Distinct fragmentation patterns of circulating viral cell-free DNA in 83,552 non-invasive prenatal testing samples.

ABSTRACT:

Aim

The fragmentation characteristics of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) are informative biomarkers in liquid biopsies, including non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), as they provide insights into the origins of the cfDNA. Viral infections by DNA viruses can contribute to the available cfDNA in these samples. Here, we characterize the fragment size distribution of viral cfDNA fragments obtained from available anonymous NIPT samples.

Methods

A viral database of 224 DNA viruses was generated from the NCBI RefSeq viral database. Paired-end cfDNA sequencing reads from 83.522 NIPT samples that did not map to any of the human chromosomes, or mitochondrial DNA of the human reference genome build GRCh38 (excluding alternative and unplaced contigs) were remapped to the generated viral databas

SUBMITTER: Linthorst J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11648490 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature