Functional evaluation and clinical classification of BRCA2 variants Journal Article


Authors: Huang, H.; Hu, C.; Na, J.; Hart, S. N.; Gnanaolivu, R. D.; Abozaid, M.; Rao, T.; Tecleab, Y. A.; CARRIERS Consortium; Pesaran, T.; Lyra, P. C. M.; Karam, R.; Yadav, S.; Nathanson, K. L.; Domchek, S. M.; de la Hoya, M.; Robson, M.; Mehine, M.; Bandlamudi, C.; Mandelker, D.; Monteiro, A. N. A.; Iversen, E. S.; Boddicker, N.; Chen, W.; Richardson, M. E.; Couch, F. J.
Article Title: Functional evaluation and clinical classification of BRCA2 variants
Abstract: Germline BRCA2 loss-of function variants, which can be identified through clinical genetic testing, predispose to several cancers1, 2, 3, 4–5. However, variants of uncertain significance limit the clinical utility of test results. Thus, there is a need for functional characterization and clinical classification of all BRCA2 variants to facilitate the clinical management of individuals with these variants. Here we analysed all possible single-nucleotide variants from exons 15 to 26 that encode the BRCA2 DNA-binding domain hotspot for pathogenic missense variants. To enable this, we used saturation genome editing CRISPR–Cas9-based knock-in endogenous targeting of human haploid HAP1 cells6. The assay was calibrated relative to nonsense and silent variants and was validated using pathogenic and benign standards from ClinVar and results from a homology-directed repair functional assay7. Variants (6,959 out of 6,960 evaluated) were assigned to seven categories of pathogenicity based on a VarCall Bayesian model8. Single-nucleotide variants that encode loss-of-function missense variants were associated with increased risks of breast cancer and ovarian cancer. The functional assay results were integrated into models from ClinGen, the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, and the Association for Molecular Pathology9 for clinical classification of BRCA2 variants. Using this approach, 91% were classified as pathogenic or likely pathogenic or as benign or likely benign. These classified variants can be used to improve clinical management of individuals with a BRCA2 variant. © The Author(s) 2025.
Keywords: single nucleotide polymorphism; exon; genetics; missense mutation; exons; mutation, missense; polymorphism, single nucleotide; ovarian neoplasms; reproducibility; reproducibility of results; genetic predisposition to disease; immune system; bayes theorem; gene expression; cell line; pathology; breast neoplasms; brca2 protein; breast tumor; ovary tumor; genome; pathogenicity; genetic predisposition; loss of function mutation; brca2 protein, human; cancer; humans; human; female; crispr cas system; gene editing; crispr-cas systems
Journal Title: Nature
Volume: 638
Issue: 8050
ISSN: 0028-0836
Publisher: Nature Publishing Group  
Date Published: 2025-02-13
Start Page: 528
End Page: 537
Language: English
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-08388-8
PUBMED: 39779857
PROVIDER: scopus
PMCID: PMC11821525
DOI/URL:
Notes: Article -- Source: Scopus
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  1. Mark E Robson
    676 Robson
  2. Diana Lauren Mandelker
    178 Mandelker
  3. Miika Mehine
    15 Mehine