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Mahmoud AH, Elhefnawei DM, EL-Desouky MA, Kadry MO. Reciprocal crosslink among MeCP2/BDNF /CREB signaling pinpointed in autism spectrum disorder. Toxicol Rep 2024; 12:91-99. [PMID: 38229920 PMCID: PMC10789594 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2023.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder, or individual disability (ID), is a condition characterized by complications in social interaction, restricted repetitive behavior, and difficulties in social communication. Neuquinon (NQ) possess a powerful therapeutic potential in various neurodegenerative disease. Nevertheless, contributing to NQ's low water solubility and bioavailability, its medicinal use has been constrained. Liposomes were supposed to be prospective drug-delivering agents for NQ, crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB), and reaching the target organs. The current investigation aims to track the signaling pathways that govern NQ and liposomal neuquinon (LNQ) action in autistic models generated by ethyl formic acid. The neurotransmitters gamma amino-butyric acid (GABA), acetylcholine (ACh), and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in addition to, the gene expressions of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB), and methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2) and the DNA damage COMET analysis at different time intervals of the study, were assessed. EFA in a dose of 500 mg/kg BW was used to induce autism in rats, and then NQ and LNQ were administered in 10 mg/kg and 2 mg/kg BW, respectively. The results revealed that NQ and LNQ significantly down-regulated BDNF, GABA, and AChE; on the other hand, they up-regulated MeCP2, CREB gene expressions, and ACh action. NQ and LNQ displayed improvement in DNA damage in almost all brain regions after EFA alterations; even better results were noticed post-LNQ therapy. Therefore, it may be concluded that neuquinon and liposomal-loaded neuquinon have a therapeutic index versus EFA-induced autism in a rat model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahlam H. Mahmoud
- Department of Therapeutic Chemistry, National Research Centre, Dokki, Giza 12622, Egypt
| | - Doaa M. Elhefnawei
- Department of Therapeutic Chemistry, National Research Centre, Dokki, Giza 12622, Egypt
| | | | - Mai O. Kadry
- Department of Therapeutic Chemistry, National Research Centre, Dokki, Giza 12622, Egypt
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Gabriel GC, Yagi H, Tan T, Bais AS, Glennon BJ, Stapleton MC, Huang L, Reynolds WT, Shaffer MG, Ganapathiraju M, Simon D, Panigrahy A, Wu YL, Lo CW. Mitotic Block and Epigenetic Repression Underlie Neurodevelopmental Defects and Neurobehavioral Deficits in Congenital Heart Disease. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.11.05.565716. [PMID: 38464057 PMCID: PMC10925221 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.05.565716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Poor neurodevelopment is often observed with congenital heart disease (CHD), especially with mutations in chromatin modifiers. Here analysis of mice with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) arising from mutations in Sin3A associated chromatin modifier Sap130 , and adhesion protein Pcdha9, revealed neurodevelopmental and neurobehavioral deficits reminiscent of those in HLHS patients. Microcephaly was associated with impaired cortical neurogenesis, mitotic block, and increased apoptosis. Transcriptional profiling indicated dysregulated neurogenesis by REST, altered CREB signaling regulating memory and synaptic plasticity, and impaired neurovascular coupling modulating cerebral blood flow. Many neurodevelopmental/neurobehavioral disease pathways were recovered, including autism and cognitive impairment. These same pathways emerged from genome-wide DNA methylation and Sap130 chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing analyses, suggesting epigenetic perturbation. Mice with Pcdha9 mutation or forebrain-specific Sap130 deletion without CHD showed learning/memory deficits and autism-like behavior. These novel findings provide mechanistic insights indicating the adverse neurodevelopment in HLHS may involve cell autonomous/nonautonomous defects and epigenetic dysregulation and suggest new avenues for therapy.
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Roy B, Amemasor E, Hussain S, Castro K. UBE3A: The Role in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) and a Potential Candidate for Biomarker Studies and Designing Therapeutic Strategies. Diseases 2023; 12:7. [PMID: 38248358 PMCID: PMC10814747 DOI: 10.3390/diseases12010007] [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: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Published reports from the CDC's Autism and Development Disabilities Monitoring Networks have shown that an average of 1 in every 44 (2.3%) 8-year-old children were estimated to have ASD in 2018. Many of the ASDs exhibiting varying degrees of autism-like phenotypes have chromosomal anomalies in the Chr15q11-q13 region. Numerous potential candidate genes linked with ASD reside in this chromosomal segment. However, several clinical, in vivo, and in vitro studies selected one gene more frequently than others randomly and unbiasedly. This gene codes for UBE3A or Ubiquitin protein ligase E3A [also known as E6AP ubiquitin-protein ligase (E6AP)], an enzyme involved in the cellular degradation of proteins. This gene has been listed as one of the several genes with a high potential of causing ASD in the Autism Database. The gain of function mutations, triplication, or duplication in the UBE3A gene is also associated with ASDs like Angelman Syndrome (AS) and Dup15q Syndrome. The genetic imprinting of UBE3A in the brain and a preference for neuronal maternal-specific expression are the key features of various ASDs. Since the UBE3A gene is involved in two main important diseases associated with autism-like symptoms, there has been widespread research going on in understanding the link between this gene and autism. Additionally, since no universal methodology or mechanism exists for identifying UBE3A-mediated ASD, it continues to be challenging for neurobiologists, neuroscientists, and clinicians to design therapies or diagnostic tools. In this review, we focus on the structure and functional aspects of the UBE3A protein, discuss the primary relevance of the 15q11-q13 region in the cause of ASDs, and highlight the link between UBE3A and ASD. We try to broaden the knowledge of our readers by elaborating on the possible mechanisms underlying UBE3A-mediated ASDs, emphasizing the usage of UBE3A as a prospective biomarker in the preclinical diagnosis of ASDs and discuss the positive outcomes, advanced developments, and the hurdles in the field of therapeutic strategies against UBE3A-mediated ASDs. This review is novel as it lays a very detailed and comprehensive platform for one of the most important genes associated with diseases showing autistic-like symptoms. Additionally, this review also attempts to lay optimistic feedback on the possible steps for the diagnosis, prevention, and therapy of these UBE3A-mediated ASDs in the upcoming years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bidisha Roy
- Life Science Centre, Department of Biological Sciences, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark, NJ 07102, USA; (E.A.); (S.H.); (K.C.)
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Ranieri A, Mennitti C, Falcone N, La Monica I, Di Iorio MR, Tripodi L, Gentile A, Vitale M, Pero R, Pastore L, D’Argenio V, Scudiero O, Lombardo B. Positive effects of physical activity in autism spectrum disorder: how influences behavior, metabolic disorder and gut microbiota. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1238797. [PMID: 38025444 PMCID: PMC10681626 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1238797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social interactions and communication skills impairments that include intellectual disabilities, communication delays and self-injurious behaviors; often are present systemic comorbidities such as gastrointestinal disorders, obesity and cardiovascular disease. Moreover, in recent years has emerged a link between alterations in the intestinal microbiota and neurobehavioral symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorder. Recently, physical activity and exercise interventions are known to be beneficial for improving communication and social interaction and the composition of microbiota. In our review we intend to highlight how different types of sports can help to improve communication and social behaviors in children with autism and also show positive effects on gut microbiota composition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Cristina Mennitti
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnologies, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
| | - Noemi Falcone
- CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate Franco Salvatore, Naples, Italy
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnologies, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
| | - Ilaria La Monica
- CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate Franco Salvatore, Naples, Italy
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnologies, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Rosaria Di Iorio
- CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate Franco Salvatore, Naples, Italy
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnologies, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
| | - Lorella Tripodi
- CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate Franco Salvatore, Naples, Italy
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnologies, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
| | - Alessandro Gentile
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnologies, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Vitale
- CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate Franco Salvatore, Naples, Italy
| | - Raffaella Pero
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnologies, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
- Task Force on Microbiome Studies, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Lucio Pastore
- CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate Franco Salvatore, Naples, Italy
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnologies, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
| | - Valeria D’Argenio
- CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate Franco Salvatore, Naples, Italy
- Department of Human Sciences and Quality of Life Promotion, San Raffaele Open University, Rome, Italy
| | - Olga Scudiero
- CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate Franco Salvatore, Naples, Italy
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnologies, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
- Task Force on Microbiome Studies, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Barbara Lombardo
- CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate Franco Salvatore, Naples, Italy
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnologies, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
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Gundacker A, Cuenca Rico L, Stoehrmann P, Tillmann KE, Weber-Stadlbauer U, Pollak DD. Interaction of the pre- and postnatal environment in the maternal immune activation model. DISCOVER MENTAL HEALTH 2023; 3:15. [PMID: 37622027 PMCID: PMC10444676 DOI: 10.1007/s44192-023-00042-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
Adverse influences during pregnancy are associated with a range of unfavorable outcomes for the developing offspring. Maternal psychosocial stress, exposure to infections and nutritional imbalances are known risk factors for neurodevelopmental derangements and according psychiatric and neurological manifestations later in offspring life. In this context, the maternal immune activation (MIA) model has been extensively used in preclinical research to study how stimulation of the maternal immune system during gestation derails the tightly coordinated sequence of fetal neurodevelopment. The ensuing consequence of MIA for offspring brain structure and function are majorly manifested in behavioral and cognitive abnormalities, phenotypically presenting during the periods of adolescence and adulthood. These observations have been interpreted within the framework of the "double-hit-hypothesis" suggesting that an elevated risk for neurodevelopmental disorders results from an individual being subjected to two adverse environmental influences at distinct periods of life, jointly leading to the emergence of pathology. The early postnatal period, during which the caregiving parent is the major determinant of the newborn´s environment, constitutes a window of vulnerability to external stimuli. Considering that MIA not only affects the developing fetus, but also impinges on the mother´s brain, which is in a state of heightened malleability during pregnancy, the impact of MIA on maternal brain function and behavior postpartum may importantly contribute to the detrimental consequences for her progeny. Here we review current information on the interaction between the prenatal and postnatal maternal environments in the modulation of offspring development and their relevance for the pathophysiology of the MIA model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Gundacker
- Department of Neurophysiology and Neuropharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Schwarzspanierstrasse, 17, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Laura Cuenca Rico
- Department of Neurophysiology and Neuropharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Schwarzspanierstrasse, 17, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter Stoehrmann
- Department of Neurophysiology and Neuropharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Schwarzspanierstrasse, 17, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Katharina E. Tillmann
- Department of Neurophysiology and Neuropharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Schwarzspanierstrasse, 17, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Ulrike Weber-Stadlbauer
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich-Vetsuisse, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Daniela D. Pollak
- Department of Neurophysiology and Neuropharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Schwarzspanierstrasse, 17, 1090 Vienna, Austria
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LaSalle JM. Epigenomic signatures reveal mechanistic clues and predictive markers for autism spectrum disorder. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:1890-1901. [PMID: 36650278 PMCID: PMC10560404 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01917-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) comprises a heterogeneous group of neurodevelopmental outcomes in children with a commonality in deficits in social communication and language combined with repetitive behaviors and interests. The etiology of ASD is heterogeneous, as several hundred genes have been implicated as well as multiple in utero environmental exposures. Over the past two decades, epigenetic investigations, including DNA methylation, have emerged as a novel way to capture the complex interface of multivariate ASD etiologies. More recently, epigenome-wide association studies using human brain and surrogate accessible tissues have revealed some convergent genes that are epigenetically altered in ASD, many of which overlap with known genetic risk factors. Unlike transcriptomes, epigenomic signatures defined by DNA methylation from surrogate tissues such as placenta and cord blood can reflect past differences in fetal brain gene transcription, transcription factor binding, and chromatin. For example, the discovery of NHIP (neuronal hypoxia inducible, placenta associated) through an epigenome-wide association in placenta, identified a common genetic risk for ASD that was modified by prenatal vitamin use. While epigenomic signatures are distinct between different genetic syndromic causes of ASD, bivalent chromatin and some convergent gene pathways are consistently epigenetically altered in both syndromic and idiopathic ASD, as well as some environmental exposures. Together, these epigenomic signatures hold promising clues towards improved early prediction and prevention of ASD as well genes and gene pathways to target for pharmacological interventions. Future advancements in single cell and multi-omic technologies, machine learning, as well as non-invasive screening of epigenomic signatures during pregnancy or newborn periods are expected to continue to impact the translatability of the recent discoveries in epigenomics to precision public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janine M LaSalle
