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Multiple rare variants in different genes account for multifactorial inherited susceptibility to colorectal adenomas.

Clear-cut inherited Mendelian traits, such as familial adenomatous polyposis or hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer, account for <4% of colorectal cancers. Another 20% of all colorectal cancers are thought to occur in individuals with a significant inherited multifactorial susceptibility to colorectal cancer that is not obviously familial. Incompletely penetrant, comparatively rare missense variants in the adenomatous polyposis coli gene, which is responsible for familial adenomatous polyposis, have been described in patients with multiple colorectal adenomas. These variants represent a category of variation that has been suggested, quite generally, to account for a substantial fraction of such multifactorial inherited susceptibility. The aim of this study was to explore this rare variant hypothesis for multifactorial inheritance by using multiple colorectal adenomas as the model. Patients with multiple adenomas were screened for germ-line variants in a panel of candidate genes. Germ-line DNA was obtained from 124 patients with between 3 and 100 histologically proven synchronous or metachronous adenomatous polyps. All patients were tested for the adenomatous polyposis coli variants I1307K and E1317Q, and variants were also sought in AXIN1 (axin), CTNNB1 (beta-catenin), and the mismatch repair genes hMLH1 and hMSH2. The control group consisted of 483 random controls. Thirty of 124 (24.9%) patients carried potentially pathogenic germ-line variants as compared with 55 ( approximately 12%) of the controls. This overall difference is highly significant, suggesting that many rare variants collectively contribute to the inherited susceptibility to colorectal adenomas.

Adenoma↗

Disentangling adiposity-related and non-adiposity-related genetic pathways for type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: To identify circulating proteins associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk through pathways not fully explained by body mass index (BMI), and to assess therapeutic actionability. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We applied GWAS-by-subtraction within a genomic structural equation model to European ancestry summary statistics for T2D (74,124 cases, 824,006 controls) and BMI (n = 681,275), partitioning T2D liability into BMI-related and BMI-subtracted components. We then performed proteome-wide Mendelian randomization (MR) using cis-protein quantitative trait loci from four plasma proteomics cohorts: ARIC, deCODE, Fenland, and the UK Biobank Pharma Proteomics Project. Prioritized proteins passed sensitivity analyses with alternative MR methods and were supported by colocalization evidence. Tissue-resolution regulatory support was assessed using cis-eQTL colocalization across GTEx and pancreatic islet, subcutaneous adipose, and whole-blood resources. Actionability was evaluated using the druggable genome and Open Targets. RESULTS: GWAS-by-subtraction attenuated the genetic correlation between BMI and BMI-subtracted T2D from 0.54 (SE 0.02) to 0.35 (SE 0.02). Proteome-wide MR prioritized 29 proteins for BMI-subtracted T2D. Thirteen showed eQTL colocalization in at least one tissue, implicating liver and intermediary metabolism (GCDH, NOTCH2), pancreatic islet biology (CTRB2, MANBA), adipose and Wnt signaling (RSPO3, GALNT3), and whole blood regulatory signals (PAM, SNUPN). Sixteen proteins were classified within druggable-genome Tiers 1-3, and five had existing Open Targets compounds. CONCLUSIONS: Integrating GWAS-by-subtraction, proteome-wide MR, and colocalization nominated 29 proteins associated with T2D liability not fully explained by BMI. These findings highlight genetically supported targets for follow-up studies of T2D therapies that complement weight-centered approaches.

Journal Article↗

Major locus influencing plasma APO-A1 levels also controls plasma HDL3-C concentrations.

Elevated plasma levels of apolipoprotein A1 (APO-A1) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) are important protective factors for atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Using the data on plasma concentrations of APO-A1, and HDL-C particles HDL2-C and HDL3-C in 970 Israeli individuals belonging to 228 pedigrees, we tested the hypothesis that a major locus influencing interindividual variation in APO-A1 levels also controls interindividual variation in HDL3-C and HDL2-C levels. Univariate and bivariate complex segregation analyses, as implemented in two statistical packages (MAN-3 and PAP-4.0) were applied to test the hypothesis. The results of the analysis clearly indicated the possibility of major gene involvement in the determination of plasma concentration variation of each of the 3 study variables. The results provide strong evidence in support of our hypothesis that HDL3-C genetic variation fully depends on the APO-A1 major locus. In particular, environmental and sporadic models were strongly rejected (P < 0.001) in bivariate analysis. The hypothesis of no pleiotropic effect of the putative APO-A1 locus on HDL3-C transmission was also unequivocally rejected (P < 0.001), while the bivariate Mendelian model was accepted (P > 0.05). The results of bivariate analysis of APO-A1 effect on HDL2-C were not clear. They indicated the possibility of the existence of slight genetic covariation between the two variables, and as yet we were unable to decipher the mode of covariation with the applied models.

