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Hamzic E, Spahic L, Pistoljevic N, Dzanko E, Pasic S, Kadric L, Serdarevic F, Hajdarpasic A. Exploratory genetic analysis in children with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disorders using whole exome sequencing. Biomol Biomed 2024. [PMID: 38421723 DOI: 10.17305/bb.2024.10221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Developmental disorders (DDs), such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), incorporate various conditions; once identified, further diagnostics are necessary to specify their type and severity. The aim of this exploratory study was to identify genetic variants that can help differentiate ASD early from other DDs. We selected 36 children (mean age 60.1 months) with DDs using Developmental Behavioral Scales (DBS) through "EDUS-Education for All", an organization providing services for children with developmental disorders in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We further rated children's autistic traits with the preschool version of the Childhood Autism Rating Scale, second edition (CARS-II). We defined ASD if scores were >25.5 and other DDs if scores were <25.5. Diagnosis of ASD and DD were independently confirmed by child psychiatrists. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed by Veritas Genetics, USA, using Illumina NovaSeq 6000 (Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA, USA) next-generation sequencing (NGS) apparatus. We tested genetic association by applying SKAT-O, which optimally combines the standard Sequence Kernel Association Test (SKAT) and burden tests to identify rare variants associated with complex traits in samples of limited power. The analysis yielded seven genes (DSE, COL10A1, DLK2, CSMD1, FAM47E, PPIA, PYDC2) to potentially differentiate observed phenotypic characteristics between our cohort participants with ASD and other DDs. Our exploratory study in a small sample of participants with ASD and other DDs contributed to gene discovery in differentiating ASD from DDs. A replication study is needed in a larger sample to confirm our results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edin Hamzic
- Biocomputix, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; BioCertica, Paarl, South Africa
| | - Lemana Spahic
- International Burch University, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | | | - Eldin Dzanko
- Education for All (EDUS), Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Sanela Pasic
- Department of Economics and Business, Sarajevo School of Science and Technology, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Lejla Kadric
- Department of Medical Biology and Genetics, Sarajevo Medical School, Sarajevo School of Science and Technology, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Fadila Serdarevic
- Department of Epidemiology, Sarajevo Medical School, Sarajevo School of Science and Technology, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Aida Hajdarpasic
- Department of Medical Biology and Genetics, Sarajevo Medical School, Sarajevo School of Science and Technology, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Serdarevic F, Luo M, Karabegović I, Binter AC, Alemany S, Mutzel R, Guxens M, Bustamante M, Hajdarpasic A, White T, Felix JF, Cecil CAM, Tiemeier H. DNA methylation at birth and fine motor ability in childhood: an epigenome-wide association study with replication. Epigenetics 2023; 18:2207253. [PMID: 37139702 PMCID: PMC10161945 DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2023.2207253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Lower fine motor performance in childhood has been associated with poorer cognitive development and neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism spectrum disorder, yet, biological underpinnings remain unclear. DNA methylation (DNAm), an essential process for healthy neurodevelopment, is a key molecular system of interest. In this study, we conducted the first epigenome-wide association study of neonatal DNAm with childhood fine motor ability and further examined the replicability of epigenetic markers in an independent cohort. The discovery study was embedded in Generation R, a large population-based prospective cohort, including a subsample of 924 ~ 1026 European-ancestry singletons with available data on DNAm in cord blood and fine motor ability at a mean (SD) age of 9.8 (0.4) years. Fine motor ability was measured using a finger-tapping test (3 subtests including left-, right-hand and bimanual), one of the most frequently used neuropsychological instruments of fine motor function. The replication study comprised 326 children with a mean (SD) age of 6.8 (0.4) years from an independent cohort, the INfancia Medio Ambiente (INMA) study. Four CpG sites at birth were prospectively associated with childhood fine motor ability after genome-wide correction. Of these, one CpG (cg07783800 in GNG4) was replicated in INMA, showing that lower levels of methylation at this site were associated with lower fine motor performance in both cohorts. GNG4 is highly expressed in the brain and has been implicated in cognitive decline. Our findings support a prospective, reproducible association between DNAm at birth and fine motor ability in childhood, pointing to GNG4 methylation at birth as a potential biomarker of fine motor ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fadila Serdarevic
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Social and Behavioral Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Sarajevo Medical School, Sarajevo School of Science and Technology, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Mannan Luo
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
- The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Irma Karabegović
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Anne-Claire Binter
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Silvia Alemany
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
- Psychiatric Genetics Unit, Group of Psychiatry Mental Health and Addiction, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Biomedical Network Research Centre on Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ryan Mutzel
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Monica Guxens
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Mariona Bustamante
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Aida Hajdarpasic
- Department of Medical Biology, and Genetics, Sarajevo Medical School, Sarajevo School of Science and Technology, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Tonya White
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Janine F Felix
- The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Charlotte A M Cecil
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
- Molecular Epidemiology, Department of Biomedical Data Sciences, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Henning Tiemeier
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Social and Behavioral Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
