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Leow KQ, Tonta MA, Lu J, Coleman HA, Parkington HC. Towards understanding sex differences in autism spectrum disorders. Brain Res 2024; 1833:148877. [PMID: 38513995 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2024.148877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2024] [Revised: 03/17/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by social deficits, repetitive behaviours and lack of empathy. Its significant genetic heritability and potential comorbidities often lead to diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. This review addresses the biological basis of ASD, focusing on the sex differences in gene expression and hormonal influences. ASD is more commonly diagnosed in males at a ratio of 4:1, indicating a potential oversight in female-specific ASD research and a risk of underdiagnosis in females. We consider how ASD manifests differently across sexes by exploring differential gene expression in female and male brains and consider how variations in steroid hormones influence ASD characteristics. Synaptic function, including excitation/inhibition ratio imbalance, is influenced by gene mutations and this is explored as a key factor in the cognitive and behavioural manifestations of ASD. We also discuss the role of micro RNAs (miRNAs) and highlight a novel mutation in miRNA-873, which affects a suite of key synaptic genes, neurexin, neuroligin, SHANK and post-synaptic density proteins, implicated in the pathology of ASD. Our review suggests that genetic predisposition, sex differences in brain gene expression, and hormonal factors significantly contribute to the presentation, identification and severity of ASD, necessitating sex-specific considerations in diagnosis and treatments. These findings advocate for personalized interventions to improve the outcomes for individuals with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Q Leow
- Department of Physiology, Biomedical Discovery Institute, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
| | - Mary A Tonta
- Department of Physiology, Biomedical Discovery Institute, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jing Lu
- Tianjin Institute of Infectious Disease, Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, China
| | - Harold A Coleman
- Department of Physiology, Biomedical Discovery Institute, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
| | - Helena C Parkington
- Department of Physiology, Biomedical Discovery Institute, Monash University, Victoria, Australia.
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2
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Huuki-Myers LA, Spangler A, Eagles NJ, Montgomery KD, Kwon SH, Guo B, Grant-Peters M, Divecha HR, Tippani M, Sriworarat C, Nguyen AB, Ravichandran P, Tran MN, Seyedian A, Hyde TM, Kleinman JE, Battle A, Page SC, Ryten M, Hicks SC, Martinowich K, Collado-Torres L, Maynard KR. A data-driven single-cell and spatial transcriptomic map of the human prefrontal cortex. Science 2024; 384:eadh1938. [PMID: 38781370 DOI: 10.1126/science.adh1938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
The molecular organization of the human neocortex historically has been studied in the context of its histological layers. However, emerging spatial transcriptomic technologies have enabled unbiased identification of transcriptionally defined spatial domains that move beyond classic cytoarchitecture. We used the Visium spatial gene expression platform to generate a data-driven molecular neuroanatomical atlas across the anterior-posterior axis of the human dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Integration with paired single-nucleus RNA-sequencing data revealed distinct cell type compositions and cell-cell interactions across spatial domains. Using PsychENCODE and publicly available data, we mapped the enrichment of cell types and genes associated with neuropsychiatric disorders to discrete spatial domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise A Huuki-Myers
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Abby Spangler
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Nicholas J Eagles
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Kelsey D Montgomery
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Sang Ho Kwon
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Boyi Guo
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Melissa Grant-Peters
- Genetics and Genomic Medicine, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London WC1N 1EH, UK
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
| | - Heena R Divecha
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Madhavi Tippani
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Chaichontat Sriworarat
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Annie B Nguyen
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Prashanthi Ravichandran
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Matthew N Tran
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Arta Seyedian
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Thomas M Hyde
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Joel E Kleinman
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Alexis Battle
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Malone Center for Engineering in Healthcare, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Stephanie C Page
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Mina Ryten
- Genetics and Genomic Medicine, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London WC1N 1EH, UK
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
- NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre, University College London, London WC1N 1EH, UK
| | - Stephanie C Hicks
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Malone Center for Engineering in Healthcare, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
- Center for Computational Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Keri Martinowich
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Johns Hopkins Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Leonardo Collado-Torres
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Center for Computational Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Kristen R Maynard
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
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3
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Bhattacharya A, Parlanti P, Cavallo L, Farrow E, Spivey T, Renieri A, Mari F, Manzini MC. A novel framework for functional annotation of variants of uncertain significance in ID/ASD risk gene CC2D1A. Hum Mol Genet 2024:ddae070. [PMID: 38652285 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddae070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Intellectual disability (ID) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are genetically heterogeneous with hundreds of identified risk genes, most affecting only a few patients. Novel missense variants in these genes are being discovered as clinical exome sequencing is now routinely integrated into diagnosis, yet most of them are annotated as variants of uncertain significance (VUS). VUSs are a major roadblock in using patient genetics to inform clinical action. We developed a framework to characterize VUSs in Coiled-coil and C2 domain containing 1A (CC2D1A), a gene causing autosomal recessive ID with comorbid ASD in 40% of cases. We analyzed seven VUSs (p.Pro319Leu, p.Ser327Leu, p.Gly441Val, p.Val449Met, p.Thr580Ile, p.Arg886His and p.Glu910Lys) from four cases of individuals with ID and ASD. Variants were cloned and overexpressed in HEK293 individually and in their respective heterozygous combination. CC2D1A is a signaling scaffold that positively regulates PKA-CREB signaling by repressing phosphodiesterase 4D (PDE4D) to prevent cAMP degradation. After testing multiple parameters including direct interaction between PDE4D and CC2D1A, cAMP levels and CREB activation, we found that the most sensitive readout was CREB transcriptional activity using a luciferase assay. Compared to WT CC2D1A, five VUSs (p.Pro319Leu, p.Gly441Val, p.Val449Met, p.Thr580Ile, and p.Arg886His) led to significantly blunted response to forskolin induced CREB activation. This luciferase assay approach can be scaled up to annotate ~150 CC2D1A VUSs that are currently listed in ClinVar. Since CREB activation is a common denominator for multiple ASD/ID genes, our paradigm can also be adapted for their VUSs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aniket Bhattacharya
- Child Health Institute of New Jersey and Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Rutgers - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 89 French Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, United States
| | - Paola Parlanti
- Child Health Institute of New Jersey and Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Rutgers - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 89 French Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, United States
| | - Luca Cavallo
- Child Health Institute of New Jersey and Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Rutgers - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 89 French Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, United States
| | - Edward Farrow
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, 2121 I St NW, Washington, DC 20052, United States
| | - Tyler Spivey
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, 2121 I St NW, Washington, DC 20052, United States
| | - Alessandra Renieri
- Medical Genetics, University of Siena, Viale Bracci 2, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Francesca Mari
- Medical Genetics, University of Siena, Viale Bracci 2, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - M Chiara Manzini
- Child Health Institute of New Jersey and Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Rutgers - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 89 French Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, United States
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Newman BT, Jacokes Z, Venkadesh S, Webb SJ, Kleinhans NM, McPartland JC, Druzgal TJ, Pelphrey KA, Van Horn JD. Conduction velocity, G-ratio, and extracellular water as microstructural characteristics of autism spectrum disorder. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0301964. [PMID: 38630783 PMCID: PMC11023574 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
The neuronal differences contributing to the etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are still not well defined. Previous studies have suggested that myelin and axons are disrupted during development in ASD. By combining structural and diffusion MRI techniques, myelin and axons can be assessed using extracellular water, aggregate g-ratio, and a new approach to calculating axonal conduction velocity termed aggregate conduction velocity, which is related to the capacity of the axon to carry information. In this study, several innovative cellular microstructural methods, as measured from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), are combined to characterize differences between ASD and typically developing adolescent participants in a large cohort. We first examine the relationship between each metric, including microstructural measurements of axonal and intracellular diffusion and the T1w/T2w ratio. We then demonstrate the sensitivity of these metrics by characterizing differences between ASD and neurotypical participants, finding widespread increases in extracellular water in the cortex and decreases in aggregate g-ratio and aggregate conduction velocity throughout the cortex, subcortex, and white matter skeleton. We finally provide evidence that these microstructural differences are associated with higher scores on the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) a commonly used diagnostic tool to assess ASD. This study is the first to reveal that ASD involves MRI-measurable in vivo differences of myelin and axonal development with implications for neuronal and behavioral function. We also introduce a novel formulation for calculating aggregate conduction velocity, that is highly sensitive to these changes. We conclude that ASD may be characterized by otherwise intact structural connectivity but that functional connectivity may be attenuated by network properties affecting neural transmission speed. This effect may explain the putative reliance on local connectivity in contrast to more distal connectivity observed in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin T. Newman
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America
- UVA School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America
| | - Zachary Jacokes
- School of Data Science, University of Virginia, Elson Building, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America
| | - Siva Venkadesh
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America
| | - Sara J. Webb
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, University of Washington, Seattle WA, United States of America
- Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle WA, United States of America
| | - Natalia M. Kleinhans
- Department of Radiology, Integrated Brain Imaging Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States of America
| | - James C. McPartland
- Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, United States of America
- Yale Center for Brain and Mind Health, New Haven, CT, United States of America
| | - T. Jason Druzgal
- UVA School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America
| | - Kevin A. Pelphrey
- UVA School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America
| | - John Darrell Van Horn
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America
- School of Data Science, University of Virginia, Elson Building, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America
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Yi T, Ji C, Wei W, Wu G, Jin K, Jiang G. Cortical-cerebellar circuits changes in preschool ASD children by multimodal MRI. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae090. [PMID: 38615243 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2024] [Revised: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/15/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the alterations in cortical-cerebellar circuits and assess their diagnostic potential in preschool children with autism spectrum disorder using multimodal magnetic resonance imaging. METHODS We utilized diffusion basis spectrum imaging approaches, namely DBSI_20 and DBSI_combine, alongside 3D structural imaging to examine 31 autism spectrum disorder diagnosed patients and 30 healthy controls. The participants' brains were segmented into 120 anatomical regions for this analysis, and a multimodal strategy was adopted to assess the brain networks using a multi-kernel support vector machine for classification. RESULTS The results revealed consensus connections in the cortical-cerebellar and subcortical-cerebellar circuits, notably in the thalamus and basal ganglia. These connections were predominantly positive in the frontoparietal and subcortical pathways, whereas negative consensus connections were mainly observed in frontotemporal and subcortical pathways. Among the models tested, DBSI_20 showed the highest accuracy rate of 86.88%. In addition, further analysis indicated that combining the 3 models resulted in the most effective performance. CONCLUSION The connectivity network analysis of the multimodal brain data identified significant abnormalities in the cortical-cerebellar circuits in autism spectrum disorder patients. The DBSI_20 model not only provided the highest accuracy but also demonstrated efficiency, suggesting its potential for clinical application in autism spectrum disorder diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Yi
- The Second School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510317, China
- Department of Medical Imaging, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou 510317,China
- Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Children's Hospital Of Xiangya School of Medicine, Hunan Children's Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410007, China
| | - Changquan Ji
- School of Smart City,Chongqing Jiaotong University, Chongqing, 400074,China
| | - Weian Wei
- Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Children's Hospital Of Xiangya School of Medicine, Hunan Children's Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410007, China
| | - Guangchung Wu
- Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Children's Hospital Of Xiangya School of Medicine, Hunan Children's Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410007, China
| | - Ke Jin
- Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Children's Hospital Of Xiangya School of Medicine, Hunan Children's Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410007, China
| | - Guihua Jiang
- The Second School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510317, China
- Department of Medical Imaging, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou 510317,China
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Nakamura T, Yoshihara T, Tanegashima C, Kadota M, Kobayashi Y, Honda K, Ishiwata M, Ueda J, Hara T, Nakanishi M, Takumi T, Itohara S, Kuraku S, Asano M, Kasahara T, Nakajima K, Tsuboi T, Takata A, Kato T. Transcriptomic dysregulation and autistic-like behaviors in Kmt2c haploinsufficient mice rescued by an LSD1 inhibitor. Mol Psychiatry 2024:10.1038/s41380-024-02479-8. [PMID: 38528071 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02479-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024]
Abstract
Recent studies have consistently demonstrated that the regulation of chromatin and gene transcription plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorders. Among many genes involved in these pathways, KMT2C, encoding one of the six known histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4) methyltransferases in humans and rodents, was identified as a gene whose heterozygous loss-of-function variants are causally associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the Kleefstra syndrome phenotypic spectrum. However, little is known about how KMT2C haploinsufficiency causes neurodevelopmental deficits and how these conditions can be treated. To address this, we developed and analyzed genetically engineered mice with a heterozygous frameshift mutation of Kmt2c (Kmt2c+/fs mice) as a disease model with high etiological validity. In a series of behavioral analyses, the mutant mice exhibit autistic-like behaviors such as impairments in sociality, flexibility, and working memory, demonstrating their face validity as an ASD model. To investigate the molecular basis of the observed abnormalities, we performed a transcriptomic analysis of their bulk adult brains and found that ASD risk genes were specifically enriched in the upregulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs), whereas KMT2C peaks detected by ChIP-seq were significantly co-localized with the downregulated genes, suggesting an important role of putative indirect effects of Kmt2c haploinsufficiency. We further performed single-cell RNA sequencing of newborn mouse brains to obtain cell type-resolved insights at an earlier stage. By integrating findings from ASD exome sequencing, genome-wide association, and postmortem brain studies to characterize DEGs in each cell cluster, we found strong ASD-associated transcriptomic changes in radial glia and immature neurons with no obvious bias toward upregulated or downregulated DEGs. On the other hand, there was no significant gross change in the cellular composition. Lastly, we explored potential therapeutic agents and demonstrate that vafidemstat, a lysine-specific histone demethylase 1 (LSD1) inhibitor that was effective in other models of neuropsychiatric/neurodevelopmental disorders, ameliorates impairments in sociality but not working memory in adult Kmt2c+/fs mice. Intriguingly, the administration of vafidemstat was shown to alter the vast majority of DEGs in the direction to normalize the transcriptomic abnormalities in the mutant mice (94.3 and 82.5% of the significant upregulated and downregulated DEGs, respectively, P < 2.2 × 10-16, binomial test), which could be the molecular mechanism underlying the behavioral rescuing. In summary, our study expands the repertoire of ASD models with high etiological and face validity, elucidates the cell-type resolved molecular alterations due to Kmt2c haploinsufficiency, and demonstrates the efficacy of an LSD1 inhibitor that might be generalizable to multiple categories of psychiatric disorders along with a better understanding of its presumed mechanisms of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takumi Nakamura
- Laboratory for Molecular Pathology of Psychiatric Disorders, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Laboratory for Molecular Dynamics of Mental Disorders, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
- Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Toru Yoshihara
- Institute of Laboratory Animals, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Chiharu Tanegashima
- Laboratory for Phyloinformatics, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Hyogo, Japan
| | - Mitsutaka Kadota
- Laboratory for Phyloinformatics, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Hyogo, Japan
| | - Yuki Kobayashi
- Laboratory for Behavioral Genetics, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
| | - Kurara Honda
- Laboratory for Molecular Pathology of Psychiatric Disorders, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
| | - Mizuho Ishiwata
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Laboratory for Molecular Dynamics of Mental Disorders, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
| | - Junko Ueda
- Laboratory for Molecular Pathology of Psychiatric Disorders, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
- Laboratory for Molecular Dynamics of Mental Disorders, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
| | - Tomonori Hara
- Laboratory for Molecular Pathology of Psychiatric Disorders, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
- Department of Organ Anatomy, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Miyagi, Japan
| | - Moe Nakanishi
- Laboratory for Mental Biology, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
- Laboratory for Molecular Mechanism of Brain Development, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
| | - Toru Takumi
- Laboratory for Mental Biology, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Kobe University School of Medicine, Hyogo, Japan
| | - Shigeyoshi Itohara
- Laboratory for Behavioral Genetics, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
| | - Shigehiro Kuraku
- Laboratory for Phyloinformatics, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Hyogo, Japan
- Molecular Life History Laboratory, Department of Genomics and Evolutionary Biology, National Institute of Genetics, Shizuoka, Japan
- Department of Genetics, SOKENDAI (Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Masahide Asano
- Institute of Laboratory Animals, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Takaoki Kasahara
- Laboratory for Molecular Dynamics of Mental Disorders, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
- Institute of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Kazuo Nakajima
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Laboratory for Molecular Dynamics of Mental Disorders, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
- Department of Physiology, Teikyo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takashi Tsuboi
- Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Atsushi Takata
- Laboratory for Molecular Pathology of Psychiatric Disorders, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan.