Apolipoprotein A-I↗

Meiotic pairing of sex chromosome fragments and its relation to atypical transmission of a sex-linked marker in Ephestia kuehniella (Insecta: Lepidoptera).

The physical basis of non-Mendelian segregation of a sex-linked marker was studied in sex- chromosome mutant females of eight ASF ('abnormal segregating females') lines in the flour moth, Ephestia kuehniella. Electron microscopical analysis of microspread synaptonemal complexes revealed that in one line, the Z chromosome segment that contained the dz+ allele was translocated onto an autosome. The resulting quadrivalent visible in early female meiosis was 'corrected' into two bivalents in later stages. This explains autosomal inheritance of the sex chromosome marker in this strain. In the other seven ASF lines, the type of meiotic pairing of an additional fragment (Zdz+) of the Z chromosome was responsible for abnormal segregation of the marker gene. In several of these lines, Zdz+ contained a piece of the W chromosome in addition to the Z segment, as was confirmed by comparative genomic hybridization (CGH). Zdz+ formed three alternative pairing configurations with the original sex chromosomes: (i) a WZZdz+ trivalent, (ii) a WZ bivalent and a Zdz+ univalent or (iii) a ZZdz+ bivalent and a W univalent. In the most frequent WZZdz+ configuration, Zdz+ synapsed with Z and, consequently, segregated with W, simulating W linkage. This explains the predominant occurrence of the parental phenotypes in the progeny. Zdz+ univalents or W univalents, on the other hand, segregated randomly, resulting in both parental and nonparental phenotypes. In two of these lines, the Zdz+ was transmitted only to females. The results suggest that the W chromosome segment in Zdz+ of these lines contains a male-killing factor which makes it incompatible with male development. Our data provide direct evidence for the regular transmission of radiation-induced fragments from lepidopteran chromosomes through more than 50 generations. This is facilitated by the holokinetic nature of lepidopteran chromosomes. We conclude that Zdz+ fragments may persist as long as they possess active kinetochore elements.

Animals↗

Overall informativity, OI, in DNA polymorphisms revealed by inter-Alu PCR: detection of genomic rearrangements.

We studied two systems of multilocus markers revealed by PCR using primers directing amplification between Alu repeats in a tail-to-tail orientation. Genomic polymorphisms were detected as the presence or absence of the electrophoretic bands representing DNA fragments of a given length. A total of 104 such fragments segregating as Mendelian markers in a panel of eight CEPH families were analyzed by two-point linkage analysis. Fifty-one of these fragments were localized with respect to CEPH markers; they represented 33 loci, 7 of which were multiallelic. Locus-specific oligonucleotides were developed and used as hybridization probes to identify the mapped loci within a complex pattern of inter-Alu PCR products. A great proportion of inter-Alu PCR polymorphisms represented length variants within amplified DNA segments, while others were presumably due to mutations within the priming sites. To describe the expected number of informative loci per typing experiment we introduced a parameter called overall informativity (OI), which provides a single measure of the multiplex ratio and the informativity of markers contributing to a multilocus system (OI of a single locus is equivalent to its heterozygosity and cannot exceed 0.5 for a biallelic codominant marker). High OI values (5.8 and 11.5) of the two presented systems of inter-Alu PCR markers of random chromosomal distribution render them suitable for mapping genomic rearrangements such as genomic deletions in tumoral tissues. This was illustrated by the detection of loss of heterozygosity in the 9q22-qter region in sporadic colon cancer.

Animals↗

Transcriptome Analysis and Experimental Validation of Palmitoylation- Related Biomarkers in Atherosclerosis.