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Perinatal Origins of Disparities Center, MIND Institute, Genome Center, Environmental Health Sciences Center, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
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Adak P, Banerjee N, Sinha S, Bandyopadhyay AK. Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Type A Receptor Variants are Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorders. J Mol Neurosci 2023; 73:237-249. [PMID: 36943547 DOI: 10.1007/s12031-023-02113-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023]
Abstract
Despite several efforts to identify the causes of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), its etiology remains still unclear. Among other aspects, genes that encode neurotransmitter receptors are strong candidates for autism. Here, we wanted to study some genetic variants of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor subunit genes GABRB3, GABRG3, and GABRA5, located on chromosome 15q11-q13 that might contribute to the etiology of ASD in the affected children of West Bengal. rs7180158, rs2081648 (GABRB3); rs12910555 (GABRG3); rs35399885, rs35832850 (GABRA5) were analyzed in 316 children with ASD and 227 healthy controls. Phenotypic associations were evaluated by Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS). Gene expression levels were measured by quantitative real-time PCR. ASD probands showed a higher frequency of "A" allele for rs7180158, "G" allele for rs12901555, and "T" allele for rs35399885. The GA + AA genotypes (rs7180158) and CT + TT genotypes (rs35399885) were found to confer significant risk towards ASD. rs2081648 was found to have transmission bias in the family. Additionally, these variants were found to be associated with one or more of ASD-associated phenotypic traits. Multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) analyses showed mostly independent contributory effects of some of the variants. Again, the gene expression levels of GABRB3, GABRG3, and GABRA5 were downregulated in the cases than the controls. ForGABRA5 rs35399885, the CC genotypes corresponded to higher expression levels compared to the other groups. This study reveals that genetic variants of GABAA receptor subunit genes are significantly associated with ASD. No data for the mentioned variants are found in the population of West Bengal, India.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pallabi Adak
- Manovikas Biomedical Research and Diagnostic Centre, Manovikas Kendra Rehabilitation and Research Institute for the Handicapped, 700107, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Nilanjana Banerjee
- Manovikas Biomedical Research and Diagnostic Centre, Manovikas Kendra Rehabilitation and Research Institute for the Handicapped, 700107, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
| | - Swagata Sinha
- Out Patient Department, Manovikas Kendra Rehabilitation and Research Institute for the Handicapped, 700107, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Apurba Kumar Bandyopadhyay
- Out Patient Department, Manovikas Kendra Rehabilitation and Research Institute for the Handicapped, 700107, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
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Ryan NM, Heron EA. Evidence for parent-of-origin effects in autism spectrum disorder: a narrative review. J Appl Genet 2023; 64:303-317. [PMID: 36710277 PMCID: PMC10076404 DOI: 10.1007/s13353-022-00742-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous group of early-onset neurodevelopmental disorders known to be highly heritable with a complex genetic architecture. Abnormal brain developmental trajectories that impact synaptic functioning, excitation-inhibition balance and brain connectivity are now understood to play a central role in ASD. Ongoing efforts to identify the genetic underpinnings still prove challenging, in part due to phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity.This review focuses on parent-of-origin effects (POEs), where the phenotypic effect of an allele depends on its parental origin. POEs include genomic imprinting, transgenerational effects, mitochondrial DNA, sex chromosomes and mutational transmission bias. The motivation for investigating these mechanisms in ASD has been driven by their known impacts on early brain development and brain functioning, in particular for the most well-documented POE, genomic imprinting. Moreover, imprinting is implicated in syndromes such as Angelman and Prader-Willi, which frequently share comorbid symptoms with ASD. In addition to other regions in the genome, this comprehensive review highlights the 15q11-q13 and 7q chromosomal regions as well as the mitochondrial DNA as harbouring the majority of currently identified POEs in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niamh M Ryan
- Neuropsychiatric Genetics Research Group, Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Elizabeth A Heron
- Neuropsychiatric Genetics Research Group, Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
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Shang M, Tang M, Xue Y. Neurodevelopmental toxicity induced by airborne particulate matter. J Appl Toxicol 2023; 43:167-185. [PMID: 35995895 DOI: 10.1002/jat.4382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Airborne particulate matter (PM), the primary component associated with health risks in air pollution, can negatively impact human health. Studies have shown that PM can enter the brain by inhalation, but data on the exact quantity of particles that reach the brain are unknown. Particulate matter exposure can result in neurotoxicity. Exposure to PM poses a greater health risk to infants and children because their nervous systems are not fully developed. This review paper highlights the association between PM and neurodevelopmental toxicity (NDT). Exposure to PM can induce oxidative stress and inflammation, potentially resulting in blood-brain barrier damage and increased susceptibility to development of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD), such as autism spectrum disorders and attention deficit disorders. In addition, human and animal exposure to PM can induce microglia activation and epigenetic alterations and alter the neurotransmitter levels, which may increase risks for development of NDD. However, the systematic comparisons of the effects of PM on NDD at different ages of exposure are deficient. The elucidation of PM exposure risks and NDT in children during the early developmental stages are of great importance. The synthesis of current research may help to identify markers and mechanisms of PM-induced neurodevelopmental toxicity, allowing for the development of strategies to prevent permanent damage of developing brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengting Shang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Meng Tang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yuying Xue
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
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Carpita B, Migli L, Chiarantini I, Battaglini S, Montalbano C, Carmassi C, Cremone IM, Dell’Osso L. Autism Spectrum Disorder and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: A Literature Review. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12060792. [PMID: 35741677 PMCID: PMC9221419 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12060792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are a group of conditions associated with the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure and characterized by somatic and neuropsychological alterations. On the other hand, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by a multifaceted neurobehavioral syndrome. Since alcohol can affect every stage of brain development, some authors hypothesized that in utero alcohol exposure might be linked to an increased risk of ASD in subjects with genetic vulnerability. The present review aimed to summarize the available literature on the possible association between FASD and ASD, also focusing on the reported clinical overlaps and on the possible shared pathogenic mechanisms. Studies in this field have stressed similarities and differences between the two conditions, leading to controversial results. The available literature also highlighted that both the disorders are often misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed, stressing the need to broaden the perspective, paying specific attention to milder presentations and sub-syndromic traits.
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Ji Y, Chen R, Wang Q, Wei Q, Tao R, Li B. A Bayesian framework to integrate multi-level genome-scale data for Autism risk gene prioritization. BMC Bioinformatics 2022; 23:146. [PMID: 35459094 PMCID: PMC9034518 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-022-04616-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of complex neurodevelopment disorders with a strong genetic basis. Large scale sequencing studies have identified over one hundred ASD risk genes. Nevertheless, the vast majority of ASD risk genes remain to be discovered, as it is estimated that more than 1000 genes are likely to be involved in ASD risk. Prioritization of risk genes is an effective strategy to increase the power of identifying novel risk genes in genetics studies of ASD. As ASD risk genes are likely to exhibit distinct properties from multiple angles, we reason that integrating multiple levels of genomic data is a powerful approach to pinpoint genuine ASD risk genes. Results We present BNScore, a Bayesian model selection framework to probabilistically prioritize ASD risk genes through explicitly integrating evidence from sequencing-identified ASD genes, biological annotations, and gene functional network. We demonstrate the validity of our approach and its improved performance over existing methods by examining the resulting top candidate ASD risk genes against sets of high-confidence benchmark genes and large-scale ASD genome-wide association studies. We assess the tissue-, cell type- and development stage-specific expression properties of top prioritized genes, and find strong expression specificity in brain tissues, striatal medium spiny neurons, and fetal developmental stages. Conclusions In summary, we show that by integrating sequencing findings, functional annotation profiles, and gene-gene functional network, our proposed BNScore provides competitive performance compared to current state-of-the-art methods in prioritizing ASD genes. Our method offers a general and flexible strategy to risk gene prioritization that can potentially be applied to other complex traits as well. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12859-022-04616-y.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Ji
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA.,Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA
| | - Rui Chen
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA.,Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA
| | - Quan Wang
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA.,Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA
| | - Qiang Wei
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA.,Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA
| | - Ran Tao
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA. .,Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA.
| | - Bingshan Li
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA. .,Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA.
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LaSalle JM. X Chromosome Inactivation Timing is Not e XACT: Implications for Autism Spectrum Disorders. Front Genet 2022; 13:864848. [PMID: 35356429 PMCID: PMC8959653 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.864848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The etiology of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is complex, involving different combinations of genetic and environmental factors. My lab's approach has been to investigate DNA methylation as a tractable genome-wide modification at the interface of these complex interactions, reflecting past and future events in the molecular pathogenesis of ASD. Since X-linked genes were enriched in DNA methylation differences discovered from cord blood from newborns later diagnosed with ASD, this has prompted me to review and revisit the recent advancements in the field of X chromosome inactivation (XCI), particularly in humans and other primates. In this Perspective, I compare XCI mechanisms in different mammalian species, including the finding of the noncoding transcript XACT associated with X chromosome erosion in human pluripotent stem cells and recent findings from non-human primate post-implantation embryos. I focus on the experimentally challenging peri- and post-implantation stages of human development when the timing of XCI is prolonged and imprecise in humans. Collectively, this research has raised some important unanswered questions involving biased sex ratios in human births and the male bias in the incidence of ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janine M LaSalle
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Perinatal Origins of Disparities Center, MIND Institute, Genome Center, Environmental Health Sciences Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
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Liu P, Liang J, Jiang F, Cai W, Shen F, Liang J, Zhang J, Sun Z, Sui N. Gnas Promoter Hypermethylation in the Basolateral Amygdala Regulates Reconsolidation of Morphine Reward Memory in Rats. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13030553. [PMID: 35328106 PMCID: PMC8950747 DOI: 10.3390/genes13030553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Impairing reconsolidation may disrupt drug memories to prevent relapse, meanwhile long-term transcription regulations in the brain regions contribute to the occurrence of emotional memories. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is involved in the drug-cue association, while the nucleus accumbens (NAc) responds to the drug reward. Here, we assessed whether DNA methyltransferases (Dnmts) in these two brain regions function identically in the reconsolidation of morphine reward memory. We show that Dnmts inhibition in the BLA but not in the NAc after memory retrieval impaired reconsolidation of a morphine reward memory. Moreover, the mRNA levels of Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b, rather than Dnmt1, in the BLA were continuously upregulated after retrieval. We further identified the differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in genes in the BLA after retrieval, and focused on the DMRs located in gene promoter regions. Among them were three genes (Gnas, Sox10, and Pik3r1) involved in memory modulation. Furthermore, Gnas promoter hypermethylation was confirmed to be inversely correlated with the downregulation of Gnas mRNA levels. The findings indicate that the specific transcription regulation mechanism in the BLA and NAc on reconsolidation of opiate-associated memories can be dissociable, and DNA hypermethylation of Gnas in the BLA is necessary for the reconsolidation of morphine reward memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing 100101, China; (P.L.); (F.J.); (F.S.); (J.L.); (N.S.)
