Regulatory de novo mutations underlying intellectual disability

Matias G. De Vas, Fanny Boulet, Shweta S. Joshi, Myles G. Garstang, Tahir N. Khan, Goutham Atla, David Parry, David Moore, Inês Cebola, Shuchen Zhang, Wei Cui, Anne K. Lampe, Wayne W. Lam, Genomics England Research Consortium, Jorge Ferrer, Madapura M. Pradeepa, Santosh S. Atanur

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract / Description of output

The genetic aetiology of a major fraction of patients with intellectual disability (ID) remains unknown. De novo mutations (DNMs) in protein-coding genes explain up to 40% of cases, but the potential role of regulatory DNMs is still poorly understood. We sequenced 63 whole genomes from 21 ID probands and their unaffected parents. In addition, we analysed 30 previously sequenced genomes from exome-negative ID probands. We found that regulatory DNMs were selectively enriched in fetal brain-specific enhancers as compared with adult brain enhancers. DNM-containing enhancers were associated with genes that show preferential expression in the prefrontal cortex. Furthermore, we identified recurrently mutated enhancer clusters that regulate genes involved in nervous system development (CSMD1, OLFM1, and POU3F3). Most of the DNMs from ID probands showed allele-specific enhancer activity when tested using luciferase assay. Using CRISPR-mediated mutation and editing of epigenomic marks, we show that DNMs at regulatory elements affect the expression of putative target genes. Our results, therefore, provide new evidence to indicate that DNMs in fetal brain-specific enhancers play an essential role in the aetiology of ID.
Original languageEnglish
Article numbere202201843
Number of pages16
JournalLife Science Alliance
Volume6
Issue number5
Early online date28 Feb 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 May 2023

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • Adult
  • Alleles
  • Biological Assay
  • Genes, Regulator
  • Humans
  • Intellectual Disability/genetics
  • Mutation/genetics

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