• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.83 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2020

For the past three decades, more than a thousand of genetic studies have been performed to find out the genetic variants responsible for the risk of asthma. Until now, all of the discovered single nucleotide polymorphisms have explained genetic effects less than initially expected. Thus, clarification of environmental factors has been brought up to overcome the 'missing' heritability. The most exciting solution is epigenesis because it intervenes at the junction between the genome and the environment. Epigenesis is an alteration of genetic expression without changes of DNA sequence caused by environmental factors such as nutrients, allergens, cigarette smoke, air pollutants, use of drugs and infectious agents during pre- and post-natal periods and even in adulthood. Three major forms of epigenesis are composed of DNA methylation, histone modifications, and specific microRNA. Recently, several studies have been published on epigenesis in asthma and allergy as a powerful tool for research of genetic heritability in asthma albeit epigenetic changes are at the starting point to obtain the data on specific phenotypes of asthma. In this presentation, we mainly review the potential role of DNA CpG methylation in the risk of asthma and its sub-phenotypes including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory exacerbated respiratory diseases.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.83-91
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• 2009

The completion of many malaria parasite genomes provides great opportunities for genomewide characterization of gene expression and high-throughput genotyping. Substantial progress in malaria genomics and genotyping has been made recently, particularly the development of various microarray platforms for large-scale characterization of the Plasmodium falciparum genome. Microarray has been used for gene expression analysis, detection of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and copy number variation (CNV), characterization of chromatin modifications, and other applications. Here we discuss some recent advances in genetic mapping and genomic studies of malaria parasites, focusing on the use of high-throughput arrays for the detection of SNP and CNV in the P. falciparum genome. Strategies for genetic mapping of malaria traits are also discussed.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.70-75
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• 2023

Dent disease is a rare inherited kidney tubulopathy caused by mutations in either the CLCN5 (Dent disease 1) or OCRL1 (Dent disease 2) genes, and which is often underdiagnosed in practice. A diagnosis is clinically suspected in patients with low-molecular-weight proteinuria, hypercalciuria, and one of the following: hematuria, nephrolithiasis, nephrocalcinosis, hypophosphatemia, or chronic kidney disease. Inheritance is X-linked recessive, meaning, these symptoms are generally only found in males; female carriers may have mild phenotypes. Genetic testing is only a method to confirm the diagnosis, approximately 25% to 35% of patients have neither the CLCN5 nor OCRL1 pathogenic variants (Dent disease 3), making diagnosis more challenging. The genotype-phenotype correlations are not evident with the limited clinical data available. As with many other genetic diseases, the management of patients with Dent disease concentrates on symptom relief rather than any causative process. The current treatments are mainly supportive to reduce hypercalciuria and prevent nephrolithiasis. Chronic kidney disease progresses to end-stage between the ages of the third to fifth decades in 30% to 80% of affected males. In this review, we aimed to summarize the literature on Dent disease and reveal the clinical characteristics and molecular basis of Korean patients with Dent disease.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.14-21
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• 2021

Chronic kidney disease, the presence of structural and functional abnormalities in the kidneys, is associated with a lower quality of life and increased morbidity and mortality in children. Genetic etiologies account for a substantial proportion of pediatric chronic kidney disease. With recent advances in genetic testing techniques, an increasing number of genetic causes of kidney disease continue to be found. Genetic testing is recommended in children with steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome, congenital malformations of the kidney and urinary tract, cystic disease, or kidney disease with extrarenal manifestations. Diagnostic yields differ according to the category of clinical diagnosis and the choice of test. Here, we review the characteristics of genetic testing modalities and the implications of genetic testing in clinical genetic diagnostics.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.8
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• pp.1379-1396
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• 2021

Rare neurovascular diseases (RNVDs) have not been well-recognized in Korea. They involve the central nervous system and greatly affect the patients' lives. However, these diseases are difficult to diagnose and treat due to their rarity and incurability. We established a list of RNVDs by referring to the previous literature and databases worldwide to better understand the diseases and their current management status. We categorized 68 RNVDs based on their pathophysiology and clinical manifestations and estimated the prevalence of each disease in Korea. Recent advances in genetic, molecular, and developmental research have enabled further understanding of these RNVDs. Herein, we review each disease, while considering its classification based on updated pathologic mechanisms, and discuss the management status of RNVD in Korea.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.129-134
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• 2015

