Criteria Specification (CSpec) Registry is intended to provide access to the Criteria Specifications used and applied by ClinGen Variant Curation Expert Panels and biocurators in the classification of variants.
For general information about the ClinGen Expert Panels and Variant Curation please visit: Clinical Domain Working Groups. For specific inquiries regarding content correction or adding a new criteria specification refer to the Help page.
Should you encounter any issues regarding the data displayed, lack of functionality or other problems, please let us know by contacting us via email.
4/19/24: Please see response to SVI comments in the Word document. All suggestions are addressed; specifically, changes to PM1 and PS3.
Version 2 has many changes and updates. See attached Word document for specifics. response to SVI comments are in PM1 and PP3, with attachments for PVS1 and PS3.
Criteria & Strength Specifications
|
||||
---|---|---|---|---|
PVS1 | ||||
Original ACMG Summary
Null variant (nonsense, frameshift, canonical +/−1 or 2 splice sites, initiation codon, single or multi-exon deletion) in a gene where loss of function (LOF) is a known mechanism of disease.
Caveats: • Beware of genes where LOF is not a known disease mechanism (e.g. GFAP, MYH7). • Use caution interpreting LOF variants at the extreme 3’ end of a gene. • Use caution with splice variants that are predicted to lead to exon skipping but leave the remainder of the protein intact. • Use caution in the presence of multiple transcripts. Stand Alone
Very Strong
Applicable as described in Tayoun et al. 2018.
PVS1 (RNA): splicing assay data - assays demonstrating a variant leads to aberrant splicing profile that can be categorized against a PVS1 decision tree
Modification Type:
Disease-specific
Strong
Use PVS1_strong with:
Modification Type:
Disease-specific
Moderate
Supporting
Not Applicable
|
||||
PS1 | ||||
Original ACMG Summary
Same amino acid change as a previously established pathogenic variant regardless of nucleotide change.
Example: Val->Leu caused by either G>C or G>T in the same codon. Caveat: Beware of changes that impact splicing rather than at the amino acid/protein level. Stand Alone
Very Strong
Strong
Same predicted splicing impact as a previously classified (likely) pathogenic variant Applicable as described in Walker et al. (PMID: 36865205)
Modification Type:
Disease-specific
Moderate
Supporting
Not Applicable
|
||||
PS2 | ||||
Original ACMG Summary
De novo (both maternity and paternity confirmed) in a patient with the disease and no family history.
Note: Confirmation of paternity only is insufficient. Egg donation, surrogate motherhood, errors in embryo transfer, etc. can contribute to non-maternity. Stand Alone
Very Strong
Strong
Confirmation of paternity only is insufficient. Egg donation, surrogate motherhood, errors in embryo transfer, etc. can contribute to non-maternity. Only applicable when proband has a known pathogenic variant in trans with the de novo variant.
Modification Type:
Disease-specific
Moderate
Supporting
Not Applicable
|
||||
PS3 | ||||
Original ACMG Summary
Well-established in vitro or in vivo functional studies supportive of a damaging effect on the gene or gene product.
Note: Functional studies that have been validated and shown to be reproducible and robust in a clinical diagnostic laboratory setting are considered the most well-established. Stand Alone
Very Strong
Strong
Moderate
Functional studies with sufficient analyses to calculate OddsPath reaching strong have not been identified. Therefore, the strength of this criteria is modified to PS3_moderate or PS3_supporting for future or existing studies. In vitro enzyme activity <50% compared to wild type controls.
Modification Type:
Disease-specific
Supporting
In vitro enzyme activity ≤50% compared to wild type controls
Modification Type:
Strength
Not Applicable
Comments:
Functional studies with sufficient analyses to calculate OddsPath reaching strong have not been identified. Therefore, the strength of this criteria is modified to PS3_moderate or PS3_supporting for future or existing studies.
|
||||
PS4 | ||||
Original ACMG Summary
The prevalence of the variant in affected individuals is significantly increased compared to the prevalence in controls.
Note 1: Relative risk (RR) or odds ratio (OR), as obtained from case-control studies, is >5.0 and the confidence interval around the estimate of RR or OR does not include 1.0. See manuscript for detailed guidance. Note 2: In instances of very rare variants where case-control studies may not reach statistical significance, the prior observation of the variant in multiple unrelated patients with the same phenotype, and its absence in controls, may be used as moderate level of evidence. Stand Alone
Very Strong
Strong
Moderate
Supporting
Not Applicable
Comments:
This criterion is not applicable for PAH. For proband counting, use PM3 criterion.
|
||||
PM1 | ||||
Original ACMG Summary
Located in a mutational hot spot and/or critical and well-established functional domain (e.g. active site of an enzyme) without benign variation.
