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Havdahl A, Niarchou M, Starnawska A, Uddin M, van der Merwe C, Warrier V. Genetic contributions to autism spectrum disorder. Psychol Med 2021; 51:2260-2273. [PMID: 33634770 PMCID: PMC8477228 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291721000192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Revised: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (autism) is a heterogeneous group of neurodevelopmental conditions characterized by early childhood-onset impairments in communication and social interaction alongside restricted and repetitive behaviors and interests. This review summarizes recent developments in human genetics research in autism, complemented by epigenetic and transcriptomic findings. The clinical heterogeneity of autism is mirrored by a complex genetic architecture involving several types of common and rare variants, ranging from point mutations to large copy number variants, and either inherited or spontaneous (de novo). More than 100 risk genes have been implicated by rare, often de novo, potentially damaging mutations in highly constrained genes. These account for substantial individual risk but a small proportion of the population risk. In contrast, most of the genetic risk is attributable to common inherited variants acting en masse, each individually with small effects. Studies have identified a handful of robustly associated common variants. Different risk genes converge on the same mechanisms, such as gene regulation and synaptic connectivity. These mechanisms are also implicated by genes that are epigenetically and transcriptionally dysregulated in autism. Major challenges to understanding the biological mechanisms include substantial phenotypic heterogeneity, large locus heterogeneity, variable penetrance, and widespread pleiotropy. Considerable increases in sample sizes are needed to better understand the hundreds or thousands of common and rare genetic variants involved. Future research should integrate common and rare variant research, multi-omics data including genomics, epigenomics, and transcriptomics, and refined phenotype assessment with multidimensional and longitudinal measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Havdahl
- Nic Waals Institute, Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Psychology, PROMENTA Research Center, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - M. Niarchou
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, TN, USA
| | - A. Starnawska
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Denmark
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Denmark
- Center for Genomics for Personalized Medicine, CGPM, and Center for Integrative Sequencing, iSEQ, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - M. Uddin
- College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai, UAE
| | - C. van der Merwe
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, MA, USA
| | - V. Warrier
- Department of Psychiatry, Autism Research Centre, University of Cambridge, UK
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Starnawska A, Hansen CS, Sparsø T, Mazin W, Olsen L, Bertalan M, Buil A, Bybjerg-Grauholm J, Bækvad-Hansen M, Hougaard DM, Mortensen PB, Pedersen CB, Nyegaard M, Werge T, Weinsheimer S. Differential DNA methylation at birth associated with mental disorder in individuals with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. Transl Psychiatry 2017; 7:e1221. [PMID: 28850114 PMCID: PMC5611746 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2017.181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2016] [Revised: 06/03/2017] [Accepted: 06/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (DS) have an increased risk of comorbid mental disorders including schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, as well as intellectual disability. Although most 22q11.2 deletion carriers have the long 3-Mb form of the hemizygous deletion, there remains a large variation in the development and progression of psychiatric disorders, which suggests that alternative factors contribute to the pathogenesis. In this study we investigated whether neonatal DNA methylation signatures in individuals with the 22q11.2 deletion associate with mental disorder later in life. DNA methylation was measured genome-wide from neonatal dried blood spots in a cohort of 164 individuals with 22q11.2DS, including 48 individuals diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder. Among several CpG sites with P-value<10-6, we identified cg23546855 (P-value=2.15 × 10-7) mapping to STK32C to be associated with a later psychiatric diagnosis. Pathway analysis of the top findings resulted in the identification of several Gene Ontology pathways to be significantly enriched (P-value<0.05 after Benjamini-Hochberg correction); among them are the following: neurogenesis, neuron development, neuron projection development, astrocyte development, axonogenesis and axon guidance. In addition, we identified differentially methylated CpG sites in LRP2BP (P-value=5.37 × 10-8) to be associated with intellectual disability (F70-79), in TOP1 (P-value=1.86 × 10-7) with behavioral disorders (F90-98), in NOSIP (P-value=5.12 × 10-8) with disorders of psychological development (F80-89) and in SEMA4B (P-value=4.02 × 10-7) with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (F20-29). In conclusion, our study suggests an association of DNA methylation differences at birth with development of mental disorder later in life in 22q11.2DS individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Starnawska
