No abstract available.
Germ-Line Mutation* ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry*

About ten percent of pheochromocytomas are associated with familial syndrome. Hereditary pheochromocytoma has characteristics of early onset, multifocality and bilaterality. We experienced a case of 44-year-old man with bilateral pheochromocytoma without evidence of medullary thyroid cancer. Genetic test detected a L790F germline mutation of RET oncogene. The author found a necessity for genetic tests in cases of young-age, bilateral pheochromocytoma.
Adult ; Germ-Line Mutation ; Humans ; Oncogenes ; Pheochromocytoma ; Thyroid Neoplasms

Hereditary diffuse gastric cancer was discovered 25 years ago. During the last 25 years, the diagnostic standards and molecular mechanism of this type of hereditary gastric cancer have been established. With a better understanding of this disease, germline CDH1 mutation has been linked to hereditary diffuse gastric cancer with autosomal-dominant inheritance pattern. Therefore, strategies on genetic screening and follow-up have been evolved for CDH1 mutation carriers. In China, the studies on hereditary diffuse gastric cancer are sparse. We hope this article will bring more awareness and attention of this peculiar disease to Chinese physicians.
China ; Genetic Testing ; Germ-Line Mutation ; Humans ; Stomach Neoplasms

PURPOSE: Next-generation sequencing (NGS) allows simultaneous sequencing of multiple cancer susceptibility genes and may represent a more efficient and less expensive approach than sequential testing. We assessed the frequency of germline mutations in individuals with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), using multi-gene panels and NGS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with EOC (n=117) with/without a family history of breast or ovarian cancer were recruited consecutively, from March 2016 toDecember 2016.GermlineDNAwas sequenced using 35-gene NGS panel, in order to identify mutations. Upon the detection of a genetic alteration using the panel, results were cross-validated using direct sequencing. RESULTS: Thirty-eight patients (32.5%) had 39 pathogenic or likely pathogenic mutations in eight genes, including BRCA1 (n=21), BRCA2 (n=10), BRIP1 (n=1), CHEK2 (n=2), MSH2 (n=1), POLE (n=1), RAD51C (n=2), and RAD51D (n=2). Among 64 patients with a family history of cancer, 27 (42.2%) had 27 pathogenic or likely pathogenic mutations, and six (9.3%) had mutations in genes other than BRCA1/2, such as CHECK2, MSH2, POLE, and RAD51C. Fifty-five patients (47.0%) were identified to carry only variants of uncertain significance. CONCLUSION: Using the multi-gene panel test, we found that, of all patients included in our study, 32.5% had germline cancer-predisposing mutations. NGS was confirmed to substantially improve the detection rates of a wide spectrum of mutations in EOC patients compared with those obtained with the BRCA1/2 testing alone.
Breast ; Germ-Line Mutation* ; Humans ; Ovarian Neoplasms* ; Prevalence

PURPOSE: Germline mutations within melanoma susceptibility genes are present only in minority of melanoma patients and it is expected that additional genes will be discovered with next generation sequence technology and whole-exome sequencing (WES). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Herein we performed WES on a cohort of 96 unrelated Polish patients with melanoma diagnosed under the age of 40 years who all screened negative for the presence of CDKN2A variants. A replication study using a set of 1,200 melanoma patient DNA samples and similarly large series of healthy controls was undertaken. RESULTS: We selected 21 potentially deleterious variants in 20 genes (VRK1, MYCT1, DNAH14, CASC3, MS4A12, PRC1, WWOX, CARD6, EXO5, CASC3, CASP8AP2, STK33, SAMD11, CNDP2, CPNE1, EFCAB6, CABLES1, LEKR1, NUDT17, and RRP15), which were identified by WES and confirmed by Sanger sequencing for an association study. Evaluation of the allele distribution among carriers and their relatives in available family trios revealed that these variants were unlikely to account for many familial cases of melanoma. Replication study revealed no statistically significant differences between cases and controls. CONCLUSION: Although most of the changes seemed to be neutral we could not exclude an association between variants in VRK1, CREB3L3, EXO5, and STK33 with melanoma risk.
Alleles ; Cohort Studies ; DNA ; Exome* ; Frameshift Mutation ; Germ-Line Mutation ; Humans ; Incidence* ; Melanoma* ; Poland*

