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Yang C, Huang YT, Yao YF, Fu JY, Long YS. Hippocampal proteome comparison of infant and adult Fmr1 deficiency mice reveals adult-related changes associated with postsynaptic density. J Proteomics 2024; 303:105202. [PMID: 38797434 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2024.105202] [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: 03/27/2024] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Deficiency in fragile X mental retardation 1 (Fmr1) leads to loss of its encoded protein FMRP and causes fragile X syndrome (FXS) by dysregulating its target gene expression in an age-related fashion. Using comparative proteomic analysis, this study identified 105 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the hippocampus of postnatal day 7 (P7) Fmr1-/y mice and 306 DEPs of P90 Fmr1-/y mice. We found that most DEPs in P90 hippocampus were not changed in P7 hippocampus upon FMRP absence, and some P90 DEPs exhibited diverse proteophenotypes with abnormal expression of protein isoform or allele variants. Bioinformatic analyses showed that the P7 DEPs were mainly enriched in fatty acid metabolism and oxidoreductase activity and nutrient responses; whereas the P90 PEPs (especially down-regulated DEPs) were primarily enriched in postsynaptic density (PSD), neuronal projection development and synaptic plasticity. Interestingly, 25 of 30 down-regulated PSD proteins present in the most enriched protein to protein interaction network, and 6 of them (ANK3, ATP2B2, DST, GRIN1, SHANK2 and SYNGAP1) are both FMRP targets and autism candidates. Therefore, this study suggests age-dependent alterations in hippocampal proteomes upon loss of FMRP that may be associated with the pathogenesis of FXS and its related disorders. SIGNIFICANCE: It is well known that loss of FMRP resulted from Fmr1 deficiency leads to fragile X syndrome (FXS), a common neurodevelopmental disorder accompanied by intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). FMRP exhibits distinctly spatiotemporal patterns in the hippocampus between early development and adulthood, which lead to distinct dysregulations of gene expression upon loss of FMRP at the two age stages potentially linked to age-related phenotypes. Therefore, comparison of hippocampal proteomes between infancy and adulthood is valuable to provide insights into the early causations and adult-dependent consequences for FXS and ASD. Using a comparative proteomic analysis, this study identified 105 and 306 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the hippocampi of postnatal day 7 (P7) and P90 Fmr1-/y mice, respectively. Few overlapping DEPs were identified between P7 and P90 stages, and the P7 DEPs were mainly enriched in the regulation of fatty acid metabolism and oxidoreduction, whereas the P90 DEPs were preferentially enriched in the regulation of synaptic formation and plasticity. Particularly, the up-regulated P90 proteins are primarily involved in immune responses and neurodegeneration, and the down-regulated P90 proteins are associated with postsynaptic density, neuron projection and synaptic plasticity. Our findings suggest that distinctly changed proteins in FMRP-absence hippocampus between infancy and adulthood may contribute to age-dependent pathogenesis of FXS and ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cui Yang
- Department of Neurology, Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510260, China
| | - Yu-Ting Huang
- Department of Neurology, Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510260, China
| | - Yi-Fei Yao
- Department of Neurology, Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510260, China
| | - Jun-Yi Fu
- Department of Neurology, Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510260, China.
| | - Yue-Sheng Long
- Department of Neurology, Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510260, China.
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2
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Holanda IP, Rim PHH, Guaragna MS, Gil-da-Silva-Lopes VL, Steiner CE. Syndromic Retinitis Pigmentosa: A 15-Patient Study. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:516. [PMID: 38674450 PMCID: PMC11050127 DOI: 10.3390/genes15040516] [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: 03/15/2024] [Revised: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Retinitis pigmentosa is a group of genetically determined retinal dystrophies characterized by primary photoreceptor apoptosis and can occur in isolated or syndromic conditions. This study reviewed the clinical data of 15 patients with syndromic retinitis pigmentosa from a Rare Disease Reference Center in Brazil and the results of their next-generation sequencing tests. Five males and ten females participated, with the mean ages for ocular disease onset, fundoscopic diagnosis, and molecular evaluation being 9, 19, and 29 years, respectively. Bardet-Biedl syndrome (n = 5) and Usher syndrome (n = 3) were the most frequent diagnoses, followed by other rare conditions. Among the patients, fourteen completed molecular studies, with three negative results and eleven revealing findings in known genes, including novel variants in MKKS (c.432_435del, p.Phe144Leufs*14), USH2A (c.(7301+1_7302-1)_(9369+1_9370-1)del), and CEP250 (c.5383dup, p.Glu1795Glyfs*13, and c.5050del, p.Asp1684Thrfs*9). Except for Kearn-Sayre, all presented an autosomal recessive inheritance pattern with 64% homozygosity results. The long gap between symptom onset and diagnosis highlights the diagnostic challenges faced by the patients. This study reaffirms the clinical heterogeneity of syndromic retinitis pigmentosa and underscores the pivotal role of molecular analysis in advancing our understanding of these diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ianne Pessoa Holanda
- Genética Médica e Medicina Genômica, Departamento de Medicina Translacional, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp), Campinas 13083-888, SP, Brazil; (I.P.H.); (M.S.G.); (V.L.G.-d.-S.-L.)
| | - Priscila Hae Hyun Rim
- Ambulatório de Genética Ocular, Departamento de Oftalmologia e Otorrinolaringologia, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp), Campinas 13083-888, SP, Brazil;
| | - Rare Genomes Project Consortium
- Serviço de Genética Molecular, Departamento de Medicina Laboratorial, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein (HIAE), São Paulo 05652-900, SP, Brazil
| | - Mara Sanches Guaragna
- Genética Médica e Medicina Genômica, Departamento de Medicina Translacional, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp), Campinas 13083-888, SP, Brazil; (I.P.H.); (M.S.G.); (V.L.G.-d.-S.-L.)
| | - Vera Lúcia Gil-da-Silva-Lopes
- Genética Médica e Medicina Genômica, Departamento de Medicina Translacional, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp), Campinas 13083-888, SP, Brazil; (I.P.H.); (M.S.G.); (V.L.G.-d.-S.-L.)
| | - Carlos Eduardo Steiner
- Genética Médica e Medicina Genômica, Departamento de Medicina Translacional, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp), Campinas 13083-888, SP, Brazil; (I.P.H.); (M.S.G.); (V.L.G.-d.-S.-L.)
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3
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Sandin S, Yip BHK, Yin W, Weiss LA, Dougherty JD, Fass S, Constantino JN, Hailin Z, Turner TN, Marrus N, Gutmann DH, Sanders SJ, Christoffersson B. Examining Sex Differences in Autism Heritability. JAMA Psychiatry 2024:2817601. [PMID: 38630491 PMCID: PMC11024771 DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.0525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
Importance Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder more prevalent in males than in females. The cause of ASD is largely genetic, but the association of genetics with the skewed sex ratio is not yet understood. To our knowledge, no large population-based study has provided estimates of heritability by sex. Objective To estimate the sex-specific heritability of ASD. Design, Setting, and Participants This was a population-based, retrospective analysis using national health registers of nontwin siblings and cousins from Sweden born between January 1, 1985, and December 31, 1998, with follow-up to 19 years of age. Data analysis occurred from August 2022 to November 2023. Main Outcomes and Measures Models were fitted to estimate the relative variance in risk for ASD occurrence owing to sex-specific additive genetics, shared environmental effects, and a common residual term. The residual term conceptually captured other factors that promote individual behavioral variation (eg, maternal effects, de novo variants, rare genetic variants not additively inherited, or gene-environment interactions). Estimates were adjusted for differences in prevalence due to birth year and maternal and paternal age by sex. Results The sample included 1 047 649 individuals in 456 832 families (538 283 males [51.38%]; 509 366 females [48.62%]). Within the entire sample, 12 226 (1.17%) received a diagnosis of ASD, comprising 8128 (1.51%) males and 4098 (0.80%) females. ASD heritability was estimated at 87.0% (95% CI, 81.4%-92.6%) for males and 75.7% (95% CI, 68.4%-83.1%) for females with a difference in heritability estimated at 11.3% (95% CI, 1.0%-21.6%). There was no support for shared environmental contributions. Conclusions and Relevance These findings suggest that the degree of phenotypic variation attributable to genetic differences (heritability) differs between males and females, indicating that some of the underlying causes of the condition may differ between the 2 sexes. The skewed sex ratio in ASD may be partly explained by differences in genetic variance between the sexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sven Sandin
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Benjamin H. K. Yip
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Weiyao Yin
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lauren A. Weiss
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California San Francisco
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco
| | - Joseph D. Dougherty
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
| | - Stuart Fass
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
| | - John N. Constantino
- Pediatric Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Zhu Hailin
- Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Tychele N. Turner
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
| | - Natasha Marrus
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
| | - David H. Gutmann
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
- Neurofibromatosis Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
| | - Stephan J. Sanders
- Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Benjamin Christoffersson
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Churney ApS, Copenhagen, Denmark
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4
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Ellingford R, Tojo M, Basson MA, Andreae LC. Male-Dominant Effects of Chd8 Haploinsufficiency on Synaptic Phenotypes during Development in Mouse Prefrontal Cortex. ACS Chem Neurosci 2024; 15:1635-1642. [PMID: 38557009 PMCID: PMC11027092 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00690] [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: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
CHD8 is a high penetrance, high confidence risk gene for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental disorder that is substantially more prevalent among males than among females. Recent studies have demonstrated variable sex differences in the behaviors and synaptic phenotypes of mice carrying different heterozygous ASD-associated mutations in Chd8. We examined functional and structural cellular phenotypes linked to synaptic transmission in deep layer pyramidal neurons of the prefrontal cortex in male and female mice carrying a heterozygous, loss-of-function Chd8 mutation in the C57BL/6J strain across development from postnatal day 2 to adulthood. Notably, excitatory neurotransmission was decreased only in Chd8+/- males with no differences in Chd8+/- females, and the majority of alterations in inhibitory transmission were found in males. Similarly, analysis of cellular morphology showed male-specific effects of reduced Chd8 expression. Both functional and structural phenotypes were most prominent at postnatal days 14-20, a stage approximately corresponding to childhood. Our findings suggest that the effects of Chd8 mutation are predominantly seen in males and are maximal during childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert
A. Ellingford
- Centre
for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology
& Neuroscience, King’s College
London, London SE1 1UL, U.K.
- Centre
for Craniofacial & Regenerative Biology, King’s College London, London SE1 9RT, U.K.
| | - Mizuki Tojo
- Centre
for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology
& Neuroscience, King’s College
London, London SE1 1UL, U.K.
| | - M. Albert Basson
- Centre
for Craniofacial & Regenerative Biology, King’s College London, London SE1 9RT, U.K.
- MRC
Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King’s College London, London, U.K.
| | - Laura C. Andreae
- Centre
for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology
& Neuroscience, King’s College
London, London SE1 1UL, U.K.
- MRC
Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King’s College London, London, U.K.
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5
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Oot RA, Wilkens S. Human V-ATPase function is positively and negatively regulated by TLDc proteins. Structure 2024:S0969-2126(24)00091-1. [PMID: 38593795 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2024.03.009] [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: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
Proteins that contain a highly conserved TLDc domain (Tre2/Bub2/Cdc16 LysM domain catalytic) offer protection against oxidative stress and are widely implicated in neurological health and disease. How this family of proteins exerts their function, however, is poorly understood. We have recently found that the yeast TLDc protein, Oxr1p, inhibits the proton pumping vacuolar ATPase (V-ATPase) by inducing disassembly of the pump. While loss of TLDc protein function in mammals shares disease phenotypes with V-ATPase defects, whether TLDc proteins impact human V-ATPase activity directly is unclear. Here we examine the effects of five human TLDc proteins, TLDC2, NCOA7, OXR1, TBC1D24, and mEAK7 on the activity of the human V-ATPase. We find that while TLDC2, TBC1D24, and the TLDc domains of OXR1 and NCOA7 inhibit V-ATPase by inducing enzyme disassembly, mEAK7 activates the pump. The data thus shed new light both on mammalian TLDc protein function and V-ATPase regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca A Oot
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA.
| | - Stephan Wilkens
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
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6
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Bui DT, Ton ANV, Nguyen CTD, Nguyen SH, Tran HK, Nguyen XT, Nguyen HT, Pham GLT, Tran DS, Harrington J, Pham HN, Pham TNV, Cao TA. Pathogenic/likely pathogenic mutations identified in Vietnamese children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder using high-resolution SNP genotyping platform. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2360. [PMID: 38287090 PMCID: PMC10825208 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52777-y] [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: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Among the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is highly diverse showing a broad phenotypic spectrum. ASD also couples with a broad range of mutations, both de novo and inherited. In this study, we used a proprietary SNP genotyping chip to analyze the genomic DNA of 250 Vietnamese children diagnosed with ASD. Our Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) genotyping chip directly targets more than 800 thousand SNPs in the genome. Our primary focus was to identify pathogenic/likely pathogenic mutations that are potentially linked to more severe symptoms of autism. We identified and validated 23 pathogenic/likely pathogenic mutations in this initial study. The data shows that these mutations were detected in several cases spanning multiple biological pathways. Among the confirmed SNPs, mutations were identified in genes previously known to be strongly associated with ASD such as SLCO1B1, ACADSB, TCF4, HCP5, MOCOS, SRD5A2, MCCC2, DCC, and PRKN while several other mutations are known to associate with autistic traits or other neurodevelopmental disorders. Some mutations were found in multiple patients and some patients carried multiple pathogenic/likely pathogenic mutations. These findings contribute to the identification of potential targets for therapeutic solutions in what is considered a genetically heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duyen T Bui
- Genetica Research Foundation, National Innovation Center, Hanoi, Vietnam.
