Frontiers in Immunology (May 2023)

Chromosomal microarray analysis supplements exome sequencing to diagnose children with suspected inborn errors of immunity

  • Breanna J. Beers,
  • Morgan N. Similuk,
  • Rajarshi Ghosh,
  • Bryce A. Seifert,
  • Leila Jamal,
  • Michael Kamen,
  • Michael R. Setzer,
  • Colleen Jodarski,
  • Rylee Duncan,
  • Devin Hunt,
  • Madison Mixer,
  • Wenjia Cao,
  • Weimin Bi,
  • Weimin Bi,
  • Daniel Veltri,
  • Eric Karlins,
  • Lingwen Zhang,
  • Zhiwen Li,
  • Andrew J. Oler,
  • Kathleen Jevtich,
  • Yunting Yu,
  • Haley Hullfish,
  • Bibiana Bielekova,
  • Pamela Frischmeyer-Guerrerio,
  • An Dang Do,
  • Laryssa A. Huryn,
  • Kenneth N. Olivier,
  • Helen C. Su,
  • Jonathan J. Lyons,
  • Christa S. Zerbe,
  • V. Koneti Rao,
  • Michael D. Keller,
  • Alexandra F. Freeman,
  • Steven M. Holland,
  • Luis M. Franco,
  • Magdalena A. Walkiewicz,
  • Jia Yan

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1172004
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14

Abstract

Read online

PurposeThough copy number variants (CNVs) have been suggested to play a significant role in inborn errors of immunity (IEI), the precise nature of this role remains largely unexplored. We sought to determine the diagnostic contribution of CNVs using genome-wide chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) in children with IEI.MethodsWe performed exome sequencing (ES) and CMA for 332 unrelated pediatric probands referred for evaluation of IEI. The analysis included primary, secondary, and incidental findings.ResultsOf the 332 probands, 134 (40.4%) received molecular diagnoses. Of these, 116/134 (86.6%) were diagnosed by ES alone. An additional 15/134 (11.2%) were diagnosed by CMA alone, including two likely de novo changes. Three (2.2%) participants had diagnostic molecular findings from both ES and CMA, including two compound heterozygotes and one participant with two distinct diagnoses. Half of the participants with CMA contribution to diagnosis had CNVs in at least one non-immune gene, highlighting the clinical complexity of these cases. Overall, CMA contributed to 18/134 diagnoses (13.4%), increasing the overall diagnostic yield by 15.5% beyond ES alone.ConclusionPairing ES and CMA can provide a comprehensive evaluation to clarify the complex factors that contribute to both immune and non-immune phenotypes. Such a combined approach to genetic testing helps untangle complex phenotypes, not only by clarifying the differential diagnosis, but in some cases by identifying multiple diagnoses contributing to the overall clinical presentation.

Keywords