The Human Variome Project: ensuring the quality of DNA variant databases in inherited renal disease.
A recent review identified 60 common inherited renal diseases caused by DNA variants in 132 different genes. These diseases can be diagnosed with DNA sequencing, but each gene probably also has a thousand normal variants. Many more normal variants have been characterised by individual laboratories than are reported in the literature or found in publicly accessible collections. At present, testing laboratories must assess each novel change they identify for pathogenicity, even when this has been done elsewhere previously, and the distinction between normal and disease-associated variants is particularly an issue with the recent surge in exomic sequencing and gene discovery projects. The Human Variome Project recommends the establishment of gene-specific DNA variant databases to facilitate the sharing of DNA variants and decisions about likely disease causation. Databases improve diagnostic accuracy and testing efficiency, and reduce costs. They also help with genotype-phenotype correlations and predictive algorithms. The Human Variome Project advocates databases that use standardised descriptions, are up-to-date, include clinical information and are freely available. Currently, the genes affected in the most common inherited renal diseases correspond to 350 different variant databases, many of which are incomplete or have insufficient clinical details for genotype-phenotype correlations. Assistance is needed from nephrologists to maximise the usefulness of these databases for the diagnosis and management of inherited renal disease.
The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia. jasavige@unimelb.edu.au.|Department of Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3050, Australia. jasavige@unimelb.edu.au.
Judy
J
Savige
Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Raymond
R
Dalgleish
Human Variome Project, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Richard Gh
RG
Cotton
Human and Clinical Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Johan T
JT
den Dunnen
The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia.|Colorectal Medicine and Genetics, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Australia.
Finlay
F
Macrae
Research Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK.
Sue
S
Povey
D030561:Databases, Nucleic Acid / Q000592:standards*; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000235:genetics*; D009154:Mutation
DNA variant database; Genetic variant; Inherited disease; Pathogenicity; Phenotype