of phototransduction genes. Furthermore, shRNA knockdown of NonO in mouse retina leads to loss of rhodopsin expression and rod cell death, which can be partially rescued by a C-terminal NonO construct. RNA-seq analysis of the NonO shRNA-treated retina revealed splicing defects and altered expression of genes, specifically those associated with phototransduction. Our studies identify an important contribution of NonO and its interacting modulator proteins in enhancing rod-specific gene expression and controlling rod homeostasis.

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.-- et al., [Background]: There is tremendous potential for genome sequencing to improve clinical diagnosis and care once it becomes routinely accessible, but this will require formalizing research methods into clinical best practices in the areas of sequence data generation, analysis, interpretation and reporting. The CLARITY Challenge was designed to spur convergence in methods for diagnosing genetic disease starting from clinical case history and genome sequencing data. DNA samples were obtained from three families with heritable genetic disorders and genomic sequence data were donated by sequencing platform vendors. The challenge was to analyze and interpret these data with the goals of identifying disease-causing variants and reporting the findings in a clinically useful format. Participating contestant groups were solicited broadly, and an independent panel of judges evaluated their performance. [Results]: A total of 30 international groups were engaged. The entries reveal a general convergence of practices on most elements of the analysis and interpretation process. However, even given this commonality of approach, only two groups identified the consensus candidate variants in all disease cases, demonstrating a need for consistent fine-tuning of the generally accepted methods. There was greater diversity of the final clinical report content and in the patient consenting process, demonstrating that these areas require additional exploration and standardization. [Conclusions]: The CLARITY Challenge provides a comprehensive assessment of current practices for using genome sequencing to diagnose and report genetic diseases. There is remarkable convergence in bioinformatic techniques, but medical interpretation and reporting are areas that require further development by many groups., This work was supported by funds provided through the Gene Partnership and the Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research at Boston Children’s Hospital and the Center for Biomedical Informatics at Harvard Medical School and by generous donations in-kind of genomic sequencing services by Life Technologies (Carlsbad, CA, USA) and Complete Genomics (Mountain View, CA, USA).

INTRODUCTION: Disproportionately higher rates of prostate cancer (CaP) incidence and mortality have been reported among African American (AA) men. Although oncogenic TMPRSS2-ERG gene fusion and deletion of the PTEN tumor suppressor gene are established cancer driver gene alterations in CaP, they are known to be more prevalent among men of European ancestry. By utilizing carefully annotated specimens, this study focused on the discovery of recurrent genomic alterations in CaP of AA men in comparison to Caucasian Americans (CA). METHODS: Genomic DNA from clinically localized primary prostate tumors (Gleason 6 or 7 with primary pattern 3) and matched peripheral blood lymphocytes of seven AA and seven CA patients, were analyzed by paired-end sequencing on Illumina Genome Analyzer IIx to a depth of 30x. Following alignment to reference genome, somatic alterations on tumor DNA that include single nucleotide variants (SNVs), insertion and deletions (Indels), structural variations, copy number variations, and inter- and intra-chromosomal translocations of tumor DNA sequence were identified. To confirm prevalent genomic deletions we performed FISH analysis on a tissue microarray constructed from 42 AA and 59 CA tumor and normal samples of an independent cohort. Frequently deleted loci were further validated by analysis of TCGA CaP SNP array data from 41 AA and 279 CA prostate tumors. RESULTS: A comparative evaluation of whole genome sequences of AA and CA CaP revealed a prevalent deletion of the LSAMP locus of chromosome 3q13.31 in AA CaP. These observations were confirmed by SNP array and FISH assays in independent cohorts of specimens. AA CaP patients with LSAMP deletion showed rapid disease progression. In contrast to higher frequency of LSAMP deletion, significantly lower frequencies of PTEN and ERG alterations were noted in CaP of AA men. Furthermore, CaP genomes of AA men displayed a higher rate of inter-chromosomal rearrangements than those from CA men. CONCLUSIONS: We highlight distinct features of AA and CA CaP genomes including common CaP driver genes (TMPRSS2- ERG, PTEN) and define a novel recurrent deletion of the LSAMP locus. This study underscores the need for careful evaluations of cancer genomes in underrepresented populations in the global context with implications for precision medicine strategies. Citation Format: Albert Dobi, Gyorgy Petrovics, Hua Li, Shyh-Han Tan, Tanja Stümpel, Denise Young, Shilpa Katta, Qiyuan Li, Kai Ying, Bernward Klocke, Lakshmi Ravindranath, Indu Kohaar, Yongmei Chen, Dezső Ribli, Korbinian Grote, Hau Zou, Joseph Cheng, Clifton L. Dalgard, Shimin Zhang, István Csabai, Jacob Kagan, David Takeda, Massimo Loda, Sudhir Srivastava, Matthias Scherf, Martin Seifert, Timo Gaiser, David G. McLeod, Zoltan Szallasi, Reinhard Ebner, Thomas Werner, Isabell A. Sesterhenn, Matthew Freedman, Shiv Srivastava. LSAMP gene deletion is associated with rapid disease progression in prostate cancer of African American men. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 140.

