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Chamtouri M, Merghni A, Salazar N, Redruello B, Gaddour N, Mastouri M, Arboleya S, de los Reyes-Gavilán CG. An Overview on Fecal Profiles of Amino Acids and Related Amino-Derived Compounds in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Tunisia. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28073269. [PMID: 37050030 PMCID: PMC10096484 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28073269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental pathology characterized by the impairment of social interaction, difficulties in communication, and repetitive behaviors. Alterations in the metabolism of amino acids have been reported. We performed a chromatographic analysis of fecal amino acids, ammonium, biogenic amines, and gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) in Tunisian autistic children from 4 to 10 years, and results were compared with their siblings (SIB) and children from the general population (GP). ASD presented significantly higher levels of fecal amino acids than SIB and GP; differences being more pronounced in younger (4–7 years) than in older (8–10 years) individuals whereas no changes were found for the remaining compounds. Lower levels of histidine were the only difference related with severe symptoms of autism (CARS scale). A linear discriminant analysis (LDA) based on fecal amino acid profiles clearly separated ASD, SIB, and GP at 4 to 7 years but not at more advanced age (8–10 years), evidencing more pronounced alterations in younger children. The relationship of fecal amino acids with autism needs deeper research integrating blood analytical parameters, brain metabolism, and intestinal microbiota. Fecal amino acids could be targeted for designing personalized diets to prevent or minimize cognitive impairments associated with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariem Chamtouri
- Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry of Dairy Products, Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA-CSIC), 33300 Villaviciosa, Spain
- Laboratory of Transmissible Diseases and Biologically Active Substances LR99ES27, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Monastir, Monastir 5000, Tunisia
| | - Abderrahmen Merghni
- Laboratory of Antimicrobial Resistance LR99ES09, Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis 1068, Tunisia
| | - Nuria Salazar
- Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry of Dairy Products, Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA-CSIC), 33300 Villaviciosa, Spain
- Diet, Microbiota, and Health Group, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), 33011 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Begoña Redruello
- Scientific and Technical Services, Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA-CSIC), 33300 Villaviciosa, Spain
| | - Naoufel Gaddour
- Unit of Child Psychiatry, Monastir University Hospital, Monastir 5000, Tunisia
| | - Maha Mastouri
- Laboratory of Transmissible Diseases and Biologically Active Substances LR99ES27, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Monastir, Monastir 5000, Tunisia
| | - Silvia Arboleya
- Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry of Dairy Products, Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA-CSIC), 33300 Villaviciosa, Spain
- Diet, Microbiota, and Health Group, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), 33011 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Clara G. de los Reyes-Gavilán
- Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry of Dairy Products, Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA-CSIC), 33300 Villaviciosa, Spain
- Diet, Microbiota, and Health Group, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), 33011 Oviedo, Spain
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Myosin XVI in the Nervous System. Cells 2020; 9:cells9081903. [PMID: 32824179 PMCID: PMC7464383 DOI: 10.3390/cells9081903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Revised: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The myosin family is a large inventory of actin-associated motor proteins that participate in a diverse array of cellular functions. Several myosin classes are expressed in neural cells and play important roles in neural functioning. A recently discovered member of the myosin superfamily, the vertebrate-specific myosin XVI (Myo16) class is expressed predominantly in neural tissues and appears to be involved in the development and proper functioning of the nervous system. Accordingly, the alterations of MYO16 has been linked to neurological disorders. Although the role of Myo16 as a generic actin-associated motor is still enigmatic, the N-, and C-terminal extensions that flank the motor domain seem to confer unique structural features and versatile interactions to the protein. Recent biochemical and physiological examinations portray Myo16 as a signal transduction element that integrates cell signaling pathways to actin cytoskeleton reorganization. This review discusses the current knowledge of the structure-function relation of Myo16. In light of its prevalent localization, the emphasis is laid on the neural aspects.