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Jialong Liang
- Beijing Institutes of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; (J.L.); (W.C.)
| | - Fengze Jiang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing 100101, China; (P.L.); (F.J.); (F.S.); (J.L.); (N.S.)
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Wanshi Cai
- Beijing Institutes of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; (J.L.); (W.C.)
| | - Fang Shen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing 100101, China; (P.L.); (F.J.); (F.S.); (J.L.); (N.S.)
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Jing Liang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing 100101, China; (P.L.); (F.J.); (F.S.); (J.L.); (N.S.)
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Jianjun Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing 100101, China; (P.L.); (F.J.); (F.S.); (J.L.); (N.S.)
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- Correspondence: (J.Z.); (Z.S.)
| | - Zhongsheng Sun
- Beijing Institutes of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; (J.L.); (W.C.)
- Institute of Genomic Medicine, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325000, China
- Correspondence: (J.Z.); (Z.S.)
| | - Nan Sui
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing 100101, China; (P.L.); (F.J.); (F.S.); (J.L.); (N.S.)
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
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Social Responsiveness and Psychosocial Functioning in Adults with Prader-Willi Syndrome. J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11051433. [PMID: 35268524 PMCID: PMC8911114 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11051433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2022] [Revised: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Although various studies have investigated symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Prader−Willi syndrome (PWS), little is known about the consequences of these symptoms, especially in psychosocial function. We aimed to explore ASD symptoms in adults with PWS with special attention to psychosocial functionality. This cross-sectional study included 26 adults (15 women) with PWS who attended a reference unit for rare diseases. Participants’ primary caregivers completed the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), and clinicians assessed multidimensional functioning with the Personal and Social Performance Scale (PSP). Impaired social responsiveness was identified in 20 (76.9%) participants, and manifest to marked difficulties in social functioning were identified in 13 (50%). Participants with impaired social responsiveness (SRS ≥ 60) had significantly worse scores in functionality measured with the PSP (U = 12.5; p = 0.009) and with three of the four PSP main areas. Moreover, scores for the Social Cognition domain of the SRS correlated positively with the Socially useful activities (p < 0.05) and Personal and social relationships (p < 0.01) main areas of the PSP. These results suggest that difficulties in social skills should be assessed in all psychosocial evaluations of patients with PWS.
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15
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16
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Chaudhury S. Epigenetic regulation in Autism spectrum disorder. AIMS GENETICS 2021. [DOI: 10.3934/genet.2016.4.292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
AbstractAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by an impaired social communication skill and often results in repetitive, stereotyped behavior which is observed in children during the first few years of life. Other characteristic of this disorder includes language disabilities, difficulties in sensory integration, lack of reciprocal interactions and in some cases, cognitive delays. One percentage of the general population is affected by ASD and is four times more common in boys than girls. There are hundreds of genes, which has been identified to be associated with ASD etiology. However it remains difficult to comprehend our understanding in defining the genetic architecture necessary for complete exposition of its pathophysiology. Seeing the complexity of the disease, it is important to adopt a multidisciplinary approach which should not only focus on the “genetics” of autism but also on epigenetics, transcriptomics, immune system disruption and environmental factors that could all impact the pathogenesis of the disease. As environmental factors also play a key role in regulating the trigger of ASD, the role of chromatin remodeling and DNA methylation has started to emerge. Such epigenetic modifications directly link molecular regulatory pathways and environmental factors, which might be able to explain some aspects of complex disorders like ASD. The present review will focus on the role of epigenetic regulation in defining the underlying cause for ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sraboni Chaudhury
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI-48109, USA
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17
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Mendiola AJP, LaSalle JM. Epigenetics in Prader-Willi Syndrome. Front Genet 2021; 12:624581. [PMID: 33659026 PMCID: PMC7917289 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.624581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder that affects approximately 1 in 20,000 individuals worldwide. Symptom progression in PWS is classically characterized by two nutritional stages. Stage 1 is hypotonia characterized by poor muscle tone that leads to poor feeding behavior causing failure to thrive in early neonatal life. Stage 2 is followed by the development of extreme hyperphagia, also known as insatiable eating and fixation on food that often leads to obesity in early childhood. Other major features of PWS include obsessive-compulsive and hoarding behaviors, intellectual disability, and sleep abnormalities. PWS is genetic disorder mapping to imprinted 15q11.2-q13.3 locus, specifically at the paternally expressed SNORD116 locus of small nucleolar RNAs and noncoding host gene transcripts. SNORD116 is processed into several noncoding components and is hypothesized to orchestrate diurnal changes in metabolism through epigenetics, according to functional studies. Here, we review the current status of epigenetic mechanisms in PWS, with an emphasis on an emerging role for SNORD116 in circadian and sleep phenotypes. We also summarize current ongoing therapeutic strategies, as well as potential implications for more common human metabolic and psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Janine M. LaSalle
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Genome Center, MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
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18
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Šimić G, Vukić V, Kopić J, Krsnik Ž, Hof PR. Molecules, Mechanisms, and Disorders of Self-Domestication: Keys for Understanding Emotional and Social Communication from an Evolutionary Perspective. Biomolecules 2020; 11:E2. [PMID: 33375093 PMCID: PMC7822183 DOI: 10.3390/biom11010002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Revised: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The neural crest hypothesis states that the phenotypic features of the domestication syndrome are due to a reduced number or disruption of neural crest cells (NCCs) migration, as these cells differentiate at their final destinations and proliferate into different tissues whose activity is reduced by domestication. Comparing the phenotypic characteristics of modern and prehistoric man, it is clear that during their recent evolutionary past, humans also went through a process of self-domestication with a simultaneous prolongation of the period of socialization. This has led to the development of social abilities and skills, especially language, as well as neoteny. Disorders of neural crest cell development and migration lead to many different conditions such as Waardenburg syndrome, Hirschsprung disease, fetal alcohol syndrome, DiGeorge and Treacher-Collins syndrome, for which the mechanisms are already relatively well-known. However, for others, such as Williams-Beuren syndrome and schizophrenia that have the characteristics of hyperdomestication, and autism spectrum disorders, and 7dupASD syndrome that have the characteristics of hypodomestication, much less is known. Thus, deciphering the biological determinants of disordered self-domestication has great potential for elucidating the normal and disturbed ontogenesis of humans, as well as for the understanding of evolution of mammals in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Goran Šimić
- Department of Neuroscience, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb Medical School, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (V.V.); (J.K.); (Ž.K.)
| | - Vana Vukić
- Department of Neuroscience, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb Medical School, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (V.V.); (J.K.); (Ž.K.)
| | - Janja Kopić
- Department of Neuroscience, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb Medical School, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (V.V.); (J.K.); (Ž.K.)
| | - Željka Krsnik
- Department of Neuroscience, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb Medical School, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (V.V.); (J.K.); (Ž.K.)
| | - Patrick R. Hof
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, and Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA;
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Refining Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder Genetic Loci by Integrating Summary Data From Genome-wide Association, Gene Expression, and DNA Methylation Studies. Biol Psychiatry 2020; 88:470-479. [PMID: 32684367 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Revised: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 05/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent genome-wide association studies (GWASs) identified the first genetic loci associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The next step is to use these results to increase our understanding of the biological mechanisms involved. Most of the identified variants likely influence gene regulation. The aim of the current study is to shed light on the mechanisms underlying the genetic signals and prioritize genes by integrating GWAS results with gene expression and DNA methylation (DNAm) levels. METHODS We applied summary-data-based Mendelian randomization to integrate ADHD and ASD GWAS data with fetal brain expression and methylation quantitative trait loci, given the early onset of these disorders. We also analyzed expression and methylation quantitative trait loci datasets of adult brain and blood, as these provide increased statistical power. We subsequently used summary-data-based Mendelian randomization to investigate if the same variant influences both DNAm and gene expression levels. RESULTS We identified multiple gene expression and DNAm levels in fetal brain at chromosomes 1 and 17 that were associated with ADHD and ASD, respectively, through pleiotropy at shared genetic variants. The analyses in brain and blood showed additional associated gene expression and DNAm levels at the same and additional loci, likely because of increased statistical power. Several of the associated genes have not been identified in ADHD and ASD GWASs before. CONCLUSIONS Our findings identified the genetic variants associated with ADHD and ASD that likely act through gene regulation. This facilitates prioritization of candidate genes for functional follow-up studies.