Schistosoma haematobium is one of the most prevalent parasitic flatworms, infecting over 112 million people in Africa. However, little is known about the genetic diversity of natural S. haematobium populations from the human host because of the inaccessible location of adult worms in the host. We used 4 microsatellite loci to genotype individually pooled S. haematobium eggs directly from each patient sampled at 4 endemic locations in Africa. We found that the average allele number of individuals from Mali was significantly higher than that from Nigeria. In addition, no significant difference in allelic composition was detected among the populations within Nigeria; however, the allelic composition was significantly different between Mali and Nigeria populations. This study demonstrated a high level of genetic variability of S. haematobium in the populations from Mali and Nigeria, the 2 major African endemic countries, suggesting that geographical population differentiation may occur in the regions.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2023

Until now, rare disease studies have mainly been carried out by detecting simple variants such as single nucleotide substitutions and short insertions and deletions in protein-coding regions of disease-associated gene panels using diagnostic next-generation sequencing in association with patient phenotypes. However, several recent studies reported that the detection rate hardly exceeds 50% even when whole-exome sequencing is applied. Therefore, the necessity of introducing whole-genome sequencing is emerging to discover more diverse genomic variants and examine their association with rare diseases. When no diagnosis is provided by whole-genome sequencing, additional omics techniques such as RNA-seq also can be considered to further interrogate causal variants. This paper will introduce a description of these multi-omics techniques and their applications in rare disease studies.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.341-345
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• 2011

Genetic association study has been progressed in medicine along with advance in genetic technology. It focused on the individual differences in genotype due to errors occurring during DNA duplication, which can cause vulnerability to specific diseases. Polymorphism defines the varieties in phenotype due to those genetic variations. Polymorphism due to change in one DNA base sequence is called as a Single Nucleotide Polymorphism. In the near future, the evaluation of relative risk to specific disease according to SNP will be essential part of fundamental of medicine for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention. Dental caries and periodontal diseases has been first subject to genetic association study in dentistry and broaden out to other areas like bone formation and resorption. This article presents the current state of genetic association study and its application to dentistry.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.40-45
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• 2022

Purpose: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has various underlying causes in children. Identification of the underlying causes of CKD is important. Genetic causes comprise a significant proportion of pediatric CKD cases. Methods: In this study, we performed whole-exome sequencing (WES) to identify genetic causes of pediatric CKD. From January to June 2021, WES was performed using samples from pediatric patients with CKD of unclear etiology. Results: Genetic causes were investigated using WES in 37 patients (17 males) with pediatric CKD stages 1 (n=5), 2 (n=7), 3 (n=2), 4 (n=2), and 5 (n=21). The underlying diseases were focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (n=9), congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract including reflux nephropathy (n=8), other glomerulopathies (n=7), unknown etiology (n=6), and others (n=7). WES identified genetic causes of CKD in 12 of the 37 patients (32.4%). Genetic defects were discovered in the COL4A4 (n=2), WT1 (n=2), ACTN4, CEP290, COL4A3, CUBN, GATA3, LAMA5, NUP107, and PAX2 genes. WT1 defects were found in patients whose pathologic diagnosis was membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, and identification of CUBN defects led to discontinuation of immunosuppressive agents. Genetic diagnosis confirmed the clinical diagnosis of hypoparathyroidism, sensorineural deafness, and renal disease; Alport syndrome; and Joubert syndrome in three of the patients with CKD of unknown etiology (COL4A4 [n=2], CUBN [n=1]). Extrarenal symptoms were considered phenotypic presentations of WT1, PAX2, and CEP290 defects. Conclusions: WES provided a genetic diagnosis that confirmed the clinical diagnosis in a significant proportion (32.4%) of patients with pediatric CKD.

• BMB Reports
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.11-27
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• 2004

The introduction of molecular markers in genetic analysis has revolutionized medicine. These molecular markers are genetic variations associated with a predisposition to common diseases and individual variations in drug responses. Identification and genotyping a vast number of genetic polymorphisms in large populations are increasingly important for disease gene identification, pharmacogenetics and population-based studies. Among variations being analyzed, single nucleotide polymorphisms seem to be most useful in large-scale genetic analysis. This review discusses approaches for genetic analysis, use of different markers, and emerging technologies for large-scale genetic analysis where millions of genotyping need to be performed.