Preprint DZNE-2025-01291

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Genome-wide profiling of short tandem repeat somatic instability reveals associations with age, sex and brain-related traits

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2025

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Abstract: Short tandem repeats (STRs) are highly abundant in the human genome and their age-related somatic instability is emerging as a pivotal pathomechanism in repeat expansion disorders. Nevertheless, currently no analysis tool exists for genome-wide profiling of STR somatic instability. Here, we present searchSTR, a novel computational framework that enables accurate STR genotyping and somatic instability quantification from both whole-genome and targeted sequencing data. Applying this approach, we analyzed STR variants from whole-genome sequencing data of the 1000 Genomes Project (n=3,202) and targeted deep-sequencing data of the population-based Rhineland Study (n=2,974). We provide a comprehensive multiancestry genome-wide reference panel of STR variants and their somatic instability, covering more than 1.4 million STRs across 26 populations. Remarkably, STR somatic instability at many loci was robustly associated with age, sex, brain morphology and markers of neurodegeneration. These findings reveal a crucial role for STR somatic instability as an age-dependent modifier of brain structure.


Contributing Institute(s):
  1. Population & Clinical Neuroepidemiology (AG Aziz)
  2. Population Health Sciences (AG Breteler)
  3. Immunogenomics and Neurodegeneration (AG Beyer)
  4. Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (AG Reuter)
  5. Clinical Single Cell Omics (CSCO) / Systems Medicine (AG Schultze)
Research Program(s):
  1. 354 - Disease Prevention and Healthy Aging (POF4-354) (POF4-354)
  2. TRANSIT-ND - Tandem Repeats Associated with Neurogenomic Somatic Instability and Neurodegeneration (101041677) (101041677)
  3. 351 - Brain Function (POF4-351) (POF4-351)
Experiment(s):
  1. Platform for Single Cell Genomics and Epigenomics at DZNE University of Bonn

Appears in the scientific report 2025
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The record appears in these collections:
Institute Collections > BN DZNE > BN DZNE-AG Schultze
Institute Collections > BN DZNE > BN DZNE-AG Breteler
Institute Collections > BN DZNE > BN DZNE-AG Reuter
Institute Collections > BN DZNE > BN DZNE-AG Beyer
Institute Collections > BN DZNE > BN DZNE-AG Aziz
Document types > Reports > Preprints
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 Record created 2025-11-20, last modified 2025-11-21



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