Widespread differences in cortex DNA methylation of the "language gene" CNTNAP2 between humans and chimpanzees

UBE3A: The Role in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) and a Potential Candidate for Biomarker Studies and Designing Therapeutic Strategies

Published reports from the CDC's Autism and Development Disabilities Monitoring Networks have shown that an average of 1 in every 44 (2.3%) 8-year-old children were estimated to have ASD in 2018. Many of the ASDs exhibiting varying degrees of autism-like phenotypes have chromosomal anomalies in the Chr15q11-q13 region. Numerous potential candidate genes linked with ASD reside in this chromosomal segment. However, several clinical, in vivo, and in vitro studies selected one gene more frequently than others randomly and unbiasedly. This gene codes for UBE3A or Ubiquitin protein ligase E3A [also known as E6AP ubiquitin-protein ligase (E6AP)], an enzyme involved in the cellular degradation of proteins. This gene has been listed as one of the several genes with a high potential of causing ASD in the Autism Database. The gain of function mutations, triplication, or duplication in the UBE3A gene is also associated with ASDs like Angelman Syndrome (AS) and Dup15q Syndrome. The genetic imprinting of UBE3A in the brain and a preference for neuronal maternal-specific expression are the key features of various ASDs. Since the UBE3A gene is involved in two main important diseases associated with autism-like symptoms, there has been widespread research going on in understanding the link between this gene and autism. Additionally, since no universal methodology or mechanism exists for identifying UBE3A-mediated ASD, it continues to be challenging for neurobiologists, neuroscientists, and clinicians to design therapies or diagnostic tools. In this review, we focus on the structure and functional aspects of the UBE3A protein, discuss the primary relevance of the 15q11-q13 region in the cause of ASDs, and highlight the link between UBE3A and ASD. We try to broaden the knowledge of our readers by elaborating on the possible mechanisms underlying UBE3A-mediated ASDs, emphasizing the usage of UBE3A as a prospective biomarker in the preclinical diagnosis of ASDs and discuss the positive outcomes, advanced developments, and the hurdles in the field of therapeutic strategies against UBE3A-mediated ASDs. This review is novel as it lays a very detailed and comprehensive platform for one of the most important genes associated with diseases showing autistic-like symptoms. Additionally, this review also attempts to lay optimistic feedback on the possible steps for the diagnosis, prevention, and therapy of these UBE3A-mediated ASDs in the upcoming years.

Ribosomal DNA Copy Number Variation is Coupled with DNA Methylation Changes at the 45S rDNA Locus

The human ribosomal DNA (rDNA) copy number (CN) has been challenging to analyse, and its sequence has been excluded from reference genomes due to its highly repetitive nature. The 45S rDNA locus encodes essential components of the cell, nevertheless rDNA displays high inter-individual CN variation that could influence human health and disease. CN alterations in rDNA have been hypothesized as a possible factor in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and were shown to be altered in Schizophrenia patients. We tested whether whole-genome bisulphite sequencing can be used to simultaneously quantify rDNA CN and measure DNA methylation at the 45S rDNA locus. Using this approach, we observed high inter-individual variation in rDNA CN, and limited intra-individual copy differences in several post-mortem tissues. Furthermore, we did not observe any significant alterations in rDNA CN or DNA methylation in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) brains in 16 ASD vs 11 control samples. Similarly, no difference was detected when comparing neurons form 28 Schizophrenia (Scz) patients vs 25 controls or oligodendrocytes from 22 Scz samples vs 20 controls. However, our analysis revealed a strong positive correlation between CN and DNA methylation at the 45S rDNA locus in multiple tissues. This was observed in brain and confirmed in small intestine, adipose tissue, and gastric tissue. This should shed light on a possible dosage compensation mechanism that silences additional rDNA copies to ensure homoeostatic regulation of ribosome biogenesis.

Evidence for parent-of-origin effects in autism spectrum disorder: a narrative review

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous group of early-onset neurodevelopmental disorders known to be highly heritable with a complex genetic architecture. Abnormal brain developmental trajectories that impact synaptic functioning, excitation-inhibition balance and brain connectivity are now understood to play a central role in ASD. Ongoing efforts to identify the genetic underpinnings still prove challenging, in part due to phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity.This review focuses on parent-of-origin effects (POEs), where the phenotypic effect of an allele depends on its parental origin. POEs include genomic imprinting, transgenerational effects, mitochondrial DNA, sex chromosomes and mutational transmission bias. The motivation for investigating these mechanisms in ASD has been driven by their known impacts on early brain development and brain functioning, in particular for the most well-documented POE, genomic imprinting. Moreover, imprinting is implicated in syndromes such as Angelman and Prader-Willi, which frequently share comorbid symptoms with ASD. In addition to other regions in the genome, this comprehensive review highlights the 15q11-q13 and 7q chromosomal regions as well as the mitochondrial DNA as harbouring the majority of currently identified POEs in ASD.

