OBJECTIVE: To assess the diagnostic value of whole exome sequencing (WES) for patients with intellectual disability (ID) or global developmental delay (GDD). METHODS: 134 individuals with ID or GDD who presented at Chenzhou First People's Hospital between May 2018 and December 2021 were selected as the study subjects. WES was carried out on peripheral blood samples of the patients and their parents, and candidate variants were verified by Sanger sequencing, copy number variation sequencing (CNV-seq) and co-segregation analysis. The pathogenicity of the variants was predicted based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG). RESULTS: A total of 46 pathogenic single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and small insertion/deletion (InDel) variants, 11 pathogenic genomic copy number variants (CNVs), and 1 uniparental diploidy (UPD) were detected, which yielded an overall detection rate of 43.28% (58/134). The 46 pathogenic SNV/InDel have involved 62 mutation sites in 40 genes, among which MECP2 was the most frequent (n = 4). The 11 pathogenic CNVs have included 10 deletions and 1 duplication, which have ranged from 0.76 to 15.02 Mb. A loss of heterozygosity (LOH) region of approximately 15.62 Mb was detected in 15q11.2q12 region in a patient, which was validated as paternal UPD based on the result of trio-WES. The patient was ultimately diagnosed as Angelman syndrome. CONCLUSION WES can detect not only SNV/InDel, but also CNV and LOH. By integrating family data, WES can accurately determine the origin of the variants and provide a useful tool for uncovering the genetic etiology of patients with ID or GDD.
Humans ; Exome Sequencing ; Intellectual Disability/genetics* ; DNA Copy Number Variations ; Mutation ; Loss of Heterozygosity

Objective:To explore the distribution and hematological characteristics of rare thalassemia-associated mutations in Chenzhou region of Hunan Province with an aim to provide a basis for genetic counseling and effective prevention.Methods:A total of 37 370 individuals enrolled from January 2015 to December 2021 were screened by routine blood test and hemoglobin electrophoresis. The genotypes were determined with high-throughput sequencing.Results:A total of 8 455 thalassemia mutations (including 185 rare ones) were detected, which had involved 27 mutational types. Rare type α-Thalassemia --THAI and CD31 (AGG>AAG) have the typical microcytic hypochromic hematological features, whilst SEA-HPFH, CD14 (CTG>-TG), CD37 (TGG>TAG), -90(C>T), Codon 15 (G>A), IVS-Ⅰ-128 (T>G), CD86 (GCC>GC-) and Chinese Gγ+ (Aγδβ)0 had typical microcytic hypochromic and β-thalassemia-associated hematological features of elevated HbA2 or HbF. In addition, the -50(G>A)heterozygotes of β-thalassemia had normal or slightly decreased MCV and MCH without an increase in HbA2.Conclusion:Various forms of thalassemia-associated mutations have been identified in the Chenzhou region of Hunan Province. Above finding has facilitated development of preventive and control strategies for thalassemia as well as birth health programs.

China prospective multicenter birth cohort (Prospective Omics Health Atlas birth cohort, POHA birth cohort) study was officially launched in 2022. This study, in collaboration with 12 participating units, aims to establish a high-quality, multidimensional cohort comprising 20 000 naturally conceived families and assisted reproductive families. The study involves long-term follow-up of parents and offspring, with corresponding biological samples collected at key time points. Through multi-omics testing and analysis, the study aims to conduct multi-omics big data research across the entire maternal and infant life cycle. The goal is to identify new biomarkers for maternal and infant diseases and provide scientific evidence for risk prediction related to maternal diseases and neonatal health.