A Genetic Revolution in Rare-Disease Medicine
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News & views These large swathes of repetitive DNA come Karen H. Miga is at the UC Santa Cruz 8. Koren, S. et al. Nature Biotechnol. 30, 693–700 with different sets of rules, in terms of their Genomics Institute, University of California, (2012). 9. Jain, M. et al. Nature Biotechnol. 36, 338–345 (2018). genomic organization and evolution. They are Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA. 10. Jain, M. et al. Nature Biotechnol. 36, 321–323 (2018). also subject to different epigenetic regulation e-mail: [email protected] 11. Chaisson, M. J. P. et al. Nature 517, 608–611 (2015). (molecular modifications to DNA and associ- 12. Wenger, A. M. et al. Nature Biotechnol. 37, 1155–1162 (2019). ated proteins that do not alter the underlying 13. Nurk, S. et al. Genome Res. 30, 1291–1305 (2020). DNA sequence), which leads repetitive DNA to 14. Bzikadze, A. V. & Pevzner, P. A. Nature Biotechnol. 38, 1. International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium. differ from euchromatin in terms of its organ- 1309–1316 (2020). Nature 409, 860–921 (2001). 15. Zentner, G. E., Saiakhova, A., Manaenkov, P., Adams, M. D. ization, replication timing and transcriptional 2. Venter, J. C. et al. Science 291, 1304–1351 (2001). & Scacheri, P. C. Nucleic Acids Res. 39, 4949–4960 activity17–19. Many genome-wide tools and data 3. Schneider, V. A. et al. Genome Res. 27, 849–864 (2017). (2011). 4. Miga, K. H. et al. Nature 585, 79–84 (2020). 16. Schueler, M. G., Higgins, A. W., Rudd, M. K., Gustashaw, K. sets cannot yet fully capture all this informa- 5. Logsdon, G. A. et al. Preprint at bioRxiv https://doi. & Willard, H. F. Science 294, 109–115 (2001). tion from extremely repetitive DNA regions, org/10.1101/2020.09.08.285395 (2020). 17. Sullivan, B. A. & Karpen, G. H. Nature Struct. Mol. Biol. 11, and so scientists do not yet have a complete 6. International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium. 1076–1083 (2004). Nature 431, 931–945 (2004). 18. Gilbert, D. M. Curr. Opin. Cell Biol. 14, 377–383 (2002). picture of what transcription factors bind to 7. Frankish, A. et al. Nucleic Acids Res. 47, D766–D773 19. Prior, C. P., Cantor, C. R., Johnson, E. M., Littau, V. C. & them, how these regions are spatially organ- (2019). Allfrey, V. G. Cell 34, 1033–1042 (1983). ized in the nucleus, or how regulation of these parts of our genome changes during devel- Human genome opment and in disease states. Now, much like the initial release of the genome decades ago, researchers are faced with a new, unexplored functional landscape in the human genome. A genetic revolution in Access to this information will drive technol- ogy and innovation to be inclusive of these rare-disease medicine repeat regions, once again broadening our understanding of genome biology. Fowzan S. Alkuraya In the past year, scientists have used extremely long and highly accurate sequence Mendelian diseases are caused by mutations in a single gene. reads to reconstruct entire human chromo- 4,5 The first draft of the human genome, published in 2001, had somes from telomere to telomere . Last broad implications for how these diseases are diagnosed, year also saw the release of a near-complete human reference genome from an effectively managed and prevented. ‘haploid’ human cell line, with only five remain- ing gaps that mark the sites of rDNA arrays (go.nature.com/3rgz93y). In this line, cells When the first draft of the human genome was be performed by only a few laboratories. The have two identical pairs of chromosomes, published1,2, it was expected to have a trans- genetic underpinnings of most Mendelian simplifying the challenge of repeat assembly formative impact on medicine. Bold predic- diseases were therefore unknown, making compared with typical human cells (which tions were made about a paradigm shift in diagnosis extremely difficult. Even for the few are diploid, with different chromosomes which medicine became personalized, predic- that did have a known underlying genetic basis inherited from the mother and father). These tive and preventive3. To many, no such trans- (such as fragile X syndrome), a specialist was maps together offer the first high-resolution formation materialized, probably because of still likely to fail to make a diagnosis, because glimpse of centro meric regions, segmental a focus on common diseases such as diabetes of the remarkable variability of the diseases’ duplications, subtelomeric repeats and each and coronary artery disease. But the predic- clinical presentation and their rarity4. of the five acrocentric chromosomes, which tions were right on target for Mendelian dis- In the 1990s, the development of ‘positional have very short arms made up almost entirely eases — those caused by mutations in single mapping’ methods made it easier to identify of highly repetitive DNA at one end. genes — such as hereditary cancers and many genes associated with