Zn finger proteins (ZFPs) of the C2/H2 type in Xenopus laevis are encoded by a multigene family comprising several hundred members. Based upon conserved sequence features outside the Zn finger region, ZFPs can be subdivided into distinct subfamilies. Two of such subfamilies are characterized by conserved, N-terminal amino acid sequences termed the FAX and the FAR Domain. Here we present data suggesting that the zinc finger proteins of the FAR-ZFP subfamily are targets for CK II mediated phosphorylation. Expression of these proteins during oogenesis coincides with CK II activity in unfertilized eggs. Additionally, we have found that XlcOF 7.1, a member of the FAX-ZFP subfamily, is also phosphorylated by CK II. The target sites for in vitro phosphorylation are localized within the conserved N-terminal domains but not within the Zn finger regions. However, amino acid sequence comparison revealed that individual phosphoacceptor sites are not generally conserved among all members of the respective ZFP subfamilies. The relevance of a potential CK II phosphorylation for the regulation of ZFP activity in vivo is discussed.

The function of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) in mediating the biological effect to environmental pollutants is well established. However, accumulated evidence indicates a wide range of physiological and pathological functions mediated by the AhR, suggesting the existence of endogenous AhR ligand(s). The nature of an AhR ligand remain elusive; however, it is known that the AhR is activated by several compounds, such as 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin or the tryptophan photoproduct 6-formylindolo[3,2-b]carbazole. In this study, we show that physiological concentrations of tryptamine (TA) lead to induction of cytochrome P4501A1 transcription through an AhR-dependent mechanism. In addition, we show that activation of the AhR by TA requires a functional monoamino oxidase system, suggesting that TA acts as an AhR proligand possibly by converting to a high-affinity AhR ligand. Taken together, we show a possible mechanism, through which AhR signaling is activated by endogenous conversion of TA involving monoamine oxidases.

A stringent control of homeostasis is critical for functional maintenance and survival of neurons. In the mammalian retina, the basic motif leucine zipper transcription factor NRL determines rod versus cone photoreceptor cell fate and activates the expression of many rod-specific genes. Here, we report an integrated analysis of NRL-centered gene regulatory network by coupling chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by high-throughput sequencing (ChIP–Seq) data from Illumina and ABI platforms with global expression profiling and in vivo knockdown studies. We identified approximately 300 direct NRL target genes. Of these, 22 NRL targets are associated with human retinal dystrophies, whereas 95 mapped to regions of as yet uncloned retinal disease loci. In silico analysis of NRL ChIP–Seq peak sequences revealed an enrichment of distinct sets of transcription factor binding sites. Specifically, we discovered that genes involved in photoreceptor function include binding sites for both NRL and homeodomain protein CRX. Evaluation of 26 ChIP–Seq regions validated their enhancer functions in reporter assays. In vivo knockdown of 16 NRL target genes resulted in death or abnormal morphology of rod photoreceptors, suggesting their importance in maintaining retinal function. We also identified histone demethylase Kdm5b as a novel secondary node in NRL transcriptional hierarchy. Exon array analysis of flow-sorted photoreceptors in which Kdm5b was knocked down by shRNA indicated its role in regulating rod-expressed genes. Our studies identify candidate genes for retinal dystrophies, define cis-regulatory module(s) for photoreceptor-expressed genes and provide a framework for decoding transcriptional regulatory networks that dictate rod homeostasis., Author Summary The rod and cone photoreceptors in the retina are highly specialized neurons that capture photons under dim and bright light, respectively. Loss of rod photoreceptors is an early clinical manifestation in most retinal neurodegenerative diseases that eventually result in cone cell death and blindness. The transcription factor NRL is a key regulator of rod photoreceptor cell fate and gene expression. Here, we report an integrated analysis of the global transcriptional targets of NRL. We have discovered that both NRL and CRX binding sites are present in genes involved in photoreceptor function, implying their close synergistic relationship. In vivo loss-of-function analysis of 16 NRL target genes in the mouse retina resulted in death or abnormal morphology of photoreceptor cells. Furthermore, we identified histone demethylase Kdm5b as a secondary node in the NRL-centered gene regulatory network. Our studies identify NRL target genes as excellent candidates for mutation screening of patients with retinal degenerative diseases, and they provide the foundation for elucidating regulation of rod homeostasis and targets for therapeutic intervention in diseases involving photoreceptor dysfunction.

