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The Malaria Genomic Epidemiology Network reports a large multicenter association study for severe malaria due to Plasmodium falciparum in 11,890 cases and 17,441 controls from 12 locations in Africa, Asia and Oceania. They examine 27 loci previously associated with severe malaria and replicate associations at the HBB, ABO, ATP2B4, G6PD and CD40LG loci, but they fail to replicate other previously reported associations.
Jorge Reis-Filho and colleagues identify recurrent mutations in PRKD1 in 73% of polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinoma, a malignant tumor of the minor salivary glands. The mutations cause activation of the PRKD1 serine-threonine kinase.
Xiaowen Sun and colleagues report the whole-genome sequencing of the common carp, Cyprinus carpio. They also resequenced 33 representative accessions from a worldwide collection and provide insights into population structure and evolution.
Ping Chi and colleagues identify recurrent inactivating mutations in the PRC2 core components EED and SUZ12 in malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors. They further show that PRC2 loss is associated with loss of H3K27 trimethylation and aberrant expression of PRC2 target genes and downstream pathways.
Rosalind Eeles, Christopher Haiman and colleagues report genome-wide association and meta-analyses of prostate cancer in populations of European, African, Japanese and Latino ancestry. They identify 23 new susceptibility loci, including one associated with early-onset prostate cancer.
Scott Canna and colleagues report the identification of a de novo mutation in a conserved region of NLRC4 by whole-exome sequencing of an individual presenting with macrophage activation syndrome. Functional studies confirm that the mutation leads to constitutive inflammasome activation.
Graham Heap, Tariq Ahmad and colleagues show that common variants in the HLA-DQA1–HLA-DRB1 region confer susceptibility to thiopurine-induced pancreatitis in individuals undergoing treatment for inflammatory bowel diseases. These findings could help identify patients at risk of developing this serious adverse reaction to thiopurine therapy.
Richard Lifton, Barbara Kazmierczak and colleagues report the identification of a new enterocolitic and autoinflammatory syndrome, which they find is caused by de novo gain-of-function mutations affecting the inflammasome protein NLRC4. Cells with mutant NLRC4 produce elevated levels of cleaved caspase-1, which leads to cell death by pyroptosis.
Evan Eichler and colleagues report an expanded copy number variation (CNV) morbidity map of developmental delay, with additional resequencing of candidate genes in regions implicated by large CNVs. They identify several new disease-associated CNVs and show how their combined approach facilitates discovery of new developmental syndromes and disease genes.
Paul Khavari and colleagues identify recurrent mutations concentrated at an ultraviolet signature hotspot in the KNSTRN gene in 19% of cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas. KNSTRN encodes a kinetochore protein.
Dongxin Lin and colleagues report a genome-wide association study for laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) in Chinese populations. They identify three loci newly associated with LSCC.
Kyuyoung Song and colleagues report the results of a two-stage association study of thiopurine-induced early leukopenia in individuals undergoing treatment for Crohn's disease. They find a missense variant in NUDT15 associated with substantially higher risk of developing this life-threatening complication to thiopurine therapy.
Peizeng Yang, Zhenglin Yang and colleagues report results of a genome-wide association study of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome. They confirm strong association with the HLA region and identify two new susceptibility loci, including variants near IL23R.
Frank Geller and colleagues report the results of a large genome-wide association study of hypospadias. They identify 18 susceptibility regions for this common congenital condition, many of which harbor genes important for embryonic development.
Rama Khokha and colleagues report a new mutagenesis method, called Lentihop, for creating spontaneous, genetically tractable tumors from normal human cells. Through genetic analysis of Lentihop-derived tumors, they find known drivers of sarcomas and identify new candidate tumor suppressor genes, including HDLBP and ADARB2.
Josef Prchal and colleagues identify a mutation in EGLN1 associated with adaptation to high altitude in Tibetan individuals. Their functional studies suggest a mechanism acting to reduce the erythropoietic response to hypoxia.
Christoph Klein and colleagues identify homozygous mutations in the JAGN1 gene in families and individuals with severe congenital neutropenia. They show that JAGN1 is necessary for the differentiation and survival of neutrophil granulocytes.
Mingsheng Chen, Klaus Mayer, Steve Rounsley, Rod Wing and colleagues report the genome sequence of African rice (Oryza glaberrima), a different species than Asian rice. The authors resequenced 20 O. glaberrima accessions and 94 Oryza barthii accessions (the putative progenitor species of O. glaberrima), and their analyses support the hypothesis that O. glaberrima was domesticated in a single region along the upper Niger river.
Björn Usadel and colleagues report the genome sequence of the wild tomato species Solanum pennellii. The authors identify genes important for stress tolerance, metabolism and fruit maturation and suggest that transposable elements have had an important role in the evolution of the S. penellii stress response.
Mark Daly and colleagues present a statistical framework to evaluate the role of de novo mutations in human disease by calibrating a model of de novo mutation rates at the individual gene level. The mutation probabilities defined by their model and list of constrained genes can be used to help identify genetic variants that have a significant role in disease.