Genomic Mosaicism Formed by Somatic Variation in the Aging and Diseased Brain.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Costantino I
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8305509 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Since the discovery of DNA, the normal developing and functioning brain has been assumed to be composed of cells with identical genomes, which remains the dominant view even today. However, this pervasive assumption is incorrect, as proven by increasing numbers of reports within the last 20 years that have identified multiple forms of somatically produced genomic mosaicism (GM), wherein brain cells-especially neurons-from a single individual show diverse alterations in DNA, distinct from the germline. Critically, these changes alter the actual DNA nucleotide sequences-in contrast to epigenetic mechanisms-and almost certainly contribute to the remarkably diverse phenotypes of single brain cells, including single-cell transcriptomic profiles. Here, we review the history of GM within the normal brain, including its major forms, initiating mechanisms, and possible functions. GM forms include aneuploidies and aneusomies, smaller copy number variations (CNVs), long interspersed nuclear element type 1 (LINE1) repeat elements, and single nucleotide variations (SNVs), as well as DNA content variation (DCV) that reflects all forms of GM with greatest coverage of large, brain cell populations. In addition, technical considerations are examined, along with relationships among GM forms and multiple brain diseases. GM affecting genes and loci within the brain contrast with current neural discovery approaches that rely on sequencing nonbrain DNA (e.g., genome-wide association studies (GWAS)). Increasing knowledge of neural GM has implications for mechanisms of development, diversity, and function, as well as understanding diseases, particularly considering the overwhelming prevalence of sporadic brain diseases that are unlinked to germline mutations. © 2018 The Authors. Developmental Neurobiology Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol, 2018.
| S-EPMC6214721 | biostudies-other
Project description:Genetic variation is responsible for the generation of phenotypic diversity, including susceptibility to disease. Two major types of variation are known: single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and a more recently discovered structural variation, involving changes in copy number (CNVs) of kilobase- to megabase-sized chromosomal segments. Variation caused by CNVs has exceeded the amount of SNP-based differences expected to exist between two unrelated humans. Furthermore, many CNVs have been associated with disease predisposition. It is unknown whether CNVs arise in somatic cells, but it is, however, generally assumed that normal cells are genetically identical. Here we show that CNVs are frequent in healthy somatic cells of adult humans. We tested 34 tissue samples from three subjects and, having analyzed for each tissue <10-6 of all cells expected in an adult human, we observed at least six CNVs, affecting a single organ or one or more tissues of the same subject. The CNVs ranged from 82-176 kb, often encompassing known genes, potentially affecting gene function. Our results point to a paradigm shift in the genetics of somatic cells and indicate that humans are commonly affected by somatic mosaicism for stochastic CNVs, which occur in a substantial fraction of cells. A considerable number of phenotypes and diseases affecting humans are a consequence of a somatic process. Thus, our conclusions will be important for the delineation of genetic factors behind these phenotypes. Consequently, biobanks should consider sampling multiple tissues in order to better address mosaicism in the studies of somatic disorders. Furthermore, forensic medicine laboratories should be sensitized to the issue of underestimated frequency of somatic CNV mosaicism. Keywords: copy number variation (CNV), phenotype diversity, somatic cells
2008-09-16 | GSE9598 | GEO
Project description:Brain somatic mutations are an increasingly recognized cause of epilepsy, brain malformations and autism spectrum disorders and may be a hidden cause of other neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. At present, brain mosaicism can be detected only in the rare situations of autopsy or brain biopsy. Liquid biopsy using cell-free DNA derived from cerebrospinal fluid has detected somatic mutations in malignant brain tumours. Here, we asked if cerebrospinal fluid liquid biopsy can be used to detect somatic mosaicism in non-malignant brain diseases. First, we reliably quantified cerebrospinal fluid cell-free DNA in 28 patients with focal epilepsy and 28 controls using droplet digital PCR. Then, in three patients we identified somatic mutations in cerebrospinal fluid: in one patient with subcortical band heterotopia the LIS1 p. Lys64* variant at 9.4% frequency; in a second patient with focal cortical dysplasia the TSC1 p. Phe581His*6 variant at 7.8% frequency; and in a third patient with ganglioglioma the BRAF p. Val600Glu variant at 3.2% frequency. To determine if cerebrospinal fluid cell-free DNA was brain-derived, whole-genome bisulphite sequencing was performed and brain-specific DNA methylation patterns were found to be significantly enriched (P = 0.03). Our proof of principle study shows that cerebrospinal fluid liquid biopsy is valuable in investigating mosaic neurological disorders where brain tissue is unavailable.