- Research Institute for Diseases of Old Age, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Tadafumi Kato
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
- Laboratory for Molecular Dynamics of Mental Disorders, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan.
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7
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Chen Q, Wu C, Xu J, Ye C, Chen X, Tian H, Zong N, Zhang S, Li L, Gao Y, Zhao D, Lv X, Yang Q, Wang L, Cui J, Lin Z, Lu J, Yang R, Yin F, Qin N, Li N, Xu Q, Qin H. Donor-recipient intermicrobial interactions impact transfer of subspecies and fecal microbiota transplantation outcome. Cell Host Microbe 2024; 32:349-365.e4. [PMID: 38367621 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2024.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
Studies on fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) have reported inconsistent connections between clinical outcomes and donor strain engraftment. Analyses of subspecies-level crosstalk and its influences on lineage transfer in metagenomic FMT datasets have proved challenging, as single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are generally not linked and are often absent. Here, we utilized species genome bin (SGB), which employs co-abundance binning, to investigate subspecies-level microbiome dynamics in patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who had gastrointestinal comorbidities and underwent encapsulated FMT (Chinese Clinical Trial: 2100043906). We found that interactions between donor and recipient microbes, which were overwhelmingly phylogenetically divergent, were important for subspecies transfer and positive clinical outcomes. Additionally, a donor-recipient SGB match was indicative of a high likelihood of strain transfer. Importantly, these ecodynamics were shared across FMT datasets encompassing multiple diseases. Collectively, these findings provide detailed insight into specific microbial interactions and dynamics that determine FMT success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiyi Chen
- Department of Colorectal Disease, Intestinal Microenvironment Treatment Center, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China; Institute of Gut Microbiota Research and Engineering Development, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China
| | - Chunyan Wu
- Institute of Gut Microbiota Research and Engineering Development, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China; Realbio Genomics Institute, Shanghai 200050, China
| | - Jinfeng Xu
- Institute of Gut Microbiota Research and Engineering Development, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China
| | - Chen Ye
- Department of Colorectal Disease, Intestinal Microenvironment Treatment Center, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China
| | - Xiang Chen
- Realbio Genomics Institute, Shanghai 200050, China
| | - Hongliang Tian
- Department of Colorectal Disease, Intestinal Microenvironment Treatment Center, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China
| | - Naixin Zong
- Institute of Gut Microbiota Research and Engineering Development, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China
| | - Shaoyi Zhang
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Long Li
- Department of Colorectal Disease, Intestinal Microenvironment Treatment Center, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China
| | - Yuan Gao
- Institute of Gut Microbiota Research and Engineering Development, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China
| | - Di Zhao
- Department of Colorectal Disease, Intestinal Microenvironment Treatment Center, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China
| | - Xiaoqiong Lv
- Department of Colorectal Disease, Intestinal Microenvironment Treatment Center, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China
| | - Qilin Yang
- Institute of Intestinal Diseases, Department of General Surgery, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China
| | - Le Wang
- Department of Colorectal Disease, Intestinal Microenvironment Treatment Center, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China
| | - Jiaqu Cui
- Department of Colorectal Disease, Intestinal Microenvironment Treatment Center, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China
| | - Zhiliang Lin
- Department of Colorectal Disease, Intestinal Microenvironment Treatment Center, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China
| | - Jubao Lu
- Department of Colorectal Disease, Intestinal Microenvironment Treatment Center, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China
| | - Rong Yang
- Department of Pediatrics, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China
| | - Fang Yin
- Institute of Gut Microbiota Research and Engineering Development, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China
| | - Nan Qin
- Institute of Gut Microbiota Research and Engineering Development, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China; Realbio Genomics Institute, Shanghai 200050, China
| | - Ning Li
- Department of Colorectal Disease, Intestinal Microenvironment Treatment Center, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China.
| | - Qian Xu
- Institute of Gut Microbiota Research and Engineering Development, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China; Institute of Intestinal Diseases, Department of General Surgery, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China.
| | - Huanlong Qin
- Department of Colorectal Disease, Intestinal Microenvironment Treatment Center, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China; Institute of Gut Microbiota Research and Engineering Development, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China; Institute of Intestinal Diseases, Department of General Surgery, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China.
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8
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Yen A, Chen X, Skinner DD, Leti F, Crosby M, Hoisington-Lopez J, Wu Y, Chen J, Mitra RD, Dougherty JD. MYT1L deficiency impairs excitatory neuron trajectory during cortical development. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.06.583632. [PMID: 38496654 PMCID: PMC10942489 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.06.583632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Mutations that reduce the function of MYT1L, a neuron-specific transcription factor, are associated with a syndromic neurodevelopmental disorder. Furthermore, MYT1L is routinely used as a proneural factor in fibroblast-to-neuron transdifferentiation. MYT1L has been hypothesized to play a role in the trajectory of neuronal specification and subtype specific maturation, but this hypothesis has not been directly tested, nor is it clear which neuron types are most impacted by MYT1L loss. In this study, we profiled 313,335 nuclei from the forebrains of wild-type and MYT1L-deficient mice at two developmental stages: E14 at the peak of neurogenesis and P21, when neurogenesis is complete, to examine the role of MYT1L levels in the trajectory of neuronal development. We found that MYT1L deficiency significantly disrupted the relative proportion of cortical excitatory neurons at E14 and P21. Significant changes in gene expression were largely concentrated in excitatory neurons, suggesting that transcriptional effects of MYT1L deficiency are largely due to disruption of neuronal maturation programs. Most effects on gene expression were cell autonomous and persistent through development. In addition, while MYT1L can both activate and repress gene expression, the repressive effects were most sensitive to haploinsufficiency, and thus more likely mediate MYT1L syndrome. These findings illuminate the intricate role of MYT1L in orchestrating gene expression dynamics during neuronal development, providing insights into the molecular underpinnings of MYT1L syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allen Yen
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Xuhua Chen
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
- Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | | | | | - MariaLynn Crosby
- Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
- DNA Sequencing and Innovation Lab, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO
| | - Jessica Hoisington-Lopez
- Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
- DNA Sequencing and Innovation Lab, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO
| | - Yizhe Wu
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jiayang Chen
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Robi D. Mitra
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
- Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Joseph D. Dougherty
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
- Lead contact
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9
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Zhuang H, Liang Z, Ma G, Qureshi A, Ran X, Feng C, Liu X, Yan X, Shen L. Autism spectrum disorder: pathogenesis, biomarker, and intervention therapy. MedComm (Beijing) 2024; 5:e497. [PMID: 38434761 PMCID: PMC10908366 DOI: 10.1002/mco2.497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Revised: 01/27/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has become a common neurodevelopmental disorder. The heterogeneity of ASD poses great challenges for its research and clinical translation. On the basis of reviewing the heterogeneity of ASD, this review systematically summarized the current status and progress of pathogenesis, diagnostic markers, and interventions for ASD. We provided an overview of the ASD molecular mechanisms identified by multi-omics studies and convergent mechanism in different genetic backgrounds. The comorbidities, mechanisms associated with important physiological and metabolic abnormalities (i.e., inflammation, immunity, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction), and gut microbial disorder in ASD were reviewed. The non-targeted omics and targeting studies of diagnostic markers for ASD were also reviewed. Moreover, we summarized the progress and methods of behavioral and educational interventions, intervention methods related to technological devices, and research on medical interventions and potential drug targets. This review highlighted the application of high-throughput omics methods in ASD research and emphasized the importance of seeking homogeneity from heterogeneity and exploring the convergence of disease mechanisms, biomarkers, and intervention approaches, and proposes that taking into account individuality and commonality may be the key to achieve accurate diagnosis and treatment of ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongbin Zhuang
- College of Life Science and OceanographyShenzhen UniversityShenzhenP. R. China
| | - Zhiyuan Liang
- College of Life Science and OceanographyShenzhen UniversityShenzhenP. R. China
| | - Guanwei Ma
- College of Life Science and OceanographyShenzhen UniversityShenzhenP. R. China
| | - Ayesha Qureshi
- College of Life Science and OceanographyShenzhen UniversityShenzhenP. R. China
| | - Xiaoqian Ran
- College of Life Science and OceanographyShenzhen UniversityShenzhenP. R. China
| | - Chengyun Feng
- Maternal and Child Health Hospital of BaoanShenzhenP. R. China
| | - Xukun Liu
- College of Life Science and OceanographyShenzhen UniversityShenzhenP. R. China
| | - Xi Yan
- College of Life Science and OceanographyShenzhen UniversityShenzhenP. R. China
| | - Liming Shen
- College of Life Science and OceanographyShenzhen UniversityShenzhenP. R. China
- Shenzhen‐Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science‐Shenzhen Fundamental Research InstitutionsShenzhenP. R. China
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10
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Basson MA. Neurodevelopmental functions of CHD8: new insights and questions. Biochem Soc Trans 2024; 52:15-27. [PMID: 38288845 PMCID: PMC10903457 DOI: 10.1042/bst20220926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
Heterozygous, de novo, loss-of-function variants of the CHD8 gene are associated with a high penetrance of autism and other neurodevelopmental phenotypes. Identifying the neurodevelopmental functions of high-confidence autism risk genes like CHD8 may improve our understanding of the neurodevelopmental mechanisms that underlie autism spectrum disorders. Over the last decade, a complex picture of pleiotropic CHD8 functions and mechanisms of action has emerged. Multiple brain and non-brain cell types and progenitors appear to be affected by CHD8 haploinsufficiency. Behavioural, cellular and synaptic phenotypes are dependent on the nature of the gene mutation and are modified by sex and genetic background. Here, I review some of the CHD8-interacting proteins and molecular mechanisms identified to date, as well as the impacts of CHD8 deficiency on cellular processes relevant to neurodevelopment. I endeavour to highlight some of the critical questions that still require careful and concerted attention over the next decade to bring us closer to the goal of understanding the salient mechanisms whereby CHD8 deficiency causes neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Albert Basson
- Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Exeter Medical School, Hatherly Laboratories, Exeter EX4 4PS, U.K
- Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology and MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London SE1 9RT, U.K
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11
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Barón-Mendoza I, Mejía-Hernández M, Hernández-Mercado K, Guzmán-Condado J, Zepeda A, González-Arenas A. Altered hippocampal neurogenesis in a mouse model of autism revealed by genetic polymorphisms and by atypical development of newborn neurons. Sci Rep 2024; 14:4608. [PMID: 38409172 PMCID: PMC10897317 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53614-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often exhibit atypical hippocampal anatomy and connectivity throughout their lifespan, potentially linked to alterations in the neurogenic process within the hippocampus. In this study, we performed an in-silico analysis to identify single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes relevant to adult neurogenesis in the C58/J model of idiopathic autism. We found coding non-synonymous (Cn) SNPs in 33 genes involved in the adult neurogenic process, as well as in 142 genes associated with the signature genetic profile of neural stem cells (NSC) and neural progenitors. Based on the potential alterations in adult neurogenesis predicted by the in-silico analysis, we evaluated the number and distribution of newborn neurons in the dentate gyrus (DG) of young adult C58/J mice. We found a reduced number of newborn cells in the whole DG, a higher proportion of early neuroblasts in the subgranular layer (SGZ), and a lower proportion of neuroblasts with morphological maturation signs in the granule cell layer (GCL) of the DG compared to C57BL/6J mice. The observed changes may be associated with a delay in the maturation trajectory of newborn neurons in the C58/J strain, linked to the Cn SNPs in genes involved in adult hippocampal neurogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Barón-Mendoza
- Departamento de Medicina Genómica y Toxicología Ambiental, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Mexico City, México
| | - Montserrat Mejía-Hernández
- Departamento de Medicina Genómica y Toxicología Ambiental, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Mexico City, México
| | - Karina Hernández-Mercado
- Departamento de Medicina Genómica y Toxicología Ambiental, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Mexico City, México
| | - Jessica Guzmán-Condado
- Departamento de Medicina Genómica y Toxicología Ambiental, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Mexico City, México
| | - Angélica Zepeda
- Departamento de Medicina Genómica y Toxicología Ambiental, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Mexico City, México.
