Characterizing Alzheimer's disease candidate genes and transcripts with targeted, long-read, single-molecule sequencing

Large-scale, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified at least 20 additional genetic risk loci for the more common form: late-onset AD. However, the identified SNPs are typically not the actual risk variants, but are in linkage disequilibrium with the presumed causative variants (Van Cauwenberghe, et al. 2016). To help identify causative genetic variants, we have combined highly accurate, long-read sequencing with hybrid-capture technology. In this collaborative webinar with Pacific Biosciences, we present this method and show how combining IDT xGen™ Lockdown Probes with PacBio SMRT™ Sequencing allows targeting and sequencing of candidate genes from genomic DNA and corresponding transcripts from cDNA. Using a panel of target capture probes for 35 AD candidate genes, we demonstrate the power of this approach by looking at data for two individuals with AD. Some additional benefits of this method include the ability to leverage long reads, phase heterozygous variants, and link corresponding transcript isoforms to their respective alleles.