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Potabattula R, Prell A, Dittrich M, Nava C, Depienne C, Bejaoui Y, El Hajj N, Hahn T, Schorsch M, Haaf T. Effects of paternal and chronological age on BEGAIN methylation and its possible role in autism. Aging (Albany NY) 2023; 15:12763-12779. [PMID: 38019471 DOI: 10.18632/aging.205275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
Children from old fathers carry an increased risk for autism spectrum (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental disorders, which may at least partially be mediated by paternal age effects on the sperm epigenome. The brain enriched guanylate kinase associated (BEGAIN) protein is involved in protein-protein interactions at and transmission across synapses. Since several epigenome-wide methylation screens reported a paternal age effect on sperm BEGAIN methylation, here we confirmed a significant negative correlation between BEGAIN promoter methylation and paternal age, using more sensitive bisulfite pyrosequencing and a larger number of sperm samples. Paternal age-associated BEGAIN hypomethylation was also observed in fetal cord blood (FCB) of male but not of female offspring. There was no comparable maternal age effect on FCB methylation. In addition, we found a significant negative correlation between BEGAIN methylation and chronological age (ranging from 1 to 70 years) in peripheral blood samples of male but not of female donors. BEGAIN hypomethylation was more pronounced in male children, adolescents and adults suffering from ASD compared to controls. Both genetic variation (CC genotype of SNP rs7141087) and epigenetic factors may contribute to BEGAIN promoter hypomethylation. The age- and sex-specific BEGAIN methylation trajectories in the male germ line and somatic tissues, in particular the brain, support a role of this gene in ASD development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramya Potabattula
- Institute of Human Genetics, Julius Maximilians University, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Prell
- Institute of Human Genetics, Julius Maximilians University, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Marcus Dittrich
- Institute of Human Genetics, Julius Maximilians University, Würzburg, Germany
- Department of Bioinformatics, Julius Maximilians University, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Caroline Nava
- U.F. de Neurogénétique Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Dpt. de Génétique et Cytogénétique, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Christel Depienne
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Yosra Bejaoui
- College of Health and Life Sciences and College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Nady El Hajj
- College of Health and Life Sciences and College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar
| | | | | | - Thomas Haaf
- Institute of Human Genetics, Julius Maximilians University, Würzburg, Germany
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2
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Khramtsova EA, Wilson MA, Martin J, Winham SJ, He KY, Davis LK, Stranger BE. Quality control and analytic best practices for testing genetic models of sex differences in large populations. Cell 2023; 186:2044-2061. [PMID: 37172561 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Phenotypic sex-based differences exist for many complex traits. In other cases, phenotypes may be similar, but underlying biology may vary. Thus, sex-aware genetic analyses are becoming increasingly important for understanding the mechanisms driving these differences. To this end, we provide a guide outlining the current best practices for testing various models of sex-dependent genetic effects in complex traits and disease conditions, noting that this is an evolving field. Insights from sex-aware analyses will not only teach us about the biology of complex traits but also aid in achieving the goals of precision medicine and health equity for all.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina A Khramtsova
- Population Analytics and Insights, Data Science Analytics & Insights, Janssen R&D, Lower Gwynedd Township, PA, USA.
| | - Melissa A Wilson
- School of Life Sciences, Center for Evolution and Medicine, Biodesign Center for Mechanisms of Evolution, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85282, USA
| | - Joanna Martin
- Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Stacey J Winham
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Division of Computational Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Karen Y He
- Population Analytics and Insights, Data Science Analytics & Insights, Janssen R&D, Lower Gwynedd Township, PA, USA
| | - Lea K Davis
- Division of Genetic Medicine, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Barbara E Stranger
- Center for Genetic Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
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3
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Jung B, Ahn K, Justice C, Norman L, Price J, Sudre G, Shaw P. Rare copy number variants in males and females with childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:1240-1247. [PMID: 36517639 PMCID: PMC10010944 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01906-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
While childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is more prevalent in males than females, genetic contributors to this effect have not been established. Here, we explore sex differences in the contribution of common and/or rare genetic variants to ADHD. Participants were from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development study (N = 1253 youth meeting DSM-5 criteria for ADHD [mean age = 11.46 years [SD = 0.87]; 31% female] and 5577 unaffected individuals [mean age = 11.42 years [SD = 0.89]; 50% female], overall 66% White, non-Hispanic (WNH), 19% Black/African American, and 15% other races. Logistic regression tested for interactions between sex (defined genotypically) and both rare copy number variants (CNV) and polygenic (common variant) risk in association with ADHD. There was a significant interaction between sex and the presence of a CNV deletion larger than 200 kb, both in the entire cohort (β = -0.74, CI = [-1.27 to -0.20], FDR-corrected p = 0.048) and, at nominal significance levels in the WNH ancestry subcohort (β = -0.86, CI = [-1.51 to -0.20], p = 0.010). Additionally, the number of deleted genes interacted with sex in association with ADHD (whole cohort. β = -0.13, CI = [-0.23 to -0.029], FDR-corrected p = 0.048; WNH. β = -0.17, CI = [-0.29 to -0.050], FDR-corrected p = 0.044) as did the total length of CNV deletions (whole cohort. β = -0.12, CI = [-0.19 to -0.044], FDR-corrected p = 0.028; WNH. β = -0.17, CI = [-0.28 to -0.061], FDR-corrected p = 0.034). This sex effect was driven by increased odds of childhood ADHD for females but not males in the presence of CNV deletions. No similar sex effect was found for CNV duplications or polygenic risk scores. The association between CNV deletions and ADHD was partially mediated by measures of cognitive flexibility. In summary, CNV deletions were associated with increased odds for childhood ADHD in females, but not males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Jung
- Neurobehavioral Clinical Research Section, Social and Behavioral Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Kwangmi Ahn
- Neurobehavioral Clinical Research Section, Social and Behavioral Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Cristina Justice
- Neurobehavioral Clinical Research Section, Social and Behavioral Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Luke Norman
- Neurobehavioral Clinical Research Section, Social and Behavioral Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Jolie Price
- Neurobehavioral Clinical Research Section, Social and Behavioral Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Gustavo Sudre
- Neurobehavioral Clinical Research Section, Social and Behavioral Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Philip Shaw
- Neurobehavioral Clinical Research Section, Social and Behavioral Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
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4
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Bauleo A, Pace V, Montesanto A, De Stefano L, Brando R, Puntorieri D, Cento L, Genuardi M, Falcone E. 3q29 microduplication syndrome: New evidence for the refinement of the critical region. Mol Genet Genomic Med 2023; 11:e2130. [PMID: 36691815 PMCID: PMC10094080 DOI: 10.1002/mgg3.2130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The 3q29 microduplication syndrome is a rare genomic disorder characterized by an extremely variable neurodevelopmental phenotype usually involving a genomic region ranging from 1.6 to 1.76 Mb. A small microduplication of 448.8 Kb containing only two genes was recently described in a patient with a 3q29 microduplication that was proposed as the minimal critical region of overlap of this syndrome. METHODS Molecular karyotyping (array-CGH) was performed on DNA extracted from peripheral blood samples using Agilent-California USA Human Genome CGH Microarray 4 × 180 K. The proband and his younger brother were further tested with a next generation sequencing (NGS) panel including genes implicated in autism spectrum disorder and in neurodevelopmental disorders. Quantitative real-time PCR was applied to verify the abnormal array-CGH findings. RESULTS Here, we report on a family with two males with neurodevelopmental disorders and an unaffected sibling with a small 3q29 microduplication (432.8 Kb) inherited from an unaffected mother that involves only two genes: DGL1 and BDH1. The proband had an additional intragenic duplication inherited from the unaffected father. Further testing was negative for Fragile X syndrome and for genes implicated in autism spectrum disorder and in neurodevelopmental disorders. CONCLUSION To the best of our knowledge, one of the family members here analyzed is the second reported case of a patient carrying a small 3q29 microduplication including only DGL1 and BDH1 genes and without any additional genetic aberration. The recognition of the clinical spectrum in patients with the critical region of overlap associated with the 3q29 duplication syndrome should prove valuable for predicting outcomes and providing more informed genetic counseling to patients with duplications in this region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Bauleo
- BIOGENET, Medical and Forensic Genetics Laboratory, Cosenza, Italy
| | - Vincenza Pace
- BIOGENET, Medical and Forensic Genetics Laboratory, Cosenza, Italy
| | - Alberto Montesanto
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, Rende, Italy
| | - Laura De Stefano
- BIOGENET, Medical and Forensic Genetics Laboratory, Cosenza, Italy
| | - Rossella Brando
- BIOGENET, Medical and Forensic Genetics Laboratory, Cosenza, Italy
| | - Domenica Puntorieri
- Dipartimento Materno Infantile Neuropsichiatria Infanzia e Adolescenza Rossano - Cariati, Azienda Sanitaria Provinciale di Cosenza, Cosenza, Italy
| | - Luca Cento
- Dipartimento Materno Infantile Neuropsichiatria Infanzia e Adolescenza Rossano - Cariati, Azienda Sanitaria Provinciale di Cosenza, Cosenza, Italy
| | - Maurizio Genuardi
- UOC Genetica Medica, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy.,Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Sanità Pubblica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - Elena Falcone
- BIOGENET, Medical and Forensic Genetics Laboratory, Cosenza, Italy
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5
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González-Herrero B, Morgante F, Pagonabarraga J, Stanton B, Edwards MJ. Autism Spectrum Disorder May Be Highly Prevalent in People with Functional Neurological Disorders. J Clin Med 2022; 12. [PMID: 36615098 DOI: 10.3390/jcm12010299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent observations suggest that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) co-occurs in people with a functional neurological disorder (FND), but little systematic data are available on the relationship between FND and autism. The study aimed to assess the self-reported autistic traits via a standardized questionnaire and the prevalence of previously diagnosed ASD among people with FND and their 1st-degree relatives. We performed a survey of members of the patient organization FNDHope, using a self-completed questionnaire for screening for autistic traits and ASD: the adult autism subthreshold spectrum (AdAS spectrum). There were 344 respondents diagnosed with FND with a mean age of 39.8 ± 11.6 years (female sex 90%). Eight per cent of respondents volunteered a previous diagnosis of ASD, and 24% reported a 1st-degree relative with a formal diagnosis of ASD, mostly their children. We found that 69% of respondents had scores in the AdAS spectrum indicating a clinically significant ASD and 21% indicating autistic traits. Further studies are needed to provide more evidence regarding the prevalence of ASD in people with FND and how this may influence the aetiology, treatment selection and prognosis.