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20
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Gemechu SD, van Vliet CM, Win AK, Figueiredo JC, Le Marchand L, Gallinger S, Newcomb PA, Hopper JL, Lindor NM, Jenkins MA, Dowty JG. Do the risks of Lynch syndrome-related cancers depend on the parent of origin of the mutation? Fam Cancer 2020; 19:215-222. [PMID: 32107660 PMCID: PMC7410789 DOI: 10.1007/s10689-020-00167-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Individuals who carry pathogenic mutations in DNA mismatch repair (MMR) genes have high risks of cancer, and small studies have suggested that these risks depend on the sex of the parent from whom the mutation was inherited. We have conducted the first large study of such a parent-of-origin effect (POE). Our study was based on all MMR gene mutation carriers and their relatives in the Colon Cancer Family Registry, comprising 18,226 people. The POE was estimated as a hazard ratio (HR) using a segregation analysis approach that adjusted for ascertainment. HR = 1 corresponds to no POE and HR > 1 corresponds to higher risks for maternal mutations. For all MMR genes combined, the estimated POE HRs were 1.02 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.75-1.39, p = 0.9) for male colorectal cancer, 1.12 (95% CI 0.81-1.54, p = 0.5) for female colorectal cancer and 0.84 (95% CI 0.52-1.36, p = 0.5) for endometrial cancer. Separate results for each MMR gene were similar. Therefore, despite being well-powered, our study did not find any evidence that cancer risks for MMR gene mutation carriers depend on the parent-of-origin of the mutation. Based on current evidence, we do not recommend that POEs be incorporated into the clinical guidelines or advice for such carriers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shimelis Dejene Gemechu
- Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Christine M van Vliet
- Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Aung Ko Win
- Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, University of Melbourne Centre for Cancer Research, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Genetic Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Jane C Figueiredo
- Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Steven Gallinger
- Mount Sinai Hospital, Lunenfeld Tanenbaum Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Polly A Newcomb
- Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - John L Hopper
- Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Noralane M Lindor
- Department of Health Science Research, Mayo Clinic Arizona, Scottsdale, AZ, USA
| | - Mark A Jenkins
- Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, University of Melbourne Centre for Cancer Research, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - James G Dowty
- Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
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21
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López-Tobón A, Trattaro S, Testa G. The sociability spectrum: evidence from reciprocal genetic copy number variations. Mol Autism 2020; 11:50. [PMID: 32546261 PMCID: PMC7298749 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-020-00347-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Sociability entails some of the most complex behaviors processed by the central nervous system. It includes the detection, integration, and interpretation of social cues and elaboration of context-specific responses that are quintessentially species-specific. There is an ever-growing accumulation of molecular associations to autism spectrum disorders (ASD), from causative genes to endophenotypes across multiple functional layers; these however, have rarely been put in context with the opposite manifestation featured in hypersociability syndromes. Genetic copy number variations (CNVs) allow to investigate the relationships between gene dosage and its corresponding phenotypes. In particular, CNVs of the 7q11.23 locus, which manifest diametrically opposite social behaviors, offer a privileged window to look into the molecular substrates underlying the developmental trajectories of the social brain. As by definition sociability is studied in humans postnatally, the developmental fluctuations causing social impairments have thus far remained a black box. Here, we review key evidence of molecular players involved at both ends of the sociability spectrum, focusing on genetic and functional associations of neuroendocrine regulators and synaptic transmission pathways. We then proceed to propose the existence of a molecular axis centered around the paradigmatic dosage imbalances at the 7q11.23 locus, regulating networks responsible for the development of social behavior in humans and highlight the key role that neurodevelopmental models from reprogrammed pluripotent cells will play for its understanding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro López-Tobón
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Epigenetics, IEO, European Institute of Oncology, IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-oncology, Università degli studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
| | - Sebastiano Trattaro
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Epigenetics, IEO, European Institute of Oncology, IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-oncology, Università degli studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
| | - Giuseppe Testa
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Epigenetics, IEO, European Institute of Oncology, IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-oncology, Università degli studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
- Human Technopole, Via Cristina Belgioioso 171, Milan, Italy.
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22
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Wang Y, Qian M, Tang D, Herbstman J, Perera F, Wang S. A powerful and flexible weighted distance-based method incorporating interactions between DNA methylation and environmental factors on health outcomes. Bioinformatics 2020; 36:653-659. [PMID: 31504174 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btz630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2019] [Revised: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
MOTIVATION Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methylation plays a crucial role in human health. Studies have demonstrated associations between DNA methylation and environmental factors with evidence also supporting the idea that DNA methylation may modify the risk of environmental factors on health outcomes. However, due to high dimensionality and low study power, current studies usually focus on finding differential methylation on health outcomes at CpG level or gene level combining multiple CpGs and/or finding environmental effects on health outcomes but ignoring their interactions on health outcomes. Here we introduce the idea of a pseudo-data matrix constructed with cross-product terms between CpGs and environmental factors that are able to capture their interactions. We then develop a powerful and flexible weighted distance-based method with the pseudo-data matrix where association strength was used as weights on CpGs, environmental factors and their interactions to up-weight signals and down-weight noises in distance calculations. RESULTS We compared the power of this novel approach and several comparison methods in simulated datasets and the Mothers and Newborns birth cohort of the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health to determine whether prenatal polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons interacts with DNA methylation in association with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Mental Development Index at age 3. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION An R code for the proposed method Dw-M-E-int together with a tutorial and a sample dataset is available for downloading from http://www.columbia.edu/∼sw2206/softwares.htm. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya Wang
- Department of Biostatistics, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Min Qian
- Department of Biostatistics, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Deliang Tang
- Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health, Department of Environmental Health Science, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Julie Herbstman
- Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health, Department of Environmental Health Science, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Frederica Perera
- Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health, Department of Environmental Health Science, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Shuang Wang
- Department of Biostatistics, New York, NY 10032, USA
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Aggernæs B. Suggestion of a dynamic model of the development of neurodevelopmental disorders and the phenomenon of autism. AIMS MOLECULAR SCIENCE 2020. [DOI: 10.3934/molsci.2020008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
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New Horizons for Molecular Genetics Diagnostic and Research in Autism Spectrum Disorder. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2020; 24:43-81. [PMID: 32006356 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-30402-7_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a highly heritable, heterogeneous, and complex pervasive neurodevelopmental disorder (PND) characterized by distinctive abnormalities of human cognitive functions, social interaction, and speech development.Nowadays, several genetic changes including chromosome abnormalities, genetic variations, transcriptional epigenetics, and noncoding RNA have been identified in ASD. However, the association between these genetic modifications and ASDs has not been confirmed yet.The aim of this review is to summarize the key findings in ASD from genetic viewpoint that have been identified from the last few decades of genetic and molecular research.
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25
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Pineda-Cirera L, Shivalikanjli A, Cabana-Domínguez J, Demontis D, Rajagopal VM, Børglum AD, Faraone SV, Cormand B, Fernàndez-Castillo N. Exploring genetic variation that influences brain methylation in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Transl Psychiatry 2019; 9:242. [PMID: 31582733 PMCID: PMC6776507 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-019-0574-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2018] [Revised: 07/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by an interplay of genetic and environmental factors. Epigenetics is crucial to lasting changes in gene expression in the brain. Recent studies suggest a role for DNA methylation in ADHD. We explored the contribution to ADHD of allele-specific methylation (ASM), an epigenetic mechanism that involves SNPs correlating with differential levels of DNA methylation at CpG sites. We selected 3896 tagSNPs reported to influence methylation in human brain regions and performed a case-control association study using the summary statistics from the largest GWAS meta-analysis of ADHD, comprising 20,183 cases and 35,191 controls. We observed that genetic risk variants for ADHD are enriched in ASM SNPs and identified associations with eight tagSNPs that were significant at a 5% false discovery rate (FDR). These SNPs correlated with methylation of CpG sites lying in the promoter regions of six genes. Since methylation may affect gene expression, we inspected these ASM SNPs together with 52 ASM SNPs in high LD with them for eQTLs in brain tissues and observed that the expression of three of those genes was affected by them. ADHD risk alleles correlated with increased expression (and decreased methylation) of ARTN and PIDD1 and with a decreased expression (and increased methylation) of C2orf82. Furthermore, these three genes were predicted to have altered expression in ADHD, and genetic variants in C2orf82 correlated with brain volumes. In summary, we followed a systematic approach to identify risk variants for ADHD that correlated with differential cis-methylation, identifying three novel genes contributing to the disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Pineda-Cirera
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid, Spain
- Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Anu Shivalikanjli
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IR-SJD), Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Judit Cabana-Domínguez
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid, Spain
- Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IR-SJD), Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Ditte Demontis
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark
- Centre for Integrative Sequencing, iSEQ, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Biomedicine - Human Genetics, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Veera M Rajagopal
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark
- Centre for Integrative Sequencing, iSEQ, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Biomedicine - Human Genetics, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Anders D Børglum
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark
- Centre for Integrative Sequencing, iSEQ, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Biomedicine - Human Genetics, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Stephen V Faraone
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience and Physiology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA
| | - Bru Cormand
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid, Spain.
- Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IR-SJD), Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
| | - Noèlia Fernàndez-Castillo
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid, Spain.
- Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IR-SJD), Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
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Ziats CA, Rennert OM, Ziats MN. Toward a Pathway-Driven Clinical-Molecular Framework for Classifying Autism Spectrum Disorders. Pediatr Neurol 2019; 98:46-52. [PMID: 31272785 DOI: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2019.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2019] [Revised: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 05/06/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The current classification system of neurodevelopmental disorders is based on clinical criteria; however, this method alone fails to incorporate what is now known about genomic similarities and differences between closely related clinical neurodevelopmental disorders. Here we present an alternative clinical molecular classification system of neurodevelopmental disorders based on shared molecular and cellular pathways, using syndromes with autistic features as examples. METHODS Using the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man database, we identified 83 syndromes that had "autism" as a feature of disease, which in combination were associated with 69 autism disease-causing genes. Using annotation terms generated from the DAVID annotation tool, we grouped each gene and its associated autism syndrome into three biological pathways: ion transport, cellular synaptic function, and transcriptional regulation. RESULTS The majority of the autism syndromes we analyzed (54 of 83) enriched for processes related to transcriptional regulation and were associated with more non-neurologic symptoms and co-morbid psychiatric disease when compared with the other two pathways studied. Disorders with disrupted cellular synaptic function had significantly more motor-related symptoms when compared with the other groups of disorders. CONCLUSION Our pathway-based classification system identified unique clinical characteristics within each group that may help guide clinical diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. These results suggest that shifting current clinical classification of autism disorders toward molecularly driven, pathway-related diagnostic groups such as this may more precisely guide clinical decision making and may be informative for future clinical trial and drug development approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine A Ziats
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
| | - Owen M Rennert
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Mark N Ziats
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