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Sehovic E, Spahic L, Smajlovic-Skenderagic L, Pistoljevic N, Dzanko E, Hajdarpasic A. Identification of developmental disorders including autism spectrum disorder using salivary miRNAs in children from Bosnia and Herzegovina. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0232351. [PMID: 32353026 PMCID: PMC7192422 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0232351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by major social, communication and behavioural challenges. The cause of ASD is still unclear and it is assumed that environmental, genetic and epigenetic factors influence the risk of ASD occurrence. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short 21-25 nucleotide long RNA molecules which post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression. MiRNAs play an important role in central nervous system development; therefore, dysregulation of miRNAs is connected to changes in behaviour and cognition observed in many disorders including ASD. Based on previously published work, on diagnosing ASD using miRNAs, we hypothesized that miRNAs can be used as biomarkers in children with suspected developmental disorders (DD) including ASD within Bosnian-Herzegovinian (B&H) population. 14 selected miRNAs were tested on saliva of children with suspected developmental disorders including ASD. The method of choice was qRT-PCR as a relatively cheap method available in most diagnostic laboratories in low to mid-income countries (LMIC). Out of 14 analysed miRNAs, 6 were differentially expressed between typically developing children and children with some type of developmental disorder including autism spectrum disorder. Using the most optimal logistic regression, we were able to distinguish between ASD and typically developing (TD) children. We have found 5 miRNAs as potential biomarkers. From those, 3 were differentially expressed within the ASD cohort. All 5 miRNAs had shown good chi-square statistics within the logistic regression performed on all 14 analysed miRNAs. The accuracy of 5-miRNAs model training set was 90.2%, while the validation set had a 90% accuracy. This study has shown that miRNAs may be considered as biomarkers for ASD detection and may be used to identify children with ASD along with standard developmental screening tests. By combining these methods we may be able to reach a reliable and accessible diagnostic model for children with ASD in LMIC such as B&H.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emir Sehovic
- Genetics and Bioengineering, International Burch University, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Lemana Spahic
- Genetics and Bioengineering, International Burch University, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | | | | | - Eldin Dzanko
- Education for All (EDUS), Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Aida Hajdarpasic
- Department of Medical Biology, Sarajevo Medical School, Sarajevo School of Science and Technology, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- * E-mail:
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Hukic M, Hajdarpasic A, Ravlija J, Ler Z, Baljic R, Dedeic Ljubovic A, Moro A, Salimović-Besic I, Sausy A, Muller CP, Hübschen JM. Mumps outbreak in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina with large cohorts of susceptibles and genetically diverse strains of genotype G, Bosnia and Herzegovina, December 2010 to September 2012. Euro Surveill 2014; 19. [DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917.es2014.19.33.20879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
A mumps outbreak reported from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina involved 7,895 cases between December 2010 and September 2012. This was the largest outbreak in the country since the introduction of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine in 1980. The highest disease incidence was found among 15 to 19 year-olds. About 39% (3,050/7,895) of cases reported to be unvaccinated; the vaccination status of 31% (2,426/7,895) was unknown. A seroprevalence study among 150 asymptomatic contacts to mumps cases showed that about one third (45/150) were susceptible to mumps. Among 105 clinically suspected mumps patients hospitalised at the Clinical Centre of the University of Sarajevo, orchitis (60% of all males: 51/85) and meningitis (9%: 9/105) were the most common complications. Among 57 outbreak sequences obtained for the small hydrophobic gene, eight different variants of genotype G viruses were identified. The outbreak affected mainly age groups comprising individuals who were not vaccinated during or after the Bosnian war, as well as cantons with single dose immunisation policies until 2001. In addition to issues related to vaccination of individuals, differential responses to vaccines and vaccine strains, waning of antibodies and potentially also the genetically diverse variants of genotype G may have compounded the size and duration of the outbreak. Our report emphasizes the need for supplementary immunisation programmes in particular for adolescents and young adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Hukic
- Institute of Clinical Microbiology, Clinical Centre University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - A Hajdarpasic
- Centre for Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sarajevo, Laboratory for Molecular Medicine, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - J Ravlija
- Institute of Public Health of Federation Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Z Ler
- Institute of Public Health of Federation Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - R Baljic
- Clinic for Infectious Diseases, Clinical Centre University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - A Dedeic Ljubovic
- Institute of Clinical Microbiology, Clinical Centre University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - A Moro
- Institute of Clinical Microbiology, Clinical Centre University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - I Salimović-Besic
- Institute of Clinical Microbiology, Clinical Centre University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - A Sausy
- Institute of Immunology, World Health Organization European Regional Reference Laboratory for Measles and Rubella, Centre de Recherche Public de la Santé /Laboratoire National de Santé, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - C P Muller
- Institute of Immunology, World Health Organization European Regional Reference Laboratory for Measles and Rubella, Centre de Recherche Public de la Santé /Laboratoire National de Santé, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - J M Hübschen
- Institute of Immunology, World Health Organization European Regional Reference Laboratory for Measles and Rubella, Centre de Recherche Public de la Santé /Laboratoire National de Santé, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
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