Biolinguistics: A Scientometric Analysis of Research on (Children’s) Molecular Genetics of Speech and Language (Disorders)

There are numerous children and adolescents throughout the world who are either diagnosed with speech and language disorders or manifest any of them as a result of another disorder. Meanwhile, since the emergence of language as an innate capability, the question of whether it constitutes a behaviour or an innate ability has been debated for decades. There have been several theories developed that support and demonstrate the biological foundations of human language. Molecular evidence of the biological basis of language came from the FOXP2 gene, also known as the language gene. Taking a closer look at both human language and biology, biolinguistics is at the core of these inquiries—attempting to understand the aetiologies of the genetics of speech and language disorders in children and adolescents. This paper presents empirical evidence based on both scientometrics and bibliometrics. We collected data between 1935 and 2022 from Scopus, WOS, and Lens. A total of 1570 documents were analysed from Scopus, 1440 from the WOS, and 5275 from Lens. Bibliometric analysis was performed using Excel based on generated reports from these three databases. CiteSpace 5.8.R3 and VOSviewer 1.6.18 were used to conduct the scientometric analysis. Eight bibliometric and eight scientometric indicators were used to measure the development of the field of biolinguistics, including but not limited to the production size of knowledge, the most examined topics, and the most frequent concepts and variables. A major finding of our study is identifying the most examined topics in the genetics of speech and language disorders. These included: gestural communication, structural design, cultural evolution, neural network, language tools, human language faculty, evolutionary biology, molecular biology, and theoretical perspective on language evolution.

Epigenetic Interface of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs): Implications of Chromosome 15q11-q13 Segment

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are multifactorial in nature and include both genetic and environmental factors. The increasing evidence advocates an important role of epigenetics in ASD etiology. One of the most common forms of epigenetic changes observed in the case of neurodevelopmental disorders is imprinting which is tightly regulated by developmental and tissue-specific mechanisms. Interestingly, many of these disorders that demonstrate autism-like phenotypes at varying degrees have found involvement of chromosome 15q11-q13 segment. Numerous studies demonstrate occurrence of ASD in the presence of chromosomal abnormalities located mainly in Chr15q11-q13 region. Several plausible candidate genes associated with ASD are in this chromosomal segment, including gamma aminobutyric acid A (GABA_A) receptor genes GABRB3, GABRA5 and GABRG3, UBE3A, ATP 10A, MKRN3, ZNF, MAGEL2, Necdin (NDN), and SNRPN. The main objective of this review is to highlight the contribution of epigenetic modulations in chromosome 15q11-q13 segment toward the genetic etiology and pathophysiology of ASD. The present review reports the abnormalities in epigenetic regulation on genes and genomic regions located on chromosome 15 in relation to either syndromic (15q11-q13 maternal duplication) or nonsyndromic forms of ASD. Furthermore, studies reviewed in this article demonstrate conditions in which epigenetic dysregulation has been found to be a pathological factor for ASD development, thereby supporting a role for epigenetics in the multifactorial etiologies of ASD. Also, on the basis of the evidence found so far, we strongly emphasize the need to develop future therapeutic strategies as well as screening procedures for ASD that target mechanisms involving genes located on the chromosomal 15q11-q13 segment.

Comparative analysis reveals distinctive epigenetic features of the human cerebellum

Identifying the molecular underpinnings of the neural specializations that underlie human cognitive and behavioral traits has long been of considerable interest. Much research on human-specific changes in gene expression and epigenetic marks has focused on the prefrontal cortex, a brain structure distinguished by its role in executive functions. The cerebellum shows expansion in great apes and is gaining increasing attention for its role in motor skills and cognitive processing, including language. However, relatively few molecular studies of the cerebellum in a comparative evolutionary context have been conducted. Here, we identify human-specific methylation in the lateral cerebellum relative to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, in a comparative study with chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Specifically, we profiled genome-wide methylation levels in the three species for each of the two brain structures and identified human-specific differentially methylated genomic regions unique to each structure. We further identified which differentially methylated regions (DMRs) overlap likely regulatory elements and determined whether associated genes show corresponding species differences in gene expression. We found greater human-specific methylation in the cerebellum than the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, with differentially methylated regions overlapping genes involved in several conditions or processes relevant to human neurobiology, including synaptic plasticity, lipid metabolism, neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, and neurodevelopment, including developmental disorders. Moreover, our results show some overlap with those of previous studies focused on the neocortex, indicating that such results may be common to multiple brain structures. These findings further our understanding of the cerebellum in human brain evolution.