| | - Aliesha González-Arenas
- Departamento de Medicina Genómica y Toxicología Ambiental, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Mexico City, México.
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12
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Newman BT, Jacokes Z, Venkadesh S, Webb SJ, Kleinhans NM, McPartland JC, Druzgal TJ, Pelphrey KA, Van Horn JD. Conduction Velocity, G-ratio, and Extracellular Water as Microstructural Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.07.23.550166. [PMID: 37546913 PMCID: PMC10402058 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.23.550166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
The neuronal differences contributing to the etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are still not well defined. Previous studies have suggested that myelin and axons are disrupted during development in ASD. By combining structural and diffusion MRI techniques, myelin and axons can be assessed using extracellular water, aggregate g-ratio, and a novel metric termed aggregate conduction velocity, which is related to the capacity of the axon to carry information. In this study, several innovative cellular microstructural methods, as measured from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), are combined to characterize differences between ASD and typically developing adolescent participants in a large cohort. We first examine the relationship between each metric, including microstructural measurements of axonal and intracellular diffusion and the T1w/T2w ratio. We then demonstrate the sensitivity of these metrics by characterizing differences between ASD and neurotypical participants, finding widespread increases in extracellular water in the cortex and decreases in aggregate g-ratio and aggregate conduction velocity throughout the cortex, subcortex, and white matter skeleton. We finally provide evidence that these microstructural differences are associated with higher scores on the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) a commonly used diagnostic tool to assess ASD. This study is the first to reveal that ASD involves MRI-measurable in vivo differences of myelin and axonal development with implications for neuronal and behavioral function. We also introduce a novel neuroimaging metric, aggregate conduction velocity, that is highly sensitive to these changes. We conclude that ASD may be characterized by otherwise intact structural connectivity but that functional connectivity may be attenuated by network properties affecting neural transmission speed. This effect may explain the putative reliance on local connectivity in contrast to more distal connectivity observed in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin T. Newman
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Gilmer Hall, Charlottesville, VA 22903
- UVA School of Medicine, University of Virginia, 560 Ray Hunt Drive, Charlottesville, VA 22903
| | - Zachary Jacokes
- School of Data Science, University of Virginia, Elson Building, Charlottesville, VA 22903
| | - Siva Venkadesh
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Gilmer Hall, Charlottesville, VA 22903
| | - Sara J. Webb
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, University of Washington, Seattle WA USA 98195
- Seattle Children’s Research Institute, 1920 Terry Ave, Building Cure-03, Seattle WA 98101
| | - Natalia M. Kleinhans
- Department of Radiology, Integrated Brain Imaging Center, University of Washington, 1959 NE Pacific St Seattle, WA 98195
| | - James C. McPartland
- Yale Child Study Center, 230 South Frontage Road, New Haven, CT 06520
- Yale Center for Brain and Mind Health, 40 Temple Street, Suite 6A, New Haven, CT, 06520
| | - T. Jason Druzgal
- UVA School of Medicine, University of Virginia, 560 Ray Hunt Drive, Charlottesville, VA 22903
| | - Kevin A. Pelphrey
- UVA School of Medicine, University of Virginia, 560 Ray Hunt Drive, Charlottesville, VA 22903
| | - John Darrell Van Horn
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Gilmer Hall, Charlottesville, VA 22903
- School of Data Science, University of Virginia, Elson Building, Charlottesville, VA 22903
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13
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Pan YD, Zhang Y, Zheng WY, Zhu MZ, Li HY, Ouyang WJ, Wen QQ, Zhu XH. Intermittent Hypobaric Hypoxia Ameliorates Autistic-Like Phenotypes in Mice. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e1665232023. [PMID: 38124211 PMCID: PMC10869151 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1665-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and stereotyped behaviors. Although major advances in basic research on autism have been achieved in the past decade, and behavioral interventions can mitigate the difficulties that individuals with autism experience, little is known about the many fundamental issues of the interventions, and no specific medication has demonstrated efficiency for the core symptoms of ASD. Intermittent hypobaric hypoxia (IHH) is characterized by repeated exposure to lowered atmospheric pressure and oxygen levels, which triggers multiple physiological adaptations in the body. Here, using two mouse models of ASD, male Shank3B -/- and Fmr1 -/y mice, we found that IHH training at an altitude of 5,000 m for 4 h per day, for 14 consecutive days, ameliorated autistic-like behaviors. Moreover, IHH training enhanced hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) 1α in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) and activated the DRN serotonergic neurons. Infusion of cobalt chloride into the DRN, to mimic IHH in increasing HIF1α expression or genetically knockdown PHD2 to upregulate HIF1α expression in the DRN serotonergic neurons, alleviated autistic-like behaviors in Shank3B -/- mice. In contrast, downregulation of HIF1α in DRN serotonergic neurons induced compulsive behaviors. Furthermore, upregulating HIF1α in DRN serotonergic neurons increased the firing rates of these neurons, whereas downregulation of HIF1α in DRN serotonergic neurons decreased their firing rates. These findings suggest that IHH activated DRN serotonergic neurons via upregulation of HIF1α, and thus ameliorated autistic-like phenotypes, providing a novel therapeutic option for ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-da Pan
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
- Research Center for Brain Health, Pazhou Lab, Guangzhou 510330, China
| | - Yuan Zhang
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Wen-Ying Zheng
- Research Center for Brain Health, Pazhou Lab, Guangzhou 510330, China
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Min-Zhen Zhu
- Research Center for Brain Health, Pazhou Lab, Guangzhou 510330, China
| | - Huan-Yu Li
- Research Center for Brain Health, Pazhou Lab, Guangzhou 510330, China
| | - Wen-Jie Ouyang
- Research Center for Brain Health, Pazhou Lab, Guangzhou 510330, China
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Qin-Qing Wen
- Research Center for Brain Health, Pazhou Lab, Guangzhou 510330, China
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Xin-Hong Zhu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
- Research Center for Brain Health, Pazhou Lab, Guangzhou 510330, China
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
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14
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Wang B, Vartak R, Zaltsman Y, Naing ZZC, Hennick KM, Polacco BJ, Bashir A, Eckhardt M, Bouhaddou M, Xu J, Sun N, Lasser MC, Zhou Y, McKetney J, Guiley KZ, Chan U, Kaye JA, Chadha N, Cakir M, Gordon M, Khare P, Drake S, Drury V, Burke DF, Gonzalez S, Alkhairy S, Thomas R, Lam S, Morris M, Bader E, Seyler M, Baum T, Krasnoff R, Wang S, Pham P, Arbalaez J, Pratt D, Chag S, Mahmood N, Rolland T, Bourgeron T, Finkbeiner S, Swaney DL, Bandyopadhay S, Ideker T, Beltrao P, Willsey HR, Obernier K, Nowakowski TJ, Hüttenhain R, State MW, Willsey AJ, Krogan NJ. A foundational atlas of autism protein interactions reveals molecular convergence. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.12.03.569805. [PMID: 38076945 PMCID: PMC10705567 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.03.569805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
Abstract
Translating high-confidence (hc) autism spectrum disorder (ASD) genes into viable treatment targets remains elusive. We constructed a foundational protein-protein interaction (PPI) network in HEK293T cells involving 100 hcASD risk genes, revealing over 1,800 PPIs (87% novel). Interactors, expressed in the human brain and enriched for ASD but not schizophrenia genetic risk, converged on protein complexes involved in neurogenesis, tubulin biology, transcriptional regulation, and chromatin modification. A PPI map of 54 patient-derived missense variants identified differential physical interactions, and we leveraged AlphaFold-Multimer predictions to prioritize direct PPIs and specific variants for interrogation in Xenopus tropicalis and human forebrain organoids. A mutation in the transcription factor FOXP1 led to reconfiguration of DNA binding sites and altered development of deep cortical layer neurons in forebrain organoids. This work offers new insights into molecular mechanisms underlying ASD and describes a powerful platform to develop and test therapeutic strategies for many genetically-defined conditions.