- Gene Friend Way Inc, San Francisco, USA.
| | - Anh N V Ton
- Pediatric Center Hue Central Hospital, Hue City, Thua Thien Hue, Vietnam
- Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Thua Thien Hue, Vietnam
| | - Chi T D Nguyen
- Pediatric Center Hue Central Hospital, Hue City, Thua Thien Hue, Vietnam
| | - Son H Nguyen
- Pediatric Center Hue Central Hospital, Hue City, Thua Thien Hue, Vietnam
| | - Hao K Tran
- Pediatric Center Hue Central Hospital, Hue City, Thua Thien Hue, Vietnam
| | - Xuan T Nguyen
- Pediatric Center Hue Central Hospital, Hue City, Thua Thien Hue, Vietnam
| | - Hang T Nguyen
- Genetica Research Foundation, National Innovation Center, Hanoi, Vietnam
- Gene Friend Way Inc, San Francisco, USA
| | - Giang L T Pham
- Genetica Research Foundation, National Innovation Center, Hanoi, Vietnam
- Gene Friend Way Inc, San Francisco, USA
| | - Dong S Tran
- Genetica Research Foundation, National Innovation Center, Hanoi, Vietnam
- Gene Friend Way Inc, San Francisco, USA
| | - Jillian Harrington
- Genetica Research Foundation, National Innovation Center, Hanoi, Vietnam
- Gene Friend Way Inc, San Francisco, USA
| | - Hiep N Pham
- Pediatric Center Hue Central Hospital, Hue City, Thua Thien Hue, Vietnam
| | - Tuyen N V Pham
- Pediatric Center Hue Central Hospital, Hue City, Thua Thien Hue, Vietnam
| | - Tuan A Cao
- Genetica Research Foundation, National Innovation Center, Hanoi, Vietnam
- Gene Friend Way Inc, San Francisco, USA
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7
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Mariano V, Kanellopoulos AK, Ricci C, Di Marino D, Borrie SC, Dupraz S, Bradke F, Achsel T, Legius E, Odent S, Billuart P, Bienvenu T, Bagni C. Intellectual Disability and Behavioral Deficits Linked to CYFIP1 Missense Variants Disrupting Actin Polymerization. Biol Psychiatry 2024; 95:161-174. [PMID: 37704042 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.08.027] [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: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 08/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND 15q11.2 deletions and duplications have been linked to autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, and intellectual disability. Recent evidence suggests that dysfunctional CYFIP1 (cytoplasmic FMR1 interacting protein 1) contributes to the clinical phenotypes observed in individuals with 15q11.2 deletion/duplication syndrome. CYFIP1 plays crucial roles in neuronal development and brain connectivity, promoting actin polymerization and regulating local protein synthesis. However, information about the impact of single nucleotide variants in CYFIP1 on neurodevelopmental disorders is limited. METHODS Here, we report a family with 2 probands exhibiting intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, spastic tetraparesis, and brain morphology defects and who carry biallelic missense point mutations in the CYFIP1 gene. We used skin fibroblasts from one of the probands, the parents, and typically developing individuals to investigate the effect of the variants on the functionality of CYFIP1. In addition, we generated Drosophila knockin mutants to address the effect of the variants in vivo and gain insight into the molecular mechanism that underlies the clinical phenotype. RESULTS Our study revealed that the 2 missense variants are in protein domains responsible for maintaining the interaction within the wave regulatory complex. Molecular and cellular analyses in skin fibroblasts from one proband showed deficits in actin polymerization. The fly model for these mutations exhibited abnormal brain morphology and F-actin loss and recapitulated the core behavioral symptoms, such as deficits in social interaction and motor coordination. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that the 2 CYFIP1 variants contribute to the clinical phenotype in the probands that reflects deficits in actin-mediated brain development processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vittoria Mariano
- Department of Fundamental Neurosciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Carlotta Ricci
- Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Daniele Di Marino
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, New York-Marche Structural Biology Center, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy; Department of Neuroscience, Neuronal Death and Neuroprotection Unit, Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research-IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Sebastian Dupraz
- Axonal Growth and Regeneration Group, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
| | - Frank Bradke
- Axonal Growth and Regeneration Group, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
| | - Tilmann Achsel
- Department of Fundamental Neurosciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Eric Legius
- Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sylvie Odent
- Service de Génétique Clinique, Centre Labellisé pour les Anomalies du Développement Ouest, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Rennes, Rennes, France; Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes, CNRS, UMR 6290, Université de Rennes, ERN-ITHACA, France
| | - Pierre Billuart
- Institut de Psychiatrie et de Neurosciences de Paris, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1266, Université de Paris Cité (UPC), Paris, France
| | - Thierry Bienvenu
- Institut de Psychiatrie et de Neurosciences de Paris, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1266, Université de Paris Cité (UPC), Paris, France
| | - Claudia Bagni
- Department of Fundamental Neurosciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
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8
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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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9
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Shil A, Levin L, Golan H, Meiri G, Michaelovski A, Sadaka Y, Aran A, Dinstein I, Menashe I. Comparison of three bioinformatics tools in the detection of ASD candidate variants from whole exome sequencing data. Sci Rep 2023; 13:18853. [PMID: 37914828 PMCID: PMC10620213 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46258-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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogenous multifactorial neurodevelopmental condition with a significant genetic susceptibility component. Thus, identifying genetic variations associated with ASD is a complex task. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) is an effective approach for detecting extremely rare protein-coding single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) and short insertions/deletions (INDELs). However, interpreting these variants' functional and clinical consequences requires integrating multifaceted genomic information. We compared the concordance and effectiveness of three bioinformatics tools in detecting ASD candidate variants (SNVs and short INDELs) from WES data of 220 ASD family trios registered in the National Autism Database of Israel. We studied only rare (< 1% population frequency) proband-specific variants. According to the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) guidelines, the pathogenicity of variants was evaluated by the InterVar and TAPES tools. In addition, likely gene-disrupting (LGD) variants were detected based on an in-house bioinformatics tool, Psi-Variant, that integrates results from seven in-silico prediction tools. Overall, 372 variants in 311 genes distributed in 168 probands were detected by these tools. The overlap between the tools was 64.1, 22.9, and 23.1% for InterVar-TAPES, InterVar-Psi-Variant, and TAPES-Psi-Variant, respectively. The intersection between InterVar and Psi-Variant (I ∩ P) was the most effective approach in detecting variants in known ASD genes (PPV = 0.274; OR = 7.09, 95% CI = 3.92-12.22), while the union of InterVar and Psi Variant (I U P) achieved the highest diagnostic yield (20.5%).Our results suggest that integrating different variant interpretation approaches in detecting ASD candidate variants from WES data is superior to each approach alone. The inclusion of additional criteria could further improve the detection of ASD candidate variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Apurba Shil
- Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Health Community Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
- Azrieli National Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopment Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
- The School of Brain Sciences and Cognition, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Liron Levin
- Bioinformatics Core Facility, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Hava Golan
- Azrieli National Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopment Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
- The School of Brain Sciences and Cognition, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Gal Meiri
- Azrieli National Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopment Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
- Preschool Psychiatric Unit, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Analya Michaelovski
- Azrieli National Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopment Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
- Child Development Center, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Yair Sadaka
- Azrieli National Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopment Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
- Child Development Center, Ministry of Health, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Adi Aran
- Neuropediatric Unit, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
- Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ilan Dinstein
- Azrieli National Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopment Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
- The School of Brain Sciences and Cognition, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
- Psychology Department, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Idan Menashe
- Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Health Community Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
- Azrieli National Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopment Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
- The School of Brain Sciences and Cognition, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
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10
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Zucchini C, Serpe C, De Sanctis P, Ghezzo A, Visconti P, Posar A, Facchin F, Marini M, Abruzzo PM. TLDc Domain-Containing Genes in Autism Spectrum Disorder: New Players in the Oxidative Stress Response. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:15802. [PMID: 37958785 PMCID: PMC10647648 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242115802] [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: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 10/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Oxidative stress (OS) plays a key role in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social communication, restricted interests, and repetitive behaviors. Recent evidence suggests that the TLDc [Tre2/Bub2/Cdc16 (TBC), lysin motif (LysM), domain catalytic] domain is a highly conserved motif present in proteins that are important players in the OS response and in neuroprotection. Human proteins sharing the TLDc domain include OXR1, TLDC1, NCOA7, TBC1D24, and C20ORF118. This study was aimed at understanding whether TLDc domain-containing mRNAs together with specific microRNAs (200b-3p and 32-5p) and long noncoding RNAs (TUG1), known to target TLDc proteins, contributed to regulate the OS response in ASD. Data showed a significant increase in the levels of OXR1 and TLDC1 mRNAs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of ASD children compared to their neurotypically developing (NTD) counterparts, along with an increase in TUG1 mRNA expression levels, suggesting its possible role in the regulation of TLDc proteins. A positive correlation between the expression of some TLDc mRNAs and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) global score as well as inflammatory gene expression was found. In conclusion, our data suggest a novel biological pathway in the OS response of ASD subjects that deserves further exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cinzia Zucchini
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, Italy; (C.Z.); (C.S.); (P.D.S.); (F.F.); (P.M.A.)
| | - Carmela Serpe
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, Italy; (C.Z.); (C.S.); (P.D.S.); (F.F.); (P.M.A.)
| | - Paola De Sanctis
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, Italy; (C.Z.); (C.S.); (P.D.S.); (F.F.); (P.M.A.)
| | - Alessandro Ghezzo
- Grioni Center-Danelli Foundation, Largo Stefano ed Angela Danelli 1, 26900 Lodi, Italy;
| | - Paola Visconti
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOSI Disturbi dello Spettro Autistico, Via Altura 3, 40139 Bologna, Italy; (P.V.); (A.P.)
| | - Annio Posar
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOSI Disturbi dello Spettro Autistico, Via Altura 3, 40139 Bologna, Italy; (P.V.); (A.P.)
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Altura 3, 40139 Bologna, Italy
| | - Federica Facchin
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, Italy; (C.Z.); (C.S.); (P.D.S.); (F.F.); (P.M.A.)
| | - Marina Marini
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, Italy; (C.Z.); (C.S.); (P.D.S.); (F.F.); (P.M.A.)
| | - Provvidenza Maria Abruzzo
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, Italy; (C.Z.); (C.S.); (P.D.S.); (F.F.); (P.M.A.)
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11
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Abdi M, Aliyev E, Trost B, Kohailan M, Aamer W, Syed N, Shaath R, Gandhi GD, Engchuan W, Howe J, Thiruvahindrapuram B, Geng M, Whitney J, Syed A, Lakshmi J, Hussein S, Albashir N, Hussein A, Poggiolini I, Elhag SF, Palaniswamy S, Kambouris M, de Fatima Janjua M, Tahir MOE, Nazeer A, Shahwar D, Azeem MW, Mokrab Y, Aati NA, Akil A, Scherer SW, Kamal M, Fakhro KA. Genomic architecture of autism spectrum disorder in Qatar: The BARAKA-Qatar Study. Genome Med 2023; 15:81. [PMID: 37805537 PMCID: PMC10560429 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-023-01228-w] [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: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by impaired social and communication skills, restricted interests, and repetitive behaviors. The prevalence of ASD among children in Qatar was recently estimated to be 1.1%, though the genetic architecture underlying ASD both in Qatar and the greater Middle East has been largely unexplored. Here, we describe the first genomic data release from the BARAKA-Qatar Study-a nationwide program building a broadly consented biorepository of individuals with ASD and their families available for sample and data sharing and multi-omics research. METHODS In this first release, we present a comprehensive analysis of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data of the first 100 families (372 individuals), investigating the genetic architecture, including single-nucleotide variants (SNVs), copy number variants (CNVs), tandem repeat expansions (TREs), as well as mitochondrial DNA variants (mtDNA) segregating with ASD in local families. RESULTS Overall, we identify potentially pathogenic variants in known genes or regions in 27 out of 100 families (27%), of which 11 variants (40.7%) were classified as pathogenic or likely-pathogenic based on American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) guidelines. Dominant variants, including de novo and inherited, contributed to 15 (55.6%) of these families, consisting of SNVs/indels (66.7%), CNVs (13.3%), TREs (13.3%), and mtDNA variants (6.7%). Moreover, homozygous variants were found in 7 families (25.9%), with a sixfold increase in homozygous burden in consanguineous versus non-consanguineous families (13.6% and 1.8%, respectively). Furthermore, 28 novel ASD candidate genes were identified in 20 families, 23 of which had recurrent hits in MSSNG and SSC cohorts. CONCLUSIONS This study illustrates the value of ASD studies in under-represented populations and the importance of WGS as a comprehensive tool for establishing a molecular diagnosis for families with ASD. Moreover, it uncovers a significant role for recessive variation in ASD architecture in consanguineous settings and provides a unique resource of Middle Eastern genomes for future research to the global ASD community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mona Abdi
- College of Health and Life Sciences, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar
- Department of Genetics, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | - Elbay Aliyev
- Department of Genetics, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | - Brett Trost
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | - Waleed Aamer
- Department of Genetics, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | - Najeeb Syed
- Genomics Data Science Core, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | - Rulan Shaath
- Department of Genetics, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | | | - Worrawat Engchuan
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jennifer Howe
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Bhooma Thiruvahindrapuram
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Melissa Geng
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Joe Whitney
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Amira Syed
- Department of Genetics, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | | | - Sura Hussein
- Department of Genetics, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | | | - Amal Hussein
- Department of Genetics, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | | | - Saba F Elhag
- Department of Genetics, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
- Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
| | | | - Marios Kambouris
- Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department, Genetics Division, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | | | | | - Ahsan Nazeer
- Department of Psychiatry, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
- Weill Cornell Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | - Durre Shahwar
- Department of Psychiatry, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
- Weill Cornell Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | - Muhammad Waqar Azeem
- Department of Psychiatry, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
- Weill Cornell Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | - Younes Mokrab
- Department of Genetics, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
- Department of Genetic Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, Doha, Qatar
- Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
| | | | - Ammira Akil
- Department of Genetics, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | - Stephen W Scherer
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- McLaughlin Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Madeeha Kamal
- Department of Pediatrics, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | - Khalid A Fakhro
- College of Health and Life Sciences, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar.
- Department of Genetics, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar.
- Department of Genetic Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, Doha, Qatar.