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6
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Antaki D, Guevara J, Maihofer AX, Klein M, Gujral M, Grove J, Carey CE, Hong O, Arranz MJ, Hervas A, Corsello C, Vaux KK, Muotri AR, Iakoucheva LM, Courchesne E, Pierce K, Gleeson JG, Robinson EB, Nievergelt CM, Sebat J. A phenotypic spectrum of autism is attributable to the combined effects of rare variants, polygenic risk and sex. Nat Genet 2022; 54:1284-1292. [PMID: 35654974 PMCID: PMC9474668 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-022-01064-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The genetic etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is multifactorial, but how combinations of genetic factors determine risk is unclear. In a large family sample, we show that genetic loads of rare and polygenic risk are inversely correlated in cases and greater in females than in males, consistent with a liability threshold that differs by sex. De novo mutations (DNMs), rare inherited variants and polygenic scores were associated with various dimensions of symptom severity in children and parents. Parental age effects on risk for ASD in offspring were attributable to a combination of genetic mechanisms, including DNMs that accumulate in the paternal germline and inherited risk that influences behavior in parents. Genes implicated by rare variants were enriched in excitatory and inhibitory neurons compared with genes implicated by common variants. Our results suggest that a phenotypic spectrum of ASD is attributable to a spectrum of genetic factors that impact different neurodevelopmental processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danny Antaki
- Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Beyster Center for Psychiatric Genomics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Institute for Genomic Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - James Guevara
- Beyster Center for Psychiatric Genomics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Adam X Maihofer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Marieke Klein
- Beyster Center for Psychiatric Genomics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Madhusudan Gujral
- Beyster Center for Psychiatric Genomics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jakob Grove
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine and Center for Integrative Sequencing, iSEQ, Aarhus, Denmark
- Bioinformatics Research Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Caitlin E Carey
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Oanh Hong
- Beyster Center for Psychiatric Genomics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Maria J Arranz
- Research Laboratory Unit, Fundacio Docencia i Recerca Mutua, Terrassa, Spain
| | - Amaia Hervas
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit, Hospital Universitari Mútua de Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Christina Corsello
- TEACCH Autism Program, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | | | - Alysson R Muotri
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Institute for Genomic Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics and Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny, Archealization Center, Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Lilia M Iakoucheva
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Institute for Genomic Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Eric Courchesne
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Autism Center of Excellence, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Karen Pierce
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Autism Center of Excellence, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Joseph G Gleeson
- Institute for Genomic Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Elise B Robinson
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Jonathan Sebat
- Beyster Center for Psychiatric Genomics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Institute for Genomic Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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7
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Dash S, Syed YA, Khan MR. Understanding the Role of the Gut Microbiome in Brain Development and Its Association With Neurodevelopmental Psychiatric Disorders. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:880544. [PMID: 35493075 PMCID: PMC9048050 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.880544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The gut microbiome has a tremendous influence on human physiology, including the nervous system. During fetal development, the initial colonization of the microbiome coincides with the development of the nervous system in a timely, coordinated manner. Emerging studies suggest an active involvement of the microbiome and its metabolic by-products in regulating early brain development. However, any disruption during this early developmental process can negatively impact brain functionality, leading to a range of neurodevelopment and neuropsychiatric disorders (NPD). In this review, we summarize recent evidence as to how the gut microbiome can influence the process of early human brain development and its association with major neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders such as autism spectrum disorders, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and schizophrenia. Further, we discuss how gut microbiome alterations can also play a role in inducing drug resistance in the affected individuals. We propose a model that establishes a direct link of microbiome dysbiosis with the exacerbated inflammatory state, leading to functional brain deficits associated with NPD. Based on the existing research, we discuss a framework whereby early diet intervention can boost mental wellness in the affected subjects and call for further research for a better understanding of mechanisms that govern the gut-brain axis may lead to novel approaches to the study of the pathophysiology and treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Somarani Dash
- Life Sciences Division, Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), Guwahati, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Yasir Ahmed Syed
- School of Biosciences and Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Mojibur R. Khan
- Life Sciences Division, Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), Guwahati, India
- *Correspondence: Mojibur R. Khan,
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8
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Rujeedawa T, Zaman SH. The Diagnosis and Management of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Adult Females in the Presence or Absence of an Intellectual Disability. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022; 19:1315. [PMID: 35162336 PMCID: PMC8835194 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19031315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
We review the reasons for the greater male predominance in the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder in the non-intellectual disabled population and compare it to autism diagnosed in intellectually disabled individuals. Accurate and timely diagnosis is important, as it reduces health inequalities. Females often present later for the diagnosis. The differences are in core features, such as in social reciprocal interaction through 'camouflaging' and restricted repetitive behaviours, that are less noticeable in females and are potentially explained by the biological differences (female protective effect theory) and/or differences in presentation between the two sexes (female autism phenotype theory). Females more often present with internalising co-occurring conditions than males. We review these theories, highlighting the key differences and the impact of a diagnosis on females. We review methods to potentially improve diagnosis in females along with current and future management strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Shahid H. Zaman
- Cambridge Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities Research Group, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 8AH, UK;
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9
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Calderoni S. Sex/gender differences in children with autism spectrum disorder: A brief overview on epidemiology, symptom profile, and neuroanatomy. J Neurosci Res 2022; 101:739-750. [PMID: 35043482 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a heterogeneous group of neurodevelopmental conditions whose shared core features are impairments in social interaction and communication as well as restricted patterns of behavior, interests, and activities. The significant and consistent male preponderance in ASD prevalence has historically affected the scientific knowledge of autism in females as regards, inter alia, the clinical presentation, the genetic architecture, and the structural brain underpinnings. Indeed, females with ASD are under-investigated as samples recruited for clinical research typically reflect the strong male bias of the disorder. In the last years, the study of the various aspects of sex/gender (s/g) differences in ASD is gaining increased clinical and research interest resulting in a growing number of investigations on this topic. Here, I review and discuss evidence emerged from epidemiological, clinical, and neuroimaging studies in the last decade focusing on s/g differences in children with ASD. These studies are the prerequisites for the development of assessment and treatment practices which take into consideration s/g differences in ASD. Ultimately, a better understanding of s/g differences aims at improving healthcare for both ASD males and females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Calderoni
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy.,Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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10
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Liu Y, Lv Y, Zarrei M, Dong R, Yang X, Higginbotham EJ, Li Y, Zhao D, Song F, Yang Y, Zhang H, Wang Y, Scherer SW, Gai Z. Chromosomal microarray analysis of 410 Han Chinese patients with autism spectrum disorder or unexplained intellectual disability and developmental delay. NPJ Genom Med 2022; 7:1. [PMID: 35022430 PMCID: PMC8755789 DOI: 10.1038/s41525-021-00271-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2019] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Copy number variants (CNVs) are recognized as a crucial genetic cause of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). Chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA), the first-tier diagnostic test for individuals with NDDs, has been utilized to detect CNVs in clinical practice, but most reports are still from populations of European ancestry. To contribute more worldwide clinical genomics data, we investigated the genetic etiology of 410 Han Chinese patients with NDDs (151 with autism and 259 with unexplained intellectual disability (ID) and developmental delay (DD)) using CMA (Affymetrix) after G-banding karyotyping. Among all the NDD patients, 109 (26.6%) carried clinically relevant CNVs or uniparental disomies (UPDs), and 8 (2.0%) had aneuploidies (6 with trisomy 21 syndrome, 1 with 47,XXY, 1 with 47,XYY). In total, we found 129 clinically relevant CNVs and UPDs, including 32 CNVs in 30 ASD patients, and 92 CNVs and 5 UPDs in 79 ID/DD cases. When excluding the eight patients with aneuploidies, the diagnostic yield of pathogenic and likely pathogenic CNVs and UPDs was 20.9% for all NDDs (84/402), 3.3% in ASD (5/151), and 31.5% in ID/DD (79/251). When aneuploidies were included, the diagnostic yield increased to 22.4% for all NDDs (92/410), and 33.6% for ID/DD (87/259). We identified a de novo CNV in 14.9% (60/402) of subjects with NDDs. Interestingly, a higher diagnostic yield was observed in females (31.3%, 40/128) compared to males (16.1%, 44/274) for all NDDs (P = 4.8 × 10-4), suggesting that a female protective mechanism exists for deleterious CNVs and UPDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Liu
- Pediatric Research Institute, Qilu Children's Hospital of Shandong University, Ji'nan, 250022, China
| | - Yuqiang Lv
- Pediatric Research Institute, Qilu Children's Hospital of Shandong University, Ji'nan, 250022, China
| | - Mehdi Zarrei
- The Centre for Applied Genomics and Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Rui Dong
- Pediatric Research Institute, Qilu Children's Hospital of Shandong University, Ji'nan, 250022, China
| | - Xiaomeng Yang
- Pediatric Research Institute, Qilu Children's Hospital of Shandong University, Ji'nan, 250022, China
| | - Edward J Higginbotham
- The Centre for Applied Genomics and Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Yue Li
- Pediatric Research Institute, Qilu Children's Hospital of Shandong University, Ji'nan, 250022, China
| | - Dongmei Zhao
- Pediatric Health Care Institute, Qilu Children's Hospital of Shandong University, Ji'nan, 250022, China
| | - Fengling Song
- Pediatric Health Care Institute, Qilu Children's Hospital of Shandong University, Ji'nan, 250022, China
| | - Yali Yang
- Rehabilitation Center, Qilu Children's Hospital of Shandong University, Ji'nan, 250022, China
| | - Haiyan Zhang
- Pediatric Research Institute, Qilu Children's Hospital of Shandong University, Ji'nan, 250022, China
| | - Ying Wang
- Pediatric Research Institute, Qilu Children's Hospital of Shandong University, Ji'nan, 250022, China
| | - Stephen W Scherer
- The Centre for Applied Genomics and Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, M5G 0A4, Canada. .,McLaughlin Centre and Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A1, Canada.
