Project description:Chromothripsis represents an extreme class of complex chromosome rearrangements (CCRs) with major effects on chromosomal architecture. Although recent studies have associated chromothripsis with congenital abnormalities, the incidence and pathogenic effects of this phenomenon require further investigation. Here, we analyzed the genomes of three families in which chromothripsis rearrangements were transmitted from a mother to her child. The chromothripsis in the mothers resulted in completely balanced rearrangements involving 8-23 breakpoint junctions across 3-5 chromosomes. Two mothers did not show any phenotypic malformations, although 3-13 protein coding genes were affected by breakpoints. Unbalanced but stable transmission of a subset of the derivative chromosomes caused apparently de novo complex copy number changes in two children. This resulted in gene dosage changes, which are likely responsible for their severe congenital phenotypes. In contrast, one child with severe congenital disease, carried all three chromothripsis chromosomes from his healthy mother, but one of the chromosomes acquired de novo rearrangements leading to copy number changes. These results show that the human genome can tolerate extreme reshuffling of chromosomal architecture, including breakage of multiple protein coding genes, without noticeable phenotypic effects. The presence of chromothripsis in healthy individuals strongly affects reproduction and is expected to substantially increase the risk of spontaneous abortions and severe congenital disease. We analyzed one patient-parent-mother's parents quintet (case 1) and a patient-siblings-parent quintet (case 2) with Illumina beadchip arrays and one patient-parent trio (case 3) to test for (de novo) copy number variants and to analyze the parental origin of the complex rearrangements in these patients. Here, we analyzed one patient-parent-mother's parents quintet to test for (de novo) copy number variants and to analyze the parental origin of the complex rearrangements in these patients.

Project description:Chromosome segregation errors have been linked to DNA damage and genomic rearrangements. Accumulating evidence has shown that catastrophic genomic rearrangements, like chromothripsis, can result from lagging chromosomes undergoing aberrant DNA replication and DNA damage in micronuclei. Detailed characterization of genomic rearrangements resulting from DNA damage in micronuclei has been hampered because of difficulties in culturing daughter cells with DNA damage. Here, we employ a method by which a specific single chromosome is trapped in a micronucleus, followed by transfer to an acceptor cell. Next, stably propagating clonal cell lines with an extra chromosome were established and analyzed by copy number profiling and whole genome sequencing. While non-transformed, p53 proficient and telomerase-immortalized RPE1 cells showed a stable genome following addition of the transferred chromosome, we observed frequent de novo genomic rearrangements in cells derived from the HCT116 colorectal cancer cell line after chromosome transfer. The de novo rearrangements varied from simple deletions and duplications to complex rearrangements. Phase-informative SNPs revealed that the rearrangements specifically occurred on the transferred chromosome. We found that the complex rearrangements recapitulated all features of chromothripsis, including massive oscillation between two copy number states, localization to a single chromosome, random joining of chromosome fragments and non-homologous or micro-homologous repair. We describe an approach that enables the isolation of clonal cell lines with genomic rearrangements and chromothripsis on a specific chromosome in p53 proficient cells. The procedure enables further investigation of the exact mechanism leading to chromothripsis and the analysis of its consequences for cell survival (viability) and cancer development. We analyzed 38 cell clones, originating from HCT116 or RPE1 cells respectively, with Illumina beadchip arrays to test for unique de novo copy number variants and to determine the chromosome affacted by the CNAs.

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Chromothripsis in healthy individuals affects multiple protein-coding genes and can result in severe congenital abnormalities in offspring [case 2]

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