Humans are distinguished from other species by several aspects of cognition. While much comparative evolutionary neuroscience has focused on the neocortex, increasing recognition of the cerebellum’s role in cognition and motor processing has inspired considerable new research. Comparative molecular studies, however, generally continue to focus on the neocortex. We sought to characterize potential genetic regulatory traits distinguishing the human cerebellum by undertaking genome-wide epigenetic profiling of the lateral cerebellum, and compared this to the prefrontal cortex of humans, chimpanzees, and rhesus macaque monkeys. We found that humans showed greater differential CpG methylation–an epigenetic modification of DNA that can reflect past or present gene expression–in the cerebellum than the prefrontal cortex, highlighting the importance of this structure in human brain evolution. Humans also specifically show methylation differences at genes involved in neurodevelopment, neuroinflammation, synaptic plasticity, and lipid metabolism. These differences are relevant for understanding processes specific to humans, such as extensive plasticity, as well as pronounced and prevalent neurodegenerative conditions associated with aging.

CNTNAP2 gene polymorphisms in autism spectrum disorder and language impairment among Bangladeshi children: a case-control study combined with a meta-analysis

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a multifactorial neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by communication deficits, impaired social interactions, repetitive and stereotyped behaviors with restricted interests, and connected with the interaction between environmental factors and genetic vulnerability. CNTNAP2 gene has been extensively investigated for ASD and related neurodevelopment diseases. However, previous studies have resulted in an inconsistent outcome. Based on this fact, we conducted a case-control study followed by a meta-analysis to investigate the association of rs7794745 and rs2710102 polymorphisms with ASD. A total of 216 autistic children and 240 healthy volunteers were recruited, and genotyping was performed using the PCR-RFLP method. We observed that SNP rs7794745 revealed a significantly (p < 0.05) increased association with the development of ASD in children in all genetic models. No significant association was found for rs2710102 with ASD. Besides, rs2710102 exhibited a significant association with language impairment in TC genotype, C allele, and dominant model. From the meta-analysis of both SNPs, we found a significant association in codominant 1, 2, and the dominant model of rs2710102 and codominant 1 and dominant model of rs7794745 with ASD. Our case-control study suggests that rs7794745 polymorphism is associated with ASD, while rs2710102 is correlated with language impairment. Moreover, meta-analysis results indicated the association between both rs7794745 and rs2710102 polymorphisms and ASD.

Evolution of regulatory signatures in primate cortical neurons at cell-type resolution

The human cerebral cortex contains many cell types that likely underwent independent functional changes during evolution. However, cell-type-specific regulatory landscapes in the cortex remain largely unexplored. Here we report epigenomic and transcriptomic analyses of the two main cortical neuronal subtypes, glutamatergic projection neurons and GABAergic interneurons, in human, chimpanzee, and rhesus macaque. Using genome-wide profiling of the H3K27ac histone modification, we identify neuron-subtype-specific regulatory elements that previously went undetected in bulk brain tissue samples. Human-specific regulatory changes are uncovered in multiple genes, including those associated with language, autism spectrum disorder, and drug addiction. We observe preferential evolutionary divergence in neuron subtype-specific regulatory elements and show that a substantial fraction of pan-neuronal regulatory elements undergoes subtype-specific evolutionary changes. This study sheds light on the interplay between regulatory evolution and cell-type-dependent gene-expression programs, and provides a resource for further exploration of human brain evolution and function.

Cell Type and Species-specific Patterns in Neuronal and Non-neuronal Methylomes of Human and Chimpanzee Cortices

Epigenetic changes have likely contributed to the large size and enhanced cognitive abilities of the human brain which evolved within the last 2 million years after the human–chimpanzee split. Using reduced representation bisulfite sequencing, we have compared the methylomes of neuronal and non-neuronal cells from 3 human and 3 chimpanzee cortices. Differentially methylated regions (DMRs) with genome-wide significance were enriched in specific genomic regions. Intraspecific methylation differences between neuronal and non-neuronal cells were approximately 3 times more abundant than interspecific methylation differences between human and chimpanzee cell types. The vast majority (>90%) of human intraspecific DMRs (including DMRs in retrotransposons) were hypomethylated in neurons, compared with glia. Intraspecific DMRs were enriched in genes associated with different neuropsychiatric disorders. Interspecific DMRs were enriched in genes showing human-specific brain histone modifications. Human–chimpanzee methylation differences were much more frequent in non-neuronal cells (n. DMRs = 666) than in neurons (n. DMRs = 96). More than 95% of interspecific DMRs in glia were hypermethylated in humans. Although without an outgroup we cannot assign whether a change in methylation occurred in the human or chimpanzee lineage, our results are consistent with a wave of methylation affecting several hundred non-neuronal genes during human brain evolution.