Stand Alone
Very Strong
Strong
Moderate
Modification Type:
Gene-specific
Supporting
Not Applicable
|
||||
PM2 | ||||
Original ACMG Summary
Absent from controls (or at extremely low frequency if recessive) in Exome Sequencing Project, 1000 Genomes or Exome Aggregation Consortium.
Caveat: Population data for indels may be poorly called by next generation sequencing. Stand Alone
Very Strong
Strong
Moderate
Supporting
The 0.0002 cutoff is based on disease frequency of 1:12,000 and the most common PAH pathogenic variant, R408W, the ExAC frequency is 0.0006594 (ExAC MAF: 0.001109 74/66718 European Non-Finnish) and gnomAD overall: 0.0009056 (gnomAD MAF: 0.001728 219/126,700 European Non-Finnish).
Modification Type:
Strength
Not Applicable
|
||||
PM3 | ||||
Original ACMG Summary
For recessive disorders, detected in trans with a pathogenic variant
Note: This requires testing of parents (or offspring) to determine phase. Stand Alone
Very Strong
Applicable as described in SVI recommendations for in trans criterion
Modification Type:
Strength
Strong
Applicable as described in SVI recommendations for in trans criterion
Modification Type:
Strength
Moderate
Applicable as described in SVI recommendations for in trans criterion
Modification Type:
Strength
Supporting
Applicable as described in SVI recommendations for in trans criterion
Modification Type:
Strength
Not Applicable
|
||||
PM4 | ||||
Original ACMG Summary
Protein length changes due to in-frame deletions/insertions in a non-repeat region or stop-loss variants.
Stand Alone
Very Strong
Strong
Moderate
Applicable as described
Modification Type:
No change
Supporting
Not Applicable
|
||||
PM5 | ||||
Original ACMG Summary
Novel missense change at an amino acid residue where a different missense change determined to be pathogenic has been seen before.
Example: Arg156His is pathogenic; now you observe Arg156Cys. Caveat: Beware of changes that impact splicing rather than at the amino acid/protein level. Stand Alone
Very Strong
Strong
Moderate
Applicable as described.
Modification Type:
No change
Supporting
Applicable when the different missense change is likely pathogenic.
Modification Type:
Strength
Not Applicable
|
||||
PM6 | ||||
Original ACMG Summary
Assumed de novo, but without confirmation of paternity and maternity.
Stand Alone
Very Strong
Strong
Moderate
Supporting
Not Applicable
|
||||
PP1 | ||||
Original ACMG Summary
Co-segregation with disease in multiple affected family members in a gene definitively known to cause the disease.
Note: May be used as stronger evidence with increasing segregation data. Stand Alone
Very Strong
Strong
Modification Type:
Strength
Moderate
Modification Type:
Strength
Supporting
Modification Type:
Strength
Not Applicable
|
||||
PP2 | ||||
Original ACMG Summary
Missense variant in a gene that has a low rate of benign missense variation and where missense variants are a common mechanism of disease.
Stand Alone
Very Strong
Strong
Moderate
Supporting
Not Applicable
|
||||
PP3 | ||||
Original ACMG Summary
Multiple lines of computational evidence support a deleterious effect on the gene or gene product (conservation, evolutionary, splicing impact, etc.).
Caveat: As many in silico algorithms use the same or very similar input for their predictions, each algorithm should not be counted as an independent criterion. PP3 can be used only once in any evaluation of a variant. Stand Alone
Very Strong
Strong
Modification Type:
Strength
Moderate
Applicable as described in Pejaver et al (PMID: 36413997): REVEL score 0.773 - 0.932 for missense variants
Modification Type:
Strength
Supporting
Applicable as described in Pejaver et al. (PMID: 36413997):
Modification Type:
Strength
Instructions:
Per SVI recommendations (PMID: 36865205), PP3 should not be used for variants with experimental evidence of altered splicing; for variants without experimental evidence of altered splicing, PP3 can be used for variants that have a SpliceAI delta score of ≥0.2. Not Applicable
|
||||
PP4 | ||||
Original ACMG Summary
Patient’s phenotype or family history is highly specific for a disease with a single genetic etiology.
Stand Alone
Very Strong
Strong
Moderate
Plasma phenylalanine concentration persistently above 120 µmol/L (2mg/dL), and either normal urine pterins and normal DHPR activity, or sequencing of genes in the BH4 cofactor metabolism pathway to exclude a defect of BH4 cofactor metabolism.
Modification Type:
Disease-specific,Strength
Supporting
A plasma phenylalanine concentration persistently above 120umol/L (2mg/dL) without analysis of urine pterins, DHPR activity, or sequencing to exclude defects of BH4 cofactor metabolism.
Modification Type:
Strength
Not Applicable
|
||||
PP5 | ||||
Original ACMG Summary
Reputable source recently reports variant as pathogenic, but the evidence is not available to the laboratory to perform an independent evaluation.
