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Sandron, F.

Publications and source records attributed to Sandron, F..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

Unraveling the potential of short and long read sequencing for human genome profiling

BackgroundShort read sequencing technologies have dominated the field of human whole genome sequencing in the past years in terms of cost, throughput, and accuracy. However, thanks to recent technological evolution, long read approaches have become increasingly competitive and complementary to short reads. With the gap in the cost per genome closing slowly between both approaches, long reads might replace short read sequencing in future research and clinical applications. Still, comprehensive evaluation is necessary to conclude on the performance and general advantages of each technology. ResultsIn this study, we compared the latest chemistries of major suppliers of short and long read technologies: Illumina short reads, Illumina Complete Long Reads (ICLR), Pacific Biosciences HiFi reads (PacBio), and Oxford Nanopore Technologies long reads (ONT). Using the HG002 human reference sample and established bioinformatics guidelines, we assessed their variant calling performance against the latest available truth sets at different levels of coverage. For single nucleotide variant detection, all technologies were equivalent. Despite the latest improvements in chemistry, indel calling with ONT continues to lag in accuracy behind other technologies. In contrast, long reads delivered a clear advantage in structural variant detection, surpassing short reads in both accuracy and sensitivity. The hybrid ICLR approach achieved intermediate performance, narrowing the gap between short and long read sequencing. Furthermore, long reads enhanced haplotype-phasing resolution, enabling the phasing of over 80% of the genome. ConclusionsThese findings highlight the specific strengths and limitations of recent sequencing technologies, aiding the decision-making in future research projects, technological platforms development, and clinical applications.

genomics↗

Genetic population structure across Brittany and the downstream Loire basin provides new insights on the demographic history of Western Europe

European genetic ancestry originates from three main ancestral populations - Western hunter-gatherers, early European farmers and Yamnaya Eurasian herders - whose edges geographically met in present-day France. Despite its central role to our understanding of how the ancestral populations interacted and gave rise to modern population structure, the population history of France has remained largely understudied. Here, we analysed the high-coverage whole-genome sequences and genome-wide genotype profiles of respectively 856 and 3,234 present-day individuals from the northern half of France, and merged them with publicly available present-day and ancient Europe-wide genotype datasets. We also explored, for the first time, the whole-genome sequences of six mediaeval individuals (300-1100 CE) from Western France to gain insights into the genetic impact of what is commonly known as the Migration Period in Europe. We found extensive fine-scale population structure across Brittany and the downstream Loire basin, emphasising the need for investigating local populations to better understand the distribution of rare and putatively deleterious variants across space. Overall, we observed an increased population differentiation between the northern and southern sides of the river Loire, which are characterised by different proportions of steppe vs. Neolithic-related ancestry. Samples from Western Brittany carry the largest levels of steppe ancestry and show high levels of allele sharing with individuals associated with the Bell Beaker complex, levels that are only comparable with those found in populations lying on the northwestern edges of Europe. Together, our results imply that present-day individuals from Western Brittany retain substantial legacy of the genetic changes that occurred in Northwestern Europe following the arrival of the Bell Beaker people c. 2500 BCE. Such genetic legacy may explain the sharing of disease-related alleles with other present-day populations from Western Britain and Ireland.

genetics↗

ContaTester: Fast cross-contamination estimation and identification for large human sequencing cohorts

BackgroundInterest in genomic medicine for human health studies and clinical applications is rapidly increasing. Clinical applications require contamination-free samples to avoid misleading results and provide a sound basis for diagnosis. ResultsHere we present ContaTester, a tool which requires only allele balance information gathered from a VCF file to detect cross-contamination in germline human DNA samples. Based on a regression model of allele balance distribution, ContaTester allows fast checking of contamination levels for single samples or large cohorts (less than two minutes per sample). We demonstrate the efficiency of ContaTester using experimental validations: ContaTester shows similar results to methods requiring alignment data but with a significantly reduced storage footprint and less computation time. Additionally, for contamination levels above 5%, ContaTester can identify contaminants across a cohort, providing important clues for troubleshooting and quality assessment. ConclusionsContaTester estimates contamination levels from VCF files generated from whole genome sequencing normal sample and provides reliable contaminant identification for cohorts or experimental batches.

bioinformatics↗

Proteasome subunit PSMC3 variants cause neurosensory syndrome combining deafness and cataract due to proteotoxic stress

Whole-genome sequencing was performed on patients with severe deafness and early-onset cataracts as part of a neurological, sensorial and cutaneous novel syndrome. A unique deep intronic homozygous variant in the PSMC3 gene (c.1127+337A>G, p.Ser376Argfs15*), encoding the 26S proteasome ATPase ring subunit 5 (Rpt5) was identified leading to the transcription of a cryptic exon. Patients fibroblasts exhibited impaired protein homeostasis characterized by accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins suggesting severe proteotoxic stress. Indeed, the TCF11/Nrf1 transcriptional pathway allowing proteasome recovery after proteasome inhibition is permanently activated in the patients fibroblasts. Upon chemical proteasome inhibition this pathway is however impaired. These cells were unable to compensate for proteotoxic stress although a higher proteasome content. Two different zebrafish studies led to inner ear development anomalies as well as cataracts. PSMC3 proteasome subunit dysfunction leads to various neurological manifestations, early onset cataracts and deafness and suggest that Rpt5 plays a major role in inner ear, lens and central nervous system development.

genetics↗