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15
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Vieira MM, Peng S, Won S, Hong E, Inati SK, Thurm A, Thiam AH, Kim S, Myers SJ, Badger JD, Traynelis SF, Lu W, Roche KW. A Frameshift Variant of GluN2A Identified in an Epilepsy Patient Results in NMDA Receptor Mistargeting. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e0557232023. [PMID: 38050135 PMCID: PMC10860613 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0557-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023] Open
Abstract
N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) are crucial for neuronal development and synaptic plasticity. Dysfunction of NMDARs is associated with multiple neurodevelopmental disorders, including epilepsy, autism spectrum disorder, and intellectual disability. Understanding the impact of genetic variants of NMDAR subunits can shed light on the mechanisms of disease. Here, we characterized the functional implications of a de novo mutation of the GluN2A subunit (P1199Rfs*32) resulting in the truncation of the C-terminal domain. The variant was identified in a male patient with epileptic encephalopathy, multiple seizure types, severe aphasia, and neurobehavioral changes. Given the known role of the CTD in NMDAR trafficking, we examined changes in receptor localization and abundance at the postsynaptic membrane using a combination of molecular assays in heterologous cells and rat primary neuronal cultures. We observed that the GluN2A P1199Rfs*32-containing receptors traffic efficiently to the postsynaptic membrane but have increased extra-synaptic expression relative to WT GluN2A-containing NMDARs. Using in silico predictions, we hypothesized that the mutant would lose all PDZ interactions, except for the recycling protein Scribble1. Indeed, we observed impaired binding to the scaffolding protein postsynaptic protein-95 (PSD-95); however, we found the mutant interacts with Scribble1, which facilitates the recycling of both the mutant and the WT GluN2A. Finally, we found that neurons expressing GluN2A P1199Rfs*32 have fewer synapses and decreased spine density, indicating compromised synaptic transmission in these neurons. Overall, our data show that GluN2A P1199Rfs*32 is a loss-of-function variant with altered membrane localization in neurons and provide mechanistic insight into disease etiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- M M Vieira
- Receptor Biology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda 20892, Maryland
| | - S Peng
- Synapse and Neural Circuit Research Section, NINDS, NIH, Bethesda 20892, Maryland
| | - S Won
- Receptor Biology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda 20892, Maryland
| | - E Hong
- Receptor Biology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda 20892, Maryland
| | - S K Inati
- Neurophysiology of Epilepsy Unit, NINDS, NIH, Bethesda 20892, Maryland
| | - A Thurm
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda 20892, Maryland
| | - A H Thiam
- Office of the Clinical Director, NINDS, NIH, Bethesda 20892, Maryland
| | - S Kim
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta 30322, Georgia
- Center for Functional Evaluation of Rare Variants (CFERV), Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta 30322, Georgia
| | - S J Myers
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta 30322, Georgia
- Center for Functional Evaluation of Rare Variants (CFERV), Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta 30322, Georgia
| | - J D Badger
- Receptor Biology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda 20892, Maryland
| | - S F Traynelis
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta 30322, Georgia
- Center for Functional Evaluation of Rare Variants (CFERV), Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta 30322, Georgia
| | - W Lu
- Synapse and Neural Circuit Research Section, NINDS, NIH, Bethesda 20892, Maryland
| | - K W Roche
- Receptor Biology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda 20892, Maryland
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16
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Miyazaki Y, Otsuka T, Yamagata Y, Endo T, Sanbo M, Sano H, Kobayashi K, Inahashi H, Kornau HC, Schmitz D, Prüss H, Meijer D, Hirabayashi M, Fukata Y, Fukata M. Oligodendrocyte-derived LGI3 and its receptor ADAM23 organize juxtaparanodal Kv1 channel clustering for short-term synaptic plasticity. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113634. [PMID: 38194969 PMCID: PMC10828548 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Neurodevelopmental disorders, such as intellectual disability (ID), epilepsy, and autism, involve altered synaptic transmission and plasticity. Functional characterization of their associated genes is vital for understanding physio-pathological brain functions. LGI3 is a recently recognized ID-associated gene encoding a secretory protein related to an epilepsy-gene product, LGI1. Here, we find that LGI3 is uniquely secreted from oligodendrocytes in the brain and enriched at juxtaparanodes of myelinated axons, forming nanoscale subclusters. Proteomic analysis using epitope-tagged Lgi3 knockin mice shows that LGI3 uses ADAM23 as a receptor and selectively co-assembles with Kv1 channels. A lack of Lgi3 in mice disrupts juxtaparanodal clustering of ADAM23 and Kv1 channels and suppresses Kv1-channel-mediated short-term synaptic plasticity. Collectively, this study identifies an extracellular organizer of juxtaparanodal Kv1 channel clustering for finely tuned synaptic transmission. Given the defective secretion of the LGI3 missense variant, we propose a molecular pathway, the juxtaparanodal LGI3-ADAM23-Kv1 channel, for understanding neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuri Miyazaki
- Division of Neuropharmacology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan; Division of Membrane Physiology, Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
| | - Takeshi Otsuka
- Section of Cellular Electrophysiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan; Graduate Institute for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan
| | - Yoko Yamagata
- Section of Multilayer Physiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan
| | | | - Makoto Sanbo
- Section of Mammalian Transgenesis, Center for Genetic Analysis of Behavior, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
| | - Hiromi Sano
- Division of Behavioral Neuropharmacology, International Center for Brain Science, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi 470-1192, Japan
| | - Kenta Kobayashi
- Graduate Institute for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan; Section of Viral Vector Development, Center for Genetic Analysis of Behavior, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan
| | - Hiroki Inahashi
- Division of Membrane Physiology, Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
| | - Hans-Christian Kornau
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Neuroscience Research Center (NWFZ), Cluster NeuroCure, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Dietmar Schmitz
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Neuroscience Research Center (NWFZ), Cluster NeuroCure, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Harald Prüss
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Helmholtz Innovation Lab BaoBab (Brain Antibody-omics and B-cell Lab), Berlin, Germany; Department of Neurology and Experimental Neurology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Dies Meijer
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK; Muir Maxwell Epilepsy Centre, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Masumi Hirabayashi
- Graduate Institute for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan; Section of Mammalian Transgenesis, Center for Genetic Analysis of Behavior, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
| | - Yuko Fukata
- Division of Membrane Physiology, Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan; Division of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan.
| | - Masaki Fukata
- Division of Neuropharmacology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan; Division of Membrane Physiology, Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan; Graduate Institute for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan.
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17
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Peralta-Marzal LN, Rojas-Velazquez D, Rigters D, Prince N, Garssen J, Kraneveld AD, Perez-Pardo P, Lopez-Rincon A. A robust microbiome signature for autism spectrum disorder across different studies using machine learning. Sci Rep 2024; 14:814. [PMID: 38191575 PMCID: PMC10774349 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-50601-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a highly complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in sociability and repetitive behaviour, however there is a great heterogeneity within other comorbidities that accompany ASD. Recently, gut microbiome has been pointed out as a plausible contributing factor for ASD development as individuals diagnosed with ASD often suffer from intestinal problems and show a differentiated intestinal microbial composition. Nevertheless, gut microbiome studies in ASD rarely agree on the specific bacterial taxa involved in this disorder. Regarding the potential role of gut microbiome in ASD pathophysiology, our aim is to investigate whether there is a set of bacterial taxa relevant for ASD classification by using a sibling-controlled dataset. Additionally, we aim to validate these results across two independent cohorts as several confounding factors, such as lifestyle, influence both ASD and gut microbiome studies. A machine learning approach, recursive ensemble feature selection (REFS), was applied to 16S rRNA gene sequencing data from 117 subjects (60 ASD cases and 57 siblings) identifying 26 bacterial taxa that discriminate ASD cases from controls. The average area under the curve (AUC) of this specific set of bacteria in the sibling-controlled dataset was 81.6%. Moreover, we applied the selected bacterial taxa in a tenfold cross-validation scheme using two independent cohorts (a total of 223 samples-125 ASD cases and 98 controls). We obtained average AUCs of 74.8% and 74%, respectively. Analysis of the gut microbiome using REFS identified a set of bacterial taxa that can be used to predict the ASD status of children in three distinct cohorts with AUC over 80% for the best-performing classifiers. Our results indicate that the gut microbiome has a strong association with ASD and should not be disregarded as a potential target for therapeutic interventions. Furthermore, our work can contribute to use the proposed approach for identifying microbiome signatures across other 16S rRNA gene sequencing datasets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia N Peralta-Marzal
- Division of Pharmacology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - David Rojas-Velazquez
- Division of Pharmacology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Data Science, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Douwe Rigters
- Division of Pharmacology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Naika Prince
- Division of Pharmacology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Johan Garssen
- Division of Pharmacology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Global Centre of Excellence Immunology, Danone Nutricia Research, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Aletta D Kraneveld
- Division of Pharmacology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Science, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Paula Perez-Pardo
- Division of Pharmacology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Alejandro Lopez-Rincon
- Division of Pharmacology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Data Science, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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18
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Sun N, Teyssier N, Wang B, Drake S, Seyler M, Zaltsman Y, Everitt A, Teerikorpi N, Willsey HR, Goodarzi H, Tian R, Kampmann M, Willsey AJ. Autism genes converge on microtubule biology and RNA-binding proteins during excitatory neurogenesis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.12.22.573108. [PMID: 38187634 PMCID: PMC10769323 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.22.573108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
Recent studies have identified over one hundred high-confidence (hc) autism spectrum disorder (ASD) genes. Systems biological and functional analyses on smaller subsets of these genes have consistently implicated excitatory neurogenesis. However, the extent to which the broader set of hcASD genes are involved in this process has not been explored systematically nor have the biological pathways underlying this convergence been identified. Here, we leveraged CROP-Seq to repress 87 hcASD genes in a human in vitro model of cortical neurogenesis. We identified 17 hcASD genes whose repression significantly alters developmental trajectory and results in a common cellular state characterized by disruptions in proliferation, differentiation, cell cycle, microtubule biology, and RNA-binding proteins (RBPs). We also characterized over 3,000 differentially expressed genes, 286 of which had expression profiles correlated with changes in developmental trajectory. Overall, we uncovered transcriptional disruptions downstream of hcASD gene perturbations, correlated these disruptions with distinct differentiation phenotypes, and reinforced neurogenesis, microtubule biology, and RBPs as convergent points of disruption in ASD.
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19
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Abstract
Brain development in humans is achieved through precise spatiotemporal genetic control, the mechanisms of which remain largely elusive. Recently, integration of technological advances in human stem cell-based modelling with genome editing has emerged as a powerful platform to establish causative links between genotypes and phenotypes directly in the human system. Here, we review our current knowledge of complex genetic regulation of each key step of human brain development through the lens of evolutionary specialization and neurodevelopmental disorders and highlight the use of human stem cell-derived 2D cultures and 3D brain organoids to investigate human-enriched features and disease mechanisms. We also discuss opportunities and challenges of integrating new technologies to reveal the genetic architecture of human brain development and disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Zhou
- Department of Neuroscience and Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Hongjun Song
- Department of Neuroscience and Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- The Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Guo-Li Ming
- Department of Neuroscience and Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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20
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Usui N. Possible roles of deep cortical neurons and oligodendrocytes in the neural basis of human sociality. Anat Sci Int 2024; 99:34-47. [PMID: 38010534 PMCID: PMC10771383 DOI: 10.1007/s12565-023-00747-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Sociality is an instinctive property of organisms that live in relation to others and is a complex characteristic of higher order brain functions. However, the evolution of the human brain to acquire higher order brain functions, such as sociality, and the neural basis for executing these functions and their control mechanisms are largely unknown. Several studies have attempted to evaluate how human sociality was acquired during the course of evolution and the mechanisms controlling sociality from a neurodevelopment viewpoint. This review discusses these findings in the context of human brain evolution and the pathophysiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Comparative genomic studies of postmortem primate brains have demonstrated human-specific regulatory mechanisms underlying higher order brain functions, providing evidence for the contribution of oligodendrocytes to human brain function. Functional analyses of the causative genes of ASD in animal models have demonstrated that the neural basis of social behavior is associated with layer 6 (L6) of the neocortex and oligodendrocytes. These findings demonstrate that both neurons and oligodendrocytes contribute to the neural basis and molecular mechanisms underlying human brain evolution and social functioning. This review provides novel insights into sociability and the corresponding neural bases of brain disorders and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noriyoshi Usui
- Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, 565-0871, Japan.
- Omics Center, Center of Medical Innovation and Translational Research, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, 565-0871, Japan.
- United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Suita, 565-0871, Japan.
- Global Center for Medical Engineering and Informatics, Osaka University, Suita, 565-0871, Japan.
- Addiction Research Unit, Osaka Psychiatric Research Center, Osaka Psychiatric Medical Center, Osaka, 541-8567, Japan.
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21
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Sylvester CM, Luby JL, Pine DS. Novel mechanism-based treatments for pediatric anxiety and depressive disorders. Neuropsychopharmacology 2024; 49:262-275. [PMID: 37608220 PMCID: PMC10700626 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-023-01709-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Pediatric anxiety and depressive disorders are common, can be highly impairing, and can persist despite the best available treatments. Here, we review research into novel treatments for childhood anxiety and depressive disorders designed to target underlying cognitive, emotional, and neural circuit mechanisms. We highlight three novel treatments lying along a continuum relating to clinical impact of the disorder and the intensity of clinical management required. We review cognitive training, which involves the lowest risk and may be applicable for problems with mild to moderate impact; psychotherapy, which includes a higher level of clinical involvement and may be sufficient for problems with moderate impact; and brain stimulation, which has the highest potential risks and is therefore most appropriate for problems with high impact. For each treatment, we review the specific underlying cognitive, emotional, and brain circuit mechanisms that are being targeted, whether treatments modify those underlying mechanisms, and efficacy in reducing symptoms. We conclude by highlighting future directions, including the importance of work that leverages developmental windows of high brain plasticity to time interventions to the specific epochs in childhood that have the largest and most enduring life-long impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chad M Sylvester
- Washington University Department of Psychiatry, St. Louis, MO, USA.
- Washington University Department of Radiology, St. Louis, MO, USA.
| | - Joan L Luby
- Washington University Department of Psychiatry, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Daniel S Pine
- National Institute of Mental Health, Emotion and Development Branch, St. Louis, MO, USA
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22
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Wang S, Wang B, Drury V, Drake S, Sun N, Alkhairo H, Arbelaez J, Duhn C, Bal VH, Langley K, Martin J, Hoekstra PJ, Dietrich A, Xing J, Heiman GA, Tischfield JA, Fernandez TV, Owen MJ, O'Donovan MC, Thapar A, State MW, Willsey AJ. Rare X-linked variants carry predominantly male risk in autism, Tourette syndrome, and ADHD. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8077. [PMID: 38057346 PMCID: PMC10700338 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43776-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Tourette syndrome (TS), and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) display strong male sex bias, due to a combination of genetic and biological factors, as well as selective ascertainment. While the hemizygous nature of chromosome X (Chr X) in males has long been postulated as a key point of "male vulnerability", rare genetic variation on this chromosome has not been systematically characterized in large-scale whole exome sequencing studies of "idiopathic" ASD, TS, and ADHD. Here, we take advantage of informative recombinations in simplex ASD families to pinpoint risk-enriched regions on Chr X, within which rare maternally-inherited damaging variants carry substantial risk in males with ASD. We then apply a modified transmission disequilibrium test to 13,052 ASD probands and identify a novel high confidence ASD risk gene at exome-wide significance (MAGEC3). Finally, we observe that rare damaging variants within these risk regions carry similar effect sizes in males with TS or ADHD, further clarifying genetic mechanisms underlying male vulnerability in multiple neurodevelopmental disorders that can be exploited for systematic gene discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheng Wang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Belinda Wang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Vanessa Drury
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Sam Drake
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Nawei Sun
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Hasan Alkhairo
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Juan Arbelaez
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Clif Duhn
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Vanessa H Bal
- Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Kate Langley
- Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales, UK
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales, UK
| | - Joanna Martin
- Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales, UK
| | - Pieter J Hoekstra
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Accare Child Study Center, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Andrea Dietrich
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Accare Child Study Center, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jinchuan Xing
- Department of Genetics and the Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Gary A Heiman
- Department of Genetics and the Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Jay A Tischfield
- Department of Genetics and the Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Thomas V Fernandez
- Yale Child Study Center and Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Michael J Owen
- Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales, UK
| | - Michael C O'Donovan
- Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales, UK
| | - Anita Thapar
- Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales, UK
| | - Matthew W State
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - A Jeremy Willsey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA.
- Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI), University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA.
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23
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Marinello WP, Gillera SEA, Huang L, Rollman J, Reif DM, Patisaul HB. Uncovering the common factors of chemical exposure and behavior: Evaluating behavioral effects across a testing battery using factor analysis. Neurotoxicology 2023; 99:264-273. [PMID: 37914043 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2023.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
Although specific environmental chemical exposures, including flame retardants, are known risk factors for neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), direct experimental evidence linking specific chemicals to NDDs is limited. Studies focusing on the mechanisms by which the social processing systems are vulnerable to chemical exposure are underrepresented in the literature, even though social impairments are defining characteristics of many NDDs. We have repeatedly demonstrated that exposure to Firemaster 550 (FM 550), a prevalent flame retardant mixture used in foam-based furniture and infant products, can adversely impact a variety of behavioral endpoints. Our recent work in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster), a prosocial animal model, demonstrated that perinatal exposure to FM 550 sex specifically impacts socioemotional behavior. Here, we utilized a factor analysis approach on a battery of behavioral data from our prior study to extract underlying factors that potentially explain patterns within the FM 550 behavior data. This approach identified which aspects of the behavioral battery are most robust and informative, an outcome critical for future study designs. Pearson's correlation identified behavioral endpoints associated with distance and stranger interactions that were highly correlated across 5 behavioral tests. Using these behavioral endpoints, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) extracted 2 factors that could explain the data: Activity (distance traveled endpoints) and Sociability (time spent with a novel conspecific). Exposure to FM 550 significantly decreased Activity and decreased Sociability. This factor analysis approach to behavioral data offers the advantages of modeling numerous measured variables and simplifying the data set by presenting the data in terms of common, overarching factors in terms of behavioral function.
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Affiliation(s)
- William P Marinello
- Department of Biological Sciences, NC State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Sagi Enicole A Gillera
- Department of Biological Sciences, NC State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA; ICF International Inc, Durham, NC 27713, USA
| | - Lynn Huang
- Department of Statistics, NC State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - John Rollman
- Department of Statistics, NC State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - David M Reif
- Bioinformatics Research Center, NC State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Heather B Patisaul
- Department of Biological Sciences, NC State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA; Center for Human Health and the Environment, NC State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA.
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24
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Wang J, Yu J, Wang M, Zhang L, Yang K, Du X, Wu J, Wang X, Li F, Qiu Z. Discovery and Validation of Novel Genes in a Large Chinese Autism Spectrum Disorder Cohort. Biol Psychiatry 2023; 94:792-803. [PMID: 37393044 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.06.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that causes impairments in social communication and stereotypical behaviors, often accompanied by developmental delay or intellectual disability. A growing body of evidence suggests that ASD is highly heritable, and genetic studies have defined numerous risk genes. However, most studies have been conducted with individuals of European and Hispanic ancestry, and there is a lack of genetic analyses of ASD in the East Asian population. METHODS We performed whole-exome sequencing on 772 Chinese ASD trios and combined the data with a previous study of 369 Chinese ASD trios, identifying de novo variants in 1141 ASD trios. We used single-cell RNA sequencing analysis to identify the cell types in which ASD-related genes were enriched. In addition, we validated the function of a candidate high-functioning autism gene in mouse models using genetic approaches. RESULTS Our findings showed that ASD without developmental delay or intellectual disability carried fewer disruptive de novo variants than ASD with developmental delay or intellectual disability. Moreover, we identified 9 novel ASD candidate genes that were not present in the current ASD gene database. We further validated one such novel ASD candidate gene, SLC35G1, by showing that mice harboring a heterozygous deletion of Slc35g1 exhibited defects in interactive social behaviors. CONCLUSIONS Our work nominates novel ASD candidate genes and emphasizes the importance of genome-wide genetic studies with ASD cohorts of different ancestries to reveal the comprehensive genetic architecture of ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jincheng Wang
- Department of Developmental and Behavioural Pediatric & Child Primary Care, Brain and Behavioural Research Unit of Shanghai Institute for Pediatric Research, Institute of Autism, and MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory for Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Juehua Yu
- Department of Developmental and Behavioural Pediatric & Child Primary Care, Brain and Behavioural Research Unit of Shanghai Institute for Pediatric Research, Institute of Autism, and MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory for Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Mengdi Wang
- Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lingli Zhang
- Department of Developmental and Behavioural Pediatric & Child Primary Care, Brain and Behavioural Research Unit of Shanghai Institute for Pediatric Research, Institute of Autism, and MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory for Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Kan Yang
- Department of Developmental and Behavioural Pediatric & Child Primary Care, Brain and Behavioural Research Unit of Shanghai Institute for Pediatric Research, Institute of Autism, and MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory for Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiujuan Du
- Department of Developmental and Behavioural Pediatric & Child Primary Care, Brain and Behavioural Research Unit of Shanghai Institute for Pediatric Research, Institute of Autism, and MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory for Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jinyu Wu
- Institute of Genomic Medicine, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xiaoqun Wang
- Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Fei Li
- Department of Developmental and Behavioural Pediatric & Child Primary Care, Brain and Behavioural Research Unit of Shanghai Institute for Pediatric Research, Institute of Autism, and MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory for Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Zilong Qiu
- Department of Developmental and Behavioural Pediatric & Child Primary Care, Brain and Behavioural Research Unit of Shanghai Institute for Pediatric Research, Institute of Autism, and MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory for Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China; Songjiang Research Institute, Songjiang District Central Hospital, and Institute of Autism, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Clinical Neuroscience Center, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
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25
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Ulu Aydin H, Cifci Tekinarslan I, Gulec Aslan Y. The Power Card Strategy: Strength-Based Intervention Against Bullying for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2023:10.1007/s10803-023-06161-w. [PMID: 37964015 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-023-06161-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
The pattern of behaviors and abilities that reflect the core characteristics of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and an environment that lacks the ability to understand individuals with ASD can make these students targets of bullying. Bullying is a serious problem for students with ASD, and practices against it are important in terms of improving students' coping strategies and overall well-being. In this study, we used a multiple probe model with an interprobe phase across participants to evaluate the effectiveness of the power card strategy to teach three students with ASD to respond to bullying. At baseline, the students gave few appropriate responses based on coping strategies for bullying after listening to stories about bullying. During the application of the power cards, the students read scenarios and power cards created for their favorite heroes or special interests, which included coping strategies for three different bullying situations (exclusion, being pushed, and being tickled). Then, they watched animations prepared for these bullying situations and were asked to answer questions about strategies to deal with bullying. The findings showed that all three students learned targeted strategies for coping with bullying in the context of the sessions using power cards. The students were able to generalize to different bullying situations (teasing, damaging one's belongings, being ignored) while retaining their strategies for coping with bullying in the context of the sessions held after the teaching was completed. The social validity findings of the power card strategy showed that one out of three students exhibited coping strategies for bullying in the school environment. The findings of the present study are discussed in the context of bullying and ASD, limitations, and recommendations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hatice Ulu Aydin
- Special Education Department, Abant Izzet Baysal University, Bolu, Turkey.
| | | | - Yesim Gulec Aslan
- Special Education Department, Abant Izzet Baysal University, Bolu, Turkey
- Special Education Department, Istanbul Medeniyet University, Istanbul, Turkey
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26
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Wang Q, Yang Q, Liu X. The microbiota-gut-brain axis and neurodevelopmental disorders. Protein Cell 2023; 14:762-775. [PMID: 37166201 PMCID: PMC10599644 DOI: 10.1093/procel/pwad026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The gut microbiota has been found to interact with the brain through the microbiota-gut-brain axis, regulating various physiological processes. In recent years, the impacts of the gut microbiota on neurodevelopment through this axis have been increasingly appreciated. The gut microbiota is commonly considered to regulate neurodevelopment through three pathways, the immune pathway, the neuronal pathway, and the endocrine/systemic pathway, with overlaps and crosstalks in between. Accumulating studies have identified the role of the microbiota-gut-brain axis in neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and Rett Syndrome. Numerous researchers have examined the physiological and pathophysiological mechanisms influenced by the gut microbiota in neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of advancements in research pertaining to the microbiota-gut-brain axis in NDDs. Furthermore, we analyzed both the current state of research progress and discuss future perspectives in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinwen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine and offspring Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
- Department of Pathogen Biology-Microbiology Division, Key Laboratory of Pathogen of Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
| | - Qianyue Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine and offspring Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
- Department of Pathogen Biology-Microbiology Division, Key Laboratory of Pathogen of Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
| | - Xingyin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine and offspring Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
- Department of Pathogen Biology-Microbiology Division, Key Laboratory of Pathogen of Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Human Functional Genomics of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
- The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
- Department of Microbiota Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
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Zhao Y, Li J, Lian Y, Zhou Q, Wu Y, Kang J. METTL3-Dependent N6-Methyladenosine Modification Programs Human Neural Progenitor Cell Proliferation. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:15535. [PMID: 37958523 PMCID: PMC10647291 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242115535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
METTL3, a methyltransferase responsible for N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification, plays key regulatory roles in mammal central neural system (CNS) development. However, the specific epigenetic mechanisms governing human CNS development remain poorly elucidated. Here, we generated small-molecule-assisted shut-off (SMASh)-tagged hESC lines to reduce METTL3 protein levels, and found that METTL3 is not required for human neural progenitor cell (hNPC) formation and neuron differentiation. However, METTL3 deficiency inhibited hNPC proliferation by reducing SLIT2 expression. Mechanistic studies revealed that METTL3 degradation in hNPCs significantly decreased the enrichment of m6A in SLIT2 mRNA, consequently reducing its expression. Our findings reveal a novel functional target (SLIT2) for METTL3 in hNPCs and contribute to a better understanding of m6A-dependent mechanisms in hNPC proliferation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Zhao
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Maternal Fetal Medicine, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; (Y.Z.); (J.L.); (Y.L.); (Q.Z.)
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center of Stem Cell Research, National Stem Cell Translational Resource Center, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Jianguo Li
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Maternal Fetal Medicine, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; (Y.Z.); (J.L.); (Y.L.); (Q.Z.)
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center of Stem Cell Research, National Stem Cell Translational Resource Center, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Yilin Lian
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Maternal Fetal Medicine, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; (Y.Z.); (J.L.); (Y.L.); (Q.Z.)
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center of Stem Cell Research, National Stem Cell Translational Resource Center, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Qian Zhou
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Maternal Fetal Medicine, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; (Y.Z.); (J.L.); (Y.L.); (Q.Z.)
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center of Stem Cell Research, National Stem Cell Translational Resource Center, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Yukang Wu
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Maternal Fetal Medicine, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; (Y.Z.); (J.L.); (Y.L.); (Q.Z.)
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center of Stem Cell Research, National Stem Cell Translational Resource Center, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Jiuhong Kang
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Maternal Fetal Medicine, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; (Y.Z.); (J.L.); (Y.L.); (Q.Z.)