Not Applicable
This criterion is not for use as recommended by the ClinGen Sequence Variant Interpretation VCEP Review Committee.
PubMed : 29543229
|
||||
BA1 | ||||
Original ACMG Summary
Allele frequency is above 5% in Exome Sequencing Project, 1000 Genomes or Exome Aggregation Consortium.
Stand Alone
An allele frequency ≥0.015 (1.5%), which is calculated with genetic heterogeneity of 90% to account for defects of BH4 metabolism, and penetrance of 80% to account for individuals who come to attention after becoming clinically symptomatic.
Modification Type:
Disease-specific
Very Strong
Strong
Moderate
Supporting
Not Applicable
|
||||
BS1 | ||||
Original ACMG Summary
Allele frequency is greater than expected for disorder.
Stand Alone
Very Strong
Strong
Allele frequency ≥0.002 (0.2%)
Modification Type:
Disease-specific
Moderate
Supporting
Not Applicable
|
||||
BS2 | ||||
Original ACMG Summary
Observed in a healthy adult individual for a recessive (homozygous), dominant (heterozygous), or X-linked (hemizygous) disorder, with full penetrance expected at an early age.
Stand Alone
Very Strong
Strong
Only to be used when variant is observed in the homozygous state in a healthy adult.
Modification Type:
None
Moderate
Supporting
Not Applicable
|
||||
BS3 | ||||
Original ACMG Summary
Well-established in vitro or in vivo functional studies show no damaging effect on protein function or splicing.
Stand Alone
Very Strong
Strong
Moderate
Supporting
In vitro enzyme activity >85% compared to wild type
Modification Type:
Disease-specific,Strength
Not Applicable
|
||||
BS4 | ||||
Original ACMG Summary
Lack of segregation in affected members of a family.
Caveat: The presence of phenocopies for common phenotypes (i.e. cancer, epilepsy) can mimic lack of segregation among affected individuals. Also, families may have more than one pathogenic variant contributing to an autosomal dominant disorder, further confounding an apparent lack of segregation. Stand Alone
Very Strong
Strong
Applicable as described
Modification Type:
None
Moderate
Supporting
Not Applicable
|
||||
BP1 | ||||
Original ACMG Summary
Missense variant in a gene for which primarily truncating variants are known to cause disease.
Stand Alone
Very Strong
Strong
Moderate
Supporting
Not Applicable
|
||||
BP2 | ||||
Original ACMG Summary
Observed in trans with a pathogenic variant for a fully penetrant dominant gene/disorder or observed in cis with a pathogenic variant in any inheritance pattern.
Stand Alone
Very Strong
Strong
Moderate
Supporting
Not Applicable
|
||||
BP3 | ||||
Original ACMG Summary
In frame-deletions/insertions in a repetitive region without a known function.
Stand Alone
Very Strong
Strong
Moderate
Supporting
Not Applicable
|
||||
BP4 | ||||
Original ACMG Summary
Multiple lines of computational evidence suggest no impact on gene or gene product (conservation, evolutionary, splicing impact, etc)
Caveat: As many in silico algorithms use the same or very similar input for their predictions, each algorithm cannot be counted as an independent criterion. BP4 can be used only once in any evaluation of a variant. Stand Alone
Very Strong
Strong
Applicable as described in Pejaver et al.
Modification Type:
No change
Moderate
Applicable as described in Pejaver et al.
Modification Type:
No change
Supporting
Applicable as described in Pejaver et al.
Modification Type:
Gene-specific,None
Instructions:
BP4_very strong: applicable as described in Pejaver et al. Not Applicable
|
||||
BP5 | ||||
Original ACMG Summary
Variant found in a case with an alternate molecular basis for disease.
Stand Alone
Very Strong
Strong
Moderate
Supporting
Applicable as described
Modification Type:
No change
Not Applicable
|
||||
BP6 | ||||
Original ACMG Summary
Reputable source recently reports variant as benign, but the evidence is not available to the laboratory to perform an independent evaluation.
Not Applicable
This criterion is not for use as recommended by the ClinGen Sequence Variant Interpretation VCEP Review Committee.
PubMed : 29543229
|
||||
BP7 | ||||
Original ACMG Summary
A synonymous variant for which splicing prediction algorithms predict no impact to the splice consensus sequence nor the creation of a new splice site AND the nucleotide is not highly conserved.
Stand Alone
Very Strong
Strong
Applicable as described by Walker et al. (PMID: 36865205).
Modification Type:
Strength
Moderate
Supporting
Per SVI recommendations (PMID: 36865205), use BP7 only if BP4 is met; for variants with experimental evidence supporting that they do not alter splicing, use BP7_strong (RNA)
Modification Type:
Gene-specific,None
Not Applicable
|
One Baylor Plaza, MS:BCM225 Suite 400D, Houston, TX, 77030
Questions or comments?