| | - Zhongtao Gai
- Pediatric Research Institute, Qilu Children's Hospital of Shandong University, Ji'nan, 250022, China.
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11
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Dinneen TJ, Ghrálaigh FN, Walsh R, Lopez LM, Gallagher L. How does genetic variation modify ND-CNV phenotypes? Trends Genet 2021; 38:140-151. [PMID: 34364706 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2021.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Rare copy-number variants (CNVs) associated with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), i.e., ND-CNVs, provide an insight into the neurobiology of NDDs and, potentially, a link between biology and clinical outcomes. However, ND-CNVs are characterised by incomplete penetrance resulting in heterogeneous carrier phenotypes, ranging from non-affected to multimorbid psychiatric, neurological, and physical phenotypes. Recent evidence indicates that other variants in the genome, or 'other hits', may partially explain the variable expressivity of ND-CNVs. These may be other rare variants or the aggregated effects of common variants that modify NDD risk. Here we discuss the recent findings, current questions, and future challenges relating to other hits research in the context of ND-CNVs and their potential for improved clinical diagnostics and therapeutics for ND-CNV carriers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J Dinneen
- Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
| | - Fiana Ní Ghrálaigh
- Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; Department of Biology, National University of Ireland Maynooth, Maynooth, Ireland
| | - Ruth Walsh
- Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Lorna M Lopez
- Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; Department of Biology, National University of Ireland Maynooth, Maynooth, Ireland
| | - Louise Gallagher
- Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
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12
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Dowden L, Tucker D, Morgan S, Uzun O, Syed YA. Contribution of Congenital Heart Disorders Associated With Copy Number Variants in Mediating Risk for Brain Developmental Disorders: Evidence From 20-Year Retrospective Cohort Study. Front Cardiovasc Med 2021; 8:655463. [PMID: 34336942 PMCID: PMC8319541 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2021.655463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Rare pathogenic copy number variants (CNVs) are genetic rearrangements that have been associated with an increased risk for congenital heart disorders (CHDs). However, the association of CNVs with atypical brain development, leading to neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), in the presence of CHDs remains unclear. We attempted to explore this association by establishing the prevalence and burden of CNVs associated with CHD in a Welsh population and by studying the effect of rare CNVs associated with CHDs in mediating the risk of NDDs. Toward this goal, we analyzed data from the Congenital Anomaly Register for Wales (CARIS), referred from hospitals in Wales between 1998 and 2018, which included 1,113 subjects in total. Of these, 785 subjects were included in the study following application of the exclusion criteria, and a total of 28 rare CNVs associated with CHD were analyzed. The findings from this cohort study identified 22q11.2 deletion as the most prominent CNV across the cohort. Our data demonstrates that the survival rate of the cohort after 3 years was 99.9%, and mortality fell significantly between 1 and 2 years and between 2 and 3 years [F(1,27) = 10, p = 0.0027; F(1,27) = 5.8, p = 0.0222]. Importantly, the data set revealed a positive correlation between the incidence of congenital heart disease and the incidence of neurodevelopmental abnormalities in patients with CNVs across the whole cohort [95% CI (0.4062, 0.8449), p < 0.0001, r = 0.6829]. Additionally, we identified significant CNVs that result in the co-morbidity of CHD and NDD and show that septal defects and global developmental delay are major congenital defects. Further research should identify a common molecular mechanism leading to the phenotypic comorbidity of CHDs and NDDs, arising from a common CNV, which can have an implication for improving risk classification and for fetal neuroprotection strategies in the affected children and in precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke Dowden
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom.,School of Bioscience, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - David Tucker
- Knowledge Directorate, Public Health Wales, Swansea, United Kingdom
| | - Sian Morgan
- Department of Medical Genetics, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Orhan Uzun
- Department of Fetal Cardiology, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Yasir Ahmed Syed
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom.,School of Bioscience, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
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13
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Abstract
The most commonly-used omics databases are a compilation of results from primarily male-only and sex-agnostic studies. The pervasive use of these databases critically hinders progress towards fully accounting for the biology of sex differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamila M. Bond
- Mathematical Neuro-Oncology Lab, Department of Neurological Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, AZ, USA,Mayo Clinic School of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Margaret M. McCarthy
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA,Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Joshua B. Rubin
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA,Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Kristin R. Swanson
- Mathematical Neuro-Oncology Lab, Department of Neurological Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, AZ, USA
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14
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Lyall K, Ames JL, Pearl M, Traglia M, Weiss LA, Windham GC, Kharrazi M, Yoshida CK, Yolken R, Volk HE, Ashwood P, Van de Water J, Croen LA. A profile and review of findings from the Early Markers for Autism study: unique contributions from a population-based case-control study in California. Mol Autism 2021; 12:24. [PMID: 33736683 PMCID: PMC7977191 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-021-00429-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The Early Markers for Autism (EMA) study is a population-based case–control study designed to learn more about early biologic processes involved in ASD. Methods Participants were drawn from Southern California births from 2000 to 2003 with archived prenatal and neonatal screening specimens. Across two phases, children with ASD (n = 629) and intellectual disability without ASD (ID, n = 230) were ascertained from the California Department of Developmental Services (DDS), with diagnoses confirmed according to DSM-IV-TR criteria based on expert clinical review of abstracted records. General population controls (GP, n = 599) were randomly sampled from birth certificate files and matched to ASD cases by sex, birth month and year after excluding individuals with DDS records. EMA has published over 20 papers examining immune markers, endogenous hormones, environmental chemicals, and genetic factors in association with ASD and ID. This review summarizes the results across these studies, as well as the EMA study design and future directions. Results EMA enabled several key contributions to the literature, including the examination of biomarker levels in biospecimens prospectively collected during critical windows of neurodevelopment. Key findings from EMA include demonstration of elevated cytokine and chemokine levels in maternal mid-pregnancy serum samples in association with ASD, as well as aberrations in other immune marker levels; suggestions of increased odds of ASD with prenatal exposure to certain endocrine disrupting chemicals, though not in mixture analyses; and demonstration of maternal and fetal genetic influence on prenatal chemical, and maternal and neonatal immune marker and vitamin D levels. We also observed an overall lack of association with ASD and measured maternal and neonatal vitamin D, mercury, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels. Limitations Covariate and outcome data were limited to information in Vital Statistics and DDS records. As a study based in Southern California, generalizability for certain environmental exposures may be reduced. Conclusions Results across EMA studies support the importance of the prenatal and neonatal periods in ASD etiology, and provide evidence for the role of the maternal immune response during pregnancy. Future directions for EMA, and the field of ASD in general, include interrogation of mechanistic pathways and examination of combined effects of exposures. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13229-021-00429-7.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen Lyall
- A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, Drexel University, Suite 560, 3020 Market St, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
| | - Jennifer L Ames
- Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA, USA
| | - Michelle Pearl
- Environmental Health Investigations Branch, California Department of Public Health, Richmond, CA, USA
| | - Michela Traglia
- University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Lauren A Weiss
- University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Gayle C Windham
- Environmental Health Investigations Branch, California Department of Public Health, Richmond, CA, USA
| | - Martin Kharrazi
- Environmental Health Investigations Branch, California Department of Public Health, Richmond, CA, USA
| | - Cathleen K Yoshida
- Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA, USA
| | - Robert Yolken
- School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Heather E Volk
- Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Paul Ashwood
- UC Davis MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Judy Van de Water
- UC Davis MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Lisa A Croen
- Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA, USA
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15
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Calderoni S, Ricca I, Balboni G, Cagiano R, Cassandrini D, Doccini S, Cosenza A, Tolomeo D, Tancredi R, Santorelli FM, Muratori F. Evaluation of Chromosome Microarray Analysis in a Large Cohort of Females with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Single Center Italian Study. J Pers Med 2020; 10:E160. [PMID: 33050239 PMCID: PMC7720139 DOI: 10.3390/jpm10040160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2020] [Revised: 09/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) encompass a heterogeneous group of neurodevelopmental disorders resulting from the complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors. Thanks to the chromosome microarray analysis (CMA) in clinical practice, the accurate identification and characterization of submicroscopic deletions/duplications (copy number variants, CNVs) associated with ASD was made possible. However, the widely acknowledged excess of males on the autism spectrum reflects on a paucity of CMA studies specifically focused on females with ASD (f-ASD). In this framework, we aim to evaluate the frequency of causative CNVs in a single-center cohort of idiopathic f-ASD. Among the 90 f-ASD analyzed, we found 20 patients with one or two potentially pathogenic CNVs, including those previously associated with ASD (located at 16p13.2 16p11.2, 15q11.2, and 22q11.21 regions). An exploratory genotype/phenotype analysis revealed that the f-ASD with causative CNVs had statistically significantly lower restrictive and repetitive behaviors than those without CNVs or with non-causative CNVs. Future work should focus on further understanding of f-ASD genetic underpinnings, taking advantage of next-generation sequencing technologies, with the ultimate goal of contributing to precision medicine in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Calderoni
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Viale del Tirreno 331, Calambrone, 56128 Pisa, Italy; (R.C.); (A.C.); (R.T.); (F.M.)