INTRODUCTION: Protein palmitoylation contributes to membrane localisation, signal transduction, and cell-fate regulation. It is closely associated with lipid metabolic dysfunction, immune inflammation, and vascular remodelling in atherosclerosis (AS). However, key palmitoylation-related transcriptomic markers and their potential causal associations with AS remain incompletely defined. METHODS: The Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset GSE100927 was used as the training cohort, and GSE43292 was used as an external validation cohort. Differentially expressed genes were identified using limma and intersected with palmitoylation-related genes to obtain palmitoylation-related differentially expressed genes (PRDEGs). Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were then performed using clusterProfiler. Two-sample Mendelian randomisation was used to evaluate potential causal relationships between characteristic genes and AS. Feature selection was conducted using random forest and support vector machine recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE), and the overlapping genes selected by both methods were retained. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to assess diagnostic performance. A five-gene nomogram was constructed, and its clinical utility was evaluated using calibration curves and decision curve analysis (DCA). Gene set variation analysis (GSVA) was applied to compare pathway activity between high- and low-expression groups for each core gene. Single-cell analysis using Seurat and expression-based cell-cell communication analysis using CellChat were conducted with GSE159677, and upstream transcription factors were predicted using NetworkAnalyst. For in vivo validation, an AS model was established in ApoE&#x2078;/&#x2078; mice fed a high-fat diet, and aortic gene and protein expression were assessed by RT-qPCR and western blotting. RESULTS: In GSE100927, 51 PRDEGs were identified. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses highlighted pathways associated with regulation of monoatomic ion transport, sarcomere and myofibril organisation, and immune inflammation. Mendelian randomisation suggested a potential protective causal association between SLC7A7 and AS. By integrating MR with random forest and SVM-RFE feature selection, we prioritised five core genes: PLCB2, GMIP, NEXN, PLN, and SLC7A7. These genes showed good diagnostic performance in GSE43292. The resulting nomogram was well calibrated and demonstrated stable net benefit in decision curve and clinical impact curve analyses. Single-gene GSVA identified consistently activated pathways across multiple genes, including innate and adaptive immune recognition, calcium signalling and myocardial contraction/cardiomyopathy, extracellular matrix-receptor interaction, cell junction pathways, autophagy-lysosome pathways, and several metabolic programmes. At the single-cell level, PLCB2 and GMIP were predominantly expressed in T cells and macrophages, NEXN and PLN were enriched in vascular smooth muscle cells, and SLC7A7 was mainly expressed in macrophages. CellChat analysis indicated increased signals for immune-related ligand-receptor interactions. In ApoE&#x2078;/&#x2078; mice fed a high-fat diet, PLCB2, GMIP, and SLC7A7 were upregulated, whereas NEXN and PLN were downregulated; protein-level changes were concordant with the transcriptomic trends. DISCUSSION: These findings indicate that palmitoylation-related dysregulation in AS converges on immune inflammation, calcium signalling/contractile programmes, ECM remodelling, and autophagy-linked metabolism. The five-gene panel is supported by external validation, single-cell localisation to immune and vascular compartments, and concordant results in ApoE&#x2078;/&#x2078; mice. CONCLUSION: This study identified and validated five palmitoylation-related genes associated with AS. SLC7A7 showed a potential protective causal signal in MR analysis. The enriched pathway patterns linked these genes to immune inflammation, calcium signalling-contraction coupling, ECM remodelling, cell adhesion, and autophagy- associated metabolic reprogramming. The five-gene nomogram showed potential utility for diagnostic classification and decision support, nominating candidate biomarkers and pathway targets for AS molecular subtyping, diagnosis, and mechanistic investigation.

Atherosclerosis (AS)↗

Estimation of variances for gametic effects on litter size in Yorkshire and Landrace swine.

The objective of this study was to test for effects of gametic imprinting on litter size in swine by estimating variances for parent-specific gametic effects. Data were 64,047 and 137,009 multiparous records of number born alive for the U.S. Landrace and Yorkshire breeds, respectively. The statistical model included fixed effects of parity number and herd, and random effects of herd-year-season, mate, permanent environment, animal (additive genetic), and either maternal or paternal gametes. A Bayesian approach that used Gibbs sampling to obtain posterior distributions was employed. To aid in the interpretation of results, the Landrace data structure was used to simulate data with and without effects of imprinting. Analyses of the simulated records indicated that the model applied was capable of detecting effects of imprinting when such effects were present. Small, but non-zero, estimates of gametic variances were obtained when no imprinting was simulated. Estimates of the proportion of total variance accounted for by paternally transmitted gametes were 0.8 and 0.9% for Landrace and Yorkshires, respectively. These estimates were different from zero, but were similar to the results observed for data simulated without an imprinting effect. Corresponding results for maternally transmitted gametes were 1.6% for Landrace and 0.8% for Yorkshires. The estimate for Landrace was significantly greater than that observed for Yorkshires and for the simulations without a true effect and suggested the presence of a non-Mendelian genetic influence on litter size. Paternally imprinted genes are a plausible reason for the observed results. Assuming that the effect observed was due to paternal imprinting at a single biallelic locus, the substitution effect of the superior allele could be greater than 0.7 piglets per litter. Identification of a genetic marker for such an allele would be useful in marker-assisted selection of females. Other possible explanations exist for the increased gametic variance in the Landrace breed, but these explanations (such as maternal or cytoplasmic effects) may be less likely than paternal imprinting.

