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A Strategy to Identify de Novo Mutations in Common Disorders such as Autism and Schizophrenia
Published on: June 15, 2011
Novel Compound Heterozygous Mutation in TRAPPC9 Gene: The Relevance of Whole Genome Sequencing
Maria Isabel Alvarez-Mora1, Jordi Corominas2, Christian Gilissen2
1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Hospital Clinic, 08036 Barcelona, Spain.
Abstract:
Advances in high-throughput technologies and its implementation worldwide have had a considerable impact on the elucidation of the molecular causes underlying neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders, especially for autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability (ID). Nevertheless, etiology remains elusive in close to 50% of cases, even in those families with multiple affected individuals, strongly hinting at a genetic cause. Here we present a case report of two siblings affected with severe ID and other comorbidities, who embarked on a genetic testing odyssey until diagnosis was reached by using whole genome sequencing (WGS). WGS identified a maternally inherited novel missense variant (NM_031466.7:c.1037G > A; p.Gly346Glu) and a paternally inherited 90 kb intragenic deletion in TRAPPC9 gene. This report demonstrates the clinical utility of WGS in patients who remain undiagnosed after whole exome sequencing.