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Savi, 10, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Ivana Ricca
- Molecular Medicine, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, via dei Giacinti 2, Calambrone, 56128 Pisa, Italy; (I.R.); (D.C.); (S.D.); (D.T.); (F.M.S.)
| | - Giulia Balboni
- Department of Philosophy, Social and Human Sciences and Education, University of Perugia, Piazza G. Ermini 1, 06123 Perugia, Italy;
| | - Romina Cagiano
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Viale del Tirreno 331, Calambrone, 56128 Pisa, Italy; (R.C.); (A.C.); (R.T.); (F.M.)
| | - Denise Cassandrini
- Molecular Medicine, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, via dei Giacinti 2, Calambrone, 56128 Pisa, Italy; (I.R.); (D.C.); (S.D.); (D.T.); (F.M.S.)
| | - Stefano Doccini
- Molecular Medicine, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, via dei Giacinti 2, Calambrone, 56128 Pisa, Italy; (I.R.); (D.C.); (S.D.); (D.T.); (F.M.S.)
| | - Angela Cosenza
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Viale del Tirreno 331, Calambrone, 56128 Pisa, Italy; (R.C.); (A.C.); (R.T.); (F.M.)
| | - Deborah Tolomeo
- Molecular Medicine, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, via dei Giacinti 2, Calambrone, 56128 Pisa, Italy; (I.R.); (D.C.); (S.D.); (D.T.); (F.M.S.)
- Department of Neurosciences, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, Viale Pieraccini, 6-50139 Florence, Italy
| | - Raffaella Tancredi
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Viale del Tirreno 331, Calambrone, 56128 Pisa, Italy; (R.C.); (A.C.); (R.T.); (F.M.)
| | - Filippo Maria Santorelli
- Molecular Medicine, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, via dei Giacinti 2, Calambrone, 56128 Pisa, Italy; (I.R.); (D.C.); (S.D.); (D.T.); (F.M.S.)
| | - Filippo Muratori
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Viale del Tirreno 331, Calambrone, 56128 Pisa, Italy; (R.C.); (A.C.); (R.T.); (F.M.)
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Savi, 10, 56126 Pisa, Italy
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16
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Abstract
AbstractAutism is more commonly diagnosed in males than females. One explanation is the ‘female protective effect’: there is something inherent in being female which reduces the likelihood of developing autism. However, evidence suggests that the condition is underdiagnosed in females, perhaps because females express their autism in ways which do not meet current diagnostic criteria. This review explores evidence for a female-typical autism presentation, the Female Autism Phenotype (FAP) and the component of camouflaging (compensating for and masking autistic characteristics) in particular. The evidence so far supports the existence of a female-typical autism presentation, although further examination of the characteristics and their impact across all genders and ages is needed.
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17
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Abstract
Background Variome may be used for designating complex system of interplay between genomic variations specific for an individual or a disease. Despite the recognized complexity of genomic basis for phenotypic traits and diseases, studies of genetic causes of a disease are usually dedicated to the identification of single causative genomic changes (mutations). When such an artificially simplified model is employed, genomic basis of phenotypic outcomes remains elusive in the overwhelming majority of human diseases. Moreover, it is repeatedly demonstrated that multiple genomic changes within an individual genome are likely to underlie the phenome. Probably the best example of cumulative effect of variome on the phenotype is CNV (copy number variation) burden. Accordingly, we have proposed a variome concept based on CNV studies providing the evidence for the existence of a CNVariome (the set of CNV affecting an individual genome), a target for genomic analyses useful for unraveling genetic mechanisms of diseases and phenotypic traits. Conclusion Variome (CNVariome) concept suggests that a genomic milieu is determined by the whole set of genomic variations (CNV) within an individual genome. The genomic milieu is likely to result from interplay between these variations. Furthermore, such kind of variome may be either individual or disease-specific. Additionally, such variome may be pathway-specific. The latter is able to affect molecular/cellular pathways of genome stability maintenance leading to occurrence of genomic/chromosome instability and/or somatic mosaicism resulting in somatic variome. This variome type seems to be important for unraveling disease mechanisms, as well. Finally, it appears that bioinformatic analysis of both individual and somatic variomes in the context of diseases- and pathway-specific variomes is the most promising way to determine genomic basis of the phenome and to unravel disease mechanisms for the management and treatment of currently incurable diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Y Iourov
- Yurov's Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Cytogenomics of the Brain, Mental Health Research Center, 117152 Moscow, Russia.,2Veltischev Research and Clinical Institute for Pediatrics of the Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Ministry of Health of Russian Federation, 125412 Moscow, Russia
| | - Svetlana G Vorsanova
- Yurov's Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Cytogenomics of the Brain, Mental Health Research Center, 117152 Moscow, Russia.,2Veltischev Research and Clinical Institute for Pediatrics of the Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Ministry of Health of Russian Federation, 125412 Moscow, Russia
| | - Yuri B Yurov
- Yurov's Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Cytogenomics of the Brain, Mental Health Research Center, 117152 Moscow, Russia.,2Veltischev Research and Clinical Institute for Pediatrics of the Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Ministry of Health of Russian Federation, 125412 Moscow, Russia
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18
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Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is one of the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders, affecting an estimated 1 in 59 children. ASD is highly genetically heterogeneous and may be caused by both inheritable and de novo gene variations. In the past decade, hundreds of genes have been identified that contribute to the serious deficits in communication, social cognition, and behavior that patients often experience. However, these only account for 10-20% of ASD cases, and patients with similar pathogenic variants may be diagnosed on very different levels of the spectrum. In this review, we will describe the genetic landscape of ASD and discuss how genetic modifiers such as copy number variation, single nucleotide polymorphisms, and epigenetic alterations likely play a key role in modulating the phenotypic spectrum of ASD patients. We also consider how genetic modifiers can alter convergent signaling pathways and lead to impaired neural circuitry formation. Lastly, we review sex-linked modifiers and clinical implications. Further understanding of these mechanisms is crucial for both comprehending ASD and for developing novel therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alicia Guemez-Gamboa
- Department of Physiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
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19
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Abstract
Nearly all human complex traits and disease phenotypes exhibit some degree of sex differences, including differences in prevalence, age of onset, severity or disease progression. Until recently, the underlying genetic mechanisms of such sex differences have been largely unexplored. Advances in genomic technologies and analytical approaches are now enabling a deeper investigation into the effect of sex on human health traits. In this Review, we discuss recent insights into the genetic models and mechanisms that lead to sex differences in complex traits. This knowledge is critical for developing deeper insight into the fundamental biology of sex differences and disease processes, thus facilitating precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina A Khramtsova
- Section of Genetic Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.,Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Lea K Davis
- Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA. .,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
| | - Barbara E Stranger
- Section of Genetic Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. .,Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. .,Center for Data Intensive Science, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
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20
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Zhang R, Chen X, Wang D, Chen X, Wang C, Zhang Y, Xu M, Yu J. Prevalence of chromosomal abnormalities identified by copy number variation sequencing in high-risk pregnancies, spontaneous abortions, and suspected genetic disorders. J Int Med Res 2019; 47:1169-1178. [PMID: 30732499 PMCID: PMC6421393 DOI: 10.1177/0300060518818020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective High-throughput sequencing based on copy number variation (CNV-seq) is
commonly used to detect chromosomal abnormalities including aneuploidy. This
study provides evidence for the prevalence of chromosomal abnormalities in
target populations. Methods A total of 160 samples, including 83 high-risk pregnancies, 37 spontaneous
abortions, and 40 suspected genetic disorders, were analyzed by CNV-seq.