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Liang S, Li Z, Wang Y, Li X, Yang X, Zhan X, Huang Y, Gao Z, Zhang M, Sun C, Zhang Y, Wu L. Genome-Wide DNA Methylation Analysis Reveals Epigenetic Pattern of SH2B1 in Chinese Monozygotic Twins Discordant for Autism Spectrum Disorder. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:712. [PMID: 31379474 PMCID: PMC6660254 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2018] [Accepted: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder. Aberrant DNA methylation has been observed in ASD but the mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, we employed discordant monozygotic twins to investigate the contribution of DNA methylation to ASD etiology. Genome-wide DNA methylation analysis was performed using samples obtained from five pairs of ASD-discordant monozygotic twins, which revealed a total of 2,397 differentially methylated genes. Further, such gene list was annotated with Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and demonstrated predominant activation of neurotrophin signaling pathway in ASD-discordant monozygotic twins. The methylation of SH2B1 gene was further confirmed in the ASD-discordant, ASD-concordant monozygotic twins, and a set of 30 pairs of sporadic case-control by bisulfite-pyrosequencing. The results showed that there was a greater DNA methylation difference in ASD-discordant monozygotic twins than ASD-concordant monozygotic twins. Further, verification of the Chr.16:28856743 of SH2B1 showed significant differences in DNA methylation between case and control. These results suggest abnormal methylation of SH2B1 is associated with ASD etiology. Our data suggest that it might be worthwhile to further explore the functions of SH2B1 and related genes of neurotrophin signaling pathway in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuang Liang
- Department of Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Zhenzhi Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Yihan Wang
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Xiaodan Li
- Department of Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Xiaolei Yang
- Department of Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Xiaolei Zhan
- Department of Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Yan Huang
- Department of Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Zhaomin Gao
- Department of Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Min Zhang
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Caihong Sun
- Department of Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Yan Zhang
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Lijie Wu
- Department of Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
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28
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Addo KA, Bulka C, Dhingra R, Santos HP, Smeester L, O’Shea TM, Fry RC. Acetaminophen use during pregnancy and DNA methylation in the placenta of the extremely low gestational age newborn (ELGAN) cohort. ENVIRONMENTAL EPIGENETICS 2019; 5:dvz010. [PMID: 31404209 PMCID: PMC6682751 DOI: 10.1093/eep/dvz010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2019] [Revised: 06/07/2019] [Accepted: 06/10/2019] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Acetaminophen is considered the safest antipyretic and analgesic medication for pregnant women. However, studies have reported that acetaminophen has endocrine disrupting properties and prenatal exposure has been associated with early life epigenetic changes and later life health outcomes. As the placenta is the central mediator of maternal and fetal interactions, exposure to acetaminophen during pregnancy could manifest as perturbations in the placenta epigenome. Here, we evaluated epigenome-wide cytosine-guanine dinucleotide (CpG) methylation in placental tissue in relation to maternal acetaminophen use during pregnancy in a cohort of 286 newborns born prior to 28 weeks gestation. According to maternal self-report, more than half (166 of 286) of the newborns were exposed to acetaminophen in utero. After adjustment for potential confounders, a total of 42 CpGs were identified to be differentially methylated at a false discovery rate < 0.05, with most displaying increased methylation as it relates to acetaminophen exposure. A notable gene that was significantly associated with acetaminophen is the prostaglandin receptor (PTGDR) which plays an essential role in mediating placental blood flow and fetal growth. Moreover, for 6 of the 42 CpGs, associations of acetaminophen use with methylation were significantly different between male and female placentas; 3 CpG sites were associated with acetaminophen use in the male placenta and 3 different sites were associated with acetaminophen use in the female placenta (P interaction < 0.2). These findings highlight a relationship between maternal acetaminophen use during pregnancy and the placental epigenome and suggest that the responses for some CpG sites are sex dependent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kezia A Addo
- Curriculum in Toxicology and Environmental Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gilling School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Catherine Bulka
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gilling School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Radhika Dhingra
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gilling School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Institute for Environmental Health Solutions, Gilling School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Hudson P Santos
- Institute for Environmental Health Solutions, Gilling School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- School of Nursing, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Lisa Smeester
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gilling School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Institute for Environmental Health Solutions, Gilling School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - T Michael O’Shea
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Rebecca C Fry
- Curriculum in Toxicology and Environmental Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gilling School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Institute for Environmental Health Solutions, Gilling School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Correspondence address. Curriculum in Toxicology and Environmental Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Rosenau Hall, Rm 166, Campus Box 7431, 135 Dauer Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. Tel: +1-919-966-1171; Fax: +1-919-966-7911; E-mail:
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29
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Nguyen RL, Medvedeva YV, Ayyagari TE, Schmunk G, Gargus JJ. Intracellular calcium dysregulation in autism spectrum disorder: An analysis of converging organelle signaling pathways. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH 2018; 1865:1718-1732. [PMID: 30992134 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2018.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2018] [Revised: 07/18/2018] [Accepted: 08/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of complex, neurological disorders that affect early cognitive, social, and verbal development. Our understanding of ASD has vastly improved with advances in genomic sequencing technology and genetic models that have identified >800 loci with variants that increase susceptibility to ASD. Although these findings have confirmed its high heritability, the underlying mechanisms by which these genes produce the ASD phenotypes have not been defined. Current efforts have begun to "functionalize" many of these variants and envisage how these susceptibility factors converge at key biochemical and biophysical pathways. In this review, we discuss recent work on intracellular calcium signaling in ASD, including our own work, which begins to suggest it as a compelling candidate mechanism in the pathophysiology of autism and a potential therapeutic target. We consider how known variants in the calcium signaling genomic architecture of ASD may exert their deleterious effects along pathways particularly involving organelle dysfunction including the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), a major calcium store, and the mitochondria, a major calcium ion buffer, and theorize how many of these pathways intersect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel L Nguyen
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; UCI Center for Autism Research and Translation, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Yuliya V Medvedeva
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; UCI Center for Autism Research and Translation, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Department of Neurology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Tejasvi E Ayyagari
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; UCI Center for Autism Research and Translation, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Galina Schmunk
- UCI Center for Autism Research and Translation, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - John Jay Gargus
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; UCI Center for Autism Research and Translation, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Section of Human Genetics and Genomics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
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30
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Baker EK, Godler DE, Bui M, Hickerton C, Rogers C, Field M, Amor DJ, Bretherton L. Exploring autism symptoms in an Australian cohort of patients with Prader-Willi and Angelman syndromes. J Neurodev Disord 2018; 10:24. [PMID: 30081815 PMCID: PMC6091196 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-018-9242-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2017] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and Angelman syndrome (AS) are neurodevelopmental disorders that are caused by abnormal expression of imprinted genes in the 15q11-13 region. Dysregulation of genes located in this region has been proposed as a susceptibility factor for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in both disorders. Methods This study aimed to explore symptoms of ASD in 25 PWS and 19 AS individuals aged between 1 and 39 years via objective assessment. Participants completed the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2nd Edition (ADOS-2) and a developmentally or age-appropriate intellectual functioning assessment. All participants had their genetic diagnosis confirmed using DNA methylation analysis and microarray testing of copy number changes within the 15q11-13 region. Results Participants with PWS had significantly higher overall and social affect calibrated severity scores (CSS) on the ADOS-2 compared to AS participants (p = .0055 and .0015, respectively), but the two groups did not differ significantly on CSS for the repetitive and restricted behaviour domain. Conclusions PWS cases presented with greater symptoms associated with ASD compared to individuals with AS. Mental health issues associated with PWS may contribute to elevated symptoms of ASD, particularly in adolescents and adults with PWS. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s11689-018-9242-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma K Baker
- Cyto-Molecular Diagnostic Research Laboratory, Victorian Clinical Genetics Services and Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
| | - David E Godler
- Cyto-Molecular Diagnostic Research Laboratory, Victorian Clinical Genetics Services and Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Minh Bui
- Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Chriselle Hickerton
- Genetics Education and Health Research, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Carolyn Rogers
- Genetics of Learning Disability Service (GOLD Service), Hunter Genetics, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
| | - Mike Field
- Genetics of Learning Disability Service (GOLD Service), Hunter Genetics, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
| | - David J Amor
- Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Neurodisability and Rehabilitation, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Lesley Bretherton
- Child Neuropsychology, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
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31
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Ducsay CA, Goyal R, Pearce WJ, Wilson S, Hu XQ, Zhang L. Gestational Hypoxia and Developmental Plasticity. Physiol Rev 2018; 98:1241-1334. [PMID: 29717932 PMCID: PMC6088145 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00043.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Hypoxia is one of the most common and severe challenges to the maintenance of homeostasis. Oxygen sensing is a property of all tissues, and the response to hypoxia is multidimensional involving complicated intracellular networks concerned with the transduction of hypoxia-induced responses. Of all the stresses to which the fetus and newborn infant are subjected, perhaps the most important and clinically relevant is that of hypoxia. Hypoxia during gestation impacts both the mother and fetal development through interactions with an individual's genetic traits acquired over multiple generations by natural selection and changes in gene expression patterns by altering the epigenetic code. Changes in the epigenome determine "genomic plasticity," i.e., the ability of genes to be differentially expressed according to environmental cues. The genomic plasticity defined by epigenomic mechanisms including DNA methylation, histone modifications, and noncoding RNAs during development is the mechanistic substrate for phenotypic programming that determines physiological response and risk for healthy or deleterious outcomes. This review explores the impact of gestational hypoxia on maternal health and fetal development, and epigenetic mechanisms of developmental plasticity with emphasis on the uteroplacental circulation, heart development, cerebral circulation, pulmonary development, and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and adipose tissue. The complex molecular and epigenetic interactions that may impact an individual's physiology and developmental programming of health and disease later in life are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles A. Ducsay
- The Lawrence D. Longo, MD Center for Perinatal Biology, Department of Basic Sciences, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California
| | - Ravi Goyal
- The Lawrence D. Longo, MD Center for Perinatal Biology, Department of Basic Sciences, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California
| | - William J. Pearce
- The Lawrence D. Longo, MD Center for Perinatal Biology, Department of Basic Sciences, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California
| | - Sean Wilson
- The Lawrence D. Longo, MD Center for Perinatal Biology, Department of Basic Sciences, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California
| | - Xiang-Qun Hu
- The Lawrence D. Longo, MD Center for Perinatal Biology, Department of Basic Sciences, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California
| | - Lubo Zhang
- The Lawrence D. Longo, MD Center for Perinatal Biology, Department of Basic Sciences, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California
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32
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An interactome perturbation framework prioritizes damaging missense mutations for developmental disorders. Nat Genet 2018; 50:1032-1040. [PMID: 29892012 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-018-0130-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2017] [Accepted: 04/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Identifying disease-associated missense mutations remains a challenge, especially in large-scale sequencing studies. Here we establish an experimentally and computationally integrated approach to investigate the functional impact of missense mutations in the context of the human interactome network and test our approach by analyzing ~2,000 de novo missense mutations found in autism subjects and their unaffected siblings. Interaction-disrupting de novo missense mutations are more common in autism probands, principally affect hub proteins, and disrupt a significantly higher fraction of hub interactions than in unaffected siblings. Moreover, they tend to disrupt interactions involving genes previously implicated in autism, providing complementary evidence that strengthens previously identified associations and enhances the discovery of new ones. Importantly, by analyzing de novo missense mutation data from six disorders, we demonstrate that our interactome perturbation approach offers a generalizable framework for identifying and prioritizing missense mutations that contribute to the risk of human disease.