Mendelian diseases. It is tempting to think scientists are finally forms of developmental delay in children. Early positional-mapping efforts involved approaching the finish line. However, a sin- comparing the DNA of several people who had gle genome assembly, even if complete with “The true game-changer the same disease, using a primitive genome near-perfect sequence accuracy, is an insuf- map containing a few known sequences that ficient reference from which to study the came when the draft genome vary between individuals; these acted as sequence variation that exists across the was used in combination location markers to help researchers zero in human population. Existing maps that chart with ‘next-generation’ on a candidate disease-causing region5. The the diversity across the euchromatic parts of sequencing technologies.” primitive map, which dates back to 1987, was the genome must be extended to fully capture essential to early gene-discovery efforts. repetitive regions, where copy number and Nonetheless, its low resolution was a major repeat organization vary between individu- obstacle to gene-discovery efforts. als. Doing so will require the development of Before the draft genome, basic informa- It is hard, then, to overstate just how influ- strategies for routine production and analy- tion about the sequence and genomic loca- ential the human genome draft was for people sis of complete human diploid genomes. The tion of a mutated gene had to be worked out with Mendelian diseases and their families. aspirational goal of reaching a more-complete through a process called cloning, in which The draft did not directly link individual genes and comprehensive reference of humanity will short chromo somal segments were cut from to diseases, but it did provide the necessary undoubtedly improve our understanding of human DNA using enzymes, and replicated in elements for a revolution in diagnosis. Initially, genome structure and its role in human dis- bacteria to produce sufficient quantities for it provided a rich map of markers that permit- ease, and align with the promise and legacy analysis. Cloning was a stupendously labori- ted a much higher resolution in positional of the Human Genome Project. ous exercise that often took years and could mapping. However, the true game-changer 218 | Nature | Vol 590 | 11 February 2021 ©2021 Spri nger Nature Li mited. All rights reserved. ©2021 Spri nger Nature Li mited. All rights reserved. came when the draft genome was used in com- Countless couples have pursued reproductive bination with ‘next-generation’ sequencing options informed by variant identification, technologies, which read entire genomes, Disease- and the country is on the cusp of rolling out 4 causing rather than individual genes . This gave variant an expanded screening programme. researchers the ability to identify potential Female Male Our improved understanding of Mendelian disease-causing variants across the genome diseases has also begun to benefit people with much more rapidly than had previously been common diseases that have more-complex Carrier possible. screening genetic underpinnings. For example, a 2020 Thanks to this technological advance, the sequencing study7 revealed that, for a small number of Mendelian diseases that have a but significant fraction of people who have known genetic cause went from 1,257 in 2001 common diseases, a single genetic variant to 4,377 at the time of writing (according to Cousins is the cause — that is, they have a Mendelian the OMIM database, an online catalogue of marry form of the disease. And aside from causation, human genes and disorders; go.nature.com/ genes associated with Mendelian disorders omimdb). Patients are now increasingly lib- have been found to be risk factors for many erated from the long-standing diagnostic Rapid common diseases12. New therapeutics for com- diagnosis bottleneck. Many can receive a diagnosis in mon diseases are being informed purely by hours when urgently needed, with a precision Two disease- human genomics, and Mendelian genes play that remains unparalleled in medicine. This causing variants no small part in that13. has opened the door for a true personaliza- The medical genetics community has often tion of disease management. For instance, Figure 1 | Screening for Mendelian diseases. been accused of making empty promises14. But therapies are available for some specific dis- Recessive Mendelian diseases are those that genomics is now truly improving people’s ease-causing genetic variants, such as those arise when a person carries two copies of a health. This is not just a vindication but also in the gene CFTR that cause cystic fibrosis. disease-causing gene variant. In this hypothetical an inspiration to continue rewriting medicine We can also avoid futile interventions such family tree, two children inherit a copy of a using our DNA. as growth-hormone therapy that would be disease-causing variant from their mother, and a copy of a non-damaging variant from their father.