Relationships between the incidence of these chromosomal abnormalities and
risk factors (e.g. advanced maternal age, abnormal pregnancy history, and
family history of congenital disease) were further analyzed by subgroup. Results A total of 37 (44.6%) high-risk pregnancies, 25 (67.6%) spontaneous
abortions, and 22 (55%) suspected genetic disorders had chromosomal
abnormalities including aneuploidy and CNVs. There was an increased risk
association between the prevalence of aneuploidy and pathogenic-relevant CNV
in the fetus or abortive tissue and advanced maternal age. Moreover, a
family history of congenital disease was also positively correlated with
fetal chromosomal abnormalities in high-risk pregnancies. Conclusion A relatively high prevalence of chromosomal abnormalities was detected in
high-risk pregnancies, spontaneous abortions, and suspected genetic
disorders, indicating the importance of CNV detection in such
populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Zhang
- 1 Prenatal Diagnosis Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.,2 Scientific Research Centre, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | | | - Dong Wang
- 2 Scientific Research Centre, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Xuan Chen
- 4 Department of Obstetrics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Chao Wang
- 1 Prenatal Diagnosis Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Yuhong Zhang
- 1 Prenatal Diagnosis Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | | | - Jingcui Yu
- 2 Scientific Research Centre, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
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21
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Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE An estimated 40%-80% of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have sleep problems. The Simons Simplex Collection Sleep Interview (SSCSI) is a parent-report questionnaire assessing bedtime and nighttime sleep problems and daytime function. The present study evaluated the factorial model of the SSCSI that best characterizes children aged 4-18 years with ASD. METHODS Exploratory factor analysis was performed using principal component analysis and promax rotation, beginning with 16 items and ending with 10 items. RESULTS Exploratory factor analysis concluded with ten dichotomous items, plus ageand regular sleep duration, in three factors: nighttime problems, daytime problems, andsleep duration problems. The analysis was performed on the full sample, and onprepubertal (4-8-years), pubertal (9-13-years), and postpubertal (14-18-years) subgroups. CONCLUSION Further refinement, including confirmatory factor analysis, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity testing, is needed.
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22
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Neurodevelopmental disorders disproportionately affect males. The mechanisms underlying male vulnerability or female protection are not known and remain understudied. Determining the processes involved is crucial to understanding the etiology and advancing treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders. Here, we review current findings and theories that contribute to male preponderance of neurodevelopmental disorders, with a focus on autism. RECENT FINDINGS Recent work on the biological basis of the male preponderance of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders includes discussion of a higher genetic burden in females and sex-specific gene mutations or epigenetic changes that differentially confer risk to males or protection to females. Other mechanisms discussed are sex chromosome and sex hormone involvement. Specifically, fetal testosterone is involved in many aspects of development and may interact with neurotransmitter, neuropeptide, or immune pathways to contribute to male vulnerability. Finally, the possibilities of female underdiagnosis and a multi-hit hypothesis are discussed. This review highlights current theories of male bias in developmental disorders. Topics include environmental, genetic, and epigenetic mechanisms; theories of sex chromosomes, hormones, neuroendocrine, and immune function; underdiagnosis of females; and a multi-hit hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah L. Ferri
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Pappajohn Biomedical Discovery Building, 169 Newton Road, Iowa City, IA 52242 USA
| | - Ted Abel
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Pappajohn Biomedical Discovery Building, 169 Newton Road, Iowa City, IA 52242 USA
| | - Edward S. Brodkin
- Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Translational Research Laboratory, 125 South 31 Street, Room 2202, Philadelphia, PA 19104-3403 USA
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23
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Chen CH, Chen HI, Chien WH, Li LH, Wu YY, Chiu YN, Tsai WC, Gau SSF. High resolution analysis of rare copy number variants in patients with autism spectrum disorder from Taiwan. Sci Rep 2017; 7:11919. [PMID: 28931914 PMCID: PMC5607249 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-12081-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2017] [Accepted: 09/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Rare genomic copy number variations (CNVs) (frequency <1%) contribute a part to the genetic underpinnings of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The study aimed to understand the scope of rare CNV in Taiwanese patients with ASD. We conducted a genome-wide CNV screening of 335 ASD patients (299 males, 36 females) from Taiwan using Affymetrix Genome-Wide Human SNP Array 6.0 and compared the incidence of rare CNV with that of 1093 control subjects (525 males, 568 females). We found a significantly increased global burden of rare CNVs in the ASD group compared to the controls as a whole or when the rare CNVs were classified by the size and types of CNV. Further analysis confirmed the presence of several rare CNVs at regions strongly associated with ASD as reported in the literature in our sample. Additionally, we detected several new private pathogenic CNVs in our samples and five patients carrying two pathogenic CNVs. Our data indicate that rare genomic CNVs contribute a part to the genetic landscape of our ASD patients. These CNVs are highly heterogeneous, and the clinical interpretation of the pathogenic CNVs of ASD is not straightforward in consideration of the incomplete penetrance, varied expressivity, and individual genetic background.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chia-Hsiang Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Department and Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-I Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Hsien Chien
- Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Ling-Hui Li
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Yu Wu
- Department of Psychiatry, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Yen-Nan Chiu
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Che Tsai
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Susan Shur-Fen Gau
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan. .,Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. .,Graduate Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
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24
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Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has historically been diagnosed more frequently in males than females. One explanation for this is the ‘female protective effect’: that there is something inherent in being female that makes girls and women less susceptible to ASD. Another possibility is that ASD is under-diagnosed in girls and women, due to the existence of a ‘female autism phenotype’, which is not well captured by current, male-biased diagnostic criteria. To evaluate the ‘female protective effect’ and ‘female autism phenotype’ hypotheses, this narrative review describes recent developments exploring the genetic underpinning and behavioral expression of ASD in females. We then look at the ways to better identify females with ASD who may be missed under the current diagnostic criteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Hull
- Department of Psychology, University College London, 26 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AP, UK
| | - William Mandy
- Department of Psychology, University College London, 26 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AP, UK
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25
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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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26
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Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental condition that affects approximately four times as many males as females, a strong sex bias that has not yet been fully explained. Understanding the causes of this biased prevalence may highlight novel avenues for treatment development that could benefit patients with diverse genetic backgrounds, and the expertise of sex differences researchers will be invaluable in this endeavor. In this review, I aim to assess current evidence pertaining to the sex difference in ASD prevalence and to identify outstanding questions and remaining gaps in our understanding of how males come to be more frequently affected and/or diagnosed with ASD. Though males consistently outnumber females in ASD prevalence studies, prevalence estimates generated using different approaches report male/female ratios of variable magnitude that suggest that ascertainment or diagnostic biases may contribute to the male skew in ASD. Here, I present the different methods applied and implications of their findings. Additionally, even as prevalence estimations challenge the degree of male bias in ASD, support is growing for the long-proposed female protective effect model of ASD risk, and I review the relevant results from recurrence rate, quantitative trait, and genetic analyses. Lastly, I describe work investigating several sex-differential biological factors and pathways that may be responsible for females' protection and/or males' increased risk predicted by the female protective effect model, including sex steroid hormone exposure and regulation and sex-differential activity of certain neural cell types. However, much future work from both the ASD and sex differences research communities will be required to flesh out our understanding of how these factors act to influence the developing brain and modulate ASD risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donna M. Werling
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143 USA
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27
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Rees E, Kendall K, Pardiñas AF, Legge SE, Pocklington A, Escott-Price V, MacCabe JH, Collier DA, Holmans P, O’Donovan MC, Owen MJ, Walters JTR, Kirov G. Analysis of Intellectual Disability Copy Number Variants for Association With Schizophrenia. JAMA Psychiatry 2016; 73:963-969. [PMID: 27602560 PMCID: PMC5014093 DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.1831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