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12
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Liu J, Yan J, Qu F, Mo W, Yu H, Hu P, Zhang Z. A pilot study on glutamate receptor and carrier gene variants and risk of childhood autism spectrum. Metab Brain Dis 2023; 38:2477-2488. [PMID: 37578654 DOI: 10.1007/s11011-023-01272-w] [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: 03/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
Imbalanced glutamate signaling has been implicated in the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This case-control study was to examine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in glutamate receptor and carrier genes and determine their association with childhood ASD in a Chinese Han population. A total of 12 SNPs in genes encoding glutamate receptors (GRM7 and GRM8) and carriers (SLC1A1 and SLC25A12) were examined in 249 autistic children and 353 healthy controls. The Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) and its verbal communication domain were applied to evaluate the severity of the disease and language impairment, respectively. The T allele of rs2292813 in the SLC25A12 gene was significantly associated with an increased risk of ASD (odds ratio (OD) = 1.7, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1-2.6, P = 0.0107). Neither the genotypes nor allele distributions of other SNPs were associated with the risk of ASD. Notably, rs1800656 and rs2237731 in the GRM8 gene, but not other SNPs, were related to the severity of language impairment. All SNPs were not correlated with the overall severity of ASD. Our findings support associations between the SLC25A12 gene variant and the risk of childhood ASD, and between the GRM8 gene variant and the severity of language impairment in the Chinese Han population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Liu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Affiliated Xiaoshan Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, No. 728, Yucai North Road, Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou, 311202, China.
| | - Jing Yan
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Affiliated Xiaoshan Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, No. 728, Yucai North Road, Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou, 311202, China
| | - Fei Qu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Affiliated Xiaoshan Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, No. 728, Yucai North Road, Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou, 311202, China
| | - Weiming Mo
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Affiliated Xiaoshan Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, No. 728, Yucai North Road, Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou, 311202, China
| | - Hong Yu
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Xiaoshan First Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Pingfang Hu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Affiliated Xiaoshan Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, No. 728, Yucai North Road, Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou, 311202, China
| | - Zengyu Zhang
- Department of Pediatrics, Xiaoshan First Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
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13
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Shin T, Song JH, Kosicki M, Kenny C, Beck SG, Kelley L, Qian X, Bonacina J, Papandile F, Antony I, Gonzalez D, Scotellaro J, Bushinsky EM, Andersen RE, Maury E, Pennacchio LA, Doan RN, Walsh CA. Rare variation in noncoding regions with evolutionary signatures contributes to autism spectrum disorder risk. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.09.19.23295780. [PMID: 37790480 PMCID: PMC10543033 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.19.23295780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Little is known about the role of noncoding regions in the etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We examined three classes of noncoding regions: Human Accelerated Regions (HARs), which show signatures of positive selection in humans; experimentally validated neural Vista Enhancers (VEs); and conserved regions predicted to act as neural enhancers (CNEs). Targeted and whole genome analysis of >16,600 samples and >4900 ASD probands revealed that likely recessive, rare, inherited variants in HARs, VEs, and CNEs substantially contribute to ASD risk in probands whose parents share ancestry, which enriches for recessive contributions, but modestly, if at all, in simplex family structures. We identified multiple patient variants in HARs near IL1RAPL1 and in a VE near SIM1 and showed that they change enhancer activity. Our results implicate both human-evolved and evolutionarily conserved noncoding regions in ASD risk and suggest potential mechanisms of how changes in regulatory regions can modulate social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taehwan Shin
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Janet H.T. Song
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Michael Kosicki
- Environmental Genomics & Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Connor Kenny
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Samantha G. Beck
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Lily Kelley
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Xuyu Qian
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Julieta Bonacina
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Frances Papandile
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Irene Antony
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Dilenny Gonzalez
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Julia Scotellaro
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Evan M. Bushinsky
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Rebecca E. Andersen
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Eduardo Maury
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Len A. Pennacchio
- Environmental Genomics & Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Ryan N. Doan
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Christopher A. Walsh
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
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14
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Wright EB, Larsen EG, Coloma-Roessle CM, Hart HR, Bhattacharya MRC. Transmembrane protein 184B (TMEM184B) promotes expression of synaptic gene networks in the mouse hippocampus. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:559. [PMID: 37730546 PMCID: PMC10512654 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09676-9] [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: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
In Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and other dementias, hippocampal synaptic dysfunction and loss contribute to the progression of memory impairment. Recent analysis of human AD transcriptomes has provided a list of gene candidates that may serve as drivers of disease. One such candidate is the membrane protein TMEM184B. To evaluate whether TMEM184B contributes to neurological impairment, we asked whether loss of TMEM184B in mice causes gene expression or behavior alterations, focusing on the hippocampus. Because one major risk factor for AD is age, we compared young adult (5-month-old) and aged (15-month-old) wild type and Tmem184b-mutant mice to assess the dual contributions of age and genotype. TMEM184B loss altered expression of pre- and post-synaptic transcripts by 5 months and continued through 15 months, specifically affecting genes involved in synapse assembly and neural development. Wnt-activated enhancer elements were enriched among differentially expressed genes, suggesting an intersection with this pathway. Few differences existed between young adult and aged mutants, suggesting that transcriptional effects of TMEM184B loss are relatively constant. To understand how TMEM184B disruption may impact behaviors, we evaluated memory using the novel object recognition test and anxiety using the elevated plus maze. Young adult Tmem184b-mutant mice show normal object discrimination, suggesting a lack of memory impairment at this age. However, mutant mice showed decreased anxiety, a phenotype seen in some neurodevelopmental disorders. Taken together, our data suggest that TMEM184B is required for proper synaptic gene expression and anxiety-related behavior and is more likely to be linked to neurodevelopmental disorders than to dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth B Wright
- Department of Neuroscience, 1040 E 4th Street, Tucson, Arizona, 85721, USA
| | - Erik G Larsen
- Department of Neuroscience, 1040 E 4th Street, Tucson, Arizona, 85721, USA
| | | | - Hannah R Hart
- Department of Neuroscience, 1040 E 4th Street, Tucson, Arizona, 85721, USA
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15
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Lowther C, Valkanas E, Giordano JL, Wang HZ, Currall BB, O'Keefe K, Pierce-Hoffman E, Kurtas NE, Whelan CW, Hao SP, Weisburd B, Jalili V, Fu J, Wong I, Collins RL, Zhao X, Austin-Tse CA, Evangelista E, Lemire G, Aggarwal VS, Lucente D, Gauthier LD, Tolonen C, Sahakian N, Stevens C, An JY, Dong S, Norton ME, MacKenzie TC, Devlin B, Gilmore K, Powell BC, Brandt A, Vetrini F, DiVito M, Sanders SJ, MacArthur DG, Hodge JC, O'Donnell-Luria A, Rehm HL, Vora NL, Levy B, Brand H, Wapner RJ, Talkowski ME. Systematic evaluation of genome sequencing for the diagnostic assessment of autism spectrum disorder and fetal structural anomalies. Am J Hum Genet 2023; 110:1454-1469. [PMID: 37595579 PMCID: PMC10502737 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2023.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Short-read genome sequencing (GS) holds the promise of becoming the primary diagnostic approach for the assessment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and fetal structural anomalies (FSAs). However, few studies have comprehensively evaluated its performance against current standard-of-care diagnostic tests: karyotype, chromosomal microarray (CMA), and exome sequencing (ES). To assess the clinical utility of GS, we compared its diagnostic yield against these three tests in 1,612 quartet families including an individual with ASD and in 295 prenatal families. Our GS analytic framework identified a diagnostic variant in 7.8% of ASD probands, almost 2-fold more than CMA (4.3%) and 3-fold more than ES (2.7%). However, when we systematically captured copy-number variants (CNVs) from the exome data, the diagnostic yield of ES (7.4%) was brought much closer to, but did not surpass, GS. Similarly, we estimated that GS could achieve an overall diagnostic yield of 46.1% in unselected FSAs, representing a 17.2% increased yield over karyotype, 14.1% over CMA, and 4.1% over ES with CNV calling or 36.1% increase without CNV discovery. Overall, GS provided an added diagnostic yield of 0.4% and 0.8% beyond the combination of all three standard-of-care tests in ASD and FSAs, respectively. This corresponded to nine GS unique diagnostic variants, including sequence variants in exons not captured by ES, structural variants (SVs) inaccessible to existing standard-of-care tests, and SVs where the resolution of GS changed variant classification. Overall, this large-scale evaluation demonstrated that GS significantly outperforms each individual standard-of-care test while also outperforming the combination of all three tests, thus warranting consideration as the first-tier diagnostic approach for the assessment of ASD and FSAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea Lowther
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Elise Valkanas
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Division of Medical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jessica L Giordano
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Harold Z Wang
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Benjamin B Currall
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kathryn O'Keefe
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Emma Pierce-Hoffman
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Nehir E Kurtas
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Christopher W Whelan
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Stephanie P Hao
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ben Weisburd
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Vahid Jalili
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jack Fu
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Isaac Wong
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ryan L Collins
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Genomics, Division of Medical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Xuefang Zhao
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Christina A Austin-Tse
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Emily Evangelista
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Gabrielle Lemire
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Vimla S Aggarwal
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Diane Lucente
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Laura D Gauthier
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Data Science Platform, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Charlotte Tolonen
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Data Science Platform, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Nareh Sahakian
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Data Science Platform, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Christine Stevens
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Joon-Yong An
- School of Biosystem and Biomedical Science, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Shan Dong
- Department of Psychiatry, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Mary E Norton
- Center for Maternal-Fetal Precision Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Tippi C MacKenzie
- Center for Maternal-Fetal Precision Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Bernie Devlin
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Kelly Gilmore
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Bradford C Powell
- Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Alicia Brandt
- Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Francesco Vetrini
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Michelle DiVito
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Stephan J Sanders
- Department of Psychiatry, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Daniel G MacArthur
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Centre for Population Genomics, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, and University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Centre for Population Genomics, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Jennelle C Hodge
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Anne O'Donnell-Luria
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Heidi L Rehm
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Neeta L Vora
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Brynn Levy
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Harrison Brand
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ronald J Wapner
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michael E Talkowski
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Division of Medical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Genomics, Division of Medical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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16
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Sheth F, Shah J, Jain D, Shah S, Patel H, Patel K, Solanki DI, Iyer AS, Menghani B, Mhatre P, Mehta S, Bajaj S, Patel V, Pandya M, Dhami D, Patel D, Sheth J, Sheth H. Comparative yield of molecular diagnostic algorithms for autism spectrum disorder diagnosis in India: evidence supporting whole exome sequencing as first tier test. BMC Neurol 2023; 23:292. [PMID: 37543562 PMCID: PMC10403833 DOI: 10.1186/s12883-023-03341-0] [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: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects 1 in 100 children globally with a rapidly increasing prevalence. To the best of our knowledge, no data exists on the genetic architecture of ASD in India. This study aimed to identify the genetic architecture of ASD in India and to assess the use of whole exome sequencing (WES) as a first-tier test instead of chromosomal microarray (CMA) for genetic diagnosis. METHODS Between 2020 and 2022, 101 patient-parent trios of Indian origin diagnosed with ASD according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5th edition, were recruited. All probands underwent a sequential genetic testing pathway consisting of karyotyping, Fragile-X testing (in male probands only), CMA and WES. Candidate variant validation and parental segregation analysis was performed using orthogonal methods. RESULTS Of 101 trios, no probands were identified with a gross chromosomal anomaly or Fragile-X. Three (2.9%) and 30 (29.7%) trios received a confirmed genetic diagnosis from CMA and WES, respectively. Amongst diagnosis from WES, SNVs were detected in 27 cases (90%) and CNVs in 3 cases (10%), including the 3 CNVs detected from CMA. Segregation analysis showed 66.6% (n = 3 for CNVs and n = 17 for SNVs) and 16.6% (n = 5) of the cases had de novo and recessive variants respectively, which is in concordance with the distribution of variant types and mode of inheritance observed in ASD patients of non-Hispanic white/ European ethnicity. MECP2 gene was the most recurrently mutated gene (n = 6; 20%) in the present cohort. Majority of the affected genes identified in the study cohort are involved in synaptic formation, transcription and its regulation, ubiquitination and chromatin remodeling. CONCLUSIONS Our study suggests de novo variants as a major cause of ASD in the Indian population, with Rett syndrome as the most commonly detected disorder. Furthermore, we provide evidence of a significant difference in the diagnostic yield between CMA (3%) and WES (30%) which supports the implementation of WES as a first-tier test for genetic diagnosis of ASD in India.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frenny Sheth
- FRIGE's Institute of Human Genetics, Ahmedabad, India.
| | - Jhanvi Shah
- FRIGE's Institute of Human Genetics, Ahmedabad, India
| | - Deepika Jain
- Shishu Child Development and Early Intervention Centre, Ahmedabad, India
| | - Siddharth Shah
- Royal Institute of Child Neurosciences, Ahmedabad, India
| | | | - Ketan Patel
- Specialty Homeopathic Clinic, Ahmedabad, India
| | | | | | - Bhargavi Menghani
- Children's Institute for Development and Advancement Centre, Vadodara, India
| | - Priti Mhatre
- Tender Kinds Centre for Child Development, Navi Mumbai, India
| | - Sanjiv Mehta
- Royal Institute of Child Neurosciences, Ahmedabad, India
| | | | - Vishal Patel
- Little Brain Pediatric Neurocare Centre, Vadodara, India
| | | | - Deepak Dhami
- Axon Child Neurology and Epilepsy Centre, Rajkot, India
| | - Darshan Patel
- Charotar Institute of Paramedical Sciences, Charotar University of Science and Technology, Changa, India
| | - Jayesh Sheth
- FRIGE's Institute of Human Genetics, Ahmedabad, India
| | - Harsh Sheth
- FRIGE's Institute of Human Genetics, Ahmedabad, India.
