Comprehensive clinically oriented workflow for nucleotide level resolution and interpretation in prenatal diagnosis of de novo apparently balanced chromosomal translocations in their genomic landscape

We present a comprehensive clinically oriented workflow for large-insert genome sequencing (liGS)-based nucleotide level resolution and interpretation of de novo (dn) apparently balanced chromosomal abnormalities (BCA) in prenatal diagnosis (PND). Retrospective or concomitant with conventional PND and liGS, molecular and newly developed clinically inspired bioinformatic tools (TAD-GConTool and CNV-ConTool) are applied to analyze and assess the functional and phenotypic outcome of dn structural variants (dnSVs). Retrospective analysis of four phenotype-associated dnSVs identified during conventional PND precisely reveal the genomic elements disrupted by the translocation breakpoints. Identification of autosomal dominant disease due to the disruption of ANKS1B and WDR26 by t(12;17)(q23.1;q21.33)dn and t(1;3)(q24.11;p25.3)dn breakpoints, respectively, substantiated the proposed workflow. We then applied this workflow to two ongoing prenatal cases with apparently balanced dnBCAs: 46,XX,t(16;17)(q24;q21.3)dn referred for increased risk on combined first trimester screening and 46,XY,t(2;19)(p13;q13.1)dn referred due to a previous trisomy 21 pregnancy. Translocation breakpoints in the t(16;17) involve ANKRD11 and WNT3 and disruption of ANKRD11 resulted in KBG syndrome confirmed in postnatal follow-up. Breakpoints in the t(2;19) are within ATP6V1B1 and the 3′ UTR of CEP89 , and are not interpreted to cause disease. Genotype–phenotype correlation confirms the causative role of WDR26 in the Skraban-Deardorff and 1q41q42 microdeletion phenocopy syndromes, and that disruption of ANKS1B causes ANKS1B haploinsufficiency syndrome. In sum, we show that an liGS-based approach can be realized in PND care providing additional information concerning clinical outcomes of dnBCAs in patients with such rearrangements.