IMPORTANCE At least 11 rare copy number variants (CNVs) have been shown to be major risk factors for schizophrenia (SZ). These CNVs also increase the risk for other neurodevelopmental disorders, such as intellectual disability. It is possible that additional intellectual disability-associated CNVs increase the risk for SZ but have not yet been implicated in SZ because of previous studies being underpowered. OBJECTIVE To examine whether additional CNVs implicated in intellectual disability represent novel SZ risk loci. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS We used single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array data to evaluate a set of 51 CNVs implicated in intellectual disability (excluding the known SZ loci) in a large data set of patients with SZ and healthy persons serving as controls recruited in a variety of settings. We analyzed a new sample of 6934 individuals with SZ and 8751 controls and combined those data with previously published large data sets for a total of 20 403 cases of SZ and 26 628 controls. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Burden analysis of CNVs implicated in intellectual disability (excluding known SZ CNVs) for association with SZ. Association of individual intellectual disability CNV loci with SZ. RESULTS Of data on the 20 403 cases (6151 [30.15%] female) and 26 628 controls (14 252 [53.52%] female), 51 intellectual disability CNVs were analyzed. Collectively, intellectual disability CNVs were significantly enriched for SZ (P = 1.0 × 10-6; odds ratio [OR], 1.9 [95% CI, 1.46-2.49]). Of the 51 CNVs tested, 19 (37%) were more common in SZ cases; only 4 (8%) were more common in controls (no observations were made for the remaining 28 [55%] loci). One novel locus, deletion at 16p12.1, was significantly associated with SZ after correction for multiple testing (rate in SZ, 33 [0.16%]; rate in controls, 12 [0.05%]; corrected P = .017; OR, 3.3; 95% CI, 1.61-7.05), and 2 loci reached nominal levels of significance (deletions at 2q11.2: 6 [0.03%] vs 1 [0.004%]; OR, 9.3; 95% CI, 1.03-447.76; corrected P > .99; and duplications at 10q11.21q11.23: 5 [0.2%] vs 0 [0.03%]; OR, infinity; 95% CI, 1.26-infinity; corrected P = .71). Our new data set also provided independent support for the 11 SZ risk loci previously reported to be associated with the disorder and for the protective effect of 22q11.2 duplication. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE A large proportion of CNV loci implicated in intellectual disability are risk factors for SZ, but the available sample size precludes statistical confirmation for additional individual loci.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elliott Rees
- Medical Research Council Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and
Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales
| | - Kimberley Kendall
- Medical Research Council Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and
Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales
| | - Antonio F. Pardiñas
- Medical Research Council Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and
Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales
| | - Sophie E. Legge
- Medical Research Council Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and
Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales
| | - Andrew Pocklington
- Medical Research Council Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and
Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales
| | - Valentina Escott-Price
- Medical Research Council Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and
Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales
| | - James H. MacCabe
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology
and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, England
| | - David A. Collier
- SGDP Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience,
King's College London, London, England; Discovery Neuroscience
Research, Eli Lilly and Company Ltd, Lilly Research Laboratories, Surrey,
England
| | - Peter Holmans
- Medical Research Council Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and
Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales
| | - Michael C. O’Donovan
- Medical Research Council Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and
Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales
| | - Michael J. Owen
- Medical Research Council Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and
Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales; Division of Psychological
Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff,
Wales
| | - James T. R. Walters
- Medical Research Council Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and
Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales
| | - George Kirov
- Medical Research Council Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and
Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales
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Ruderfer DM, Hamamsy T, Lek M, Karczewski KJ, Kavanagh D, Samocha KE, Daly MJ, MacArthur DG, Fromer M, Purcell SM; Exome Aggregation Consortium. Patterns of genic intolerance of rare copy number variation in 59,898 human exomes. Nat Genet 2016; 48:1107-11. [PMID: 27533299 DOI: 10.1038/ng.3638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 152] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2016] [Accepted: 07/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Copy number variation (CNV) affecting protein-coding genes contributes substantially to human diversity and disease. Here we characterized the rates and properties of rare genic CNVs (<0.5% frequency) in exome sequencing data from nearly 60,000 individuals in the Exome Aggregation Consortium (ExAC) database. On average, individuals possessed 0.81 deleted and 1.75 duplicated genes, and most (70%) carried at least one rare genic CNV. For every gene, we empirically estimated an index of relative intolerance to CNVs that demonstrated moderate correlation with measures of genic constraint based on single-nucleotide variation (SNV) and was independently correlated with measures of evolutionary conservation. For individuals with schizophrenia, genes affected by CNVs were more intolerant than in controls. The ExAC CNV data constitute a critical component of an integrated database spanning the spectrum of human genetic variation, aiding in the interpretation of personal genomes as well as population-based disease studies. These data are freely available for download and visualization online.
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Psychiatry is steadily moving toward a new conceptualization of brain disorders that blurs long-held diagnostic distinctions among neurodevelopmental and psychiatric conditions, including autism. Genomic discoveries are driving these changing perceptions, yet there has so far been minimal impact on traditional genetic counseling practices that continue to view autism through the lens of a dichotomous, all-or-none risk model. RECENT FINDINGS High rates of comorbidity exist across autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, intellectual disability, and other brain-based disorders. Recent epidemiological studies have shown that co-occurrence of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders is the rule, rather than the exception, in affected individuals and within families. Moreover, studies of chromosomal microarray analysis and whole exome sequencing have now detected many of the same pathogenic copy number and sequence-level variants across cohorts with different clinical presentations. SUMMARY Going forward, the genetic counseling field will need to significantly adapt its approaches to pedigree interpretation, variant analysis, and patient education to more precisely describe both the chance and the nature of autism recurrence in terms of a continuum of brain dysfunction. These efforts will have implications for multiple practice areas and require philosophical changes for experienced practitioners and for the training of new genetic counselors. Resetting entrenched dichotomous notions about autism and other brain-based manifestations of genetic conditions will require a strategic educational effort on the part of the genetic counseling profession.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brenda Finucane
- Autism & Developmental Medicine Institute, Geisinger Health System, 120 Hamm Drive, Ste 2A, Lewisburg, PA 17837 USA
| | - Scott M. Myers
- Autism & Developmental Medicine Institute, Geisinger Health System, 120 Hamm Drive, Ste 2A, Lewisburg, PA 17837 USA
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30
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Wang B, Ji T, Zhou X, Wang J, Wang X, Wang J, Zhu D, Zhang X, Sham PC, Zhang X, Ma X, Jiang Y. CNV analysis in Chinese children of mental retardation highlights a sex differentiation in parental contribution to de novo and inherited mutational burdens. Sci Rep 2016; 6:25954. [PMID: 27257017 PMCID: PMC4891738 DOI: 10.1038/srep25954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2016] [Accepted: 04/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Rare copy number variations (CNVs) are a known genetic etiology in neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD). Comprehensive CNV analysis was performed in 287 Chinese children with mental retardation and/or development delay (MR/DD) and their unaffected parents. When compared with 5,866 ancestry-matched controls, 11~12% more MR/DD children carried rare and large CNVs. The increased CNV burden in MR/DD was predominantly due to de novo CNVs, the majority of which (62%) arose in the paternal germline. We observed a 2~3 fold increase of large CNV burden in the mothers of affected children. By implementing an evidence-based review approach, pathogenic structural variants were identified in 14.3% patients and 2.4% parents, respectively. Pathogenic CNVs in parents were all carried by mothers. The maternal transmission bias of deleterious CNVs was further replicated in a published dataset. Our study confirms the pathogenic role of rare CNVs in MR/DD, and provides additional evidence to evaluate the dosage sensitivity of some candidate genes. It also supports a population model of MR/DD that spontaneous mutations in males' germline are major contributor to the de novo mutational burden in offspring, with higher penetrance in male than female; unaffected carriers of causative mutations, mostly females, then contribute to the inherited mutational burden.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binbin Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China.,National Research Institute of Family Planning, Beijing, China
| | - Taoyun Ji
- Department of Pediatrics, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Xueya Zhou
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Bioinformatics Division and Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, TNLIST/Department of Automation, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychiatry and Centre for Genomic Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Jing Wang
- Department of Medical Genetics, The Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xi Wang
- National Research Institute of Family Planning, Beijing, China
| | - Jingmin Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China
| | | | - Xuejun Zhang
- Institute of Dermatology and Department of Dermatology at No.1 Hospital, Anhui Medical University, Heifei, Anhui, China
| | - Pak Chung Sham
- Department of Psychiatry and Centre for Genomic Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Xuegong Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Bioinformatics Division and Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, TNLIST/Department of Automation, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Xu Ma
- National Research Institute of Family Planning, Beijing, China
| | - Yuwu Jiang
- Department of Pediatrics, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China
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31
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Han J, Walters JT, Kirov G, Pocklington A, Escott-Price V, Owen MJ, Holmans P, O'Donovan MC, Rees E. Gender differences in CNV burden do not confound schizophrenia CNV associations. Sci Rep 2016; 6:25986. [PMID: 27185616 DOI: 10.1038/srep25986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2016] [Accepted: 04/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Compared with the general population, an excess of rare copy number variants (CNVs) has been identified in people with schizophrenia. Females with neurodevelopmental disorders and in the general population have been reported to carry more large, rare CNVs than males. Given that many schizophrenia datasets do not have equal gender ratios in cases and controls, sex differences in CNV burden might have impacted on estimates of case-related CNV burden and also on associations to individual loci. In a sample of 13,276 cases and 17,863 controls, we observed a small but significant excess of large (≥500 Kb), rare (<1%) CNVs in females compared with males in both cases and controls (OR = 1.17, P = 0.0012 for controls; OR = 1.11, P = 0.045 for cases). The burden of 11 schizophrenia-associated CNVs was significantly higher in female cases compared with male cases (OR = 1.38, P = 0.0055), but after accounting for the rates of CNVs in controls, we found no significant gender difference in the risk conferred by these loci. Controlling for gender had a negligible effect on the significance of association between specific CNVs and schizophrenia. The female excess of large CNVs in both cases and controls suggests a female protective mechanism exists for deleterious CNVs that may extend beyond neurodevelopmental phenotypes.