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17
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Caron V, Chassaing N, Ragge N, Boschann F, Ngu AMH, Meloche E, Chorfi S, Lakhani SA, Ji W, Steiner L, Marcadier J, Jansen PR, van de Pol LA, van Hagen JM, Russi AS, Le Guyader G, Nordenskjöld M, Nordgren A, Anderlid BM, Plaisancié J, Stoltenburg C, Horn D, Drenckhahn A, Hamdan FF, Lefebvre M, Attie-Bitach T, Forey P, Smirnov V, Ernould F, Jacquemont ML, Grotto S, Alcantud A, Coret A, Ferrer-Avargues R, Srivastava S, Vincent-Delorme C, Romoser S, Safina N, Saade D, Lupski JR, Calame DG, Geneviève D, Chatron N, Schluth-Bolard C, Myers KA, Dobyns WB, Calvas P, Salmon C, Holt R, Elmslie F, Allaire M, Prigozhin DM, Tremblay A, Michaud JL. Clinical and functional heterogeneity associated with the disruption of retinoic acid receptor beta. Genet Med 2023; 25:100856. [PMID: 37092537 PMCID: PMC10757562 DOI: 10.1016/j.gim.2023.100856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Dominant variants in the retinoic acid receptor beta (RARB) gene underlie a syndromic form of microphthalmia, known as MCOPS12, which is associated with other birth anomalies and global developmental delay with spasticity and/or dystonia. Here, we report 25 affected individuals with 17 novel pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in RARB. This study aims to characterize the functional impact of these variants and describe the clinical spectrum of MCOPS12. METHODS We used in vitro transcriptional assays and in silico structural analysis to assess the functional relevance of RARB variants in affecting the normal response to retinoids. RESULTS We found that all RARB variants tested in our assays exhibited either a gain-of-function or a loss-of-function activity. Loss-of-function variants disrupted RARB function through a dominant-negative effect, possibly by disrupting ligand binding and/or coactivators' recruitment. By reviewing clinical data from 52 affected individuals, we found that disruption of RARB is associated with a more variable phenotype than initially suspected, with the absence in some individuals of cardinal features of MCOPS12, such as developmental eye anomaly or motor impairment. CONCLUSION Our study indicates that pathogenic variants in RARB are functionally heterogeneous and associated with extensive clinical heterogeneity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nicolas Chassaing
- Service de Génétique Médicale, Hôpital Purpan CHU Toulouse, Toulouse, France; Centre de Référence des Affections Rares en Génétique Ophtalmologique CARGO, CHU Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Nicola Ragge
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, United Kingdom; West Midlands Regional Genetics Service, Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust and Birmingham Health Partners, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Felix Boschann
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute for Medical Genetics and Human Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | | | | | - Sarah Chorfi
- CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Saquib A Lakhani
- Pediatric Genomic Discovery Program, Department of Pediatrics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - Weizhen Ji
- Pediatric Genomic Discovery Program, Department of Pediatrics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - Laurie Steiner
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY
| | - Julien Marcadier
- Department of Medical Genetics, Alberta Children's Hospital, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Philip R Jansen
- Department of Human Genetics, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Laura A van de Pol
- Department of Pediatric Neurology, Amsterdam UMC, location Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | | | | | - Magnus Nordenskjöld
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Clinical genetics, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ann Nordgren
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Clinical genetics, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Britt-Marie Anderlid
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Clinical genetics, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Julie Plaisancié
- Service de Génétique Médicale, Hôpital Purpan CHU Toulouse, Toulouse, France; Centre de Référence des Affections Rares en Génétique Ophtalmologique CARGO, CHU Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Corinna Stoltenburg
- Department of Pediatric Neurology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Denise Horn
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute for Medical Genetics and Human Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anne Drenckhahn
- Department of Pediatric Neurology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Fadi F Hamdan
- CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montréal, QC, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Tania Attie-Bitach
- Service de médecine génomique des maladies rares, Hôpital Universitaire Necker-Enfants malade, Paris, France
| | - Peggy Forey
- Centre Hospitalier d'Angoulême, Angoulême, France
| | - Vasily Smirnov
- Exploration de la Vision et Neuro-Ophtalmologie, Hôpital Roger-Salengro, CHU de Lille, Lille, France
| | - Françoise Ernould
- Service d'ophtalmologie, Hôpital Claude Huriez, CHU de Lille, Lille, France
| | | | - Sarah Grotto
- Unité de Génétique Clinique, Hôpital Robert Debré, Paris, France
| | | | - Alicia Coret
- Servicio de Pediatría, Hospital de Sagunto, Valencia, Spain
| | | | - Siddharth Srivastava
- Department of Neurology, Rosamund Stone Zander Translational Neuroscience Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA
| | | | - Shelby Romoser
- Division of Medical Genetics and Genomics, Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA
| | - Nicole Safina
- Division of Medical Genetics and Genomics, Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA
| | - Dimah Saade
- Division of Child Neurology, Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, Department of Neurology, UI Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA
| | - James R Lupski
- Department of Pediatrics and Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX; Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX; Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Daniel G Calame
- Department of Pediatrics and Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX; Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX; Section of Pediatric Neurology and Developmental Neuroscience, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - David Geneviève
- Université Montpellier, INSERM U1183, Génétique clinique, CHU de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Nicolas Chatron
- Service de Génétique, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon, France; Institut Neuromyogène, CNRS UMR 5310 - INSERM U1217, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | | | - Kenneth A Myers
- Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - William B Dobyns
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
| | - Patrick Calvas
- Service de Génétique Médicale, Hôpital Purpan CHU Toulouse, Toulouse, France; Centre de Référence des Affections Rares en Génétique Ophtalmologique CARGO, CHU Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Caroline Salmon
- Children's & Adolescent Services, Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom
| | - Richard Holt
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Frances Elmslie
- St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Marc Allaire
- Berkeley Center for Structural Biology, Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA
| | - Daniil M Prigozhin
- Berkeley Center for Structural Biology, Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA
| | - André Tremblay
- CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montréal, QC, Canada; Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medecine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
| | - Jacques L Michaud
- CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montréal, QC, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada; Department of Neurosciences, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
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18
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Tuncay IO, DeVries D, Gogate A, Kaur K, Kumar A, Xing C, Goodspeed K, Seyoum-Tesfa L, Chahrour MH. The genetics of autism spectrum disorder in an East African familial cohort. CELL GENOMICS 2023; 3:100322. [PMID: 37492102 PMCID: PMC10363748 DOI: 10.1016/j.xgen.2023.100322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of complex neurodevelopmental conditions affecting communication and social interaction in 2.3% of children. Studies that demonstrated its complex genetic architecture have been mainly performed in populations of European ancestry. We investigate the genetics of ASD in an East African cohort (129 individuals) from a population with higher prevalence (5%). Whole-genome sequencing identified 2.13 million private variants in the cohort and potentially pathogenic variants in known ASD genes (including CACNA1C, CHD7, FMR1, and TCF7L2). Admixture analysis demonstrated that the cohort comprises two ancestral populations, African and Eurasian. Admixture mapping discovered 10 regions that confer ASD risk on the African haplotypes, containing several known ASD genes. The increased ASD prevalence in this population suggests decreased heterogeneity in the underlying genetic etiology, enabling risk allele identification. Our approach emphasizes the power of African genetic variation and admixture analysis to inform the architecture of complex disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Islam Oguz Tuncay
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Darlene DeVries
- Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Ashlesha Gogate
- Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Kiran Kaur
- Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Ashwani Kumar
- Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Chao Xing
- Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Department of Population and Data Sciences, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Kimberly Goodspeed
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | | | - Maria H Chahrour
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Center for the Genetics of Host Defense, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
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19
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Muhammad N, Hussain SI, Rehman ZU, Khan SA, Jan S, Khan N, Muzammal M, Abbasi SW, Kakar N, Rehman ZU, Khan MA, Mirza MU, Muhammad N, Khan S, Wasif N. Autosomal recessive variants c.953A>C and c.97-1G>C in NSUN2 causing intellectual disability: a molecular dynamics simulation study of loss-of-function mechanisms. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1168307. [PMID: 37305761 PMCID: PMC10249782 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1168307] [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: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Intellectual disability (ID) is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous disorder. It drastically affects the learning capabilities of patients and eventually reduces their IQ level below 70. Methods The current genetic study ascertained two consanguineous Pakistani families suffering from autosomal recessive intellectual developmental disorder-5 (MRT5). We have used exome sequencing followed by Sanger sequencing to identify the disease-causing variants. Results and discussion Genetic analysis using whole exome sequencing in these families identified two novel mutations in the NSUN2 (NM_017755.5). Family-A segregated a novel missense variant c.953A>C; p.Tyr318Ser in exon-9 of the NSUN2. The variant substituted an amino acid Tyr318, highly conserved among different animal species and located in the functional domain of NSUN2 known as "SAM-dependent methyltransferase RsmB/NOP2-type". Whereas in family B, we identified a novel splice site variant c.97-1G>C that affects the splice acceptor site of NSUN2. The identified splice variant (c.97-1G>C) was predicted to result in the skipping of exon-2, which would lead to a frameshift followed by a premature stop codon (p. His86Profs*16). Furthermore, it could result in the termination of translation and synthesis of dysfunctional protein, most likely leading to nonsense-mediated decay. The dynamic consequences of NSUN2 missense variant was further explored together with wildtype through molecular dynamic simulations, which uncovered the disruption of NSUN2 function due to a gain in structural flexibility. The present molecular genetic study further extends the mutational spectrum of NSUN2 to be involved in ID and its genetic heterogeneity in the Pakistani population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nazif Muhammad
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Kohat University of Science and Technology (KUST), Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Syeda Iqra Hussain
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Kohat University of Science and Technology (KUST), Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Zia Ur Rehman
- Department of General Medicine, Northwest General Hospital & Research Center, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Sher Alam Khan
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Kohat University of Science and Technology (KUST), Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Samin Jan
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Kohat University of Science and Technology (KUST), Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Niamatullah Khan
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Kohat University of Science and Technology (KUST), Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Muzammal
- Gomal Center of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Gomal University, D.I.Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Sumra Wajid Abbasi
- NUMS Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Medical Sciences, The Mall, Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan
| | - Naseebullah Kakar
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Informatics, BUITEMS, Quetta, Pakistan
- Institute of Human Genetics, Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Zia Ur Rehman
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Kohat University of Science and Technology (KUST), Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Muzammil Ahmad Khan
- Gomal Center of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Gomal University, D.I.Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Usman Mirza
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada
| | - Noor Muhammad
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Kohat University of Science and Technology (KUST), Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Saadullah Khan
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Kohat University of Science and Technology (KUST), Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Naveed Wasif
- Institute of Human Genetics, Ulm University, and Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
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20
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Gong T, Lundholm C, Lundström S, Kuja-Halkola R, Taylor MJ, Almqvist C. Understanding the relationship between asthma and autism spectrum disorder: a population-based family and twin study. Psychol Med 2023; 53:3096-3104. [PMID: 35388771 PMCID: PMC10235668 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291721005158] [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: 02/22/2021] [Revised: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is some evidence that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently co-occurs with immune-mediated conditions including asthma. We aimed to explore the familial co-aggregation of ASD and asthma using different genetically informed designs. METHODS We first examined familial co-aggregation of asthma and ASD in individuals born in Sweden from 1992 to 2007 (n = 1 569 944), including their full- and half-siblings (n = 1 704 388 and 356 544 pairs) and full cousins (n = 3 921 890 pairs), identified using Swedish register data. We then applied quantitative genetic modeling to siblings (n = 620 994 pairs) and twins who participated in the Child and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden (n = 15 963 pairs) to estimate the contribution of genetic and environmental factors to the co-aggregation. Finally, we estimated genetic correlations between traits using linkage disequilibrium score regression (LDSC). RESULTS We observed a within-individual association [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.33, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.28-1.37] and familial co-aggregation between asthma and ASD, and the magnitude of the associations decreased as the degree of relatedness decreased (full-siblings: OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.38-1.50, maternal half-siblings: OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.18-1.39, paternal half-siblings: OR 1.05, 95% CI 0.96-1.15, full cousins: OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.03-1.09), suggesting shared familial liability. Quantitative genetic models estimated statistically significant genetic correlations between ASD traits and asthma. Using the LDSC approach, we did not find statistically significant genetic correlations between asthma and ASD (coefficients between -0.09 and 0.12). CONCLUSIONS Using different genetically informed designs, we found some evidence of familial co-aggregation between asthma and ASD, suggesting the weak association between these disorders was influenced by shared genetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tong Gong
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Cecilia Lundholm
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sebastian Lundström
- Centre for Ethics, Lawand Mental Health (CELAM), University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ralf Kuja-Halkola
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mark J. Taylor
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Catarina Almqvist
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Pediatric Allergy and Pulmonology Unit at Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
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21
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Chung DD, Mahnke AH, Pinson MR, Salem NA, Lai MS, Collins NP, Hillhouse AE, Miranda RC. Sex differences in the transcriptome of extracellular vesicles secreted by fetal neural stem cells and effects of chronic alcohol exposure. Biol Sex Differ 2023; 14:19. [PMID: 37060018 PMCID: PMC10105449 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-023-00503-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prenatal alcohol (ethanol) exposure (PAE) results in brain growth restriction, in part, by reprogramming self-renewal and maturation of fetal neural stem cells (NSCs) during neurogenesis. We recently showed that ethanol resulted in enrichment of both proteins and pro-maturation microRNAs in sub-200-nm-sized extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted by fetal NSCs. Moreover, EVs secreted by ethanol-exposed NSCs exhibited diminished efficacy in controlling NSC metabolism and maturation. Here we tested the hypothesis that ethanol may also influence the packaging of RNAs into EVs from cell-of-origin NSCs. METHODS Sex-specified fetal murine iso-cortical neuroepithelia from three separate pregnancies were maintained ex vivo, as neurosphere cultures to model the early neurogenic niche. EVs were isolated by ultracentrifugation from NSCs exposed to a dose range of ethanol. RNA from paired EV and cell-of-origin NSC samples was processed for ribosomal RNA-depleted RNA sequencing. Differential expression analysis and exploratory weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) identified candidate genes and gene networks that were drivers of alterations to the transcriptome of EVs relative to cells. RESULTS The RNA content of EVs differed significantly from cell-of-origin NSCs. Biological sex contributed to unique transcriptome variance in EV samples, where > 75% of the most variant transcripts were also sex-variant in EVs but not in cell-of-origin NSCs. WGCNA analysis also identified sex-dependent enrichment of pathways, including dopamine receptor binding and ectoderm formation in female EVs and cell-substrate adhesion in male EVs, with the top significant DEGs from differential analysis of overall individual gene expressions, i.e., Arhgap15, enriched in female EVs, and Cenpa, enriched in male EVs, also serving as WCGNA hub genes of sex-biased EV WGCNA clusters. In addition to the baseline RNA content differences, ethanol exposure resulted in a significant dose-dependent change in transcript expression in both EVs and cell-of-origin NSCs that predominantly altered sex-invariant RNAs. Moreover, at the highest dose, ~ 73% of significantly altered RNAs were enriched in EVs, but depleted in NSCs. CONCLUSIONS The EV transcriptome is distinctly different from, and more sex-variant than, the transcriptome of cell-of-origin NSCs. Ethanol, a common teratogen, results in dose-dependent sorting of RNA transcripts from NSCs to EVs which may reprogram the EV-mediated endocrine environment during neurogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dae D Chung
- School of Medicine, Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Medical Research and Education, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Building 8447 Riverside Parkway, Bryan, TX, 77807-3260, USA
| | - Amanda H Mahnke
- School of Medicine, Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Medical Research and Education, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Building 8447 Riverside Parkway, Bryan, TX, 77807-3260, USA
- Women's Health in Neuroscience, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, USA
| | - Marisa R Pinson
- School of Medicine, Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Medical Research and Education, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Building 8447 Riverside Parkway, Bryan, TX, 77807-3260, USA
| | - Nihal A Salem
- School of Medicine, Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Medical Research and Education, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Building 8447 Riverside Parkway, Bryan, TX, 77807-3260, USA
| | - Michael S Lai
- School of Medicine, Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Medical Research and Education, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Building 8447 Riverside Parkway, Bryan, TX, 77807-3260, USA
| | - Natalie P Collins
- School of Medicine, Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Medical Research and Education, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Building 8447 Riverside Parkway, Bryan, TX, 77807-3260, USA
| | - Andrew E Hillhouse
- Texas A&M Institute for Genome Sciences and Society, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Rajesh C Miranda
- School of Medicine, Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Medical Research and Education, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Building 8447 Riverside Parkway, Bryan, TX, 77807-3260, USA.
- Women's Health in Neuroscience, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, USA.