- iPSYCH, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- iSEQ, Center for Integrative Sequencing, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - C S Hansen
- iPSYCH, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, Aarhus, Denmark
- Section of Neonatal Genetics, Department for Congenital Disorders, Danish Centre for Neonatal Screening, Statens Serum Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - T Sparsø
- iPSYCH, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, Aarhus, Denmark
- Institute of Biological Psychiatry, Mental Health Center, Sct. Hans, Mental Health Services, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - W Mazin
- Pediatric Oncology Research Laboratory, University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - L Olsen
- iPSYCH, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, Aarhus, Denmark
- Institute of Biological Psychiatry, Mental Health Center, Sct. Hans, Mental Health Services, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - M Bertalan
- iPSYCH, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, Aarhus, Denmark
- Institute of Biological Psychiatry, Mental Health Center, Sct. Hans, Mental Health Services, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - A Buil
- iPSYCH, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, Aarhus, Denmark
- Institute of Biological Psychiatry, Mental Health Center, Sct. Hans, Mental Health Services, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - J Bybjerg-Grauholm
- iPSYCH, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, Aarhus, Denmark
- Section of Neonatal Genetics, Department for Congenital Disorders, Danish Centre for Neonatal Screening, Statens Serum Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - M Bækvad-Hansen
- iPSYCH, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, Aarhus, Denmark
- Section of Neonatal Genetics, Department for Congenital Disorders, Danish Centre for Neonatal Screening, Statens Serum Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - D M Hougaard
- iPSYCH, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, Aarhus, Denmark
- Section of Neonatal Genetics, Department for Congenital Disorders, Danish Centre for Neonatal Screening, Statens Serum Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - P B Mortensen
- iPSYCH, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, Aarhus, Denmark
- National Centre for Register-Based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Centre for Integrated Register-Based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - C B Pedersen
- iPSYCH, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, Aarhus, Denmark
- National Centre for Register-Based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Centre for Integrated Register-Based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - M Nyegaard
- iPSYCH, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- iSEQ, Center for Integrative Sequencing, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - T Werge
- iPSYCH, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, Aarhus, Denmark
- Institute of Biological Psychiatry, Mental Health Center, Sct. Hans, Mental Health Services, Roskilde, Denmark
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - S Weinsheimer
- iPSYCH, The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, Aarhus, Denmark
- Institute of Biological Psychiatry, Mental Health Center, Sct. Hans, Mental Health Services, Roskilde, Denmark
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Starnawska A, Tan Q, Lenart A, McGue M, Mors O, Børglum AD, Christensen K, Nyegaard M, Christiansen L. Blood DNA methylation age is not associated with cognitive functioning in middle-aged monozygotic twins. Neurobiol Aging 2016; 50:60-63. [PMID: 27889677 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2016.10.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [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: 02/08/2016] [Revised: 09/23/2016] [Accepted: 10/25/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The epigenetic clock, also known as DNA methylation age (DNAmAge), represents age-related changes of DNA methylation at multiple sites of the genome and is suggested to be a biomarker for biological age. Elevated blood DNAmAge is associated with all-cause mortality, with the strongest effects reported in a recent intrapair twin study where epigenetically older twins had increased mortality risk in comparison to their co-twins. In the study presented here, we hypothesize that DNAmAge in blood is associated with cross-sectional and longitudinal cognitive abilities in middle-aged individuals. In 486 monozygotic twins, we investigated the association of DNAmAge, difference between DNAmAge and chronological age and age acceleration with cognition. Despite using a powerful paired twin design, we found no evidence for association of blood DNAmAge with cognitive abilities. This observation was confirmed in unpaired analyses, where DNAmAge initially correlated with cognitive abilities, until adjusting for chronological age. Overall, our study shows that for middle-aged individuals DNAmAge calculated in blood does not correlate with cognitive abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Starnawska
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark; Center for Integrative Sequencing, iSEQ, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - Q Tan
- The Danish Aging Research Center, and The Danish Twin Registry, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark; Department of Clinical Genetics, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - A Lenart