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33
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Mahdavi M, Kheirollahi M, Riahi R, Khorvash F, Khorrami M, Mirsafaie M. Meta-Analysis of the Association between GABA Receptor Polymorphisms and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). J Mol Neurosci 2018; 65:1-9. [PMID: 29725984 DOI: 10.1007/s12031-018-1073-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2018] [Accepted: 04/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies have reported the association of GABA receptor subunits B3, A5, and G3 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in chromosome 15q11-q13 with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). However, the currently available results are inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate the association between ASD and the GABA receptor SNPs in chromosomal region 15q11-q13. The association was calculated by the overall odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). We used sensitivity analyses and the assessment of publication bias in our meta-analysis. Eight independent case-control studies involving 1408 cases and 2846 healthy controls were analyzed, namely, 8 studies for GABRB3 SNPs as well as 4 studies for GABRA5 and GABRG3 polymorphisms. The meta-analysis showed that GABRB3 polymorphisms in general are not significantly associated with autism [OR = 0.846 (95% CI): 0.595-1.201, I2 = 79.1%]. Further analysis indicated that no associations were found between GABRB3 SNPs and autism on rs2081648 [OR = 0.84 (95% CI) = 0.41-1.72, I2 = 89.2%] and rs1426217 [OR = 1.13 (95% CI) = 0.64-2.0, I2 = 83%]. An OR of 0.95 (95% CI) = 0.77-1.17 was reported (I2 = 0.0%) for GABRA5 SNPs and an OR of 0.96 (95% CI) = 0.24-3.81 was obtained from GABRG3 SNPs (I2 = 97.8%). This meta-analysis provides strong evidence that different SNPs of GABA receptor B3, A5, and G3 subunit genes located on chromosome 15q11-q13 are not associated with the development of autism spectrum diseases in different ethnic populations. However, in future research, large-scale and high-quality studies are necessary to confirm the results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manijeh Mahdavi
- Pediatric Inherited Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Primordial Prevention of Non-communicable Disease and Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 81746-73461, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Majid Kheirollahi
- Pediatric Inherited Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Primordial Prevention of Non-communicable Disease and Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 81746-73461, Isfahan, Iran. .,Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
| | - Roya Riahi
- Research Institute for Primordial Prevention of Non-communicable Disease, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Fariborz Khorvash
- Research Institute for Primordial Prevention of Non-communicable Disease, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Mehdi Khorrami
- Pediatric Inherited Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Primordial Prevention of Non-communicable Disease and Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 81746-73461, Isfahan, Iran.,Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Maryam Mirsafaie
- Mohkam-kar Health Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
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Zhang Y, Liu Y, Zarrei M, Tong W, Dong R, Wang Y, Zhang H, Yang X, MacDonald JR, Uddin M, Scherer SW, Gai Z. Association of IMMP2L deletions with autism spectrum disorder: A trio family study and meta-analysis. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2018; 177:93-100. [PMID: 29152845 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2017] [Revised: 08/28/2017] [Accepted: 10/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
IMMP2L, the gene encoding the inner mitochondrial membrane peptidase subunit 2-like protein, has been reported as a candidate gene for Tourette syndrome, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and additional neurodevelopmental disorders. Here we genotyped 100 trio families with an index proband with autism spectrum disorder in Han Chinese population and found three cases with rare exonic IMMP2L deletions. We have conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis to quantify the association of IMMP2L deletions with ASD using 5,568 cases and 10,279 controls. While the IMMP2L deletions carried non-recurrent breakpoints, in contrast to previous reports, our meta-analysis found no evidence of association (P > 0.05) between IMMP2L deletions and ASD. We also observed common exonic deletions impacting IMMP2L in a separate control (5,971 samples) cohort where subjects were screened for psychiatric conditions. This is the first systematic review and meta-analysis regarding the effect of IMMP2L deletions on ASD, but further investigations in different populations, especially Chinese population may be still needed to confirm our results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanqing Zhang
- Pediatric Health Care Institute, Qilu Children's Hospital of Shandong University, Ji'nan, China
| | - Yi Liu
- Pediatric Research Institute, Qilu Children's Hospital of Shandong University, Ji'nan, China
| | - Mehdi Zarrei
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Winnie Tong
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Rui Dong
- Pediatric Research Institute, Qilu Children's Hospital of Shandong University, Ji'nan, China
| | - Ying Wang
- Pediatric Research Institute, Qilu Children's Hospital of Shandong University, Ji'nan, China
| | - Haiyan Zhang
- Pediatric Research Institute, Qilu Children's Hospital of Shandong University, Ji'nan, China
| | - Xiaomeng Yang
- Pediatric Research Institute, Qilu Children's Hospital of Shandong University, Ji'nan, China
| | - Jeffrey R MacDonald
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Mohammed Uddin
- Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, College of Medicine, Dubai, UAE
| | - Stephen W Scherer
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,McLaughlin Centre and Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Zhongtao Gai
- Pediatric Health Care Institute, Qilu Children's Hospital of Shandong University, Ji'nan, China.,Pediatric Research Institute, Qilu Children's Hospital of Shandong University, Ji'nan, China
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35
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Márquez-Valadez B, Valle-Bautista R, García-López G, Díaz NF, Molina-Hernández A. Maternal Diabetes and Fetal Programming Toward Neurological Diseases: Beyond Neural Tube Defects. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2018; 9:664. [PMID: 30483218 PMCID: PMC6243582 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2018.00664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2018] [Accepted: 10/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this review was to search for experimental or clinical evidence on the effect of hyperglycemia in fetal programming to neurological diseases, excluding evident neural tube defects. The lack of timely diagnosis and the inadequate control of diabetes during pregnancy have been related with postnatal obesity, low intellectual and verbal coefficients, language and motor deficits, attention deficit with hyperactivity, problems in psychosocial development, and an increased predisposition to autism and schizophrenia. It has been proposed that several childhood or adulthood diseases have their origin during fetal development through a phenomenon called fetal programming. However, not all the relationships between the outcomes mentioned above and diabetes during gestation are clear, well-studied, or have been related to fetal programming. To understand this relationship, it is imperative to understand how developmental processes take place in health, in order to understand how the functional cytoarchitecture of the central nervous system takes place; to identify changes prompted by hyperglycemia, and to correlate them with the above postnatal impaired functions. Although changes in the establishment of patterns during central nervous system fetal development are related to a wide variety of neurological pathologies, the mechanism by which several maternal conditions promote fetal alterations that contribute to impaired neural development with postnatal consequences are not clear. Animal models have been extremely useful in studying the effect of maternal pathologies on embryo and fetal development, since obtaining central nervous system tissue in humans with normal appearance during fetal development is an important limitation. This review explores the state of the art on this topic, to help establish the way forward in the study of fetal programming under hyperglycemia and its impact on neurological and psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Berenice Márquez-Valadez
- Department of Physiology and Cell Development, Instituto Nacional de Perinatología Isidro Espinosa de los Reyes, Mexico City, Mexico
- Department of Physiology, Biophysics and Neurosciences, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Rocío Valle-Bautista
- Department of Physiology and Cell Development, Instituto Nacional de Perinatología Isidro Espinosa de los Reyes, Mexico City, Mexico
- Department of Physiology, Biophysics and Neurosciences, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Guadalupe García-López
- Department of Physiology and Cell Development, Instituto Nacional de Perinatología Isidro Espinosa de los Reyes, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Néstor Fabián Díaz
- Department of Physiology and Cell Development, Instituto Nacional de Perinatología Isidro Espinosa de los Reyes, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Anayansi Molina-Hernández
- Department of Physiology and Cell Development, Instituto Nacional de Perinatología Isidro Espinosa de los Reyes, Mexico City, Mexico
- *Correspondence: Anayansi Molina-Hernández
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Excessive UBE3A dosage impairs retinoic acid signaling and synaptic plasticity in autism spectrum disorders. Cell Res 2017; 28:48-68. [PMID: 29076503 DOI: 10.1038/cr.2017.132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2017] [Revised: 07/27/2017] [Accepted: 08/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a collection of human neurological disorders with heterogeneous etiologies. Hyperactivity of E3 ubiquitin (Ub) ligase UBE3A, stemming from 15q11-q13 copy number variations, accounts for 1%-3% of ASD cases worldwide, but the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely characterized. Here we report that the functionality of ALDH1A2, the rate-limiting enzyme of retinoic acid (RA) synthesis, is negatively regulated by UBE3A in a ubiquitylation-dependent manner. Excessive UBE3A dosage was found to impair RA-mediated neuronal homeostatic synaptic plasticity. ASD-like symptoms were recapitulated in mice by overexpressing UBE3A in the prefrontal cortex or by administration of an ALDH1A antagonist, whereas RA supplements significantly alleviated excessive UBE3A dosage-induced ASD-like phenotypes. By identifying reduced RA signaling as an underlying mechanism in ASD phenotypes linked to UBE3A hyperactivities, our findings introduce a new vista of ASD etiology and facilitate a mode of therapeutic development against this increasingly prevalent disease.
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Wang Y, Teschendorff AE, Widschwendter M, Wang S. Accounting for differential variability in detecting differentially methylated regions. Brief Bioinform 2017; 20:47-57. [DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbx097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ya Wang
- Department of Biostatistics, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Andrew E Teschendorff
- Department of Women's Cancer, University College London, London, UK
- CAS Key Lab of Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- Statistical Cancer Genomics, UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Shuang Wang
- Department of Biostatistics, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
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Reilly J, Gallagher L, Chen JL, Leader G, Shen S. Bio-collections in autism research. Mol Autism 2017; 8:34. [PMID: 28702161 PMCID: PMC5504648 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-017-0154-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2017] [Accepted: 06/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of complex neurodevelopmental disorders with diverse clinical manifestations and symptoms. In the last 10 years, there have been significant advances in understanding the genetic basis for ASD, critically supported through the establishment of ASD bio-collections and application in research. Here, we summarise a selection of major ASD bio-collections and their associated findings. Collectively, these include mapping ASD candidate genes, assessing the nature and frequency of gene mutations and their association with ASD clinical subgroups, insights into related molecular pathways such as the synapses, chromatin remodelling, transcription and ASD-related brain regions. We also briefly review emerging studies on the use of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to potentially model ASD in culture. These provide deeper insight into ASD progression during development and could generate human cell models for drug screening. Finally, we provide perspectives concerning the utilities of ASD bio-collections and limitations, and highlight considerations in setting up a new bio-collection for ASD research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie Reilly
- Regenerative Medicine Institute, School of Medicine, BioMedical Sciences Building, National University of Ireland (NUI), Galway, Ireland
| | - Louise Gallagher
- Trinity Translational Medicine Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, St. James Hospital Street, Dublin 8, Ireland
| | - June L Chen
- Department of Special Education, Faculty of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062 China
| | - Geraldine Leader
- Irish Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Research (ICAN), Department of Psychology, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland
| | - Sanbing Shen
- Regenerative Medicine Institute, School of Medicine, BioMedical Sciences Building, National University of Ireland (NUI), Galway, Ireland
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CpG and Non-CpG Methylation in Epigenetic Gene Regulation and Brain Function. Genes (Basel) 2017; 8:genes8060148. [PMID: 28545252 PMCID: PMC5485512 DOI: 10.3390/genes8060148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 208] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2017] [Revised: 04/18/2017] [Accepted: 05/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA methylation is a major epigenetic mark with important roles in genetic regulation. Methylated cytosines are found primarily at CpG dinucleotides, but are also found at non-CpG sites (CpA, CpT, and CpC). The general functions of CpG and non-CpG methylation include gene silencing or activation depending on the methylated regions. CpG and non-CpG methylation are found throughout the whole genome, including repetitive sequences, enhancers, promoters, and gene bodies. Interestingly, however, non-CpG methylation is restricted to specific cell types, such as pluripotent stem cells, oocytes, neurons, and glial cells. Thus, accumulation of methylation at non-CpG sites and CpG sites in neurons seems to be involved in development and disease etiology. Here, we provide an overview of CpG and non-CpG methylation and their roles in neurological diseases.
