Our study sought to resolve, with single-molecule resolution, the mismatches and damage events that precede DNA mutations. Using a novel single-molecule, long-read sequencing method (HiDEF-seq) we detected base substitutions when present in either one or both DNA strands. We compared the fidelity for dsDNA mutations to that of the same samples profiled by NanoSeq duplex sequencing. We also detected cytosine deamination, a common type of DNA damage, with single-molecule resolution. We profiled 134 samples from diverse tissues, including from individuals with cancer predisposition syndromes. These samples revealed single-strand mismatch and damage signatures. Since double-strand DNA mutations are only the endpoint of the mutation process, our approach enables new studies of how mutations arise in a variety of contexts, especially in cancer and aging.The data available via dbGaP includes raw HiDEF-seq sequencing files (Pacific Biosciences subreads in BAM format), raw NanoSeq sequencing files (Illumina FASTQ format), and raw germline sequencing files (Illumina FASTQ format).The HiDEF-seq main publication contains a supplementary table with a list of accession IDs for each sample's files.

HiDEF-seq Single-Molecule Sequencing of Single-Strand Mismatches and Damage

Single-strand mismatch and damage patterns revealed by single-molecule DNA sequencing