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22
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Bölte S, Neufeld J, Marschik PB, Williams ZJ, Gallagher L, Lai MC. Sex and gender in neurodevelopmental conditions. Nat Rev Neurol 2023; 19:136-159. [PMID: 36747038 PMCID: PMC10154737 DOI: 10.1038/s41582-023-00774-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Health-related conditions often differ qualitatively or quantitatively between individuals of different birth-assigned sexes and gender identities, and/or with different gendered experiences, requiring tailored care. Studying the moderating and mediating effects of sex-related and gender-related factors on impairment, disability, wellbeing and health is of paramount importance especially for neurodivergent individuals, who are diagnosed with neurodevelopmental conditions with uneven sex/gender distributions. Researchers have become aware of the myriad influences that sex-related and gender-related variables have on the manifestations of neurodevelopmental conditions, and contemporary work has begun to investigate the mechanisms through which these effects are mediated. Here we describe topical concepts of sex and gender science, summarize current knowledge, and discuss research and clinical challenges related to autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and other neurodevelopmental conditions. We consider sex and gender in the context of epidemiology, behavioural phenotypes, neurobiology, genetics, endocrinology and neighbouring disciplines. The available evidence supports the view that sex and gender are important contributors to the biological and behavioural variability in neurodevelopmental conditions. Methodological caveats such as frequent conflation of sex and gender constructs, inappropriate measurement of these constructs and under-representation of specific demographic groups (for example, female and gender minority individuals and people with intellectual disabilities) limit the translational potential of research so far. Future research and clinical implementation should integrate sex and gender into next-generation diagnostics, mechanistic investigations and support practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sven Bölte
- Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research; Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Curtin Autism Research Group, Curtin School of Allied Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.
| | - Janina Neufeld
- Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research; Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
- Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study (SCAS), Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Peter B Marschik
- Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research; Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Göttingen and Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, Göttingen, Germany
- iDN - interdisciplinary Developmental Neuroscience, Division of Phoniatrics, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Zachary J Williams
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Louise Gallagher
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Child and Youth Mental Health Collaborative at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, and Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Meng-Chuan Lai
- Child and Youth Mental Health Collaborative at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, and Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
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Vashisth S, Chahrour MH. Genomic strategies to untangle the etiology of autism: A primer. Autism Res 2023; 16:31-39. [PMID: 36415077 PMCID: PMC10615252 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2844] [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: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in communication, diminished social skills, and restrictive and repetitive behaviors and interests. ASD affects approximately 2.3% of the population and is highly heterogeneous, both phenotypically and genetically. As genomic technologies advance, our understanding of the genetic architecture of ASD is becoming clearer, encompassing spontaneous and inherited alterations throughout the genome, and delineating alterations that are either rare or common in the population. This commentary provides an overview of the genomic strategies and resulting major findings of genetic alterations associated with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shayal Vashisth
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Maria H. Chahrour
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
- Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
- Center for the Genetics of Host Defense, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
- Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
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24
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Al-Mamari W, Idris AB, Al-Thihli K, Abdulrahim R, Jalees S, Al-Jabri M, Gabr A, Al Murshedi F, Al Kindy A, Al-Hadabi I, Bruwer Z, Islam MM, Alsayegh A. Applying whole exome sequencing in a consanguineous population with autism spectrum disorder. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2023; 69:190-200. [PMID: 37025335 PMCID: PMC10071987 DOI: 10.1080/20473869.2021.1937000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to systematically assess the impact of clinical and demographic variables on the diagnostic yield of Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) when applied to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) from a consanguineous population. Ninety-seven children were included in the analysis, 63% were male and 37% were females. 77.3% had a suspected syndromic aetiology of which 68% had co-existent central nervous system (CNS) clinical features, while 69% had other systems involved. The diagnostic yield of WES in our cohort with ASD was 34%. Children with seizures were more likely to have positive WES results (46% vs. 31%, p = 0.042). Probands with suspected syndromic ASD aetiology showed no significant differential impact on the diagnostic yield of WES.
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Affiliation(s)
- Watfa Al-Mamari
- Developmental Pediatric Unit, Child Health Department, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman
- Correspondence to: Watfa Al-Mamari, Developmental Pediatric Unit, Child Health Department, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman.
| | - Ahmed B. Idris
- Developmental Pediatric Unit, Child Health Department, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman
| | - Khalid Al-Thihli
- Genetic Department, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman
| | - Reem Abdulrahim
- Genetic Department, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman
| | - Saquib Jalees
- Developmental Pediatric Unit, Child Health Department, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman
| | - Muna Al-Jabri
- Department of Nursing, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman
| | - Ahlam Gabr
- Developmental Pediatric Unit, Child Health Department, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman
| | | | - Adila Al Kindy
- Genetic Department, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman
| | - Intisar Al-Hadabi
- Department of Nursing, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman
| | - Zandrè Bruwer
- Genetic Department, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman
| | - M. Mazharul Islam
- Department of Statistics, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman
| | - Abeer Alsayegh
- Genetic Department, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman
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The autism risk factor CHD8 is a chromatin activator in human neurons and functionally dependent on the ERK-MAPK pathway effector ELK1. Sci Rep 2022; 12:22425. [PMID: 36575212 PMCID: PMC9794786 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23614-x] [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: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The chromodomain helicase DNA-binding protein CHD8 is the most frequently mutated gene in autism spectrum disorder. Despite its prominent disease involvement, little is known about its molecular function in the human brain. CHD8 is a chromatin regulator which binds to the promoters of actively transcribed genes through genomic targeting mechanisms which have yet to be fully defined. By generating a conditional loss-of-function and an endogenously tagged allele in human pluripotent stem cells, we investigated the molecular function and the interaction of CHD8 with chromatin in human neurons. Chromatin accessibility analysis and transcriptional profiling revealed that CHD8 functions as a transcriptional activator at its target genes in human neurons. Furthermore, we found that CHD8 chromatin targeting is cell context-dependent. In human neurons, CHD8 preferentially binds at ETS motif-enriched promoters. This enrichment is particularly prominent on the promoters of genes whose expression significantly changes upon the loss of CHD8. Indeed, among the ETS transcription factors, we identified ELK1 as being most highly correlated with CHD8 expression in primary human fetal and adult cortical neurons and most highly expressed in our stem cell-derived neurons. Remarkably, ELK1 was necessary to recruit CHD8 specifically to ETS motif-containing sites. These findings imply that ELK1 and CHD8 functionally cooperate to regulate gene expression and chromatin states at MAPK/ERK target genes in human neurons. Our results suggest that the MAPK/ERK/ELK1 axis potentially contributes to the pathogenesis caused by CHD8 mutations in human neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Tezen D, Şimşir G, Çokar Ö, Demirbilek V, Başak AN, Yapıcı Z. Four Turkish families with hyperekplexia: A missense mutation and the exon 1-7 deletion in the GLRA1 gene. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2022; 105:128-131. [PMID: 36434917 DOI: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2022.11.011] [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: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hyperekplexia is a disease that progresses with excessive startle attacks and is included in the differential diagnosis of epilepsy and many movement disorders. METHODS The WES results were validated in available family members by Sanger sequencing, or in the case of deletion, PCR followed by agarose gel electrophoresis was performed. RESULTS WES analysis revealed the previously reported homozygous c.277C>T p.Arg93Trp variant in the GLRA1 gene (ENST00000455880.2) in Family 1. In all other three families, the previously reported homozygous deletion of exons 1-7 of the GLRA1 gene was identified using CNV analysis based on the WES data. CONCLUSIONS The homozygous exon1-7 deletion has been described several times in different populations and may be a founder mutation in the Kurdish people in Turkey. The family with Arg93Trp variant stems from the Black Sea region of Turkey where close consanguinity is common. These analyses are important to provide genetic counseling to families and for a better understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Didem Tezen
- Istanbul University- Cerrahpasa, Cerrahpasa School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Istanbul, Turkey.
| | - Gülşah Şimşir
- Suna and İnan Kirac Foundation, Neurodegeneration Research Laboratory, NDAL-KUTTAM, School of Medicine, Koc University, Istanbul, Turkey.
| | - Özlem Çokar
- University of Health Sciences, Haseki Training and Research Hospital, Department of Neurology, Istanbul, Turkey.
| | - Veysi Demirbilek
- Istanbul University- Cerrahpasa, Cerrahpasa School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Istanbul, Turkey.
| | - A Nazlı Başak
- Suna and İnan Kirac Foundation, Neurodegeneration Research Laboratory, NDAL-KUTTAM, School of Medicine, Koc University, Istanbul, Turkey.
| | - Zuhal Yapıcı
- Istanbul University, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Istanbul, Turkey.
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Abstract
Recent advances in genomics have revealed a wide spectrum of genetic variants associated with neurodevelopmental disorders at an unprecedented scale. An increasing number of studies have consistently identified mutations-both inherited and de novo-impacting the function of specific brain circuits. This suggests that, during brain development, alterations in distinct neural circuits, cell types, or broad regulatory pathways ultimately shaping synapses might be a dysfunctional process underlying these disorders. Here, we review findings from human studies and animal model research to provide a comprehensive description of synaptic and circuit mechanisms implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders. We discuss how specific synaptic connections might be commonly disrupted in different disorders and the alterations in cognition and behaviors emerging from imbalances in neuronal circuits. Moreover, we review new approaches that have been shown to restore or mitigate dysfunctional processes during specific critical windows of brain development. Considering the heterogeneity of neurodevelopmental disorders, we also highlight the recent progress in developing improved clinical biomarkers and strategies that will help to identify novel therapeutic compounds and opportunities for early intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Exposito-Alonso
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London, United Kingdom;
- Current affiliation: Division of Genetics and Genomics, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA;
| | - Beatriz Rico
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London, United Kingdom;
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28
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Yeo XY, Lim YT, Chae WR, Park C, Park H, Jung S. Alterations of presynaptic proteins in autism spectrum disorder. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:1062878. [DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.1062878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The expanded use of hypothesis-free gene analysis methods in autism research has significantly increased the number of genetic risk factors associated with the pathogenesis of autism. A further examination of the implicated genes directly revealed the involvement in processes pertinent to neuronal differentiation, development, and function, with a predominant contribution from the regulators of synaptic function. Despite the importance of presynaptic function in synaptic transmission, the regulation of neuronal network activity, and the final behavioral output, there is a relative lack of understanding of the presynaptic contribution to the pathology of autism. Here, we will review the close association among autism-related mutations, autism spectrum disorders (ASD) phenotypes, and the altered presynaptic protein functions through a systematic examination of the presynaptic risk genes relating to the critical stages of synaptogenesis and neurotransmission.
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Trost B, Thiruvahindrapuram B, Chan AJS, Engchuan W, Higginbotham EJ, Howe JL, Loureiro LO, Reuter MS, Roshandel D, Whitney J, Zarrei M, Bookman M, Somerville C, Shaath R, Abdi M, Aliyev E, Patel RV, Nalpathamkalam T, Pellecchia G, Hamdan O, Kaur G, Wang Z, MacDonald JR, Wei J, Sung WWL, Lamoureux S, Hoang N, Selvanayagam T, Deflaux N, Geng M, Ghaffari S, Bates J, Young EJ, Ding Q, Shum C, D'Abate L, Bradley CA, Rutherford A, Aguda V, Apresto B, Chen N, Desai S, Du X, Fong MLY, Pullenayegum S, Samler K, Wang T, Ho K, Paton T, Pereira SL, Herbrick JA, Wintle RF, Fuerth J, Noppornpitak J, Ward H, Magee P, Al Baz A, Kajendirarajah U, Kapadia S, Vlasblom J, Valluri M, Green J, Seifer V, Quirbach M, Rennie O, Kelley E, Masjedi N, Lord C, Szego MJ, Zawati MH, Lang M, Strug LJ, Marshall CR, Costain G, Calli K, Iaboni A, Yusuf A, Ambrozewicz P, Gallagher L, Amaral DG, Brian J, Elsabbagh M, Georgiades S, Messinger DS, Ozonoff S, Sebat J, Sjaarda C, Smith IM, Szatmari P, Zwaigenbaum L, Kushki A, Frazier TW, Vorstman JAS, Fakhro KA, Fernandez BA, Lewis MES, Weksberg R, Fiume M, Yuen RKC, Anagnostou E, Sondheimer N, Glazer D, Hartley DM, Scherer SW. Genomic architecture of autism from comprehensive whole-genome sequence annotation. Cell 2022; 185:4409-4427.e18. [PMID: 36368308 PMCID: PMC10726699 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Fully understanding autism spectrum disorder (ASD) genetics requires whole-genome sequencing (WGS). We present the latest release of the Autism Speaks MSSNG resource, which includes WGS data from 5,100 individuals with ASD and 6,212 non-ASD parents and siblings (total n = 11,312). Examining a wide variety of genetic variants in MSSNG and the Simons Simplex Collection (SSC; n = 9,205), we identified ASD-associated rare variants in 718/5,100 individuals with ASD from MSSNG (14.1%) and 350/2,419 from SSC (14.5%). Considering genomic architecture, 52% were nuclear sequence-level variants, 46% were nuclear structural variants (including copy-number variants, inversions, large insertions, uniparental isodisomies, and tandem repeat expansions), and 2% were mitochondrial variants. Our study provides a guidebook for exploring genotype-phenotype correlations in families who carry ASD-associated rare variants and serves as an entry point to the expanded studies required to dissect the etiology in the ∼85% of the ASD population that remain idiopathic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brett Trost
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | | | - Ada J S Chan
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Worrawat Engchuan
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Edward J Higginbotham
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Jennifer L Howe
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Livia O Loureiro
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Miriam S Reuter
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; CGEn, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Delnaz Roshandel
- Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Joe Whitney
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Mehdi Zarrei
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | | | - Cherith Somerville
- Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Rulan Shaath
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Mona Abdi
- Department of Human Genetics, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar; College of Health and Life Sciences, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Elbay Aliyev
- Department of Human Genetics, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | - Rohan V Patel
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Thomas Nalpathamkalam
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Giovanna Pellecchia
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Omar Hamdan
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Gaganjot Kaur
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Zhuozhi Wang
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Jeffrey R MacDonald
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - John Wei
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Wilson W L Sung
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Sylvia Lamoureux
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Ny Hoang
- Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; Autism Research Unit, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada; Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada; Department of Genetic Counselling, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Thanuja Selvanayagam
- Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; Autism Research Unit, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada; Department of Genetic Counselling, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Nicole Deflaux
- Verily Life Sciences, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Melissa Geng
- Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Siavash Ghaffari
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - John Bates
- Verily Life Sciences, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Edwin J Young
- Genome Diagnostics, Department of Paediatric Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada; Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Qiliang Ding
- Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Carole Shum
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Lia D'Abate
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Clarrisa A Bradley
- Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Annabel Rutherford
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Vernie Aguda
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Beverly Apresto
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Nan Chen
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Sachin Desai
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Xiaoyan Du
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Matthew L Y Fong
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Sanjeev Pullenayegum
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Kozue Samler
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Ting Wang
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Karen Ho
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Tara Paton
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Sergio L Pereira
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Jo-Anne Herbrick
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Richard F Wintle
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Olivia Rennie
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Elizabeth Kelley
- Department of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 7X3, Canada
| | - Nina Masjedi
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA
| | - Catherine Lord
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA
| | - Michael J Szego
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada; Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1V7, Canada; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 3M7, Canada
| | - Ma'n H Zawati
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0C7, Canada
| | - Michael Lang
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0C7, Canada
| | - Lisa J Strug
- Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G3, Canada
| | - Christian R Marshall
- Genome Diagnostics, Department of Paediatric Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada; Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Gregory Costain
- Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; Division of Clinical and Metabolic Genetics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Kristina Calli
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6H 3N1, Canada; BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Alana Iaboni
- Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, ON M4G 1R8, Canada
| | - Afiqah Yusuf
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Patricia Ambrozewicz
- Autism Research Unit, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada; Department of Psychology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Louise Gallagher
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland; Department of Psychiatry, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada; Child, Youth and Family Services, The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON M6J 1H4, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - David G Amaral
- MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Jessica Brian
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada; Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, ON M4G 1R8, Canada
| | - Mayada Elsabbagh
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Stelios Georgiades
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8N 3K7, Canada
| | | | - Sally Ozonoff
- MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Jonathan Sebat
- Department of Psychiatry and Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Calvin Sjaarda
- Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 7X3, Canada; Queen's Genomics Lab at Ongwanada, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7M 8A6, Canada
| | - Isabel M Smith
- Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada; IWK Health Centre, Halifax, NS B3K 6R8, Canada
| | - Peter Szatmari
- Department of Psychiatry, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 1R8, Canada; Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON M6J 1H4, Canada
| | - Lonnie Zwaigenbaum
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada
| | - Azadeh Kushki
- Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, ON M4G 1R8, Canada; Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G9, Canada
| | - Thomas W Frazier
- Autism Speaks, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA; Department of Psychology, John Carroll University, Cleveland, OH 44118, USA
| | - Jacob A S Vorstman
- Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - Khalid A Fakhro
- Department of Human Genetics, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar; College of Health and Life Sciences, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar; Department of Genetic Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Doha, Qatar
| | - Bridget A Fernandez
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA; Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - M E Suzanne Lewis
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6H 3N1, Canada; BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Rosanna Weksberg
- Division of Clinical and Metabolic Genetics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada
| | | | - Ryan K C Yuen
- Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Evdokia Anagnostou
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada; Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, ON M4G 1R8, Canada
| | - Neal Sondheimer
- Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - David Glazer
- Verily Life Sciences, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | | | - Stephen W Scherer
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada; McLaughlin Centre, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada.