Life history changes accompany increased numbers of cortical neurons: A new framework for understanding human brain evolution

Narratives of human evolution have focused on cortical expansion and increases in brain size relative to body size, but considered that changes in life history, such as in age at sexual maturity and thus the extent of childhood and maternal dependence, or maximal longevity, are evolved features that appeared as consequences of selection for increased brain size, or increased cognitive abilities that decrease mortality rates, or due to selection for grandmotherly contribution to feeding the young. Here I build on my recent finding that slower life histories universally accompany increased numbers of cortical neurons across warm-blooded species to propose a simpler framework for human evolution: that slower development to sexual maturity and increased post-maturity longevity are features that do not require selection, but rather inevitably and immediately accompany evolutionary increases in numbers of cortical neurons, thus fostering human social interactions and cultural and technological evolution as generational overlap increases.

Evolution of the Human Nervous System Function, Structure, and Development

The nervous system-in particular, the brain and its cognitive abilities-is among humans' most distinctive and impressive attributes. How the nervous system has changed in the human lineage and how it differs from that of closely related primates is not well understood. Here, we consider recent comparative analyses of extant species that are uncovering new evidence for evolutionary changes in the size and the number of neurons in the human nervous system, as well as the cellular and molecular reorganization of its neural circuits. We also discuss the developmental mechanisms and underlying genetic and molecular changes that generate these structural and functional differences. As relevant new information and tools materialize at an unprecedented pace, the field is now ripe for systematic and functionally relevant studies of the development and evolution of human nervous system specializations.

The interplay between DNA methylation, folate and neurocognitive development

DNA methylation provides an attractive possible means for propagating the effects of environmental inputs during fetal life and impacting subsequent adult mental health, which is leading to increasing collaboration between molecular biologists, nutritionists and psychiatrists. An area of interest is the potential role of folate, not just in neural tube closure in early pregnancy, but in later major neurodevelopmental events, with consequences for later sociocognitive maturation. Here, we set the scene for recent discoveries by reviewing the major events of neural development during fetal life, with an emphasis on tissues and structures where dynamic methylation changes are known to occur. Following this, we give an indication of some of the major classes of genes targeted by methylation and important for neurological and behavioral development. Finally, we highlight some cognitive disorders where methylation changes are implicated as playing an important role.

Genome-Wide Functional Annotation of Human Protein-Coding Splice Variants Using Multiple Instance Learning

The vast majority of human multiexon genes undergo alternative splicing and produce a variety of splice variant transcripts and proteins, which can perform different functions. These protein-coding splice variants (PCSVs) greatly increase the functional diversity of proteins. Most functional annotation algorithms have been developed at the gene level; the lack of isoform-level gold standards is an important intellectual limitation for currently available machine learning algorithms. The accumulation of a large amount of RNA-seq data in the public domain greatly increases our ability to examine the functional annotation of genes at isoform level. In the present study, we used a multiple instance learning (MIL)-based approach for predicting the function of PCSVs. We used transcript-level expression values and gene-level functional associations from the Gene Ontology database. A support vector machine (SVM)-based 5-fold cross-validation technique was applied. Comparatively, genes with multiple PCSVs performed better than single PCSV genes, and performance also improved when more examples were available to train the models. We demonstrated our predictions using literature evidence of ADAM15, LMNA/C, and DMXL2 genes. All predictions have been implemented in a web resource called "IsoFunc", which is freely available for the global scientific community through http://guanlab.ccmb.med.umich.edu/isofunc .