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center of Stem Cell Research, National Stem Cell Translational Resource Center, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
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Bukatova S, Bacova Z, Osacka J, Bakos J. Mini review of molecules involved in altered postnatal neurogenesis in autism. Int J Neurosci 2023:1-15. [PMID: 37815399 DOI: 10.1080/00207454.2023.2269304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
The neurobiology of autism is complex, but emerging research points to potential abnormalities and alterations in neurogenesis. The aim of the present review is to describe the advances in the understanding of the role of selected neurotrophins, neuropeptides, and other compounds secreted by neuronal cells in the processes of postnatal neurogenesis in conjunction with autism. We characterize the fundamental mechanisms of neuronal cell proliferation, generation of major neuronal cell types with special emphasis on neurogenic niches - the subventricular zone and hippocampal areas. We also discuss changes in intracellular calcium levels and calcium-dependent transcription factors in the context of the regulation of neurogenesis and cell fate determination. To sum up, this review provides specific insight into the known association between alterations in the function of the entire spectrum of molecules involved in neurogenesis and the etiology of autism pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanislava Bukatova
- Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Zuzana Bacova
- Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jana Osacka
- Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jan Bakos
- Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
- Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
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29
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Shih YT, Alipio JB, Sahay A. An inhibitory circuit-based enhancer of DYRK1A function reverses Dyrk1a-associated impairment in social recognition. Neuron 2023; 111:3084-3101.e5. [PMID: 37797581 PMCID: PMC10575685 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
Heterozygous mutations in the dual-specificity tyrosine phosphorylation-regulated kinase 1a (Dyrk1a) gene define a syndromic form of autism spectrum disorder. The synaptic and circuit mechanisms mediating DYRK1A functions in social cognition are unclear. Here, we identify a social experience-sensitive mechanism in hippocampal mossy fiber-parvalbumin interneuron (PV IN) synapses by which DYRK1A recruits feedforward inhibition of CA3 and CA2 to promote social recognition. We employ genetic epistasis logic to identify a cytoskeletal protein, ABLIM3, as a synaptic substrate of DYRK1A. We demonstrate that Ablim3 downregulation in dentate granule cells of adult heterozygous Dyrk1a mice is sufficient to restore PV IN-mediated inhibition of CA3 and CA2 and social recognition. Acute chemogenetic activation of PV INs in CA3/CA2 of adult heterozygous Dyrk1a mice also rescued social recognition. Together, these findings illustrate how targeting DYRK1A synaptic and circuit substrates as "enhancers of DYRK1A function" harbors the potential to reverse Dyrk1a haploinsufficiency-associated circuit and cognition impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Tzu Shih
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; BROAD Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jason Bondoc Alipio
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; BROAD Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Amar Sahay
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; BROAD Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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30
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Reece AS, Hulse GK. Perturbation of 3D nuclear architecture, epigenomic aging and dysregulation, and cannabinoid synaptopathy reconfigures conceptualization of cannabinoid pathophysiology: part 2-Metabolome, immunome, synaptome. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1182536. [PMID: 37854446 PMCID: PMC10579598 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1182536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The second part of this paper builds upon and expands the epigenomic-aging perspective presented in Part 1 to describe the metabolomic and immunomic bases of the epigenomic-aging changes and then considers in some detail the application of these insights to neurotoxicity, neuronal epigenotoxicity, and synaptopathy. Cannabinoids are well-known to have bidirectional immunomodulatory activities on numerous parts of the immune system. Immune perturbations are well-known to impact the aging process, the epigenome, and intermediate metabolism. Cannabinoids also impact metabolism via many pathways. Metabolism directly impacts immune, genetic, and epigenetic processes. Synaptic activity, synaptic pruning, and, thus, the sculpting of neural circuits are based upon metabolic, immune, and epigenomic networks at the synapse, around the synapse, and in the cell body. Many neuropsychiatric disorders including depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder, and autistic spectrum disorder have been linked with cannabis. Therefore, it is important to consider these features and their complex interrelationships in reaching a comprehensive understanding of cannabinoid dependence. Together these findings indicate that cannabinoid perturbations of the immunome and metabolome are important to consider alongside the well-recognized genomic and epigenomic perturbations and it is important to understand their interdependence and interconnectedness in reaching a comprehensive appreciation of the true nature of cannabinoid pathophysiology. For these reasons, a comprehensive appreciation of cannabinoid pathophysiology necessitates a coordinated multiomics investigation of cannabinoid genome-epigenome-transcriptome-metabolome-immunome, chromatin conformation, and 3D nuclear architecture which therefore form the proper mechanistic underpinning for major new and concerning epidemiological findings relating to cannabis exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert Stuart Reece
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
- School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia
| | - Gary Kenneth Hulse
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
- School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia
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31
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Forrest MP, Penzes P. Mechanisms of copy number variants in neuropsychiatric disorders: From genes to therapeutics. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2023; 82:102750. [PMID: 37515924 PMCID: PMC10529795 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2023] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/31/2023]
Abstract
Copy number variants (CNVs) are genomic imbalances strongly linked to the aetiology of neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and autism. By virtue of their large size, CNVs often contain many genes, providing a multi-genic view of disease processes that can be dissected in model systems. Thus, CNV research provides an important stepping stone towards understanding polygenic disease mechanisms, positioned between monogenic and polygenic risk models. In this review, we will outline hypothetical models for gene interactions occurring within CNVs and discuss different approaches used to study rodent and stem cell disease models. We highlight recent work showing that genetic and pharmacological strategies can be used to rescue important aspects of CNV-mediated pathophysiology, which often converges onto synaptic pathways. We propose that using a rescue approach in complete CNV models provides a new path forward for precise mechanistic understanding of complex disorders and a tangible route towards therapeutic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc P Forrest
- Department of Neuroscience, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA; Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
| | - Peter Penzes
- Department of Neuroscience, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA; Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
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32
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DeOliveira-Mello L, Baronio D, Panula P. Zebrafish embryonically exposed to valproic acid present impaired retinal development and sleep behavior. Autism Res 2023; 16:1877-1890. [PMID: 37638671 DOI: 10.1002/aur.3010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
Prenatal exposure to valproic acid (VPA), a drug widely used to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorder, is an environmental risk factor for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). VPA has been used to reproduce the core symptoms of ASD in animal model organisms, including zebrafish. Visual system functioning is essential in the interpretation of social conditions and plays an important role of several behavioral responses. We hypothesized that behavioral deficits displayed by ASD patients may involve impaired visual processing. We used zebrafish as model organism to investigate the visual system after embryonic exposure to VPA using histological, behavioral and gene expression analysis. We analyzed the pineal gland of zebrafish and sleep-like behavior to study how VPA exposure alters photo-sensibility of zebrafish. VPA-exposed zebrafish showed a delay in the development of the retina and optic nerve, which normalized at five days post fertilization. At larval stage, VPA-exposed zebrafish showed sleep disturbances associated with a reduced number of serotonin-producing cells of the pineal gland. In addition, the number of hypocretin/orexin (hcrt) expressing neurons in the rostral hypothalamus at 6 and 14 days post fertilization was reduced. In conclusion, we demonstrated that although VPA exposure leads to a delay in visual system development, it does not affect larval visual function. The novel finding that VPA alters significantly cells involved in sleep regulation and the sleep-like state itself may be relevant for understanding sleep disturbances in ASD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Diego Baronio
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Pertti Panula
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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Wang J, Li W, Li Z, Xue Z, Zhang Y, Yuan Y, Shi Y, Shan S, Han W, Li F, Qiu Z. Taok1 haploinsufficiency leads to autistic-like behaviors in mice via the dorsal raphe nucleus. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113078. [PMID: 37656623 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Strong evidence from human genetic studies associates the thousand and one amino acid kinase 1 (TAOK1) gene with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this work, we discovered a de novo frameshifting mutation in TAOK1 within a Chinese ASD cohort. We found that Taok1 haploinsufficiency induces autistic-like behaviors in mice. Importantly, we observed a significant enrichment of Taok1 in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN). The haploinsufficiency of Taok1 considerably restrained the activation of DRN neurons during social interactions, leading to the aberrant phosphorylation of numerous proteins. Intriguingly, the genetic deletion of Taok1 in VGlut3-positive neurons of DRN resulted in mice exhibiting autistic-like behaviors. Ultimately, reintroducing wild-type Taok1, but not its kinase-dead variant, into the DRN of adult mice effectively mitigated the autistic-like behaviors associated with Taok1 haploinsufficiency. This work suggests that Taok1, through its influence in the DRN, regulates social interaction behaviors, providing critical insights into the etiology of ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jincheng Wang
- Songjiang Research Institute, Songjiang District Central Hospital, Institute of Autism & MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory for Children's Environmental Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Weike Li
- Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Zimeng Li
- Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhenyu Xue
- Department of Anesthesiology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuefang Zhang
- Songjiang Research Institute, Songjiang District Central Hospital, Institute of Autism & MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory for Children's Environmental Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yiting Yuan
- Songjiang Research Institute, Songjiang District Central Hospital, Institute of Autism & MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory for Children's Environmental Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuhan Shi
- Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Shifang Shan
- Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenjian Han
- Songjiang Research Institute, Songjiang District Central Hospital, Institute of Autism & MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory for Children's Environmental Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Fei Li
- MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory for Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zilong Qiu
- Songjiang Research Institute, Songjiang District Central Hospital, Institute of Autism & MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory for Children's Environmental Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China; MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory for Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Clinic Neuroscience Center, Department of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
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34
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Alshaban FA, Aldosari M, Ghazal I, Al-Shammari H, ElHag S, Thompson IR, Bruder J, Shaath H, Al-Faraj F, Tolefat M, Nasir A, Fombonne E. Consanguinity as a Risk Factor for Autism. J Autism Dev Disord 2023:10.1007/s10803-023-06137-w. [PMID: 37751099 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-023-06137-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Genetic and environmental risk factors associated with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) continue to be a focus of research worldwide. Consanguinity, the cultural practice of marrying within a family, is common in cultures and societies of the Middle East, North Africa and parts of Asia. Consanguinity has been investigated as a risk factor for ASD in a limited number of studies, with mixed results. We employed registry and survey data from Qatar to evaluate the role of consanguinity as a risk factor for ASD. METHODS Data were sourced from a national registry and a population-based survey of autism recently conducted in Qatar. We selected a sample of 891 children (mean age: 8.3 years) with (N = 361) or without (N = 530) ASD. Data on consanguinity and covariates were collected through questionnaires and interviews. RESULTS The prevalence of consanguinity in the overall sample was 41.2% with no significant difference between cases and controls (42.1% vs 41.3%; p = .836). In adjusted multiple logistic regression analyses, consanguinity was not associated with risk of ASD (aOR = 1.065; 95% CI: .751-1.509; NS). CONCLUSION Parental consanguinity was not associated with autism risk in our study. Replication in other populations with high rates of consanguineous unions is recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fouad A Alshaban
- Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, Neurological Disorders Research Center, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Education City, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
| | | | - Iman Ghazal
- Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, Neurological Disorders Research Center, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Education City, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
| | - Hawraa Al-Shammari
- Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, Neurological Disorders Research Center, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Education City, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
| | - Saba ElHag
- Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, Neurological Disorders Research Center, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Education City, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
| | - I Richard Thompson
- Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, Neurological Disorders Research Center, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Education City, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
| | | | - Hibah Shaath
- Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, Neurological Disorders Research Center, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Education City, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
| | - Fatema Al-Faraj
- Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, Neurological Disorders Research Center, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Education City, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar
| | - Mohamed Tolefat
- Shafallah Center for Children with Disabilities, Doha, Qatar
| | | | - Eric Fombonne
- Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Portland, OR, USA.
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Dawson MS, Gordon-Fleet K, Yan L, Tardos V, He H, Mui K, Nawani S, Asgarian Z, Catani M, Fernandes C, Drescher U. Sexual dimorphism in the social behaviour of Cntnap2-null mice correlates with disrupted synaptic connectivity and increased microglial activity in the anterior cingulate cortex. Commun Biol 2023; 6:846. [PMID: 37582968 PMCID: PMC10427688 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05215-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023] Open
Abstract
A biological understanding of the apparent sex bias in autism is lacking. Here we have identified Cntnap2 KO mice as a model system to help better understand this dimorphism. Using this model, we observed social deficits in juvenile male KO mice only. These male-specific social deficits correlated with reduced spine densities of Layer 2/3 and Layer 5 pyramidal neurons in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex, a forebrain region prominently associated with the control of social behaviour. Furthermore, in male KO mice, microglia showed an increased activated morphology and phagocytosis of synaptic structures compared to WT mice, whereas no differences were seen in female KO and WT mice. Our data suggest that sexually dimorphic microglial activity may be involved in the aetiology of ASD, disrupting the development of neural circuits that control social behaviour by overpruning synapses at a developmentally critical period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matt S Dawson
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Kevin Gordon-Fleet
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Lingxin Yan
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Vera Tardos
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Huanying He
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Kwong Mui
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Smriti Nawani
- Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, IoPPN, King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Zeinab Asgarian
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK
- Molecular Therapeutics Lab, University College London, Research Department of Targeted Intervention, London, W1W 7TY, UK
| | - Marco Catani
- NatBrainLab, Departments of Neuroimaging Sciences and Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, IoPPN, King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Cathy Fernandes
- Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, IoPPN, King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, IoPPN, King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Uwe Drescher
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK.
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, IoPPN, King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK.