Animals↗

Stratifying lung adenocarcinoma: a novel prognostic model based on mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization activity.

UNLABELLED: Mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP) is a core apoptotic regulatory event that dictates mitochondrial integrity, where full activation drives cell death and sublethal dysregulation contributes to tumor genomic instability. We used the Cancer Genome Atlas lung adenocarcinoma cohort (TCGA-LUAD) as the training cohort and the Gene Expression Omnibus dataset GSE42127 as the validation cohort to identify prognostic genes related to MOMP activity in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and to evaluate their potential biological significance. By intersecting MOMP-related genes with differentially expressed genes, combined with survival analysis, Mendelian randomization analysis, and 101 machine-learning algorithm combinations, seven prognostic genes, namely BIRC5, PSMD11, TNFRSF13C, YWHAZ, YWHAG, CYCS, and LTB, were identified. Next, an optimal prognostic model was constructed based on the gradient boosting machine (GBM) algorithm. Based on the risk score, LUAD patients were stratified into high- and low-risk groups, and patients in the high-risk group exhibited poorer overall survival in both the training and validation cohorts. Furthermore, a nomogram integrating the risk score and clinicopathological factors was developed and showed favorable predictive performance for 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival. Meanwhile, functional and immune analyses revealed that the high-risk group was enriched in DNA replication-related pathways and demonstrated a higher tumor mutation burden (TMB). Correlation analysis indicated that TNFRSF13C was positively correlated with activated B cells, whereas BIRC5 was negatively correlated with eosinophils, suggesting that MOMP-related genes might be involved in remodeling the immune microenvironment of LUAD. Drug sensitivity analysis showed differences in predicted half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values between the risk groups, suggesting the potential value of this model in assisting therapeutic stratification. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) further identified T lymphocytes as a key cell type, with numerous prognostic genes exhibiting differential expression in T cells or dynamic changes during differentiation. We suggest that the MOMP-related signature established in this study may provide a reference for prognostic stratification in LUAD and offers candidate prognostic genes for subsequent experimental and clinical validation. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-026-05058-6.

Lung adenocarcinoma↗

Power of segregation analysis for detection of major gene effects on quantitative traits.

The power to detect major gene effects by rejection of the "no major gene" null hypothesis against a mixed model alternative was determined in random samples of nuclear families over a variety of conditions. Benchmarks have been developed using a varying number of families whose structure includes both parents and three children. Phenotypes were simulated assuming a Mendelian major gene under either recessive or dominant inheritance, with 0-30% residual polygenic heritability. Three trait prevalences--5, 10, and 20%--were considered in combination with increasing displacement between homozygous means, spanning a range of 14 to 36% of the phenotypic variance attributable to the major gene effect. All other assumptions of the traditional mixed model were adopted in the generating models. Segregation analysis was carried out on the simulated data sets and the proportion of samples out of 200 replications in which the null hypothesis q = 0 was rejected is reported as the power. Thus, failure to detect a major gene effect in this context is solely due to sampling variation, since no other perturbations were introduced. In general, there appears to be greater power to detect dominant major gene effects as opposed to recessive ones using otherwise comparable parameter values, and the effect of varying sibship size under dominant models appears to be greater as well. The use of joint vs. conditional likelihood calculations also was evaluated: substantial drops in power were observed when using conditional likelihoods under recessive inheritance, while the differences in power appeared to be nominal under dominant inheritance. The results of this investigation are offered as a guide to assist in the design of family studies whose aim is to detect major gene effects.