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de Kluiver H, Buizer‐Voskamp JE, Dolan CV, Boomsma DI. Paternal age and psychiatric disorders: A review. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2017; 174:202-213. [PMID: 27770494 PMCID: PMC5412832 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2016] [Accepted: 10/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
We review the hypotheses concerning the association between the paternal age at childbearing and childhood psychiatric disorders (autism spectrum- and attention deficit/hyperactive disorder) and adult disorders (schizophrenia, bipolar-, obsessive-compulsive-, and major depressive disorder) based on epidemiological studies. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the paternal age effect. We discuss the four main-not mutually exclusive-hypotheses. These are the de novo mutation hypothesis, the hypothesis concerning epigenetic alterations, the selection into late fatherhood hypothesis, and the environmental resource hypothesis. Advanced paternal age in relation to autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia provided the most robust epidemiological evidence for an association, with some studies reporting a monotonic risk increase over age, and others reporting a marked increase at a given age threshold. Although there is evidence for the de novo mutation hypothesis and the selection into late fatherhood hypothesis, the mechanism(s) underlying the association between advanced paternal age and psychiatric illness in offspring remains to be further clarified. © 2016 The Authors. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hilde de Kluiver
- Department of Biological PsychologyVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care ResearchAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | | | - Conor V. Dolan
- Department of Biological PsychologyVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care ResearchAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Dorret I. Boomsma
- Department of Biological PsychologyVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care ResearchAmsterdamThe Netherlands
- Neuroscience Campus AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
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Modabbernia A, Velthorst E, Reichenberg A. Environmental risk factors for autism: an evidence-based review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Mol Autism 2017; 8:13. [PMID: 28331572 PMCID: PMC5356236 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-017-0121-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 398] [Impact Index Per Article: 56.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2016] [Accepted: 02/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND According to recent evidence, up to 40-50% of variance in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) liability might be determined by environmental factors. In the present paper, we conducted a review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of environmental risk factors for ASD. We assessed each review for quality of evidence and provided a brief overview of putative mechanisms of environmental risk factors for ASD. FINDINGS Current evidence suggests that several environmental factors including vaccination, maternal smoking, thimerosal exposure, and most likely assisted reproductive technologies are unrelated to risk of ASD. On the contrary, advanced parental age is associated with higher risk of ASD. Birth complications that are associated with trauma or ischemia and hypoxia have also shown strong links to ASD, whereas other pregnancy-related factors such as maternal obesity, maternal diabetes, and caesarian section have shown a less strong (but significant) association with risk of ASD. The reviews on nutritional elements have been inconclusive about the detrimental effects of deficiency in folic acid and omega 3, but vitamin D seems to be deficient in patients with ASD. The studies on toxic elements have been largely limited by their design, but there is enough evidence for the association between some heavy metals (most important inorganic mercury and lead) and ASD that warrants further investigation. Mechanisms of the association between environmental factors and ASD are debated but might include non-causative association (including confounding), gene-related effect, oxidative stress, inflammation, hypoxia/ischemia, endocrine disruption, neurotransmitter alterations, and interference with signaling pathways. CONCLUSIONS Compared to genetic studies of ASD, studies of environmental risk factors are in their infancy and have significant methodological limitations. Future studies of ASD risk factors would benefit from a developmental psychopathology approach, prospective design, precise exposure measurement, reliable timing of exposure in relation to critical developmental periods and should take into account the dynamic interplay between gene and environment by using genetically informed designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amirhossein Modabbernia
- Department of Psychiatry and Seaver Autism Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Eva Velthorst
- Department of Psychiatry and Seaver Autism Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Abraham Reichenberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Seaver Autism Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
- Friedman Brain Institute, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
- Seaver Autism Center, Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
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Iatrou A, Kenis G, Rutten BPF, Lunnon K, van den Hove DLA. Epigenetic dysregulation of brainstem nuclei in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease: looking in the correct place at the right time? Cell Mol Life Sci 2017; 74:509-523. [PMID: 27628303 PMCID: PMC5241349 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-016-2361-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2016] [Revised: 08/15/2016] [Accepted: 09/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Even though the etiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains unknown, it is suggested that an interplay among genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors is involved. An increasing body of evidence pinpoints that dysregulation in the epigenetic machinery plays a role in AD. Recent developments in genomic technologies have allowed for high throughput interrogation of the epigenome, and epigenome-wide association studies have already identified unique epigenetic signatures for AD in the cortex. Considerable evidence suggests that early dysregulation in the brainstem, more specifically in the raphe nuclei and the locus coeruleus, accounts for the most incipient, non-cognitive symptomatology, indicating a potential causal relationship with the pathogenesis of AD. Here we review the advancements in epigenomic technologies and their application to the AD research field, particularly with relevance to the brainstem. In this respect, we propose the assessment of epigenetic signatures in the brainstem as the cornerstone of interrogating causality in AD. Understanding how epigenetic dysregulation in the brainstem contributes to AD susceptibility could be of pivotal importance for understanding the etiology of the disease and for the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Iatrou
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNS), Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 50, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - G Kenis
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNS), Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 50, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - B P F Rutten
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNS), Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 50, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - K Lunnon
- University of Exeter Medical School, RILD, University of Exeter, Barrack Road, Devon, UK
| | - D L A van den Hove
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNS), Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 50, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
- Laboratory of Translational Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University of Wuerzburg, Fuechsleinstrasse 15, 97080, Würzburg, Germany.
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Connolly S, Anney R, Gallagher L, Heron EA. A genome-wide investigation into parent-of-origin effects in autism spectrum disorder identifies previously associated genes including SHANK3. Eur J Hum Genet 2017; 25:234-239. [PMID: 27876814 PMCID: PMC5255953 DOI: 10.1038/ejhg.2016.153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2016] [Revised: 09/28/2016] [Accepted: 10/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is known to be a heritable neurodevelopmental disorder affecting more than 1% of the population but in the majority of ASD cases, the genetic cause has not been identified. Parent-of-origin effects have been highlighted as an important mechanism in the pathology of neurodevelopmental disorders such as Prader-Willi and Angelman syndrome, with individuals with these syndromes often exhibiting ASD symptoms. Consequently, systematic investigation of these effects in ASD is clearly an important line of investigation in elucidating the underlying genetic mechanisms. Using estimation of maternal, imprinting and interaction effects using multinomial modelling (EMIM), we simultaneously investigated imprinting, maternal genetic effects and associations in the Autism Genome Project and Simons Simplex Consortium genome-wide association data sets. To avoid using the overly stringent genome-wide association study significance level, we used a Bayesian threshold that takes into account the sample size, allele frequency and any available prior knowledge. Between the two data sets, we identified a total of 18 imprinting effects and 68 maternal genetic effects that met this Bayesian threshold criteria, but none met the threshold in both data sets. We identified imprinting and maternal genetic effects for regions that have previously shown evidence for parent-of-origin effects in ASD. Together with these findings, we have identified maternal genetic effects not previously identified in ASD at a locus in SHANK3 on chromosome 22 and a locus in WBSCR17 on chromosome 7 (associated with Williams syndrome). Both genes have previously been associated with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siobhan Connolly
- Neuropsychiatric Genetics Research Group, Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Richard Anney
- Neuropsychiatric Genetics Research Group, Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, Dublin, Ireland
- Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cathays, Cardiff, UK
| | - Louise Gallagher
- Neuropsychiatric Genetics Research Group, Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Elizabeth A Heron
- Neuropsychiatric Genetics Research Group, Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, Dublin, Ireland
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Ellison EM, Abner EL, Lovell MA. Multiregional analysis of global 5-methylcytosine and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine throughout the progression of Alzheimer's disease. J Neurochem 2017; 140:383-394. [PMID: 27889911 PMCID: PMC5250541 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.13912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2016] [Revised: 11/19/2016] [Accepted: 11/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Epigenetic modifications to cytosine are known to alter transcriptional states and deregulate gene expression in cancer, embryonic development, and most recently in neurodegeneration. To test the hypothesis that global levels of cytosine modification are altered throughout the progression of Alzheimer's disease, 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) were quantified using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and stable labeled internal standards of cytosine, 5-mC, and 5-hmC. Cytosine modifications were quantified in DNA extracted from tissue specimens of four brain regions (cerebellum, inferior parietal lobe, superior and middle temporal gyrus, and hippocampus/parahippocampal gyrus) of cognitively normal control (NC) subjects and subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), preclinical Alzheimer's disease (PCAD), late onset Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Repeated measures analyses of the data show significant alterations in 5-mC and 5-hmC in early stages of Alzheimer's disease (PCAD and MCI), as well as FTLD and DLB subjects, across multiple regions of the brain. These data suggest alterations in epigenetic regulation of genes may play an early role in the progression of AD as well as other types of neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Erin L. Abner
- Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
| | - Mark A. Lovell
- Department of Chemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
- Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
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45
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Kaut O, Sharma A, Schmitt I, Wüllner U. DNA methylation of imprinted loci of autosomal chromosomes and IGF2 is not affected in Parkinson’s disease patients’ peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Neurol Res 2017; 39:281-284. [DOI: 10.1080/01616412.2017.1279424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Kaut
- Department of Neurology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Amit Sharma
- Department of Neurology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Ina Schmitt
- Department of Neurology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Ullrich Wüllner
- Department of Neurology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
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Salehi M, Kamali E, Karahmadi M, Mousavi SM. RORA and Autism in The Isfahan Population: Is There An Epigenetic Relationship. CELL JOURNAL 2016; 18:540-546. [PMID: 28042538 PMCID: PMC5086332 DOI: 10.22074/cellj.2016.4720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2015] [Accepted: 03/09/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Objective Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by difficulty in verbal
and non-verbal communication, impaired social interaction, and restricted and repetitive
behavior. It has been recently introduced as a multigenic disorder with significant epigenetic effects on its pathology. Recently, epigenetic silencing of retinoic acid receptor-
related orphan receptor alpha (RORα) gene (which has an essential role in neural tissue
development) was shown to have occurred in autistic children due to methylation of its
promoter region. This may thus explain a significant part of the molecular pathogenesis
of autism. Therefore, we aimed to confirm this finding by implementing a case-control
(experimental) study in the population of Isfahan.
Materials and Methods The methylation status of a 136 bp sequence of a GpG island
(encompassing 13 CpG sites) in the RORA promoter region (positions -200 to -64) as an
experimental study was examined in the lymphocyte cells of 30 autistic children after sodium bisulfite treatment using the melting curve analysis-methylation (MCA-Meth) assay
compared with normal children. Also, quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain
reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis was used to estimate the level of mRNA transcripts and to
evaluate MCA-Meth analysis results.
Results This study revealed no methylation in the examined promoter regions in both
autistic and normal children, with the melting curve of all studied samples being comparable to that of the non-methylated control. The results of MCA-Meth analysis were also
consistent with qRT-PCR results. We therefore observed no significant difference in the
levels of RORα transcripts in the blood lymphocytes between autistic and healthy children.