| S-EPMC7954394 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In the blood, mosaic somatic aneuploidy (mSA) of all chromosomes has been found to be associated with adverse health outcomes, including hematological cancer. Sex chromosome mSA in the blood has been found to occur at a higher rate than autosomal mSA. Mosaic loss of the Y chromosome is the most common copy number alteration in males, and has been found to be associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) in blood lymphocytes. mSA of the sex chromosomes has also been identified in the brain; however, little is known about its frequency across individuals. Using WGS data from 362 males and 719 females from the ROSMAP cohort, we quantified the relative rate of sex chromosome mSA in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), cerebellum and whole blood. To ascertain the functionality of observed sex chromosome mosaicism in the DLPFC, we examined its correlation with chromosome X and Y gene expression as well as neuropathological and clinical characteristics of AD and cognitive ageing. In males, we found that mSA of the Y chromosome occurs more frequently in blood than in the DLPFC or cerebellum. In the DLPFC, the presence of at least one APOE4 allele was associated with a reduction in read depth of the Y chromosome (p = 1.9e-02). In the female DLPFC, a reduction in chromosome X read depth was associated with reduced cognition at the last clinical visit and faster rate of cognitive decline (p = 7.8e-03; p = 1.9e-02). mSA of all sex chromosomes in the DLPFC were associated with aggregate measures of gene expression, implying functional impact. Our results provide insight into the relative rate of mSA between tissues and suggest that Y and female X chromosome read depth in the DLPFC is modestly associated with late AD risk factors and cognitive pathologies.
| S-EPMC6717667 | biostudies-literature
Project description:New human mutations are thought to originate in germ cells, thus making a recurrence of the same mutation in a sibling exceedingly rare. However, increasing sensitivity of genomic technologies has anecdotally revealed mosaicism for mutations in somatic tissues of apparently healthy parents. Such somatically mosaic parents might also have germline mosaicism that can potentially cause unexpected intergenerational recurrences. Here, we show that somatic mosaicism for transmitted mutations among parents of children with simplex genetic disease is more common than currently appreciated. Using the sensitivity of individual-specific breakpoint PCR, we prospectively screened 100 families with children affected by genomic disorders due to rare deletion copy-number variants (CNVs) determined to be de novo by clinical analysis of parental DNA. Surprisingly, we identified four cases of low-level somatic mosaicism for the transmitted CNV in DNA isolated from parental blood. Integrated probabilistic modeling of gametogenesis developed in response to our observations predicts that mutations in parental blood increase recurrence risk substantially more than parental mutations confined to the germline. Moreover, despite the fact that maternally transmitted mutations are the minority of alleles, our model suggests that sexual dimorphisms in gametogenesis result in a greater proportion of somatically mosaic transmitting mothers who are thus at increased risk of recurrence. Therefore, somatic mosaicism together with sexual differences in gametogenesis might explain a considerable fraction of unexpected recurrences of X-linked recessive disease. Overall, our results underscore an important role for somatic mosaicism and mitotic replicative mutational mechanisms in transmission genetics.
| S-EPMC4129404 | biostudies-literature
Project description:A better understanding of normal and diseased brain aging and cognition will have a significant public health impact, given that the oldest-old persons older than 85 years of age represent the fastest-growing segment in the population in developed countries, with more than 30 million new cases of dementia predicted to occur worldwide each year by 2040. Dysregulation of gene expression and, more generally, genome organization and function are thought to contribute to age-related declines in cognition. Remarkably, nearly all neuronal nuclei that reside in an aged brain had permanently exited from the cell cycle during prenatal development, and DNA methylation and histone modifications and other molecular constituents of the epigenome are likely to play a critical role in the maintenance of neuronal health and function throughout the entire lifespan. Here, we provide an overview of age-related changes in the brain's chromatin structures, highlight potential epigenetic drug targets for cognitive decline and age-related neurodegenerative disease, and discuss opportunities and challenges when studying epigenetic biomarkers in aging research.