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30
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Dougherty JD, Marrus N, Maloney SE, Yip B, Sandin S, Turner TN, Selmanovic D, Kroll KL, Gutmann DH, Constantino JN, Weiss LA. Can the "female protective effect" liability threshold model explain sex differences in autism spectrum disorder? Neuron 2022; 110:3243-3262. [PMID: 35868305 PMCID: PMC9588569 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.06.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Male sex is a strong risk factor for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The leading theory for a "female protective effect" (FPE) envisions males and females have "differing thresholds" under a "liability threshold model" (DT-LTM). Specifically, this model posits that females require either a greater number or larger magnitude of risk factors (i.e., greater liability) to manifest ASD, which is supported by the finding that a greater proportion of females with ASD have highly penetrant genetic mutations. Herein, we derive testable hypotheses from the DT-LTM for ASD, investigating heritability, familial recurrence, correlation between ASD penetrance and sex ratio, population traits, clinical features, the stability of the sex ratio across diagnostic changes, and highlight other key prerequisites. Our findings reveal that several key predictions of the DT-LTM are not supported by current data, requiring us to establish a different conceptual framework for evaluating alternate models that explain sex differences in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph D Dougherty
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
| | - Natasha Marrus
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Susan E Maloney
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Benjamin Yip
- JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Sven Sandin
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Tychele N Turner
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Din Selmanovic
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Kristen L Kroll
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - David H Gutmann
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - John N Constantino
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Lauren A Weiss
- Institute for Human Genetics, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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Matta J, Dobrino D, Yeboah D, Howard S, EL-Manzalawy Y, Obafemi-Ajayi T. Connecting phenotype to genotype: PheWAS-inspired analysis of autism spectrum disorder. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:960991. [PMID: 36310845 PMCID: PMC9605200 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.960991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is extremely heterogeneous clinically and genetically. There is a pressing need for a better understanding of the heterogeneity of ASD based on scientifically rigorous approaches centered on systematic evaluation of the clinical and research utility of both phenotype and genotype markers. This paper presents a holistic PheWAS-inspired method to identify meaningful associations between ASD phenotypes and genotypes. We generate two types of phenotype-phenotype (p-p) graphs: a direct graph that utilizes only phenotype data, and an indirect graph that incorporates genotype as well as phenotype data. We introduce a novel methodology for fusing the direct and indirect p-p networks in which the genotype data is incorporated into the phenotype data in varying degrees. The hypothesis is that the heterogeneity of ASD can be distinguished by clustering the p-p graph. The obtained graphs are clustered using network-oriented clustering techniques, and results are evaluated. The most promising clusterings are subsequently analyzed for biological and domain-based relevance. Clusters obtained delineated different aspects of ASD, including differentiating ASD-specific symptoms, cognitive, adaptive, language and communication functions, and behavioral problems. Some of the important genes associated with the clusters have previous known associations to ASD. We found that clusters based on integrated genetic and phenotype data were more effective at identifying relevant genes than clusters constructed from phenotype information alone. These genes included five with suggestive evidence of ASD association and one known to be a strong candidate.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Matta
- Department of Computer Science, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL, United States
| | - Daniel Dobrino
- Department of Computer Science, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL, United States
| | - Dacosta Yeboah
- Department of Computer Science, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO, United States
| | - Swade Howard
- Department of Computer Science, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL, United States
| | - Yasser EL-Manzalawy
- Department of Translational Data Science and Informatics, Geisinger, Danville, PA, United States
| | - Tayo Obafemi-Ajayi
- Engineering Program, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO, United States
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Quantitative trait locus analysis for endophenotypes reveals genetic substrates of core symptom domains and neurocognitive function in autism spectrum disorder. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:407. [PMID: 36153334 PMCID: PMC9509384 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02179-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) represents a heterogeneous group of neurodevelopmental disorders and is largely attributable to genetic risk factors. Phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity of ASD have been well-recognized; however, genetic substrates for endophenotypes that constitute phenotypic heterogeneity are not yet known. In the present study, we compiled data from the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange, which contains the demographic and detailed phenotype information of 11,961 individuals. Notably, the whole-genome sequencing data available from MSSNG and iHART for 3833 individuals in this dataset was used to perform an endophenotype-wide association study. Using a linear mixed model, genome-wide association analyses were performed for 29 endophenotype scores and 0.58 million common variants with variant allele frequency ≥ 5%. We discovered significant associations between 9 genetic variants and 6 endophenotype scores comprising neurocognitive development and severity scores for core symptoms of ASD at a significance threshold of p < 5 × 10-7. Of note, the Stereotyped Behaviors and Restricted Interests total score in Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule Module 3 was significantly associated with multiple variants in the VPS13B gene, a causal gene for Cohen syndrome and a candidate gene for syndromic ASD. Our findings yielded loci with small effect sizes due to the moderate sample size and, thus, require validation in another cohort. Nonetheless, our endophenotype-wide association analysis extends previous candidate gene discovery in the context of genotype and endophenotype association. As a result, these candidate genes may be responsible for specific traits that constitute core symptoms and neurocognitive function of ASD rather than the disorder itself.
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Shafik AM, Allen EG, Jin P. Epitranscriptomic dynamics in brain development and disease. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:3633-3646. [PMID: 35474104 PMCID: PMC9596619 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01570-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Revised: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Distinct cell types are generated at specific times during brain development and are regulated by epigenetic, transcriptional, and newly emerging epitranscriptomic mechanisms. RNA modifications are known to affect many aspects of RNA metabolism and have been implicated in the regulation of various biological processes and in disease. Recent studies imply that dysregulation of the epitranscriptome may be significantly associated with neuropsychiatric, neurodevelopmental, and neurodegenerative disorders. Here we review the current knowledge surrounding the role of the RNA modifications N6-methyladenosine, 5-methylcytidine, pseudouridine, A-to-I RNA editing, 2'O-methylation, and their associated machinery, in brain development and human diseases. We also highlight the need for the development of new technologies in the pursuit of directly mapping RNA modifications in both genome- and single-molecule-level approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew M Shafik
- Department of Human Genetics, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Emily G Allen
- Department of Human Genetics, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Peng Jin
- Department of Human Genetics, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
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Fu JM, Satterstrom FK, Peng M, Brand H, Collins RL, Dong S, Wamsley B, Klei L, Wang L, Hao SP, Stevens CR, Cusick C, Babadi M, Banks E, Collins B, Dodge S, Gabriel SB, Gauthier L, Lee SK, Liang L, Ljungdahl A, Mahjani B, Sloofman L, Smirnov AN, Barbosa M, Betancur C, Brusco A, Chung BHY, Cook EH, Cuccaro ML, Domenici E, Ferrero GB, Gargus JJ, Herman GE, Hertz-Picciotto I, Maciel P, Manoach DS, Passos-Bueno MR, Persico AM, Renieri A, Sutcliffe JS, Tassone F, Trabetti E, Campos G, Cardaropoli S, Carli D, Chan MCY, Fallerini C, Giorgio E, Girardi AC, Hansen-Kiss E, Lee SL, Lintas C, Ludena Y, Nguyen R, Pavinato L, Pericak-Vance M, Pessah IN, Schmidt RJ, Smith M, Costa CIS, Trajkova S, Wang JYT, Yu MHC, Cutler DJ, De Rubeis S, Buxbaum JD, Daly MJ, Devlin B, Roeder K, Sanders SJ, Talkowski ME. Rare coding variation provides insight into the genetic architecture and phenotypic context of autism. Nat Genet 2022; 54:1320-1331. [PMID: 35982160 PMCID: PMC9653013 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-022-01104-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 143] [Impact Index Per Article: 71.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Some individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) carry functional mutations rarely observed in the general population. We explored the genes disrupted by these variants from joint analysis of protein-truncating variants (PTVs), missense variants and copy number variants (CNVs) in a cohort of 63,237 individuals. We discovered 72 genes associated with ASD at false discovery rate (FDR) ≤ 0.001 (185 at FDR ≤ 0.05). De novo PTVs, damaging missense variants and CNVs represented 57.5%, 21.1% and 8.44% of association evidence, while CNVs conferred greatest relative risk. Meta-analysis with cohorts ascertained for developmental delay (DD) (n = 91,605) yielded 373 genes associated with ASD/DD at FDR ≤ 0.001 (664 at FDR ≤ 0.05), some of which differed in relative frequency of mutation between ASD and DD cohorts. The DD-associated genes were enriched in transcriptomes of progenitor and immature neuronal cells, whereas genes showing stronger evidence in ASD were more enriched in maturing neurons and overlapped with schizophrenia-associated genes, emphasizing that these neuropsychiatric disorders may share common pathways to risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack M Fu
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - F Kyle Satterstrom
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Minshi Peng
- Department of Statistics and Data Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Harrison Brand
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Pediatric Surgical Research Laboratories, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ryan L Collins
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Genomics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Shan Dong
- Department of Psychiatry, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Brie Wamsley
- Program in Neurogenetics, Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Lambertus Klei
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Lily Wang
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Genomics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Stephanie P Hao
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Pediatric Surgical Research Laboratories, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Christine R Stevens
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Caroline Cusick
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Mehrtash Babadi
- Data Sciences Platform, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Eric Banks
- Data Sciences Platform, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Brett Collins
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- The Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sheila Dodge
- Genomics Platform, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Stacey B Gabriel
- Genomics Platform, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Laura Gauthier
- Data Sciences Platform, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Samuel K Lee
- Data Sciences Platform, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Lindsay Liang
- Department of Psychiatry, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Alicia Ljungdahl
- Department of Psychiatry, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Behrang Mahjani
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Laura Sloofman
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- The Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Andrey N Smirnov
- Data Sciences Platform, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Mafalda Barbosa
- The Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Catalina Betancur
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Neuroscience Paris Seine, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, Paris, France
| | - Alfredo Brusco
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
- Medical Genetics Unit, 'Città della Salute e della Scienza' University Hospital, Turin, Italy
| | - Brian H Y Chung
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Duchess of Kent Children's Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Edwin H Cook
- Institute for Juvenile Research, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Michael L Cuccaro
- The John P Hussman Institute for Human Genomics, The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Enrico Domenici
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, , University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | | | - J Jay Gargus
- Center for Autism Research and Translation, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Gail E Herman
- The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Irva Hertz-Picciotto
- MIND (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) Institute, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Patricia Maciel
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute, School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
| | - Dara S Manoach
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Maria Rita Passos-Bueno
- Centro de Pesquisas sobre o Genoma Humano e Células tronco, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Antonio M Persico
- Interdepartmental Program 'Autism 0-90', 'Gaetano Martino' University Hospital, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Alessandra Renieri
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
- Medical Genetics, , University of Siena, Siena, Italy
- Genetica Medica, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Senese, Siena, Italy
| | - James S Sutcliffe
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics and Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Flora Tassone
- MIND (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) Institute, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California Davis, School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - Elisabetta Trabetti
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Biology and Genetics, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Gabriele Campos
- Centro de Pesquisas sobre o Genoma Humano e Células tronco, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Simona Cardaropoli
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Diana Carli
- Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Marcus C Y Chan
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Duchess of Kent Children's Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Chiara Fallerini
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
- Medical Genetics, , University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Elisa Giorgio
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Ana Cristina Girardi
- Centro de Pesquisas sobre o Genoma Humano e Células tronco, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Emily Hansen-Kiss
- Department of Diagnostic and Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Dentistry, Houston, TX, USA
| | - So Lun Lee
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Duchess of Kent Children's Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Carla Lintas
- Service for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, University Campus Bio-medico of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Yunin Ludena
- MIND (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) Institute, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Rachel Nguyen
- Center for Autism Research and Translation, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Lisa Pavinato
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Margaret Pericak-Vance
- The John P Hussman Institute for Human Genomics, The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Isaac N Pessah
- MIND (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) Institute, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of California Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Rebecca J Schmidt
- MIND (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) Institute, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Moyra Smith
- Center for Autism Research and Translation, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Claudia I S Costa
- Centro de Pesquisas sobre o Genoma Humano e Células tronco, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Slavica Trajkova
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Jaqueline Y T Wang
- Centro de Pesquisas sobre o Genoma Humano e Células tronco, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Mullin H C Yu
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Duchess of Kent Children's Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - David J Cutler
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Silvia De Rubeis
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- The Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Joseph D Buxbaum
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- The Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Mark J Daly
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Bernie Devlin
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | - Kathryn Roeder
- Department of Statistics and Data Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
- Computational Biology Department, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | - Stephan J Sanders
- Department of Psychiatry, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Michael E Talkowski
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Genomics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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Mellone S, Puricelli C, Vurchio D, Ronzani S, Favini S, Maruzzi A, Peruzzi C, Papa A, Spano A, Sirchia F, Mandrile G, Pelle A, Rasmini P, Vercellino F, Zonta A, Rabbone I, Dianzani U, Viri M, Giordano M. The Usefulness of a Targeted Next Generation Sequencing Gene Panel in Providing Molecular Diagnosis to Patients With a Broad Spectrum of Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Front Genet 2022; 13:875182. [PMID: 36035117 PMCID: PMC9403311 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.875182] [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: 02/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Neurodevelopmental disorders comprise a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of conditions that affect 2%–5% of children and represents a public health challenge due to complexity of the etiology. Only few patients with unexplained syndromic and non-syndromic NDDs receive a diagnosis through first-tier genetic tests as array-CGH and the search for FMR1 CGG expansion. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical performance of a targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) gene panel as a second-tier test in a group of undiagnosed patients with NDDs.Method: A 221-gene next-generation sequencing custom panel was designed and used to analyze a cohort of 338 patients with a broad spectrum of NDDs (202 males and 136 females) including Intellectual Disability (ID), Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), Epilepsy, language and motor disorders.Results: A molecular diagnosis was established in 71 patients (21%) and a de novo origin was present in 38 (64.4%) of the available trios. The diagnostic yield was significantly higher in females than in males (29.4% vs. 15.3%; p = 0.0019) in particular in ASD (36.8% vs. 7.6%; p = 0.0026) and Epilepsy (38.9% vs. 14.4% p = 0.001). The most involved genes were SLC2A1, SCN1A, ANKRD11, ATP1A2, CACNA1A, FOXP1, and GNAS altered in more than two patients and accounting for the 19.7% of the diagnosis.Conclusion: Our findings showed that this NGS panel represents a powerful and affordable clinical tool, significantly increasing the diagnostic yield in patients with different form of NDDs in a cost- and time-effective manner without the need of large investments in data storage and bioinformatic analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Mellone
- Laboratory of Genetics, Clinical Biochemistry, University Hospital Maggiore della Carità, Novara, Italy