Bias↗

Enhanced expression and stable transmission of transgenes flanked by inverted terminal repeats from adeno-associated virus in zebrafish.

Mosaic expression of transgenes in the F0 generation severely hinders the study of transient expression in transgenic fish. To avoid mosaicism, enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) gene cassettes were constructed and introduced into one-celled zebrafish embryos. These EGFP gene cassettes were flanked by inverted terminal repeats (ITRs) from adeno-associated virus (AAV) and driven by zebrafish alpha-actin (palpha-actin-EGFP-ITR) or medaka beta-actin promoters (pbeta-actin-EGFP-ITR). EGFP was expressed specifically and uniformly in the skeletal muscle of 56% +/- 8% of the palpha-actin-EGFP-ITR-injected survivors and in the entire body of 1.3% +/- 0.8% of the pbeta-actin-EGFP-ITR-injected survivors. Uniform transient expression never occurred in zebrafish embryos injected with EGFP genes that were not flanked by AAV-ITRs. In the F0 generation, uniformly distributed EGFP could mimic the stable expression in transgenic lines early in development. We established five transgenic lines derived from palpha-actin-EGFP-ITR-injected embryos crossed with wild-type fish and 11 transgenic lines derived from pbeta-actin-EGFP-ITR-injected embryos crossed with wild-type fish. None of these transgenic lines failed to express the transgene, a result confirmed by polymerase chain reaction analysis. Stable mendelian transmission of the transgenes was achieved in both alpha-actin and beta-actin transgenic lines without changing the patterns of expression and integration. Progeny inheritance test and Southern blot analysis results strongly suggest that transgenes flanked by AAV-ITRs were integrated randomly into the genome at a single locus with a concatamerized multiplier. Thus, incorporating AAV-ITRs into transgenes results in uniform gene expression in the F0 generation and stable transmission of transgenes in zebrafish.

Actins↗

A preliminary genetic linkage map of the Pacific abalone Haliotis discus hannai Ino.

Preliminary genetic linkage maps were constructed for the Pacific abalone (Haliotis discus hannai Ino) using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), and microsatellite markers segregating in a F(1) family. Nine microsatellite loci, 41 RAPD, and 2688 AFLP markers were genotyped in the parents and 86 progeny of the mapping family. Among the 2738 markers, 384 (including 365 AFLP markers, 10 RAPD markers, and 9 microsatellite loci) were polymorphic and segregated in one or both parents: 241 in the female and 146 in the male. The majority of these markers, 232 in the female and 134 in the male, segregated according to the expected 1:1 Mendelian ratio (alpha = 0.05). Two genetic linkage maps were constructed using markers segregating in the female or the male parent. The female framework map consisted of 119 markers in 22 linkage groups, covering 1773.6 cM with an average intermarker space of 18.3 cM. The male framework map contained 94 markers in 19 linkage groups, spanning 1365.9 cM with an average intermarker space of 18.2 cM. The sex determination locus was mapped to the male map but not to the female map, suggesting a XY-male determination mechanism. Distorted markers showing excess of homozygotes were mapped in clusters, probably because of their linkage to a gene that is incompatible between two parental populations.

Animals↗

Evidence for outcrossing in Phytophthora sojae and linkage of a DNA marker to two avirulence genes.

Two genetically different isolates of the homothallic Oomycete, Phytophthora sojae, were demonstrated to outcross and form hybrid oospores after co-culturing in vitro. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers revealed ten hybrids among 354 oospores analysed. One F1 hybrid was allowed to self fertilise and produce an F2 population of 247 individuals. Among 53 F2 individuals, selected at random, 18 polymorphic RAPD markers were observed to segregate at near 3:1 Mendelian ratios, consistent with segregation for dominant alleles at single loci. Segregation of virulence against soybean resistance genes Rps1a, 3a, and 5 revealed that the avirulence genes Avrla, 3a and 5 were dominant to virulence. Avirulence against these three resistance genes appeared to be conditioned by one locus for Avr1a and two independent, complementary dominant loci for both Avr3a and Avr5. Segregation of virulence against Rps6 was in the ratio of 1:2:1 (avirulent:mixed reaction:virulent), suggesting a semi-dominant allele at a single locus. Two avirulence genes and one RAPD marker formed one linkage group, in the order Avr3a, OPH4-1, Avr5, each separated by approximately 5 cM. Our results confirm that outcrossing occurred between the parental isolates, and that sexual recombination under field conditions may play an important role in generating and maintaining genetic diversity in populations of P. sojae.