| S-EPMC3932340 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Genetic variation is responsible for the generation of phenotypic diversity, including susceptibility to disease. Two major types of variation are known: single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and a more recently discovered structural variation, involving changes in copy number (CNVs) of kilobase- to megabase-sized chromosomal segments. Variation caused by CNVs has exceeded the amount of SNP-based differences expected to exist between two unrelated humans. Furthermore, many CNVs have been associated with disease predisposition. It is unknown whether CNVs arise in somatic cells, but it is, however, generally assumed that normal cells are genetically identical. Here we show that CNVs are frequent in healthy somatic cells of adult humans. We tested 34 tissue samples from three subjects and, having analyzed for each tissue <10-6 of all cells expected in an adult human, we observed at least six CNVs, affecting a single organ or one or more tissues of the same subject. The CNVs ranged from 82-176 kb, often encompassing known genes, potentially affecting gene function. Our results point to a paradigm shift in the genetics of somatic cells and indicate that humans are commonly affected by somatic mosaicism for stochastic CNVs, which occur in a substantial fraction of cells. A considerable number of phenotypes and diseases affecting humans are a consequence of a somatic process. Thus, our conclusions will be important for the delineation of genetic factors behind these phenotypes. Consequently, biobanks should consider sampling multiple tissues in order to better address mosaicism in the studies of somatic disorders. Furthermore, forensic medicine laboratories should be sensitized to the issue of underestimated frequency of somatic CNV mosaicism. Keywords: copy number variation (CNV), phenotype diversity, somatic cells 31 experiments; each experiment consists of two hybridizations, i.e. regular and dye-swap (62 hybridizations in total); cerebellum from corresponding subject was used as a reference; additionally 12 control self-self hybridizations are included (cerrebellum vs self)
2008-09-16 | E-GEOD-9598 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:The discovery of copy number variations (CNV) in the human genome opened new perspectives in the study of the genetic causes of inherited disorders and the etiology of common diseases. Differently patterned instances of somatic mosaicism in CNV regions have been shown to be present in monozygotic twins and throughout different tissues within an individual. A single-cell-level investigation of CNV in different human cell types led us to uncover mitotically derived genomic mosaicism, which is stable in different cell types of one individual. A unique study of immortalized B-lymphoblastoid cell lines obtained with 20 year interval from the same two subjects shows that mitotic changes in CNV regions may happen early during embryonic development and seem to occur only once, as levels of mosaicism remained stable. This finding has the potential to change our concept of dynamic human genome variation. We propose that further genomic studies should focus on the single-cell level, to understand better the etiology and physiology of aging and diseases mediated by somatic variations.
| S-EPMC3018723 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Adult stem cells may acquire mutations that modify cellular behavior, leading to functional declines in homeostasis or providing a competitive advantage resulting in premalignancy. However, the frequency, phenotypic impact, and mechanisms underlying spontaneous mutagenesis during aging are unclear. Here, we report two mechanisms of genome instability in adult Drosophila intestinal stem cells (ISCs) that cause phenotypic alterations in the aging intestine. First, we found frequent loss of heterozygosity arising from mitotic homologous recombination in ISCs that results in genetic mosaicism. Second, somatic deletion of DNA sequences and large structural rearrangements, resembling those described in cancers and congenital diseases, frequently result in gene inactivation. Such modifications induced somatic inactivation of the X-linked tumor suppressor Notch in ISCs, leading to spontaneous neoplasias in wild-type males. Together, our findings reveal frequent genomic modification in adult stem cells and show that somatic genetic mosaicism has important functional consequences on aging tissues.
| S-EPMC5138153 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Aging is a complex process strongly determined by genetics. Previous reports have shown that the genome of neuronal cells displays somatic genomic mosaicism including DNA copy number variations (CNVs). CNVs represent a significant source of genetic variation in the human genome and have been implicated in several disorders and complex traits, representing a potential mechanism that contributes to neuronal diversity and the etiology of several neurological diseases and provides new insights into the normal, complex functions of the brain. Nonetheless, the features of somatic CNV mosaicism in nondiseased elderly brains have not been investigated. In the present study, we demonstrate a highly significant increase in the number of CNVs in nondiseased elderly brains compared to the blood. In two neural tissues isolated from paired postmortem samples (same individuals), we found a significant increase in the frequency of deletions in both brain areas, namely, the frontal cortex and cerebellum. Also, deletions were found to be significantly larger when present only in the cerebellum. The sizes of the variants described here were in the 150-760?kb range, and importantly, nearly all of them were present in the Database of Genomic Variants (common variants). Nearly all evidence of genome structural variation in human brains comes from studies detecting changes in single cells which were interpreted as derived from independent, isolated mutational events. The observations based on array-CGH analysis indicate the existence of an extensive clonal mosaicism of CNVs within and between the human brains revealing a different type of variation that had not been previously characterized.
| S-EPMC6046114 | biostudies-literature