| | - Chiara Puricelli
- Laboratory of Genetics, Clinical Biochemistry, University Hospital Maggiore della Carità, Novara, Italy
- Department of Health Sciences, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
| | - Denise Vurchio
- Department of Health Sciences, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
| | - Sara Ronzani
- Laboratory of Genetics, Clinical Biochemistry, University Hospital Maggiore della Carità, Novara, Italy
| | - Simone Favini
- Laboratory of Genetics, Clinical Biochemistry, University Hospital Maggiore della Carità, Novara, Italy
| | - Arianna Maruzzi
- Department of Health Sciences, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
| | - Cinzia Peruzzi
- Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Ospedale San Gerardo Monza-Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | - Amanda Papa
- Department of Child Neuropsychiatry, Hospital Maggiore della Carità, Novara, Italy
| | - Alice Spano
- Laboratory of Genetics, Clinical Biochemistry, University Hospital Maggiore della Carità, Novara, Italy
| | - Fabio Sirchia
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Giorgia Mandrile
- Medical Genetics Unit, Città della Salute e della Scienza University Hospital, Torino, Italy
| | - Alessandra Pelle
- Medical Genetics Unit, Città della Salute e della Scienza University Hospital, Torino, Italy
| | | | - Fabiana Vercellino
- Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, SS. Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo Hospital, Alessandria, Italy
| | - Andrea Zonta
- Medical Genetics Unit, Città della Salute e della Scienza University Hospital, Torino, Italy
| | - Ivana Rabbone
- Department of Health Sciences, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
- Division of Pediatrics, University Hospital Maggiore della Carità, Novara, Italy
| | - Umberto Dianzani
- Laboratory of Genetics, Clinical Biochemistry, University Hospital Maggiore della Carità, Novara, Italy
- Department of Health Sciences, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
| | - Maurizio Viri
- Department of Child Neuropsychiatry, Hospital Maggiore della Carità, Novara, Italy
| | - Mara Giordano
- Laboratory of Genetics, Clinical Biochemistry, University Hospital Maggiore della Carità, Novara, Italy
- Department of Health Sciences, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
- *Correspondence: Mara Giordano,
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Jiang CC, Lin LS, Long S, Ke XY, Fukunaga K, Lu YM, Han F. Signalling pathways in autism spectrum disorder: mechanisms and therapeutic implications. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2022; 7:229. [PMID: 35817793 PMCID: PMC9273593 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-022-01081-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2022] [Revised: 06/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a prevalent and complex neurodevelopmental disorder which has strong genetic basis. Despite the rapidly rising incidence of autism, little is known about its aetiology, risk factors, and disease progression. There are currently neither validated biomarkers for diagnostic screening nor specific medication for autism. Over the last two decades, there have been remarkable advances in genetics, with hundreds of genes identified and validated as being associated with a high risk for autism. The convergence of neuroscience methods is becoming more widely recognized for its significance in elucidating the pathological mechanisms of autism. Efforts have been devoted to exploring the behavioural functions, key pathological mechanisms and potential treatments of autism. Here, as we highlight in this review, emerging evidence shows that signal transduction molecular events are involved in pathological processes such as transcription, translation, synaptic transmission, epigenetics and immunoinflammatory responses. This involvement has important implications for the discovery of precise molecular targets for autism. Moreover, we review recent insights into the mechanisms and clinical implications of signal transduction in autism from molecular, cellular, neural circuit, and neurobehavioural aspects. Finally, the challenges and future perspectives are discussed with regard to novel strategies predicated on the biological features of autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen-Chen Jiang
- International Joint Laboratory for Drug Target of Critical Illnesses; Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular & Cerebrovascular Medicine, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Li-Shan Lin
- Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Sen Long
- Department of Pharmacy, Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Mental Health Center Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310013, China
| | - Xiao-Yan Ke
- Child Mental Health Research Center, Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Kohji Fukunaga
- Department of CNS Drug Innovation, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8578, Japan
| | - Ying-Mei Lu
- Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China.
| | - Feng Han
- International Joint Laboratory for Drug Target of Critical Illnesses; Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular & Cerebrovascular Medicine, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China. .,Institute of Brain Science, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, China. .,Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, 215002, China.
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Gene-based therapeutics for rare genetic neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders. Mol Ther 2022; 30:2416-2428. [PMID: 35585789 PMCID: PMC9263284 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2022.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
We are in an emerging era of gene-based therapeutics with significant promise for rare genetic disorders. The potential is particularly significant for genetic central nervous system disorders that have begun to achieve Food and Drug Administration approval for select patient populations. This review summarizes the discussions and presentations of the National Institute of Mental Health-sponsored workshop "Gene-Based Therapeutics for Rare Genetic Neurodevelopmental Psychiatric Disorders," which was held in January 2021. Here, we distill the points raised regarding various precision medicine approaches related to neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders that may be amenable to gene-based therapies.
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38
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Mehinovic E, Gray T, Campbell M, Ekholm J, Wenger A, Rowell W, Grudo A, Grimwood J, Korlach J, Gurnett C, Constantino JN, Turner TN. Germline mosaicism of a missense variant in KCNC2 in a multiplex family with autism and epilepsy characterized by long-read sequencing. Am J Med Genet A 2022; 188:2071-2081. [PMID: 35366058 PMCID: PMC9197999 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.62743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Revised: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Currently, protein-coding de novo variants and large copy number variants have been identified as important for ~30% of individuals with autism. One approach to identify relevant variation in individuals who lack these types of events is by utilizing newer genomic technologies. In this study, highly accurate PacBio HiFi long-read sequencing was applied to a family with autism, epileptic encephalopathy, cognitive impairment, and mild dysmorphic features (two affected female siblings, unaffected parents, and one unaffected male sibling) with no known clinical variant. From our long-read sequencing data, a de novo missense variant in the KCNC2 gene (encodes Kv3.2) was identified in both affected children. This variant was phased to the paternal chromosome of origin and is likely a germline mosaic. In silico assessment revealed the variant was not in controls, highly conserved, and predicted damaging. This specific missense variant (Val473Ala) has been shown in both an ortholog and paralog of Kv3.2 to accelerate current decay, shift the voltage dependence of activation, and prevent the channel from entering a long-lasting open state. Seven additional missense variants have been identified in other individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders (p = 1.03 × 10-5 ). KCNC2 is most highly expressed in the brain; in particular, in the thalamus and is enriched in GABAergic neurons. Long-read sequencing was useful in discovering the relevant variant in this family with autism that had remained a mystery for several years and will potentially have great benefits in the clinic once it is widely available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elvisa Mehinovic
- Department of GeneticsWashington University School of MedicineSt. LouisMissouriUSA
| | - Teddi Gray
- Department of PsychiatryWashington University School of MedicineSt. LouisMissouriUSA
| | - Meghan Campbell
- Department of PsychiatryWashington University School of MedicineSt. LouisMissouriUSA
| | | | | | | | - Ari Grudo
- Pacific BiosciencesMenlo ParkCaliforniaUSA
| | - Jane Grimwood
- HudsonAlpha Institute for BiotechnologyHuntsvilleAlabamaUSA
| | | | - Christina Gurnett
- Department of NeurologyWashington University School of MedicineSt. LouisMissouriUSA
| | - John N. Constantino
- Department of PsychiatryWashington University School of MedicineSt. LouisMissouriUSA
| | - Tychele N. Turner
- Department of GeneticsWashington University School of MedicineSt. LouisMissouriUSA
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Cai C, Yin Z, Liu A, Wang H, Zeng S, Wang Z, Qiu H, Li S, Zhou J, Wang M. Identifying Rare Genetic Variants of Immune Mediators as Risk Factors for Autism Spectrum Disorder. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:1098. [PMID: 35741860 PMCID: PMC9223212 DOI: 10.3390/genes13061098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects more than 1% of children, and there is no viable pharmacotherapeutic agent to treat the core symptoms of ASD. Studies have shown that children with ASD show changes in their levels of immune response molecules. Our previous studies have shown that ASD is more common in children with folate receptor autoantibodies. We also found that children with ASD have abnormal gut immune function, which was characterized by a significant increase in the content of immunoglobulin A and an increase in gut-microbiota-associated epitope diversity. These studies suggest that the immune mechanism plays an important role in the occurrence of ASD. The present study aims to systematically assess gene mutations in immune mediators in patients with ASD. We collected genetic samples from 72 children with ASD (2−12 years old) and 107 healthy controls without ASD (20−78 years old). We used our previously-designed immune gene panel, which can capture cytokine and receptor genes, the coding regions of MHC genes, and genes of innate immunity. Target region sequencing (500×) and bioinformatics analytical methods were used to identify variants in immune response genes associated with patients with ASD. A total of 4 rare variants were found to be associated with ASD, including HLA-B: p.A93G, HLA-DQB1: p.S229N, LILRB2: p.R322H, and LILRB2: c.956-4C>T. These variants were present in 44.44% (32/72) of the ASD patients and were detected in 3.74% (4/107) of the healthy controls. We expect these genetic variants will serve as new targets for the clinical genetic assessment of ASD, and our findings suggest that immune abnormalities in children with ASD may have a genetic basis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunquan Cai
- Tianjin Pediatric Research Institute, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Birth Defects for Prevention and Treatment, Tianjin Children’s Hospital (Children’s Hospital of Tianjin University), No. 238 Longyan Road, Beichen District, Tianjin 300134, China;
| | - Zhaoqing Yin
- Division of Neonatology, The People’s Hospital of Dehong Autonomous Prefecture, Mangshi 678400, China;
| | - Aiping Liu
- The Department of Laboratory, Public Health Service Center of Bao’an District, Bao’an District, Shenzhen 518018, China;
| | - Hui Wang
- Xiamen Branch of Children’s Hospital of Fudan University (Xiamen Children’s Hospital), Xiamen 361006, China;
| | - Shujuan Zeng
- Division of Neonatology, Longgang Central Hospital of Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518116, China; (S.Z.); (H.Q.)
| | - Zhangxing Wang
- Division of Neonatology, Shenzhen Longhua People’s Hospital, Shenzhen 518109, China;
| | - Huixian Qiu
- Division of Neonatology, Longgang Central Hospital of Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518116, China; (S.Z.); (H.Q.)
| | - Shijun Li
- Department of Radiology, Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China
| | - Jiaxiu Zhou
- Division of Psychology, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, Shenzhen 518038, China
| | - Mingbang Wang
- Microbiome Therapy Center, South China Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518111, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Birth Defects, Division of Neonatology, Children’s Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai 201102, China
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40
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The Role of Genetics, Epigenetics, and the Environment in ASD: A Mini Review. EPIGENOMES 2022; 6:epigenomes6020015. [PMID: 35735472 PMCID: PMC9222497 DOI: 10.3390/epigenomes6020015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2022] [Revised: 06/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
According to recent findings, variances in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk factors might be determined by several factors, including molecular genetic variants. Accumulated evidence has also revealed the important role of biological and chemical pathways in ASD aetiology. In this paper, we assess several reviews with regard to their quality of evidence and provide a brief outline of the presumed mechanisms of the genetic, epigenetic, and environmental risk factors of ASD. We also review some of the critical literature, which supports the basis of each factor in the underlying and specific risk patterns of ASD. Finally, we consider some of the implications of recent research regarding potential molecular targets for future investigations.
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41
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Lim ET, Chan Y, Dawes P, Guo X, Erdin S, Tai DJC, Liu S, Reichert JM, Burns MJ, Chan YK, Chiang JJ, Meyer K, Zhang X, Walsh CA, Yankner BA, Raychaudhuri S, Hirschhorn JN, Gusella JF, Talkowski ME, Church GM. Orgo-Seq integrates single-cell and bulk transcriptomic data to identify cell type specific-driver genes associated with autism spectrum disorder. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3243. [PMID: 35688811 PMCID: PMC9187732 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30968-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Cerebral organoids can be used to gain insights into cell type specific processes perturbed by genetic variants associated with neuropsychiatric disorders. However, robust and scalable phenotyping of organoids remains challenging. Here, we perform RNA sequencing on 71 samples comprising 1,420 cerebral organoids from 25 donors, and describe a framework (Orgo-Seq) to integrate bulk RNA and single-cell RNA sequence data. We apply Orgo-Seq to 16p11.2 deletions and 15q11-13 duplications, two loci associated with autism spectrum disorder, to identify immature neurons and intermediate progenitor cells as critical cell types for 16p11.2 deletions. We further applied Orgo-Seq to identify cell type-specific driver genes. Our work presents a quantitative phenotyping framework to integrate multi-transcriptomic datasets for the identification of cell types and cell type-specific co-expressed driver genes associated with neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elaine T Lim
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA. .,Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA. .,NeuroNexus Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA. .,Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.
| | - Yingleong Chan
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.,Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.,NeuroNexus Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Pepper Dawes
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.,Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.,NeuroNexus Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.,Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Xiaoge Guo
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineerin, Harvard University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Serkan Erdin
- Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.,Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.,Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Derek J C Tai
- Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.,Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.,Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02115, USA.,Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Songlei Liu
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineerin, Harvard University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Julia M Reichert
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.,Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.,NeuroNexus Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Mannix J Burns
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.,Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.,NeuroNexus Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.,Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Ying Kai Chan
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineerin, Harvard University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Jessica J Chiang
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineerin, Harvard University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Katharina Meyer
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Xiaochang Zhang
- Department of Human Genetics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.,The Grossman Neuroscience Institute, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Christopher A Walsh
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02115, USA.,Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Bruce A Yankner
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Soumya Raychaudhuri
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02115, USA.,Center for Data Sciences, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Division of Rheumatology and Genetics, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Centre for Genetics and Genomics Versus Arthritis, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Joel N Hirschhorn
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02115, USA.,Division of Endocrinology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Center for Basic and Translational Obesity Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - James F Gusella
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.,Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02115, USA.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Michael E Talkowski
- Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.,Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.,Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02115, USA.,Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.,Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02115, USA
| | - George M Church
- Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA. .,Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineerin, Harvard University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
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42
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Zhang L, Zhang J, Nie Q. DIRECT-NET: An efficient method to discover cis-regulatory elements and construct regulatory networks from single-cell multiomics data. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabl7393. [PMID: 35648859 PMCID: PMC9159696 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abl7393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
The emergence of single-cell multiomics data provides unprecedented opportunities to scrutinize the transcriptional regulatory mechanisms controlling cell identity. However, how to use those datasets to dissect the cis-regulatory element (CRE)–to–gene relationships at a single-cell level remains a major challenge. Here, we present DIRECT-NET, a machine-learning method based on gradient boosting, to identify genome-wide CREs and their relationship to target genes, either from parallel single-cell gene expression and chromatin accessibility data or from single-cell chromatin accessibility data alone. By extensively evaluating and characterizing DIRECT-NET’s predicted CREs using independent functional genomics data, we find that DIRECT-NET substantially improves the accuracy of inferring CRE-to-gene relationships in comparison to existing methods. DIRECT-NET is also capable of revealing cell subpopulation–specific and dynamic regulatory linkages. Overall, DIRECT-NET provides an efficient tool for predicting transcriptional regulation codes from single-cell multiomics data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lihua Zhang
- School of Computer Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
- Department of Mathematics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- NSF-Simons Center for Multiscale Cell Fate Research, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Jing Zhang
- Department of Computer Science, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- Corresponding author. (J.Z.); (Q.N.)
| | - Qing Nie
- Department of Mathematics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- NSF-Simons Center for Multiscale Cell Fate Research, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- Corresponding author. (J.Z.); (Q.N.)
