DNA copy number detection from exome sequencing - Exploiting the off-targets (SNP)

Current methods for detection of copy number aberrations (CNA) from whole-exome sequencing (WES) data are based on the read counts of the captured exons only. However, accurate CNA determination is complicated by the non-uniform read depth and uneven distribution of exons. Therefore, we developed ENCODER (ENhanced COpy number Detection from Exome Reads), which eludes these problems. By exploiting the ‘off-target’ sequence reads, it allows for creation of robust copy number profiles from WES. The accuracy of ENCODER compares to approaches specifically designed for copy number detection, and outperforms current exon-based WES methods, particularly in samples of low quality. Current methods for detection of copy number aberrations (CNA) from whole-exome sequencing (WES) data are based on the read counts of the captured exons only. However, accurate CNA determination is complicated by the non-uniform read depth and uneven distribution of exons. Therefore, we developed ENCODER (ENhanced COpy number Detection from Exome Reads), which eludes these problems. By exploiting the ‘off-target’ sequence reads, it allows for creation of robust copy number profiles from WES. The accuracy of ENCODER compares to approaches specifically designed for copy number detection, and outperforms current exon-based WES methods, particularly in samples of low quality. Current methods for detection of copy number aberrations (CNA) from whole-exome sequencing (WES) data are based on the read counts of the captured exons only. However, accurate CNA determination is complicated by the non-uniform read depth and uneven distribution of exons. Therefore, we developed ENCODER (ENhanced COpy number Detection from Exome Reads), which eludes these problems. By exploiting the ‘off-target’ sequence reads, it allows for creation of robust copy number profiles from WES. The accuracy of ENCODER compares to approaches specifically designed for copy number detection, and outperforms current exon-based WES methods, particularly in samples of low quality. DNA copy number profiles generated with a new tool, ENCODER, were compared to DNA copy number profiles from SNP6, NimbleGen and low-coverage Whole Genome Sequencing. DNA copy number profiles of melanoma PDX sample were generated with ENCODER from whole exome sequencing data and compared to results from the SNP6 platform.