Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS), conducted by our group and others, have identified loci that harbor risk variants for neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Human disease variants are enriched for polymorphisms that affect gene expression, including some that are known to associate with expression changes in the brain. Postulating that many variants confer risk to neurodegenerative disease via transcriptional regulatory mechanisms, we have analyzed gene expression levels in the brain tissue of subjects with AD and related diseases. Herein, we describe our collective datasets comprised of GWAS data from 2,099 subjects; microarray gene expression data from 773 brain samples, 186 of which also have RNAseq; and an independent cohort of 556 brain samples with RNAseq. We expect that these datasets, which are available to all qualified researchers, will enable investigators to explore and identify transcriptional mechanisms contributing to neurodegenerative diseases.

Downregulation of myelination networks may underlie both PSP and AD pathophysiology, but may be more pronounced in PSP. These data also highlight conservation of transcriptional networks across brain regions and the influence of cell type changes on these networks.

Corticobasal degeneration (CBD) is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting movement and cognition, definitively diagnosed only at autopsy. Here we conduct a GWAS in CBD cases (n = 152) and 3,311 controls, and 67 CBD cases and 439 controls in a replication stage. Associations with meta-analysis were 17q21 at MAPT (P = 1.42 × 10−12), 8p12 at lnc-KIF13B-1, a long non-coding RNA (rs643472; P = 3.41 × 10−8), and 2p22 at SOS1 (rs963731; P = 1.76 × 10−7). Testing for association of CBD with top PSP GWAS SNPs identified associations at MOBP (3p22; rs1768208; P = 2.07 × 10−7) and MAPT H1c (17q21; rs242557; P = 7.91 × 10−6). We previously reported SNP/transcript level associations with rs8070723/MAPT, rs242557/MAPT, and rs1768208/MOBP and herein identified association with rs963731/SOS1. We identify new CBD susceptibility loci and show that CBD and PSP share a genetic risk factor other than MAPT, at 3p22 MOBP (myelin-associated oligodendrocytic protein).

Purpose In clear cell renal cell carcinoma BAP1 and PBRM1 are 2 of the most commonly mutated genes (10% to 15% and 40% to 50%, respectively). We sought to determine the prognostic significance of PBRM1 and BAP1 expression in clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Materials and Methods We used immunohistochemistry to assess PBRM1 protein expression in 1,479 primary clear cell renal cell carcinoma tumors that were previously stained for BAP1. A centralized pathologist reviewed all cases and categorized tumors as positive or deficient for PBRM1 and BAP1. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression models were used to evaluate association of PBRM1 and BAP1 expression with the risk of death from renal cell carcinoma and the risk of metastasis after adjustment for age and the Mayo Clinic SSIGN (stage, size, grade and necrosis) score. Results PBRM1 and BAP1 expression was PBRM1+ BAP1+ in 40.1% of tumors, PBRM1− BAP1+ in 48.6%, PBRM1+ BAP1− in 8.7% and PBRM1− BAP1− in 1.8%. The incidence of PBRM1 and BAP1 loss in the same tumor was significantly lower than expected (actual 1.8% vs expected 5.3%, p <0.0001). Compared to patients with PBRM1+ BAP1+ tumors those with PBRM1− BAP1+ lesions were more likely to die of renal cell carcinoma (HR 1.39, p = 0.035), followed by those with PBRM1+ BAP1− and PBRM1− BAP1− tumors (HR 3.25 and 5.2, respectively, each p <0.001). PBRM1 and BAP1 expression did not add independent prognostic information to the SSIGN score. Conclusions PBRM1 and BAP1 expression identified 4 clinical subgroups of patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma who had divergent clinical outcomes. The clinical value of these biomarkers will be fully realized when therapies targeting pathways downstream of PBRM1 and BAP1 are developed.