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32
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Broadaway KA, Cutler DJ, Duncan R, Moore JL, Ware EB, Jhun MA, Bielak LF, Zhao W, Smith JA, Peyser PA, Kardia SLR, Ghosh D, Epstein MP. A Statistical Approach for Testing Cross-Phenotype Effects of Rare Variants. Am J Hum Genet 2016; 98:525-40. [PMID: 26942286 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2016.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2015] [Accepted: 01/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing empirical evidence suggests that many genetic variants influence multiple distinct phenotypes. When cross-phenotype effects exist, multivariate association methods that consider pleiotropy are often more powerful than univariate methods that model each phenotype separately. Although several statistical approaches exist for testing cross-phenotype effects for common variants, there is a lack of similar tests for gene-based analysis of rare variants. In order to fill this important gap, we introduce a statistical method for cross-phenotype analysis of rare variants using a nonparametric distance-covariance approach that compares similarity in multivariate phenotypes to similarity in rare-variant genotypes across a gene. The approach can accommodate both binary and continuous phenotypes and further can adjust for covariates. Our approach yields a closed-form test whose significance can be evaluated analytically, thereby improving computational efficiency and permitting application on a genome-wide scale. We use simulated data to demonstrate that our method, which we refer to as the Gene Association with Multiple Traits (GAMuT) test, provides increased power over competing approaches. We also illustrate our approach using exome-chip data from the Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy.
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33
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Sanders SJ, He X, Willsey AJ, Ercan-Sencicek AG, Samocha KE, Cicek AE, Murtha MT, Bal VH, Bishop SL, Dong S, Goldberg AP, Jinlu C, Keaney JF 3rd, Klei L, Mandell JD, Moreno-De-Luca D, Poultney CS, Robinson EB, Smith L, Solli-Nowlan T, Su MY, Teran NA, Walker MF, Werling DM, Beaudet AL, Cantor RM, Fombonne E, Geschwind DH, Grice DE, Lord C, Lowe JK, Mane SM, Martin DM, Morrow EM, Talkowski ME, Sutcliffe JS, Walsh CA, Yu TW, Ledbetter DH, Martin CL, Cook EH, Buxbaum JD, Daly MJ, Devlin B, Roeder K, State MW; Autism Sequencing Consortium. Insights into Autism Spectrum Disorder Genomic Architecture and Biology from 71 Risk Loci. Neuron 2015; 87:1215-33. [PMID: 26402605 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2015.09.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 895] [Impact Index Per Article: 99.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2015] [Revised: 09/05/2015] [Accepted: 09/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Analysis of de novo CNVs (dnCNVs) from the full Simons Simplex Collection (SSC) (N = 2,591 families) replicates prior findings of strong association with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and confirms six risk loci (1q21.1, 3q29, 7q11.23, 16p11.2, 15q11.2-13, and 22q11.2). The addition of published CNV data from the Autism Genome Project (AGP) and exome sequencing data from the SSC and the Autism Sequencing Consortium (ASC) shows that genes within small de novo deletions, but not within large dnCNVs, significantly overlap the high-effect risk genes identified by sequencing. Alternatively, large dnCNVs are found likely to contain multiple modest-effect risk genes. Overall, we find strong evidence that de novo mutations are associated with ASD apart from the risk for intellectual disability. Extending the transmission and de novo association test (TADA) to include small de novo deletions reveals 71 ASD risk loci, including 6 CNV regions (noted above) and 65 risk genes (FDR ≤ 0.1).
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34
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Iourov IY, Vorsanova SG, Zelenova MA, Korostelev SA, Yurov YB. Genomic Copy Number Variation Affecting Genes Involved in the Cell Cycle Pathway: Implications for Somatic Mosaicism. Int J Genomics 2015; 2015:757680. [PMID: 26421275 DOI: 10.1155/2015/757680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2015] [Accepted: 07/27/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Somatic genome variations (mosaicism) seem to represent a common mechanism for human intercellular/interindividual diversity in health and disease. However, origins and mechanisms of somatic mosaicism remain a matter of conjecture. Recently, it has been hypothesized that zygotic genomic variation naturally occurring in humans is likely to predispose to nonheritable genetic changes (aneuploidy) acquired during the lifetime through affecting cell cycle regulation, genome stability maintenance, and related pathways. Here, we have evaluated genomic copy number variation (CNV) in genes implicated in the cell cycle pathway (according to Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes/KEGG) within a cohort of patients with intellectual disability, autism, and/or epilepsy, in which the phenotype was not associated with genomic rearrangements altering this pathway. Benign CNVs affecting 20 genes of the cell cycle pathway were detected in 161 out of 255 patients (71.6%). Among them, 62 individuals exhibited >2 CNVs affecting the cell cycle pathway. Taking into account the number of individuals demonstrating CNV of these genes, a support for this hypothesis appears to be presented. Accordingly, we speculate that further studies of CNV burden across the genes implicated in related pathways might clarify whether zygotic genomic variation generates somatic mosaicism in health and disease.
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35
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Abstract
Background Neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and intellectual disability have a sex bias skewed towards boys; however, systematic assessment of this bias is complicated by the presence of significant genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity of these disorders. Methods To assess the extent and characteristics of sex bias, we analyzed the frequency of comorbid features, the magnitude of genetic load, and the existence of family history within 32,155 individuals ascertained clinically for autism or intellectual disability/developmental delay (ID/DD), including a subset of 8,373 individuals carrying rare copy-number variants (CNVs). Results We find that girls were more likely than boys to show comorbid features within both autism (P = 2.9 × 10−6, OR = 1.34) and ID/DD (P = 7.2 × 10−4, OR = 1.08) cohorts. The frequency of comorbid features in ID/DD was higher in boys (1q21.1 deletion, 15q11.2q13.1 duplication) or girls (15q13.3 deletion, 16p11.2 deletion) carrying specific CNVs associated with variable expressivity while such differences were the smallest for syndromic CNVs (Smith-Magenis syndrome, DiGeorge syndrome). The extent of the male sex bias also varied according to the specific comorbid feature, being most extreme for autism with psychiatric comorbidities and least extreme for autism comorbid with epilepsy. The sex ratio was also specific to certain CNVs, from an 8:1 male:female ratio observed among autistic individuals carrying the 22q11.2 duplication to 1.3:1 male:female ratio in those carrying the 16p11.2 deletion. Girls carried a higher burden of large CNVs compared to boys for autism or ID/DD, and this difference diminished when severe comorbidities were considered. Affected boys showed a higher frequency of neuropsychiatric family histories such as autism (P = 0.01) or specific learning disability (P = 0.03), while affected girls showed a higher frequency of developmental family histories such as growth abnormalities (P = 0.02). Conclusions The sex bias within neurodevelopmental disorders is influenced by the presence of specific comorbidities, specific CNVs, mutational burden, and pre-existing family history of neurodevelopmental phenotypes. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13073-015-0216-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Polyak
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
| | - Jill A Rosenfeld
- Signature Genomic Laboratories, PerkinElmer, Inc., Spokane, WA, 99207, USA. .,Present address: Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
| | - Santhosh Girirajan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA. .,The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA. .,Department of Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, 205A Huck Life Sciences Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
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36
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Halladay AK, Bishop S, Constantino JN, Daniels AM, Koenig K, Palmer K, Messinger D, Pelphrey K, Sanders SJ, Singer AT, Taylor JL, Szatmari P. Sex and gender differences in autism spectrum disorder: summarizing evidence gaps and identifying emerging areas of priority. Mol Autism 2015. [PMID: 26075049 DOI: 10.1186/s13229‐015‐0019‐y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
One of the most consistent findings in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) research is a higher rate of ASD diagnosis in males than females. Despite this, remarkably little research has focused on the reasons for this disparity. Better understanding of this sex difference could lead to major advancements in the prevention or treatment of ASD in both males and females. In October of 2014, Autism Speaks and the Autism Science Foundation co-organized a meeting that brought together almost 60 clinicians, researchers, parents, and self-identified autistic individuals. Discussion at the meeting is summarized here with recommendations on directions of future research endeavors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alycia K Halladay
- Autism Science Foundation, 28 W 39th Street #502, New York, NY 10018 USA ; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Rutgers University, 41B Gordon Road, Piscataway, 08854 New Brunswick, NJ USA
| | - Somer Bishop
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Francisco, 401 Parnassus Ave, LangPorter, 94143 San Francisco, CA USA
| | - John N Constantino
- William Greenleaf Eliot Division of Child Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8134, 63110 St. Louis, MO USA
| | - Amy M Daniels
- Autism Speaks, 1 E 33rd St 4th Floor, New York, NY 10016 USA
| | - Katheen Koenig
- Initiative for Girls and Women with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Yale Child Study Center, PO Box 207900, 230 South Frontage Road, New Haven, CT 06520-7900 USA
| | - Kate Palmer
- Global and Regional Asperger, Syndrome Partnership, Inc., 419 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10003 USA
| | - Daniel Messinger
- Department of Psychology and Pediatrics, University of Miami, Flipse Building, P.O. Box 249229, Coral Gables, FL 33124-0751 USA
| | - Kevin Pelphrey