Conclusion The methylation of the RORA promoter region may not be considered as a
common epigenetic risk factor for autism in all populations. Hence, the molecular pathogenesis of autism remains unclear in the population investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mansoor Salehi
- Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Elahe Kamali
- Division of Genetics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Mojgan Karahmadi
- Behavioral Sciences Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Seyyed Mohammad Mousavi
- Genetic and Identification Lab, Legal Medicine Center, Isfahan, Iran; Cellular and Molecular Research Center, School of Medicine, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
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Nahum Sacks K, Friger M, Shoham-Vardi I, Abokaf H, Spiegel E, Sergienko R, Landau D, Sheiner E. Prenatal exposure to gestational diabetes mellitus as an independent risk factor for long-term neuropsychiatric morbidity of the offspring. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2016; 215:380.e1-7. [PMID: 27018463 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2016.03.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2016] [Accepted: 03/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The reported rates of gestational diabetes mellitus are constantly escalating and little is known about long-term complications in the offspring. Evidence from the field of epigenetics strongly advocates the need for research on the neuropsychiatric complications in offspring prenatally exposed to gestational diabetes mellitus. OBJECTIVE We sought to assess whether in utero exposure to gestational diabetes mellitus increases the risk of long-term neuropsychiatric morbidity in the offspring. STUDY DESIGN A population-based cohort study compared the incidence of hospitalizations due to neuropsychiatric disease between singletons exposed and unexposed to gestational diabetes mellitus. Deliveries occurred in the years 1991 through 2014 in a regional tertiary medical center. Perinatal deaths, multiple gestations, mothers with pregestational diabetes or lack of prenatal care, and children with congenital malformations were excluded from the study. A multivariate generalized estimating equation logistic regression model analysis was used to control for confounders and for maternal clusters. RESULTS During the study period 231,271 deliveries met the inclusion criteria; 5.4% of the births were to mothers diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus (n = 12,642), of these 4.3% had gestational diabetes type A1 (n = 10,076) and 1.1% had gestational diabetes type A2 (n = 2566). During the follow-up period, a significant linear association was noted between the severity of the gestational diabetes (no gestational diabetes, gestational diabetes mellitus A1, gestational diabetes mellitus A2) and neuropsychiatric disease of the offspring (1.02% vs 1.36% vs 1.68%, respectively, P < .001). A Kaplan-Meier curve demonstrated that children born to women with gestational diabetes mellitus had higher cumulative incidence of neuropsychiatric morbidity. Using a generalized estimating equation multivariable logistic regression model, controlling for time-to-event, maternal age, gestational age at delivery, maternal obesity, maternal preeclampsia and fertility treatments, maternal gestational diabetes mellitus was found to be an independent risk factor for long-term neuropsychiatric disease of the offspring (gestational diabetes mellitus A1 [adjusted odds ratio, 1.83; 95% confidence interval, 1.53-2.19] and gestational diabetes mellitus A2 [adjusted odds ratio, 1.64; 95% confidence interval, 1.18-2.27]). Within the limits of our database, our findings also point to a possible association between in utero exposure to gestational diabetes mellitus and autistic spectrum disorder of the offspring (adjusted odds ratio, 4.44; 95% confidence interval, 1.55-12.69), which was found significant also after controlling for time-to-event, maternal age, gestational age at delivery, and offspring weight at birth. CONCLUSION Exposure to maternal gestational diabetes mellitus is an independent risk factor for long-term neuropsychiatric morbidity in the offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kira Nahum Sacks
- Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Michael Friger
- Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Ilana Shoham-Vardi
- Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Hanaa Abokaf
- Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Soroka University Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Efrat Spiegel
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Soroka University Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Ruslan Sergienko
- Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Daniella Landau
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Soroka University Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Eyal Sheiner
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Soroka University Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
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Györffy BA, Gulyássy P, Gellén B, Völgyi K, Madarasi D, Kis V, Ozohanics O, Papp I, Kovács P, Lubec G, Dobolyi Á, Kardos J, Drahos L, Juhász G, Kékesi KA. Widespread alterations in the synaptic proteome of the adolescent cerebral cortex following prenatal immune activation in rats. Brain Behav Immun 2016; 56:289-309. [PMID: 27058163 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2016.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2016] [Revised: 03/23/2016] [Accepted: 04/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
An increasing number of studies have revealed associations between pre- and perinatal immune activation and the development of schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Accordingly, neuroimmune crosstalk has a considerably large impact on brain development during early ontogenesis. While a plethora of heterogeneous abnormalities have already been described in established maternal immune activation (MIA) rodent and primate animal models, which highly correlate to those found in human diseases, the underlying molecular background remains obscure. In the current study, we describe the long-term effects of MIA on the neocortical pre- and postsynaptic proteome of adolescent rat offspring in detail. Molecular differences were revealed in sub-synaptic fractions, which were first thoroughly characterized using independent methods. The widespread proteomic examination of cortical samples from offspring exposed to maternal lipopolysaccharide administration at embryonic day 13.5 was conducted via combinations of different gel-based proteomic techniques and tandem mass spectrometry. Our experimentally validated proteomic data revealed more pre- than postsynaptic protein level changes in the offspring. The results propose the relevance of altered synaptic vesicle recycling, cytoskeletal structure and energy metabolism in the presynaptic region in addition to alterations in vesicle trafficking, the cytoskeleton and signal transduction in the postsynaptic compartment in MIA offspring. Differing levels of the prominent signaling regulator molecule calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II in the postsynapse was validated and identified specifically in the prefrontal cortex. Finally, several potential common molecular regulators of these altered proteins, which are already known to be implicated in schizophrenia and ASD, were identified and assessed. In summary, unexpectedly widespread changes in the synaptic molecular machinery in MIA rats were demonstrated which might underlie the pathological cortical functions that are characteristic of schizophrenia and ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Balázs A Györffy
- Laboratory of Proteomics, Institute of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest H-1117, Hungary; MTA-ELTE NAP B Neuroimmunology Research Group, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest H-1117, Hungary
| | - Péter Gulyássy
- MTA-TTK NAP B MS Neuroproteomics Group, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest H-1117, Hungary; Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna A-1090, Austria
| | - Barbara Gellén
- Laboratory of Proteomics, Institute of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest H-1117, Hungary; MTA-ELTE NAP B Laboratory of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest H-1117, Hungary
| | - Katalin Völgyi
- Laboratory of Proteomics, Institute of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest H-1117, Hungary; MTA-ELTE NAP B Laboratory of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest H-1117, Hungary
| | - Dóra Madarasi
- Laboratory of Proteomics, Institute of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest H-1117, Hungary
| | - Viktor Kis
- Department of Anatomy, Cell and Developmental Biology, Institute of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest H-1117, Hungary
| | - Olivér Ozohanics
- MTA-TTK NAP B MS Neuroproteomics Group, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest H-1117, Hungary
| | | | | | - Gert Lubec
- Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna A-1090, Austria
| | - Árpád Dobolyi
- MTA-ELTE NAP B Laboratory of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest H-1117, Hungary
| | - József Kardos
- MTA-ELTE NAP B Neuroimmunology Research Group, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest H-1117, Hungary
| | - László Drahos
- MTA-TTK NAP B MS Neuroproteomics Group, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest H-1117, Hungary
| | - Gábor Juhász
- Laboratory of Proteomics, Institute of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest H-1117, Hungary; MTA-TTK NAP B MS Neuroproteomics Group, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest H-1117, Hungary
| | - Katalin A Kékesi
- Laboratory of Proteomics, Institute of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest H-1117, Hungary; Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest H-1117, Hungary.
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49
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Vogel Ciernia A, LaSalle J. The landscape of DNA methylation amid a perfect storm of autism aetiologies. Nat Rev Neurosci 2016; 17:411-23. [PMID: 27150399 PMCID: PMC4966286 DOI: 10.1038/nrn.2016.41] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Increasing evidence points to a complex interplay between genes and the environment in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including rare de novo mutations in chromatin genes such as methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MECP2) in Rett syndrome. Epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation act at this interface, reflecting the plasticity in metabolic and neurodevelopmentally regulated gene pathways. Genome-wide studies of gene sequences, gene pathways and DNA methylation are providing valuable mechanistic insights into ASD. The dynamic developmental landscape of DNA methylation is vulnerable to numerous genetic and environmental insults: therefore, understanding pathways that are central to this 'perfect storm' will be crucial to improving the diagnosis and treatment of ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annie Vogel Ciernia
- Medical Microbiology and Immunology, MIND Institute, Genome Center, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA
| | - Janine LaSalle
- Medical Microbiology and Immunology, MIND Institute, Genome Center, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA
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50
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Homs A, Codina-Solà M, Rodríguez-Santiago B, Villanueva CM, Monk D, Cuscó I, Pérez-Jurado LA. Genetic and epigenetic methylation defects and implication of the ERMN gene in autism spectrum disorders. Transl Psychiatry 2016; 6:e855. [PMID: 27404287 PMCID: PMC5545709 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2016.120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2015] [Revised: 04/01/2016] [Accepted: 05/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are highly heritable and genetically complex conditions. Although highly penetrant mutations in multiple genes have been identified, they account for the etiology of <1/3 of cases. There is also strong evidence for environmental contribution to ASD, which can be mediated by still poorly explored epigenetic modifications. We searched for methylation changes on blood DNA of 53 male ASD patients and 757 healthy controls using a methylomic array (450K Illumina), correlated the variants with transcriptional alterations in blood RNAseq data, and performed a case-control association study of the relevant findings in a larger cohort (394 cases and 500 controls). We found 700 differentially methylated CpGs, most of them hypomethylated in the ASD group (83.9%), with cis-acting expression changes at 7.6% of locations. Relevant findings included: (1) hypomethylation caused by rare genetic variants (meSNVs) at six loci (ERMN, USP24, METTL21C, PDE10A, STX16 and DBT) significantly associated with ASD (q-value <0.05); and (2) clustered epimutations associated to transcriptional changes in single-ASD patients (n=4). All meSNVs and clustered epimutations were inherited from unaffected parents. Resequencing of the top candidate genes also revealed a significant load of deleterious mutations affecting ERMN in ASD compared with controls. Our data indicate that inherited methylation alterations detectable in blood DNA, due to either genetic or epigenetic defects, can affect gene expression and contribute to ASD susceptibility most likely in an additive manner, and implicate ERMN as a novel ASD gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Homs
- Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain,Institut Hospital del Mar d’Investigacions Mèdiques, Barcelona, Spain,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras, Barcelona, Spain
| | - M Codina-Solà
- Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain,Institut Hospital del Mar d’Investigacions Mèdiques, Barcelona, Spain,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - C M Villanueva
- Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology, Barcelona, Spain,Consorcio de Investigación Biomédica de Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Barcelona, Spain
| | - D Monk
- Cancer Epigenetics Group, Institut d'Investigació Biomedica de Bellvitge, Hospital Duran i Reynals, Barcelona, Spain
| | - I Cuscó
- Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain,Institut Hospital del Mar d’Investigacions Mèdiques, Barcelona, Spain,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras, Barcelona, Spain,Genetics Unit, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Parc de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona 08003, Spain. E-mails: and
| | - L A Pérez-Jurado
- Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain,Institut Hospital del Mar d’Investigacions Mèdiques, Barcelona, Spain,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras, Barcelona, Spain,Genetics Unit, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Parc de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona 08003, Spain. E-mails: and
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