Base Sequence↗

GFPT1 as a cross-ancestry validated target for degenerative spinal disease: genetic association in a Chinese cohort and functional characterization in zebrafish.

Degenerative spinal disease (DSD), including spinal stenosis and spondylosis, lacks effective pharmacological treatment. To identify druggable targets and assess cross-ancestry applicability, we integrate multi-omics analyses using Summary-data-based Mendelian Randomization (SMR), colocalization, and two-sample Mendelian randomization with European whole-blood, peripheral-blood, and CSF eQTL/pQTL datasets, followed by whole-genome sequencing (WGS) validation in a Chinese cohort. We identify 7 genes/proteins associated with spinal stenosis and 5 with spondylosis, with GFPT1, GPX1, and SERPINA1 shared by both. Two-sample MR further supports the causal associations of these targets with DSD. Phenome-wide MR prioritization selects GFPT1 and GPX1 as favorable candidates with no predicted adverse effects and potential beneficial effects on hypertension. In the Chinese cohort (67 lumbar spinal stenosis patients and 100 controls), WGS identifies 4 GFPT1 cis-eQTL loci (rs13016371, rs35392088, rs12997521, and rs13019789) associated with lumbar spinal stenosis risk; all risk alleles are linked to increased GFPT1 expression, and all 24 variant carriers show L4/L5 stenosis on imaging. Druggability analysis identifies IOX1 as the sole preclinical-stage compound targeting GFPT1, and molecular docking supports robust binding to GFPT1 (-&#x2009;6.39&#x2009;kcal/mol). Functional assays show that IOX1 directly inhibits GFPT1 enzymatic activity and induces fructose-6-phosphate accumulation. In zebrafish, IOX1 significantly rescues GFPT1-induced degenerative phenotypes. These findings establish GFPT1 as a cross-ancestry validated therapeutic target for DSD and nominate IOX1 as a promising disease-modifying candidate.

Animals↗

A population-based familial aggregation analysis indicates genetic contribution in a majority of renal cell carcinomas.

The etiology of RCC is incompletely understood and the inherited genetic contribution uncertain. Although there are rare mendelian forms of RCC stemming from inherited mutations, most cases are thought to be sporadic. We sought to determine the extent of familial aggregation among Icelandic RCC patients in general. Medical and pathologic records for all patients diagnosed with RCC in Iceland between 1955 and 1999 were reviewed. This included a total of 1,078 RCC cases, 660 males and 418 females. With the use of an extensive computerized database containing genealogic information on 630,000 people in Iceland during the past 11 centuries, several analyses were conducted to determine whether the patients were more related to each other than members drawn at random from the population. Patients with RCC were significantly more related to each other than were subjects in matched groups of controls. This relatedness extended beyond the nuclear family. RRs were significantly greater than 1.0 for siblings, parents and cousins of probands. RRs were 2-3 for first-degree relatives and 1.6 for third-degree relatives. The risk of RCC is significantly higher for members of the extended family of an affected individual, as well as the nuclear family. Our results indicate that germline mutations are significantly involved in what has been defined as sporadic RCC.

Adult↗

Multilocus analysis of atopy in Korean children using multifactor-dimensionality reduction.

BACKGROUND: Atopy is considered to be a complex genetic trait and does not follow a simple mendelian pattern of inheritance. It is now well recognised that gene-gene interactions are important in complex genetic disease. AIM: To analyse the influence of gene-gene interactions in the development of atopy. METHODS: A total of 2055 ethnically identical participants aged 10-18 years living in rural areas on Jeju Island, Korea, were randomly recruited. Atopy was defined as a positive skin prick test response to one or more common inhalant allergens. Gene-gene interactions among 12 polymorphic loci were analysed in the seven candidate genes of atopy using the multidimensionality-reduction method. RESULTS: A significant interaction was found between V297I in the gene coding vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (KDR) and -308G-->A in the gene coding tumour necrosis factor (TNF)alpha on the risk of atopy, with a cross-validation consistency of 10 out of 10 and a prediction error of 35.9% (p = 0.001). Conventional logistic regression also revealed significant interactions between KDR and TNF for atopy. Individuals with the variant allele of -308G-->A in TNF (GA or AA) and V297I in KDR (VI or II) had a significantly higher risk of atopy (OR 2.23; 95% CI 1.48 to 3.57). CONCLUSION: KDR and TNF may synergistically influence the development of atopy through gene-gene interaction in Korean children and adolescents.