- Child Neuroscience Laboratory, Yale Child Study Center, PO Box 207900, 230 South Frontage Road, New Haven, CT 06520-7900 USA
| | - Stephan J Sanders
- UCSF School of Medicine, Psychiatry, 1550 4th St Bldg 19B, San Francisco, CA 94158 USA
| | | | - Julie Lounds Taylor
- Pediatrics and Special Education, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Investigator, PMB 40-230 Appleton Pl., Nashville, TN 37203 USA
| | - Peter Szatmari
- The Hospital for Sick Children and Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, 1001 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON M6J 1H4 Canada ; Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, 1001 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON M6J 1H4 Canada
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37
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Halladay AK, Bishop S, Constantino JN, Daniels AM, Koenig K, Palmer K, Messinger D, Pelphrey K, Sanders SJ, Singer AT, Taylor JL, Szatmari P. Sex and gender differences in autism spectrum disorder: summarizing evidence gaps and identifying emerging areas of priority. Mol Autism 2015; 6:36. [PMID: 26075049 PMCID: PMC4465158 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-015-0019-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 316] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2014] [Accepted: 04/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the most consistent findings in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) research is a higher rate of ASD diagnosis in males than females. Despite this, remarkably little research has focused on the reasons for this disparity. Better understanding of this sex difference could lead to major advancements in the prevention or treatment of ASD in both males and females. In October of 2014, Autism Speaks and the Autism Science Foundation co-organized a meeting that brought together almost 60 clinicians, researchers, parents, and self-identified autistic individuals. Discussion at the meeting is summarized here with recommendations on directions of future research endeavors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alycia K Halladay
- Autism Science Foundation, 28 W 39th Street #502, New York, NY 10018 USA ; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Rutgers University, 41B Gordon Road, Piscataway, 08854 New Brunswick, NJ USA
| | - Somer Bishop
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Francisco, 401 Parnassus Ave, LangPorter, 94143 San Francisco, CA USA
| | - John N Constantino
- William Greenleaf Eliot Division of Child Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8134, 63110 St. Louis, MO USA
| | - Amy M Daniels
- Autism Speaks, 1 E 33rd St 4th Floor, New York, NY 10016 USA
| | - Katheen Koenig
- Initiative for Girls and Women with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Yale Child Study Center, PO Box 207900, 230 South Frontage Road, New Haven, CT 06520-7900 USA
| | - Kate Palmer
- Global and Regional Asperger, Syndrome Partnership, Inc., 419 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10003 USA
| | - Daniel Messinger
- Department of Psychology and Pediatrics, University of Miami, Flipse Building, P.O. Box 249229, Coral Gables, FL 33124-0751 USA
| | - Kevin Pelphrey
- Child Neuroscience Laboratory, Yale Child Study Center, PO Box 207900, 230 South Frontage Road, New Haven, CT 06520-7900 USA
| | - Stephan J Sanders
- UCSF School of Medicine, Psychiatry, 1550 4th St Bldg 19B, San Francisco, CA 94158 USA
| | | | - Julie Lounds Taylor
- Pediatrics and Special Education, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Investigator, PMB 40-230 Appleton Pl., Nashville, TN 37203 USA
| | - Peter Szatmari
- The Hospital for Sick Children and Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, 1001 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON M6J 1H4 Canada ; Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, 1001 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON M6J 1H4 Canada
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Männik K, Mägi R, Macé A, Cole B, Guyatt A, Shihab HA, Maillard AM, Alavere H, Kolk A, Reigo A, Mihailov E, Leitsalu L, Ferreira AM, Nõukas M, Teumer A, Salvi E, Cusi D, McGue M, Iacono WG, Gaunt TR, Beckmann JS, Jacquemont S, Kutalik Z, Pankratz N, Timpson N, Metspalu A, Reymond A. Copy number variations and cognitive phenotypes in unselected populations. JAMA 2015; 313:2044-54. [PMID: 26010633 PMCID: PMC4684269 DOI: 10.1001/jama.2015.4845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
IMPORTANCE The association of copy number variations (CNVs), differing numbers of copies of genetic sequence at locations in the genome, with phenotypes such as intellectual disability has been almost exclusively evaluated using clinically ascertained cohorts. The contribution of these genetic variants to cognitive phenotypes in the general population remains unclear. OBJECTIVE To investigate the clinical features conferred by CNVs associated with known syndromes in adult carriers without clinical preselection and to assess the genome-wide consequences of rare CNVs (frequency ≤0.05%; size ≥250 kilobase pairs [kb]) on carriers' educational attainment and intellectual disability prevalence in the general population. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS The population biobank of Estonia contains 52,000 participants enrolled from 2002 through 2010. General practitioners examined participants and filled out a questionnaire of health- and lifestyle-related questions, as well as reported diagnoses. Copy number variant analysis was conducted on a random sample of 7877 individuals and genotype-phenotype associations with education and disease traits were evaluated. Our results were replicated on a high-functioning group of 993 Estonians and 3 geographically distinct populations in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Italy. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Phenotypes of genomic disorders in the general population, prevalence of autosomal CNVs, and association of these variants with educational attainment (from less than primary school through scientific degree) and prevalence of intellectual disability. RESULTS Of the 7877 in the Estonian cohort, we identified 56 carriers of CNVs associated with known syndromes. Their phenotypes, including cognitive and psychiatric problems, epilepsy, neuropathies, obesity, and congenital malformations are similar to those described for carriers of identical rearrangements ascertained in clinical cohorts. A genome-wide evaluation of rare autosomal CNVs (frequency, ≤0.05%; ≥250 kb) identified 831 carriers (10.5%) of the screened general population. Eleven of 216 (5.1%) carriers of a deletion of at least 250 kb (odds ratio [OR], 3.16; 95% CI, 1.51-5.98; P = 1.5e-03) and 6 of 102 (5.9%) carriers of a duplication of at least 1 Mb (OR, 3.67; 95% CI, 1.29-8.54; P = .008) had an intellectual disability compared with 114 of 6819 (1.7%) in the Estonian cohort. The mean education attainment was 3.81 (P = 1.06e-04) among 248 (≥250 kb) deletion carriers and 3.69 (P = 5.024e-05) among 115 duplication carriers (≥1 Mb). Of the deletion carriers, 33.5% did not graduate from high school (OR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.12-1.95; P = .005) and 39.1% of duplication carriers did not graduate high school (OR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.27-2.8; P = 1.6e-03). Evidence for an association between rare CNVs and lower educational attainment was supported by analyses of cohorts of adults from Italy and the United States and adolescents from the United Kingdom. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Known pathogenic CNVs in unselected, but assumed to be healthy, adult populations may be associated with unrecognized clinical sequelae. Additionally, individually rare but collectively common intermediate-size CNVs may be negatively associated with educational attainment. Replication of these findings in additional population groups is warranted given the potential implications of this observation for genomics research, clinical care, and public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrin Männik
- Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Estonian Genome Center, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Reedik Mägi
- Estonian Genome Center, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Aurélien Macé
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ben Cole
- University of Minnesota Medical School, Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology, 420 Delaware St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Anna Guyatt
- Bristol Genetic Epidemiology Laboratories, School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Hashem A. Shihab
- Bristol Genetic Epidemiology Laboratories, School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Anne M. Maillard
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Helene Alavere
- Estonian Genome Center, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Anneli Kolk
- Estonian Genome Center, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Department of Neurology and Neurorehabilitation, Children's Clinic, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Anu Reigo
- Estonian Genome Center, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Evelin Mihailov
- Estonian Genome Center, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Department of Neurology and Neurorehabilitation, Children's Clinic, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Liis Leitsalu
- Estonian Genome Center, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Anne-Maud Ferreira
- Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Margit Nõukas
- Estonian Genome Center, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Alexander Teumer
- Institute for Community Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Erika Salvi
- Deparment of Health Sciences, University of Milan, Italy
| | - Daniele Cusi
- Deparment of Health Sciences, University of Milan, Italy
- Institute of Biomedical Technologies, Italian National Research Council, Milan, Italy
| | - Matt McGue
- University of Minnesota Department of Psychology, 75 E. River Rd, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - William G. Iacono
- University of Minnesota Department of Psychology, 75 E. River Rd, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Tom R. Gaunt
- Bristol Genetic Epidemiology Laboratories, School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Zoltán Kutalik
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Switzerland
| | - Nathan Pankratz
- University of Minnesota Medical School, Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology, 420 Delaware St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Nicholas Timpson
- Bristol Genetic Epidemiology Laboratories, School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Andres Metspalu
- Estonian Genome Center, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
- Department of Neurology and Neurorehabilitation, Children's Clinic, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Alexandre Reymond
- Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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