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43
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Willsey HR, Willsey AJ, Wang B, State MW. Genomics, convergent neuroscience and progress in understanding autism spectrum disorder. Nat Rev Neurosci 2022; 23:323-341. [PMID: 35440779 PMCID: PMC10693992 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-022-00576-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
More than a hundred genes have been identified that, when disrupted, impart large risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Current knowledge about the encoded proteins - although incomplete - points to a very wide range of developmentally dynamic and diverse biological processes. Moreover, the core symptoms of ASD involve distinctly human characteristics, presenting challenges to interpreting evolutionarily distant model systems. Indeed, despite a decade of striking progress in gene discovery, an actionable understanding of pathobiology remains elusive. Increasingly, convergent neuroscience approaches have been recognized as an important complement to traditional uses of genetics to illuminate the biology of human disorders. These methods seek to identify intersection among molecular-level, cellular-level and circuit-level functions across multiple risk genes and have highlighted developing excitatory neurons in the human mid-gestational prefrontal cortex as an important pathobiological nexus in ASD. In addition, neurogenesis, chromatin modification and synaptic function have emerged as key potential mediators of genetic vulnerability. The continued expansion of foundational 'omics' data sets, the application of higher-throughput model systems and incorporating developmental trajectories and sex differences into future analyses will refine and extend these results. Ultimately, a systems-level understanding of ASD genetic risk holds promise for clarifying pathobiology and advancing therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Rankin Willsey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - A Jeremy Willsey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Quantitative Biosciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Belinda Wang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Matthew W State
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Quantitative Biosciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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44
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Li M, Tao Z, Zhao Y, Li L, Zheng J, Li Z, Chen X. 5-methylcytosine RNA methyltransferases and their potential roles in cancer. J Transl Med 2022; 20:214. [PMID: 35562754 PMCID: PMC9102922 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-022-03427-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, 5-methylcytosine (m5C) RNA modification has emerged as a key player in regulating RNA metabolism and function through coding as well as non-coding RNAs. Accumulating evidence has shown that m5C modulates the stability, translation, transcription, nuclear export, and cleavage of RNAs to mediate cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, stress responses, and other biological functions. In humans, m5C RNA modification is catalyzed by the NOL1/NOP2/sun (NSUN) family and DNA methyltransferase 2 (DNMT2). These RNA modifiers regulate the expression of multiple oncogenes such as fizzy-related-1, forkhead box protein C2, Grb associated-binding protein 2, and TEA domain transcription factor 1, facilitating the pathogenesis and progression of cancers. Furthermore, the aberrant expression of methyltransferases have been identified in various cancers and used to predict the prognosis of patients. In this review, we present a comprehensive overview of m5C RNA methyltransferases. We specifically highlight the potential mechanism of action of m5C in cancer. Finally, we discuss the prospect of m5C-relative studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingyang Li
- Department of Urology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, No. 36 Sanhao Street, Heping District, Shenyang, 110004, Liaoning, People's Republic of China
| | - Zijia Tao
- Department of Urology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, No. 36 Sanhao Street, Heping District, Shenyang, 110004, Liaoning, People's Republic of China
| | - Yiqiao Zhao
- Department of Urology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, No. 36 Sanhao Street, Heping District, Shenyang, 110004, Liaoning, People's Republic of China
| | - Lei Li
- Department of Urology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, No. 36 Sanhao Street, Heping District, Shenyang, 110004, Liaoning, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianyi Zheng
- Department of Urology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, No. 36 Sanhao Street, Heping District, Shenyang, 110004, Liaoning, People's Republic of China
| | - Zeyu Li
- Department of Urology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, No. 36 Sanhao Street, Heping District, Shenyang, 110004, Liaoning, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaonan Chen
- Department of Urology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, No. 36 Sanhao Street, Heping District, Shenyang, 110004, Liaoning, People's Republic of China.
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45
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Zhang XL, Spencer WC, Tabuchi N, Kitt MM, Deneris ES. Reorganization of postmitotic neuronal chromatin accessibility for maturation of serotonergic identity. eLife 2022; 11:e75970. [PMID: 35471146 PMCID: PMC9098219 DOI: 10.7554/elife.75970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Assembly of transcriptomes encoding unique neuronal identities requires selective accessibility of transcription factors to cis-regulatory sequences in nucleosome-embedded postmitotic chromatin. Yet, the mechanisms controlling postmitotic neuronal chromatin accessibility are poorly understood. Here, we show that unique distal enhancers define the Pet1 neuron lineage that generates serotonin (5-HT) neurons in mice. Heterogeneous single-cell chromatin landscapes are established early in postmitotic Pet1 neurons and reveal the putative regulatory programs driving Pet1 neuron subtype identities. Distal enhancer accessibility is highly dynamic as Pet1 neurons mature, suggesting the existence of regulatory factors that reorganize postmitotic neuronal chromatin. We find that Pet1 and Lmx1b control chromatin accessibility to select Pet1-lineage-specific enhancers for 5-HT neurotransmission. Additionally, these factors are required to maintain chromatin accessibility during early maturation suggesting that postmitotic neuronal open chromatin is unstable and requires continuous regulatory input. Together, our findings reveal postmitotic transcription factors that reorganize accessible chromatin for neuron specialization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinrui L Zhang
- Department of Neurosciences, Case Western Reserve UniversityClevelandUnited States
| | - William C Spencer
- Department of Neurosciences, Case Western Reserve UniversityClevelandUnited States
| | - Nobuko Tabuchi
- Department of Neurosciences, Case Western Reserve UniversityClevelandUnited States
| | - Meagan M Kitt
- Department of Neurosciences, Case Western Reserve UniversityClevelandUnited States
| | - Evan S Deneris
- Department of Neurosciences, Case Western Reserve UniversityClevelandUnited States
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46
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Genetic mosaicism in the human brain: from lineage tracing to neuropsychiatric disorders. Nat Rev Neurosci 2022; 23:275-286. [PMID: 35322263 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-022-00572-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Genetic mosaicism is the result of the accumulation of somatic mutations in the human genome starting from the first postzygotic cell generation and continuing throughout the whole life of an individual. The rapid development of next-generation and single-cell sequencing technologies is now allowing the study of genetic mosaicism in normal tissues, revealing unprecedented insights into their clonal architecture and physiology. The somatic variant repertoire of an adult human neuron is the result of somatic mutations that accumulate in the brain by different mechanisms and at different rates during development and ageing. Non-pathogenic developmental mutations function as natural barcodes that once identified in deep bulk or single-cell sequencing can be used to retrospectively reconstruct human lineages. This approach has revealed novel insights into the clonal structure of the human brain, which is a mosaic of clones traceable to the early embryo that contribute differentially to the brain and distinct areas of the cortex. Some of the mutations happening during development, however, have a pathogenic effect and can contribute to some epileptic malformations of cortical development and autism spectrum disorder. In this Review, we discuss recent findings in the context of genetic mosaicism and their implications for brain development and disease.
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47
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Analysis of recent shared ancestry in a familial cohort identifies coding and noncoding autism spectrum disorder variants. NPJ Genom Med 2022; 7:13. [PMID: 35190550 PMCID: PMC8861044 DOI: 10.1038/s41525-022-00284-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a collection of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by deficits in social communication and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior or interests. ASD is highly heritable, but genetically and phenotypically heterogeneous, reducing the power to identify causative genes. We performed whole genome sequencing (WGS) in an ASD cohort of 68 individuals from 22 families enriched for recent shared ancestry. We identified an average of 3.07 million variants per genome, of which an average of 112,512 were rare. We mapped runs of homozygosity (ROHs) in affected individuals and found an average genomic homozygosity of 9.65%, consistent with expectations for multiple generations of consanguineous unions. We identified potentially pathogenic rare exonic or splice site variants in 12 known (including KMT2C, SCN1A, SPTBN1, SYNE1, ZNF292) and 12 candidate (including CHD5, GRB10, PPP1R13B) ASD genes. Furthermore, we annotated noncoding variants in ROHs with brain-specific regulatory elements and identified putative disease-causing variants within brain-specific promoters and enhancers for 5 known ASD and neurodevelopmental disease genes (ACTG1, AUTS2, CTNND2, CNTNAP4, SPTBN4). We also identified copy number variants in two known ASD and neurodevelopmental disease loci in two affected individuals. In total we identified potentially etiological variants in known ASD or neurodevelopmental disease genes for ~61% (14/23) of affected individuals. We combined WGS with homozygosity mapping and regulatory element annotations to identify candidate ASD variants. Our analyses add to the growing number of ASD genes and variants and emphasize the importance of leveraging recent shared ancestry to map disease variants in complex neurodevelopmental disorders.
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48
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Al Dera H. Cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying autism spectrum disorders and associated comorbidities: A pathophysiological review. Biomed Pharmacother 2022; 148:112688. [PMID: 35149383 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2022.112688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Revised: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of neurodevelopmental disorders that develop in early life due to interaction between several genetic and environmental factors and lead to alterations in brain function and structure. During the last decades, several mechanisms have been placed to explain the pathogenesis of autism. Unfortunately, these are reported in several studies and reviews which make it difficult to follow by the reader. In addition, some recent molecular mechanisms related to ASD have been unrevealed. This paper revises and highlights the major common molecular mechanisms responsible for the clinical symptoms seen in people with ASD, including the roles of common genetic factors and disorders, neuroinflammation, GABAergic signaling, and alterations in Ca+2 signaling. Besides, it covers the major molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways involved in initiating the epileptic seizure, including the alterations in the GABAergic and glutamate signaling, vitamin and mineral deficiency, disorders of metabolism, and autoimmunity. Finally, this review also discusses sleep disorder patterns and the molecular mechanisms underlying them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hussain Al Dera
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine at King Saud, Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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49
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George H, Bashir ZI, Hussain S. Impaired hippocampal NMDAR-LTP in a transgenic model of NSUN2-deficiency. Neurobiol Dis 2022; 163:105597. [PMID: 34954053 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2021.105597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Revised: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Biallelic loss-of-function NSUN2 mutations have recently been associated with cases of Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC), and NSun2-deficiency was also previously shown to cause a severe autosomal recessive intellectually disability disorder syndrome in which patients can sometimes display autistic behaviour. It has been demonstrated that NSUN2 can control protein synthesis rates via direct regulation of RNA methylation, and it is therefore of interest that other studies have suggested protein synthesis-dependent synaptic plasticity dysregulation as a mechanism for learning difficulties in various other autism-expressing conditions and disorders. Here we investigated NMDAR-LTP in a murine transgenic model harbouring loss-of-function mutation in the NSun2 gene and find an impairment of a protein synthesis-dependent form of this synaptic plasticity pathway. Our findings support the idea that NMDAR-LTP mis-regulation may represent a previously underappreciated mechanism associated with autism phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harry George
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK; Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Zafar I Bashir
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK.
| | - Shobbir Hussain
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK.
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Auerbach BD, Manohar S, Radziwon K, Salvi R. Auditory hypersensitivity and processing deficits in a rat model of fragile X syndrome. Neurobiol Dis 2021; 161:105541. [PMID: 34751141 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2021.105541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Fragile X (FX) syndrome is one of the leading inherited causes of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A majority of FX and ASD patients exhibit sensory hypersensitivity, including auditory hypersensitivity or hyperacusis, a condition in which everyday sounds are perceived as much louder than normal. Auditory processing deficits in FX and ASD also afford the opportunity to develop objective and quantifiable outcome measures that are likely to translate between humans and animal models due to the well-conserved nature of the auditory system and well-developed behavioral read-outs of sound perception. Therefore, in this study we characterized auditory hypersensitivity in a Fmr1 knockout (KO) transgenic rat model of FX using an operant conditioning task to assess sound detection thresholds and suprathreshold auditory reaction time-intensity (RT-I) functions, a reliable psychoacoustic measure of loudness growth, at a variety of stimulus frequencies, bandwidths, and durations. Male Fmr1 KO and littermate WT rats both learned the task at the same rate and exhibited normal hearing thresholds. However, Fmr1 KO rats had faster auditory RTs over a broad range of intensities and steeper RT-I slopes than WT controls, perceptual evidence of excessive loudness growth in Fmr1 KO rats. Furthermore, we found that Fmr1 KO animals exhibited abnormal perceptual integration of sound duration and bandwidth, with diminished temporal but enhanced spectral integration of sound intensity. Because temporal and spectral integration of sound stimuli were altered in opposite directions in Fmr1 KO rats, this suggests that abnormal RTs in these animals are evidence of aberrant auditory processing rather than generalized hyperactivity or altered motor responses. Together, these results are indicative of fundamental changes to low-level auditory processing in Fmr1 KO animals. Finally, we demonstrated that antagonism of metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGlu5) selectively and dose-dependently restored normal loudness growth in Fmr1 KO rats, suggesting a pharmacologic approach for alleviating sensory hypersensitivity associated with FX. This study leverages the tractable nature of the auditory system and the unique behavioral advantages of rats to provide important insights into the nature of a centrally important yet understudied aspect of FX and ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin D Auerbach
- Center for Hearing and Deafness, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA; Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science & Technology, Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
| | | | - Kelly Radziwon
- Center for Hearing and Deafness, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA
| | - Richard Salvi
- Center for Hearing and Deafness, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA
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