Adolescent↗

The bingo model of survivorship. II: statistical aspects of the bingo model of multiplicity 1 with application to hereditary polyposis of the colon.

Some Mendelian disorders (Huntington chorea, hereditary polyposis coli) are not manifest at birth but show a distribution in the age of onset. Patients at risk fall into three groups. In type I, they are affected when first examined. In type II, they are not affected at one visit, but are at a later visit. Those of type III (who comprise an indistinguishable mixture of those who have, and those who have not, inherited the gene) are never found to be affected. This paper posits a model that the age of onset is logistic. (It is a degenerate bingo model in which competing causes of death may be ignored.) The statistical properties of maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) are explored by Monte Carlo simulation of this logistic function with known arbitrary parameters. Two schemes are used: point-prevalence (or synchronic) data of types I and III, and piecewise longitudinal (diachronic) data; this allows all three types to be included. Samples of various sizes between 25 and 100 are used. While estimates of the parameters are positively biased (especially with small samples), the estimate of the mean appears to be consistent, almost unbiased, and fairly precise, though somewhat larger than the estimates from the lower bound (a fact that calls for some caution in interpreting actual data). The MLE was applied to 109 patients with the Gardner syndrome (GS); measures of variability found by applying MLE to four random subsets of 25 each were compared against the asymptotic estimates. The analysis was also applied to 36 persons with familial polyposis coli (FPC). The mean age of onset in GS and FPC was similar, and since they are rather earlier than is currently believed, it is recommended that regular supervision be started at not later than 10 years of age.

Adolescent↗

Stage-specific ROMO1 in rheumatoid arthritis: predictive immune insights into the MIF pathway and HLA-DR/IL2RA axis via integrated GWAS, transcriptomic, single-cell, and spatial profiling.

Emerging evidence links reactive oxygen species modulator 1 (ROMO1), a key mitochondrial ROS regulator, to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pathogenesis. However, its exact mechanism remains elusive given the conflicting evidence about its specific function. We used a four-level integrative framework combining multi-omics data and literature&#x2011;supported mechanistic inference. At the genetic level, Mendelian randomization (MR) was performed to explore potential causal relationships between ROMO1, IL2RA, HLA-DR, MIF, and RA risk, followed by differential expression analysis and machine learning-based feature selection to identify key mROS genes. The temporal expression dynamics of ROMO1 were assessed in RA progression. At the cellular and tissue levels, we integrated single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics to map cell-type-specific expression and synovial localization of ROMO1-related immune cells and pathways. Finally, our multi-omics findings were contextualized with literature-supported mechanistic inference. (1) MR results were consistent with a potential protective effect of ROMO1 on RA (OR&#x2009;=&#x2009;0.52) and its potential regulation of risk factors IL2RA (OR&#x2009;=&#x2009;0.46) and HLA-DR (OR&#x2009;=&#x2009;0.40). Conversely, IL2RA (OR&#x2009;=&#x2009;1.42), HLA-DR (OR&#x2009;=&#x2009;1.88), and MIF (OR&#x2009;=&#x2009;1.17) were positively associated with RA risk. Additionally, ROMO1 was identified as a top candidate diagnostic predictor with stage-specific dynamics: downregulated in the early but upregulated in the late/remission stages. (2) Single-cell RNA sequencing showed ROMO1's cell-specific expression in CD14+&#x2009;HLA-DR+&#x2009;CD74+&#x2009;monocytes and CD4+&#x2009;IL2RA+&#x2009;T cells. Cell communication analysis further suggested that these cells may participate in MIF pathway regulation. Spatial transcriptomics subsequently identified that ROMO1-related cells localized to synovial pathological regions, with MIF pathway changes correlated with RA progression. (3) Finally, literature-supported mechanistic inference suggests that ROMO1 may modulate mROS levels to promote anti-inflammatory M2 macrophage polarization, which could theoretically contribute to reduced systemic inflammation and the alleviation of multi-organ decline in RA. This integrated multi-omics investigation, supported by literature-based mechanistic inference, suggests ROMO1 as a stage-dependent biomarker candidate and potential immune regulator in RA.

Humans↗