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36
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Ko YJ, Kim SY, Lee S, Yoon JG, Kim MJ, Jun H, Kim H, Chae JH, Kim KJ, Kim K, Lim BC. Epilepsy phenotype and gene ontology analysis of the 129 genes in a large neurodevelopmental disorders cohort. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1218706. [PMID: 37645600 PMCID: PMC10461058 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1218706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective Although pediatric epilepsy is an independent disease entity, it is often observed in pediatric neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) as a major or minor clinical feature, which might provide diagnostic clues. This study aimed to identify the clinical and genetic characteristics of patients with epilepsy in an NDD cohort and demonstrate the importance of genetic testing. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the detailed clinical differences of pediatric NDD patients with epilepsy according to their genetic etiology. Among 1,213 patients with NDDs, 477 were genetically diagnosed by exome sequencing, and 168 had epilepsy and causative variants in 129 genes. Causative genes were classified into two groups: (i) the "epilepsy-genes" group resulting in epilepsy as the main phenotype listed in OMIM, Epi25, and ClinGen (67 patients) and (ii) the "NDD-genes" group not included in the "epilepsy-genes" group (101 patients). Results Patients in the "epilepsy-genes" group started having seizures, often characterized by epilepsy syndrome, at a younger age. However, overall clinical features, including treatment responses and all neurologic manifestations, showed no significant differences between the two groups. Gene ontology analysis revealed the close interactions of epilepsy genes associated with ion channels and neurotransmitters. Conclusion We demonstrated a similar clinical presentation of different gene groups regarding biological/molecular processes in a large NDDs cohort with epilepsy. Phenotype-driven genetic analysis should cover a broad scope, and further studies are required to elucidate integrated pathomechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Young Jun Ko
- Department of Pediatrics, Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital, Gwangmyeong, Republic of Korea
| | - Soo Yeon Kim
- Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Neuroscience Center, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Genomic Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Seungbok Lee
- Department of Genomic Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jihoon G. Yoon
- Department of Genomic Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Man Jin Kim
- Department of Genomic Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyeji Jun
- Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hunmin Kim
- Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong-Hee Chae
- Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Neuroscience Center, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Genomic Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ki Joong Kim
- Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Neuroscience Center, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kwangsoo Kim
- Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Byung Chan Lim
- Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Neuroscience Center, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Washington P, Wall DP. A Review of and Roadmap for Data Science and Machine Learning for the Neuropsychiatric Phenotype of Autism. Annu Rev Biomed Data Sci 2023; 6:211-228. [PMID: 37137169 PMCID: PMC11093217 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-biodatasci-020722-125454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (autism) is a neurodevelopmental delay that affects at least 1 in 44 children. Like many neurological disorder phenotypes, the diagnostic features are observable, can be tracked over time, and can be managed or even eliminated through proper therapy and treatments. However, there are major bottlenecks in the diagnostic, therapeutic, and longitudinal tracking pipelines for autism and related neurodevelopmental delays, creating an opportunity for novel data science solutions to augment and transform existing workflows and provide increased access to services for affected families. Several efforts previously conducted by a multitude of research labs have spawned great progress toward improved digital diagnostics and digital therapies for children with autism. We review the literature on digital health methods for autism behavior quantification and beneficial therapies using data science. We describe both case-control studies and classification systems for digital phenotyping. We then discuss digital diagnostics and therapeutics that integrate machine learning models of autism-related behaviors, including the factors that must be addressed for translational use. Finally, we describe ongoing challenges and potential opportunities for the field of autism data science. Given the heterogeneous nature of autism and the complexities of the relevant behaviors, this review contains insights that are relevant to neurological behavior analysis and digital psychiatry more broadly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Washington
- Department of Information and Computer Sciences, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA
| | - Dennis P Wall
- Departments of Pediatrics (Systems Medicine), Biomedical Data Science, and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA;
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Kelvington BA, Abel T. hnRNPH2 gain-of-function mutations reveal therapeutic strategies and a role for RNA granules in neurodevelopmental disorders. J Clin Invest 2023; 133:e171499. [PMID: 37463443 DOI: 10.1172/jci171499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
hnRNPH2-related neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) is caused by mutations in the HNRNPH2 gene and is associated with substantial challenges, including developmental delay, intellectual disability, growth delay, and epilepsy. There is currently no therapeutic intervention available to those with hnRNPH2-related NDD that addresses its underlying mechanisms. In this issue of the JCI, Korff et al. studied specific gain-of-function mutations associated with hnRNPH2-related NDD, with the help of mouse models that recapitulate key features of the condition in humans. Their work paves the way for therapeutic approaches that aim to reduce the expression of mutant hnRNPH2 and highlights a role for disrupted RNA granules in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders.
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Lasser M, Sun N, Xu Y, Wang S, Drake S, Law K, Gonzalez S, Wang B, Drury V, Castillo O, Zaltsman Y, Dea J, Bader E, McCluskey KE, State MW, Willsey AJ, Willsey HR. Pleiotropy of autism-associated chromatin regulators. Development 2023; 150:dev201515. [PMID: 37366052 PMCID: PMC10399978 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
Gene ontology analyses of high-confidence autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk genes highlight chromatin regulation and synaptic function as major contributors to pathobiology. Our recent functional work in vivo has additionally implicated tubulin biology and cellular proliferation. As many chromatin regulators, including the ASD risk genes ADNP and CHD3, are known to directly regulate both tubulins and histones, we studied the five chromatin regulators most strongly associated with ASD (ADNP, CHD8, CHD2, POGZ and KMT5B) specifically with respect to tubulin biology. We observe that all five localize to microtubules of the mitotic spindle in vitro in human cells and in vivo in Xenopus. Investigation of CHD2 provides evidence that mutations present in individuals with ASD cause a range of microtubule-related phenotypes, including disrupted localization of the protein at mitotic spindles, cell cycle stalling, DNA damage and cell death. Lastly, we observe that ASD genetic risk is significantly enriched among tubulin-associated proteins, suggesting broader relevance. Together, these results provide additional evidence that the role of tubulin biology and cellular proliferation in ASD warrants further investigation and highlight the pitfalls of relying solely on annotated gene functions in the search for pathological mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Micaela Lasser
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Nawei Sun
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Yuxiao Xu
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Sheng Wang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Sam Drake
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Karen Law
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Silvano Gonzalez
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Belinda Wang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Vanessa Drury
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Octavio Castillo
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Yefim Zaltsman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Jeanselle Dea
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Ethel Bader
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Kate E. McCluskey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Matthew W. State
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Quantitative Biosciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - A. Jeremy Willsey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Quantitative Biosciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Helen Rankin Willsey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub - San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
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Sotgiu MA, Lo Jacono A, Barisano G, Saderi L, Cavassa V, Montella A, Crivelli P, Carta A, Sotgiu S. Brain perivascular spaces and autism: clinical and pathogenic implications from an innovative volumetric MRI study. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1205489. [PMID: 37425010 PMCID: PMC10328421 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1205489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Our single-center case-control study aimed to evaluate the unclear glymphatic system alteration in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) through an innovative neuroimaging tool which allows to segment and quantify perivascular spaces in the white matter (WM-PVS) with filtering of non-structured noise and increase of the contrast-ratio between perivascular spaces and the surrounding parenchyma. Methods Briefly, files of 65 ASD and 71 control patients were studied. We considered: ASD type, diagnosis and severity level and comorbidities (i.e., intellectual disability, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, epilepsy, sleep disturbances). We also examined diagnoses other than ASD and their associated comorbidities in the control group. Results When males and females with ASD are included together, WM-PVS grade and WM-PVS volume do not significantly differ between the ASD group and the control group overall. We found, instead, that WM-PVS volume is significantly associated with male sex: males had higher WM-PVS volume compared to females (p = 0.01). WM-PVS dilation is also non-significantly associated with ASD severity and younger age (< 4 years). In ASD patients, higher WM-PVS volume was related with insomnia whereas no relation was found with epilepsy or IQ. Discussion We concluded that WM-PVS dilation can be a neuroimaging feature of male ASD patients, particularly the youngest and most severe ones, which may rely on male-specific risk factors acting early during neurodevelopment, such as a transient excess of extra-axial CSF volume. Our findings can corroborate the well-known strong male epidemiological preponderance of autism worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alessandro Lo Jacono
- Unit of Child Neuropsychiatry, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Barisano
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Laura Saderi
- Clinical Epidemiology and Statistics Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Vanna Cavassa
- Unit of Child Neuropsychiatry, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Andrea Montella
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Paola Crivelli
- Radiology Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Alessandra Carta
- Unit of Child Neuropsychiatry, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Stefano Sotgiu
- Unit of Child Neuropsychiatry, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
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Farooq MS, Tehseen R, Sabir M, Atal Z. Detection of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children and adults using machine learning. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9605. [PMID: 37311766 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35910-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) presents a neurological and developmental disorder that has an impact on the social and cognitive skills of children causing repetitive behaviours, restricted interests, communication problems and difficulty in social interaction. Early diagnosis of ASD can prevent from its severity and prolonged effects. Federated learning (FL) is one of the most recent techniques that can be applied for accurate ASD diagnoses in early stages or prevention of its long-term effects. In this article, FL technique has been uniquely applied for autism detection by training two different ML classifiers including logistic regression and support vector machine locally for classification of ASD factors and detection of ASD in children and adults. Due to FL, results obtained from these classifiers have been transmitted to central server where meta classifier is trained to determine which approach is most accurate in the detection of ASD in children and adults. Four different ASD patient datasets, each containing more than 600 records of effected children and adults have been obtained from different repository for features extraction. The proposed model predicted ASD with 98% accuracy (in children) and 81% accuracy (in adults).
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Shoaib Farooq
- Department of Artificial Intelligence, University of Management and Technology, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan
| | - Rabia Tehseen
- Department of Computer Science, University of Central Punjab, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan
| | - Maidah Sabir
- Department of Artificial Intelligence, University of Management and Technology, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan
| | - Zabihullah Atal
- Department of Computer Science, Kardan University, Kabul, 1007, Afghanistan.
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Celora L, Jaudon F, Vitale C, Cingolani LA. Regulation of dendritic spine length in corticopontine layer V pyramidal neurons by autism risk gene β3 integrin. Mol Brain 2023; 16:49. [PMID: 37296444 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-023-01031-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The relationship between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and dendritic spine abnormalities is well known, but it is unclear whether the deficits relate to specific neuron types and brain regions most relevant to ASD. Recent genetic studies have identified a convergence of ASD risk genes in deep layer pyramidal neurons of the prefrontal cortex. Here, we use retrograde recombinant adeno-associated viruses to label specifically two major layer V pyramidal neuron types of the medial prefrontal cortex: the commissural neurons, which put the two cerebral hemispheres in direct communication, and the corticopontine neurons, which transmit information outside the cortex. We compare the basal dendritic spines on commissural and corticopontine neurons in WT and KO mice for the ASD risk gene Itgb3, which encodes for the cell adhesion molecule β3 integrin selectively enriched in layer V pyramidal neurons. Regardless of the genotype, corticopontine neurons had a higher ratio of stubby to mushroom spines than commissural neurons. β3 integrin affected selectively spine length in corticopontine neurons. Ablation of β3 integrin resulted in corticopontine neurons lacking long (> 2 μm) thin dendritic spines. These findings suggest that a deficiency in β3 integrin expression compromises specifically immature spines on corticopontine neurons, thereby reducing the cortical territory they can sample. Because corticopontine neurons receive extensive local and long-range excitatory inputs before relaying information outside the cortex, specific alterations in dendritic spines of corticopontine neurons may compromise the computational output of the full cortex, thereby contributing to ASD pathophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Celora
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, 34127, Italy
| | - Fanny Jaudon
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, 34127, Italy
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, 16132, Italy
| | - Carmela Vitale
- Center for Synaptic Neuroscience and Technology (NSYN), Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genoa, 16132, Italy
| | - Lorenzo A Cingolani
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, 34127, Italy.
- Center for Synaptic Neuroscience and Technology (NSYN), Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genoa, 16132, Italy.
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Lu Z, Li J, Lu Y, Li L, Wang W, Zhang C, Xu L, Nie Y, Gao C, Bian X, Liu Z, Wang GZ, Sun Q. Cynomolgus-rhesus hybrid macaques serve as a platform for imprinting studies. Innovation (N Y) 2023; 4:100436. [PMID: 37215523 PMCID: PMC10196704 DOI: 10.1016/j.xinn.2023.100436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Genomic imprinting can lead to allele-specific expression (ASE), where one allele is preferentially expressed more than the other. Perturbations in genomic imprinting or ASE genes have been widely observed across various neurological disorders, notably autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this study, we crossed rhesus cynomolgus monkeys to produce hybrid monkeys and established a framework to evaluate their allele-specific gene expression patterns using the parental genomes as a reference. Our proof-of-concept analysis of the hybrid monkeys identified 353 genes with allele-biased expression in the brain, enabling us to determine the chromosomal locations of ASE clusters. Importantly, we confirmed a significant enrichment of ASE genes associated with neuropsychiatric disorders, including ASD, highlighting the potential of hybrid monkey models in advancing our understanding of genomic imprinting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zongyang Lu
- Institute of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, CAS Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
- Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Jie Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Yong Lu
- Institute of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, CAS Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Ling Li
- Institute of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, CAS Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
- Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Wei Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Chenchen Zhang
- Institute of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, CAS Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Libing Xu
- Institute of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, CAS Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Yanhong Nie
- Institute of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, CAS Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Changshan Gao
- Institute of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, CAS Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Xinyan Bian
- Institute of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, CAS Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Zhen Liu
- Institute of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, CAS Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
- Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Guang-Zhong Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Qiang Sun
- Institute of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, CAS Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
- Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai 201210, China
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Rukh S, Meechan DW, Maynard TM, Lamantia AS. Out of Line or Altered States? Neural Progenitors as a Target in a Polygenic Neurodevelopmental Disorder. Dev Neurosci 2023; 46:1-21. [PMID: 37231803 DOI: 10.1159/000530898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The genesis of a mature complement of neurons is thought to require, at least in part, precursor cell lineages in which neural progenitors have distinct identities recognized by exclusive expression of one or a few molecular markers. Nevertheless, limited progenitor types distinguished by specific markers and lineal progression through such subclasses cannot easily yield the magnitude of neuronal diversity in most regions of the nervous system. The late Verne Caviness, to whom this edition of Developmental Neuroscience is dedicated, recognized this mismatch. In his pioneering work on the histogenesis of the cerebral cortex, he acknowledged the additional flexibility required to generate multiple classes of cortical projection and interneurons. This flexibility may be accomplished by establishing cell states in which levels rather than binary expression or repression of individual genes vary across each progenitor's shared transcriptome. Such states may reflect local, stochastic signaling via soluble factors or coincidence of cell surface ligand/receptor pairs in subsets of neighboring progenitors. This probabilistic, rather than determined, signaling could modify transcription levels via multiple pathways within an apparently uniform population of progenitors. Progenitor states, therefore, rather than lineal relationships between types may underlie the generation of neuronal diversity in most regions of the nervous system. Moreover, mechanisms that influence variation required for flexible progenitor states may be targets for pathological changes in a broad range of neurodevelopmental disorders, especially those with polygenic origins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shah Rukh
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke, Virginia, USA
| | - Daniel W Meechan
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke, Virginia, USA
| | - Thomas M Maynard
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke, Virginia, USA
| | - Anthony-Samuel Lamantia
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke, Virginia, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
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Kalamakis G, Platt RJ. CRISPR for neuroscientists. Neuron 2023:S0896-6273(23)00306-9. [PMID: 37201524 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.04.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Genome engineering technologies provide an entry point into understanding and controlling the function of genetic elements in health and disease. The discovery and development of the microbial defense system CRISPR-Cas yielded a treasure trove of genome engineering technologies and revolutionized the biomedical sciences. Comprising diverse RNA-guided enzymes and effector proteins that evolved or were engineered to manipulate nucleic acids and cellular processes, the CRISPR toolbox provides precise control over biology. Virtually all biological systems are amenable to genome engineering-from cancer cells to the brains of model organisms to human patients-galvanizing research and innovation and giving rise to fundamental insights into health and powerful strategies for detecting and correcting disease. In the field of neuroscience, these tools are being leveraged across a wide range of applications, including engineering traditional and non-traditional transgenic animal models, modeling disease, testing genomic therapies, unbiased screening, programming cell states, and recording cellular lineages and other biological processes. In this primer, we describe the development and applications of CRISPR technologies while highlighting outstanding limitations and opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgios Kalamakis
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Mattenstrasse 26, 4058 Basel, Switzerland; Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Randall J Platt
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Mattenstrasse 26, 4058 Basel, Switzerland; Department of Chemistry, University of Basel, Petersplatz 1, 4003 Basel, Switzerland; NCCR MSE, Mattenstrasse 24a, 4058 Basel, Switzerland; Botnar Research Center for Child Health, Mattenstrasse 24a, 4058 Basel, Switzerland.