- Max Planck Odense Center on the Biodemography of Aging, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - M McGue
- The Danish Aging Research Center, and The Danish Twin Registry, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark; Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - O Mors
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark; Psychosis Research Unit, Aarhus University Hospital, Risskov, Denmark
| | - A D Børglum
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark; Center for Integrative Sequencing, iSEQ, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - K Christensen
- The Danish Aging Research Center, and The Danish Twin Registry, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark; Department of Clinical Genetics, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark; Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - M Nyegaard
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Aarhus, Denmark; Center for Integrative Sequencing, iSEQ, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - L Christiansen
- The Danish Aging Research Center, and The Danish Twin Registry, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
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Starnawska A, Demontis D, Pen A, Hedemand A, Nielsen AL, Staunstrup NH, Grove J, Als TD, Jarram A, O'Brien NL, Mors O, McQuillin A, Børglum AD, Nyegaard M. CACNA1C hypermethylation is associated with bipolar disorder. Transl Psychiatry 2016; 6:e831. [PMID: 27271857 PMCID: PMC4931616 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2016.99] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2015] [Revised: 03/05/2016] [Accepted: 04/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The CACNA1C gene, encoding a subunit of the L-type voltage-gated calcium channel is one of the best-supported susceptibility genes for bipolar disorder (BD). Genome-wide association studies have identified a cluster of non-coding single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in intron 3 to be highly associated with BD and schizophrenia. The mechanism by which these SNPs confer risk of BD appears to be through an altered regulation of CACNA1C expression. The role of CACNA1C DNA methylation in BD has not yet been addressed. The aim of this study was to investigate if CACNA1C DNA methylation is altered in BD. First, the methylation status of five CpG islands (CGIs) across CACNA1C in blood from BD subjects (n=40) and healthy controls (n=38) was determined. Four islands were almost completely methylated or completely unmethylated, while one island (CGI 3) in intron 3 displayed intermediate methylation levels. In the main analysis, the methylation status of CGI 3 was analyzed in a larger sample of BD subjects (n=582) and control individuals (n=319). Out of six CpG sites that were investigated, five sites showed significant hypermethylation in cases (lowest P=1.16 × 10(-7) for CpG35). Nearby SNPs were found to influence the methylation level, and we identified rs2238056 in intron 3 as the strongest methylation quantitative trait locus (P=2.6 × 10(-7)) for CpG35. In addition, we found an increased methylation in females, and no difference between bipolar I and II. In conclusion, we find that CACNA1C methylation is associated with BD and suggest that the regulatory effect of the non-coding risk variants involves a shift in DNA methylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Starnawska
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Denmark
- Center for Integrative Sequencing, iSEQ, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - D Demontis
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Denmark
- Center for Integrative Sequencing, iSEQ, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - A Pen
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - A Hedemand
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Denmark
- Center for Integrative Sequencing, iSEQ, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - A L Nielsen
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Denmark
- Center for Integrative Sequencing, iSEQ, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - N H Staunstrup
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Denmark
- Center for Integrative Sequencing, iSEQ, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - J Grove
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Denmark
- Center for Integrative Sequencing, iSEQ, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - T D Als
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Denmark
- Center for Integrative Sequencing, iSEQ, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - A Jarram
- Molecular Psychiatry Laboratory, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - N L O'Brien
- Molecular Psychiatry Laboratory, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - O Mors
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Denmark
- Research Department P, Aarhus University Hospital, Risskov, Denmark
| | - A McQuillin
- Molecular Psychiatry Laboratory, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - A D Børglum
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Denmark
- Center for Integrative Sequencing, iSEQ, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - M Nyegaard
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, Denmark
- Center for Integrative Sequencing, iSEQ, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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