OBJECTIVE: To explore the genetic basis for a male with breast cancer and a sister who had deceased of the disease. METHODS: Medical and family history of the proband was collected. Next-generation sequencing was carried out to detect potential variant associated with breast cancer, and Sanger sequencing was used to verify the result. RESULTS: The proband was found to harbor a novel heterozygous c.6018dupT variant of the BRCA2 gene which may cause premature termination of mRNA translation, resulting in a truncated protein. Combined with the family history, the variant was deduced to be a germline mutation. Based on the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics standards and guidelines, c.6018dupT variant of BRCA2 gene was predicted to be pathogenic (PVS1+PM1/2+PP4). CONCLUSION The germline variant of the BRCA2 gene probably underlay the breast cancer in this pedigree.
BRCA2 Protein/genetics* ; Breast Neoplasms, Male/genetics* ; Genes, BRCA2 ; Genomics ; Germ Cells ; Germ-Line Mutation ; Humans ; Male

BACKGROUND: Cowden's disease is a rare disorder, characterized by a multiple harmatoma-neoplasia syndrome. Germline mutations in the Phosphatase and Tensin homolog (PTEN) gene have been identified in some individuals with Cowden's disease. The present study aimed to evaluate abnormalities of PTEN and p53 genes in a patient with Cowden's disease. METHODS: Eleven family members including the patient with Cowden's disease were examined in this study. Sequencing analyses were performed on these people and on the normal control group to identify mutation in PTEN and p53 genes. RESULTS: DNA sequencing of PTEN gene showed no mutation in the patient and the family members. The G to C germline mutation was identified only in the patient of Cowden disease at 38th base of intron 2 of p53 gene. CONCLUSIONS: Although the exact role of mutation in p53 gene was not identified in the Cowden's disease, the conformational change of the gene would result in the dysfunction of the tumor suppressor effect of p53 gene. Otherwise, an epigenetic silencing can be a mechanism of disease development in a patient without genetic abnormality.
Epigenomics ; Genes, p53 ; Germ-Line Mutation ; Hamartoma Syndrome, Multiple* ; Humans ; Introns* ; Sequence Analysis, DNA

Inherited hemolytic anemias (IHAs) are genetic diseases that present with anemia due to the increased destruction of circulating abnormal RBCs. The RBC abnormalities are classified into the three major disorders of membranopathies, hemoglobinopathies, and enzymopathies. Traditional diagnosis of IHA has been performed via a step-wise process combining clinical and laboratory findings. Nowadays, the etiology of IHA accounts for germline mutations of the responsible genes coding for the structural components of RBCs. Recent advances in molecular technologies, including next-generation sequencing, inspire us to apply these technologies as a first-line approach for the identification of potential mutations and to determine the novel causative genes in patients with IHAs. We herein review the concept and strategy for the genetic diagnosis of IHAs and provide an overview of the preparations for clinical applications of the new molecular technologies.
Anemia ; Anemia, Hemolytic* ; Clinical Coding ; Diagnosis ; Genetic Testing ; Germ-Line Mutation ; Hemoglobinopathies ; Humans

PURPOSE: Germline mutation of the RET oncogene results in multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) types 2A and 2B and familial medullary thyroid cancer (FMTC). We reviewed the literature to determine the mutation patterns of the RET oncogene in Koreans with MEN-2A, 2B and FMTC. METHODS: We retrieved the relevant literature using the PubMed (http://www.pubmed.org/) and KoreaMed (http://www.koreamed.org/) databases concerning the RET germline mutations in Korea from 1998 to 2010. We evaluated the pedigree of the patients to exclude the same, repeated families. We collected all the data on the types of mutations and the clinical syndromes. RESULTS: There were 21 studies with a total of 25 families. In the patients with MEN-2A and FMTC, there were 14 mutations (56%) in codon 634, 6 mutations (24%) in codon 618, 2 mutations (8%) in codon 631 and one mutation (4%) in codon 768. In the patients with MEN-2B, there were 2 mutations (8%) in codon 918. D631Y is an extremely rare mutation, but two families with such a mutation existed in Korea. The frequency of codon 634 mutations in the patients with MEN-2A was relatively lower than that of the previously reports from western countries and the frequency of codon 618 mutations was relatively higher than that in the western countries. CONCLUSION: This study shows there are hot spots and genotype- phenotype correlations for the RET oncogene mutations in Koreans.
Codon ; Germ-Line Mutation* ; Humans ; Korea ; Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia ; Oncogenes* ; Pedigree ; Phenotype ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Neoplasms*

Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a rare life-threatening disorder. Inherited cases of this disorder are known as heritable pulmonary arterial hypertension. Familial cases of heritable pulmonary arterial hypertension are caused by germline mutations of the bone morphogenetic protein receptor type 2 gene (BMPR), a type II receptor of the TGF-beta superfamily. This has not been reported in Korea. We report the first case of familial hereditable pulmonary arterial hypertension in Korea. The family has a mutation in exon12 of the BMPR2 gene (c.2695C > T, p.R899X).
Bone Morphogenetic Proteins ; Germ-Line Mutation ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; Korea ; Transforming Growth Factor beta