The role of candidate-gene CNTNAP2 in childhood apraxia of speech and specific language impairment

Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a debilitating pediatric speech disorder characterized by varying symptom profiles, comorbid deficits, and limited response to intervention. Specific Language Impairment (SLI) is an inherited pediatric language disorder characterized by delayed and/or disordered oral language skills including impaired semantics, syntax, and discourse. To date, the genes associated with CAS and SLI are not fully characterized. In the current study, we evaluated behavioral and genetic profiles of seven children with CAS and eight children with SLI, while ensuring all children were free of comorbid impairments. Deletions within CNTNAP2 were found in two children with CAS but not in any of the children with SLI. These children exhibited average to high performance on language and word reading assessments in spite of poor articulation scores. These findings suggest that genetic variation within CNTNAP2 may be related to speech production deficits.

The interplay between DNA methylation and sequence divergence in recent human evolution

Despite the increasing knowledge about DNA methylation, the understanding of human epigenome evolution is in its infancy. Using whole genome bisulfite sequencing we identified hundreds of differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in humans compared to non-human primates and estimated that ∼25% of these regions were detectable throughout several human tissues. Human DMRs were enriched for specific histone modifications and the majority were located distal to transcription start sites, highlighting the importance of regions outside the direct regulatory context. We also found a significant excess of endogenous retrovirus elements in human-specific hypomethylated.

We reported for the first time a close interplay between inter-species genetic and epigenetic variation in regions of incomplete lineage sorting, transcription factor binding sites and human differentially hypermethylated regions. Specifically, we observed an excess of human-specific substitutions in transcription factor binding sites located within human DMRs, suggesting that alteration of regulatory motifs underlies some human-specific methylation patterns. We also found that the acquisition of DNA hypermethylation in the human lineage is frequently coupled with a rapid evolution at nucleotide level in the neighborhood of these CpG sites. Taken together, our results reveal new insights into the mechanistic basis of human-specific DNA methylation patterns and the interpretation of inter-species non-coding variation.

Connecting the CNTNAP2 Networks with Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Based on genomic rearrangements and copy number variations, the contactin-associated protein-like 2 gene (CNTNAP2) has been implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders such as Gilles de la Tourette syndrome, intellectual disability, obsessive compulsive disorder, cortical dysplasia-focal epilepsy syndrome, autism, schizophrenia, Pitt-Hopkins syndrome, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. To explain the phenotypic pleiotropy of CNTNAP2 alterations, several hypotheses have been put forward. Those include gene disruption, loss of a gene copy by a heterozygous deletion, altered regulation of gene expression due to loss of transcription factor binding and DNA methylation sites, and mutations in the amino acid sequence of the encoded protein which may provoke altered interactions of the CNTNAP2-encoded protein, Caspr2, with other proteins. Also exome sequencing, which covers <0.2% of the CNTNAP2 genomic DNA, has revealed numerous single nucleotide variants in healthy individuals and in patients with neurodevelopmental disorders. In some of these disorders, disruption of CNTNAP2 may be interpreted as a susceptibility factor rather than a directly causative mutation. In addition to being associated with impaired development of language, CNTNAP2 may turn out to be a central node in the molecular networks controlling neurodevelopment. This review discusses the impact of CNTNAP2 mutations on its functioning at multiple levels of the combinatorial genetic networks that govern brain development. In addition, recommendations for genomic testing in the context of clinical genetic management of patients with neurodevelopmental disorders and their families are put forward.

Epigenetics and nutritional environmental signals

All terrestrial life is influenced by multi-directional flows of information about its environment, enabling malleable phenotypic change through signals, chemical processes, or various forms of energy that facilitate acclimatization. Billions of biological co-inhabitants of the earth, including all plants and animals, collectively make up a genetic/epigenetic ecosystem by which adaptation/survival (inputs and outputs) are highly interdependent on one another. As an ecosystem, the solar system, rotation of the planets, changes in sunlight, and gravitational pull influence cyclic epigenetic transitions and chromatin remodeling that constitute biological circadian rhythms controlling senescence. In humans, adverse environmental conditions such as poverty, stress, alcohol, malnutrition, exposure to pollutants generated from industrialization, man-made chemicals, and use of synthetic drugs can lead to maladaptive epigenetic-related illnesses with disease-specific genes being atypically activated or silenced. Nutrition and dietary practices are one of the largest facets in epigenetic-related metabolism, where specific "epi-nutrients" can stabilize the genome, given established roles in DNA methylation, histone modification, and chromatin remodeling. Moreover, food-based "epi-bioactive" constituents may reverse maladaptive epigenetic patterns, not only prior to conception and during fetal/early postnatal development but also through adulthood. In summary, in contrast to a static genomic DNA structure, epigenetic changes are potentially reversible, raising the hope for therapeutic and/or dietary interventions that can reverse deleterious epigenetic programing as a means to prevent or treat major illnesses.