The zinc finger motif defines a large superfamily of nucleic acid binding proteins. Conserved amino acid sequence elements associated with structurally variant zinc finger clusters define subfamilies of zinc finger proteins (ZFPs). The FAR domain (Finger Associated Repeats) is a novel type of repeat element found at the amino-terminus in a subfamily of Xenopus laevis ZFPs. Northern blot analyses of three different members of the FAR subfamily (XFO 6, XFO 9-3 and XFG 68) revealed that each of these genes is transcribed during oogenesis, embryogenesis and in all investigated tissues of adult animals thereby indicating a ubiquitous distribution of transcripts. All FAR-ZFPs tested so far have specific RNA homopolymer binding activity; they associate preferentially with poly(U). The FAR repeats possess limited primary sequence homology with a sequence in the nucleolar shuttling protein NO38, within a region that contains a casein kinase II phosphorylation site.

A gene family encoding the fork head/HNF-3 domain has been identified in the South African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis. Screening of genomic DNA and gastrula stage derived cDNA libraries with a DNA fragment encoding the Drosophila fork head domain led to the isolation of a number of different clones encoding this motif. While one of the Xenopus fork head sequences, XFD-3, represents the Xenopus counterpart to rat HNF-3 beta, all other sequences encode novel types of fork head related proteins. Here we report on XFD-1, a DNA binding protein which can bind to the HNF-3 alpha target sequence. Analysis of temporal and spatial expression revealed that the gene is activated at blastula stage and that transcripts are localized in a rather thin stripe of cells invaginating the dorsal blastopore lip (organizer) during gastrulation. XFD-1 mRNA is localized within the notochord and, by the end of neurulation, is no longer detectable. In the animal cap assay the gene is activated by incubation with the vegetalizing factor (activin A) but not with bFGF.

Motivation: Promoter analysis is an essential step on the way to identify regulatory networks. A prerequisite for successful promoter analysis is the prediction of potential transcription factor binding sites (TFBS) with reasonable accuracy. The next steps in promoter analysis can be tackled only with reliable predictions, e.g. finding phylogenetically conserved patterns or identifying higher order combinations of sites in promoters of co-regulated genes. Results: We present a new version of the program MatInspector that identifies TFBS in nucleotide sequences using a large library of weight matrices. By introducing a matrix family concept, optimized thresholds, and comparative analysis, the enhanced program produces concise results avoiding redundant and false-positive matches. We describe a number of programs based on MatInspector allowing in-depth promoter analysis (DiAlignTF, FrameWorker) and targeted design of regulatory sequences (SequenceShaper). Availability: MatInspector and the other programs described here can be used online at http://www.genomatix.de/matinspector.html. Access is free after registration within certain limitations (e.g. the number of analysis per month is currently limited to 20 analyses of arbitrary sequences). Contact: cartharius@genomatix.de Supplementary information: http://www.genomatix.de/matinspector.html