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Updated: Sep 1, 2025

Determining the Likelihood of Variant Pathogenicity Using Amino Acid-level Signal-to-Noise Analysis of Genetic Variation
Published on: January 16, 2019
Genetic diversity in Kashubs: the regional increase in the frequency of several disease-causing variants
Maciej Jankowski1, Patrycja Daca-Roszak2, Cezary Obracht-Prondzyński3
1Department of Biology and Medical Genetics, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland.
Abstract:
Differential distribution of genetic variants' frequency among human populations is caused by the genetic drift in isolated populations, historical migrations, and demography. Some of these variants are identical by descent and represent founder mutations, which - if pathogenic in nature - lead to the increased frequency of otherwise rare diseases. The detection of the increased regional prevalence of pathogenic variants may shed light on the historical processes that affected studied populations and can help to develop effective screening and diagnostic strategies as a part of personalized medicine. Here, we discuss the specific genetic diversity in Kashubs, the minority group living in northern Poland, reflected in the biased distribution of some of the repetitively found disease-causing variants. These include the following: (1) c.662A > G (p.Asp221Gly) in LDLR, causing heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia; (2) c.3700_3704del in BRCA1, associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome; (3) c.1528G > C (p.Glu510Gln) in HADHA, seen in long-chain 3-hydroxy acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (LCHAD) deficiency, and (4) c.1032delT in NPHS2, associated with steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome.
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