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46
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Coskunpinar EM, Tur S, Cevher Binici N, Yazan Songür C. Association of GABRG3, GABRB3, HTR2A Gene Variants with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Gene 2023; 870:147399. [PMID: 37019319 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2023.147399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2022] [Revised: 03/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental and neurobehavioral disorder characterized by impaired social communication, repetitive and restricted patterns of behavior, activity, or interest, and altered emotional processing. Reported prevalence is 4 times higher in men and it has increased in recent years. Immunological, environmental, epigenetic, and genetic factors play a role in the pathophysiology of autism. Many neurochemical pathways and neuroanatomical events are effective in determining the disease. It is still unclear how the main symptoms of autism occur because of this complex and heterogeneous situation. In this study, we focused on gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) and serotonin, which are thought to contribute to the etiology of autism; it is aimed to elucidate the mechanism of the disease by investigating variant changes in the GABA receptor subunit genes GABRB3, GABRG3 and the HTR2A gene, which encodes one of the serotonin receptors. 200 patients with ASD between the ages of 3-9 and 100 healthy volunteers were included in the study. Genomic DNA isolation was performed from peripheral blood samples taken from volunteers. Genotyping was performed using the RFLP method with PCR specific for specific variants. Data were analyzed with SPSS v25.0 program. According to the data obtained in our study; In terms of HTR2A (rs6313 T102C) genotypes, the homozygous C genotype carrying frequency in the patient group and the homozygous T genotype carrying frequency in the GABRG3 (rs140679 C/T) genotypes were found to be significantly higher in the patient group compared to the control group (*p: 0.0001, p: 0.0001). It was determined that the frequency of individuals with homozygous genotype was significantly higher in the patient group compared to the control group and having homozygous genotypes increased the disease risk approximately 1.8 times. In terms of GABRB3 (rs2081648 T/C) genotypes, it was determined that there was no statistically significant difference in the frequency of carrying homozygous C genotype in the patient group compared to the control group (p: 0.36). According to the results of our study, we think that the HTR2A (rs6313 T102C) polymorphism is effective in modulating the empathic and autistic characteristics of individuals, and that the HTR2A (rs6313 T102C) polymorphism is more distributed in the post-synaptic membranes in individuals with a higher number of C alleles. We believe that this situation can be attributed to the spontaneous stimulatory distribution of the HTR2A gene in the postsynaptic membranes because of T102C transformation. In genetically based autism cases, carrying the point mutation in the rs6313 variant of the HTR2A gene and the C allele and the point mutation in the rs140679 variant of the GABRG3 gene and accordingly carrying the T allele provide a predisposition to the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ender M Coskunpinar
- Department of Medical Biology, School of Medicine, University of Health Sciences, Turkey.
| | - Seymanur Tur
- Department of Medical Biology, School of Medicine, University of Health Sciences, Turkey.
| | - Nagihan Cevher Binici
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Health Sciences Dr. Behcet Uz Child Disease and Pediatric Surgery Training and Research Hospital, Izmir, Turkey.
| | - Cisel Yazan Songür
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Health Sciences Dr. Behcet Uz Child Disease and Pediatric Surgery Training and Research Hospital, Izmir, Turkey.
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47
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Mallard TT, Grotzinger AD, Smoller JW. Examining the shared etiology of psychopathology with genome-wide association studies. Physiol Rev 2023; 103:1645-1665. [PMID: 36634217 PMCID: PMC9988537 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00016.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have ushered in a new era of reproducible discovery in psychiatric genetics. The field has now identified hundreds of common genetic variants that are associated with mental disorders, and many of them influence more than one disorder. By advancing the understanding of causal biology underlying psychopathology, GWAS results are poised to inform the development of novel therapeutics, stratification of at-risk patients, and perhaps even the revision of top-down classification systems in psychiatry. Here, we provide a concise review of GWAS findings with an emphasis on findings that have elucidated the shared genetic etiology of psychopathology, summarizing insights at three levels of analysis: 1) genome-wide architecture; 2) networks, pathways, and gene sets; and 3) individual variants/genes. Three themes emerge from these efforts. First, all psychiatric phenotypes are heritable, highly polygenic, and influenced by many pleiotropic variants with incomplete penetrance. Second, GWAS results highlight the broad etiological roles of neuronal biology, system-wide effects over localized effects, and early neurodevelopment as a critical period. Third, many loci that are robustly associated with multiple forms of psychopathology harbor genes that are involved in synaptic structure and function. Finally, we conclude our review by discussing the implications that GWAS results hold for the field of psychiatry, as well as expected challenges and future directions in the next stage of psychiatric genetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Travis T Mallard
- Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Andrew D Grotzinger
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, United States
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, United States
| | - Jordan W Smoller
- Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
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48
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Weinschutz Mendes H, Neelakantan U, Liu Y, Fitzpatrick SE, Chen T, Wu W, Pruitt A, Jin DS, Jamadagni P, Carlson M, Lacadie CM, Enriquez KD, Li N, Zhao D, Ijaz S, Sakai C, Szi C, Rooney B, Ghosh M, Nwabudike I, Gorodezky A, Chowdhury S, Zaheer M, McLaughlin S, Fernandez JM, Wu J, Eilbott JA, Vander Wyk B, Rihel J, Papademetris X, Wang Z, Hoffman EJ. High-throughput functional analysis of autism genes in zebrafish identifies convergence in dopaminergic and neuroimmune pathways. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112243. [PMID: 36933215 PMCID: PMC10277173 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Advancing from gene discovery in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) to the identification of biologically relevant mechanisms remains a central challenge. Here, we perform parallel in vivo functional analysis of 10 ASD genes at the behavioral, structural, and circuit levels in zebrafish mutants, revealing both unique and overlapping effects of gene loss of function. Whole-brain mapping identifies the forebrain and cerebellum as the most significant contributors to brain size differences, while regions involved in sensory-motor control, particularly dopaminergic regions, are associated with altered baseline brain activity. Finally, we show a global increase in microglia resulting from ASD gene loss of function in select mutants, implicating neuroimmune dysfunction as a key pathway relevant to ASD biology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Uma Neelakantan
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Yunqing Liu
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Sarah E Fitzpatrick
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; MD-PhD Program, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Tianying Chen
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Weimiao Wu
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - April Pruitt
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - David S Jin
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | | | - Marina Carlson
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Cheryl M Lacadie
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | | | - Ningshan Li
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; SJTU-Yale Joint Center for Biostatistics and Data Science, Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Dejian Zhao
- Department of Genetics, Yale Center for Genome Analysis, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Sundas Ijaz
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Catalina Sakai
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Christina Szi
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Brendan Rooney
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Marcus Ghosh
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Ijeoma Nwabudike
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; MD-PhD Program, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Andrea Gorodezky
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Sumedha Chowdhury
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Meeraal Zaheer
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Sarah McLaughlin
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | | | - Jia Wu
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Jeffrey A Eilbott
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Brent Vander Wyk
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Geriatrics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Jason Rihel
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Xenophon Papademetris
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Zuoheng Wang
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Ellen J Hoffman
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.
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49
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Crawley JN. Twenty years of discoveries emerging from mouse models of autism. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 146:105053. [PMID: 36682425 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
More than 100 single gene mutations and copy number variants convey risk for autism spectrum disorder. To understand the extent to which each mutation contributes to the trajectory of individual symptoms of autism, molecular genetics laboratories have introduced analogous mutations into the genomes of laboratory mice and other species. Over the past twenty years, behavioral neuroscientists discovered the consequences of mutations in many risk genes for autism in animal models, using assays with face validity to the diagnostic and associated behavioral symptoms of people with autism. Identified behavioral phenotypes complement electrophysiological, neuroanatomical, and biochemical outcome measures in mutant mouse models of autism. This review describes the history of phenotyping assays in genetic mouse models, to evaluate social and repetitive behaviors relevant to the primary diagnostic criteria for autism. Robust phenotypes are currently employed in translational investigations to discover effective therapeutic interventions, representing the future direction of an intensely challenging research field.
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50
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Xiao L, Feng J, Zhang W, Pan J, Wang M, Zhang C, Li L, Su X, Yao P. Autism-like behavior of murine offspring induced by prenatal exposure to progestin is associated with gastrointestinal dysfunction due to claudin-1 suppression. FEBS J 2023. [PMID: 36855792 DOI: 10.1111/febs.16761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are associated with the contribution of many prenatal risk factors; in particular, the sex hormone progestin and vitamin D receptor (VDR) are associated with gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in ASD development, although the related mechanism remains unclear. We investigated the possible role and mechanism of progestin 17-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17-OHPC) exposure-induced GI dysfunction and autism-like behaviours (ALB) in mouse offspring. An intestine-specific VDR-deficient mouse model was established for prenatal treatment, while transplantation of haematopoietic stem cells (HSCT) with related gene manipulation was used for postnatal treatment for 17-OHPC exposure-induced GI dysfunction and ALB in mouse offspring. The in vivo mouse experiments found that VDR deficiency mimics prenatal 17-OHPC exposure-mediated GI dysfunction, but has no effect on 17-OHPC-mediated autism-like behaviours (ALB) in mouse offspring. Furthermore, prenatal 17-OHPC exposure induces CLDN1 suppression in intestine epithelial cells, and transplantation of HSCT with CLDN1 expression ameliorates prenatal 17-OHPC exposure-mediated GI dysfunction, but has no effect on 17-OHPC-mediated ALB in offspring. In conclusion, prenatal 17-OHPC exposure triggers GI dysfunction in autism-like mouse offspring via CLDN1 suppression, providing a possible explanation for the involvement of CLDN1 and VDR in prenatal 17-OHPC exposure-mediated GI dysfunction with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Xiao
- Department of Pediatrics, Affiliated Foshan Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, The Second School of Clinical Medicine of Southern Medical University, Foshan, China
| | - Jianqing Feng
- Hainan Women and Children's Medical Center, Haikou, China
| | - Wanhua Zhang
- Department of Pediatrics, Affiliated Foshan Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, The Second School of Clinical Medicine of Southern Medical University, Foshan, China
| | - Jie Pan
- Hainan Women and Children's Medical Center, Haikou, China
| | - Min Wang
- Hainan Women and Children's Medical Center, Haikou, China
| | - Cheng Zhang
- College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Long Island University (Post), Brookville, NY, USA
| | - Ling Li
- Hainan Women and Children's Medical Center, Haikou, China
| | - Xi Su
- Department of Pediatrics, Affiliated Foshan Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, The Second School of Clinical Medicine of Southern Medical University, Foshan, China
| | - Paul Yao
- Department of Pediatrics, Affiliated Foshan Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, The Second School of Clinical Medicine of Southern Medical University, Foshan, China.,Hainan Women and Children's Medical Center, Haikou, China
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