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Navarro-Cobos MJ, Balaton BP, Brown CJ. Genes that escape from X-chromosome inactivation: Potential contributors to Klinefelter syndrome. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS PART C-SEMINARS IN MEDICAL GENETICS 2020; 184:226-238. [PMID: 32441398 PMCID: PMC7384012 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.c.31800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Revised: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
One of the two X chromosomes in females is epigenetically inactivated, thereby compensating for the dosage difference in X-linked genes between XX females and XY males. Not all X-linked genes are completely inactivated, however, with 12% of genes escaping X chromosome inactivation and another 15% of genes varying in their X chromosome inactivation status across individuals, tissues or cells. Expression of these genes from the second and otherwise inactive X chromosome may underlie sex differences between males and females, and feature in many of the symptoms of XXY Klinefelter males, who have both an inactive X and a Y chromosome. We review the approaches used to identify genes that escape from X-chromosome inactivation and discuss the nature of their sex-biased expression. These genes are enriched on the short arm of the X chromosome, and, in addition to genes in the pseudoautosomal regions, include genes with and without Y-chromosomal counterparts. We highlight candidate escape genes for some of the features of Klinefelter syndrome and discuss our current understanding of the mechanisms underlying silencing and escape on the X chromosome as well as additional differences between the X in males and females that may contribute to Klinefelter syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Jose Navarro-Cobos
- Department of Medical Genetics, Molecular Epigenetics Group, Life Sciences Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Bradley P Balaton
- Department of Medical Genetics, Molecular Epigenetics Group, Life Sciences Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Carolyn J Brown
- Department of Medical Genetics, Molecular Epigenetics Group, Life Sciences Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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Abstract
Myosin XVI (Myo16), a vertebrate-specific motor protein, is a recently discovered member of the myosin superfamily. The detailed functionality regarding myosin XVI requires elucidating or clarification; however, it appears to portray an important role in neural development and in the proper functioning of the nervous system. It is expressed in the largest amount in neural tissues in the late embryonic-early postnatal period, specifically the time in which neuronal cell migration and dendritic elaboration coincide. The impaired expression of myosin XVI has been found lurking in the background of several neuropsychiatric disorders including autism, schizophrenia and/or bipolar disorders.Two principal isoforms of class XVI myosins have been thus far described: Myo16a, the tailless cytoplasmic isoform and Myo16b, the full-length molecule featuring both cytoplasmic and nuclear localization. Both isoforms contain a class-specific N-terminal ankyrin repeat domain that binds to the protein phosphatase catalytic subunit. Myo16b, the predominant isoform, exhibits a diverse function. In the cytoplasm, it participates in the reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton through activation of the PI3K pathway and the WAVE-complex, while in the nucleus it may possess a role in cell cycle regulation. Based on the sequence, myosin XVI may have a compromised ATPase activity, implying a potential stationary role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beáta Bugyi
- Department of Biophysics, University of Pécs, Medical School, Pécs, Hungary
| | - András Kengyel
- Department of Biophysics, University of Pécs, Medical School, Pécs, Hungary.
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Roesler MK, Lombino FL, Freitag S, Schweizer M, Hermans-Borgmeyer I, Schwarz JR, Kneussel M, Wagner W. Myosin XVI Regulates Actin Cytoskeleton Dynamics in Dendritic Spines of Purkinje Cells and Affects Presynaptic Organization. Front Cell Neurosci 2019; 13:330. [PMID: 31474830 PMCID: PMC6705222 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2019.00330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2019] [Accepted: 07/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The actin cytoskeleton is crucial for function and morphology of neuronal synapses. Moreover, altered regulation of the neuronal actin cytoskeleton has been implicated in neuropsychiatric diseases such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Myosin XVI is a neuronally expressed unconventional myosin known to bind the WAVE regulatory complex (WRC), a regulator of filamentous actin (F-actin) polymerization. Notably, the gene encoding the myosin’s heavy chain (MYO16) shows genetic association with neuropsychiatric disorders including ASD. Here, we investigated whether myosin XVI plays a role for actin cytoskeleton regulation in the dendritic spines of cerebellar Purkinje cells (PCs), a neuronal cell type crucial for motor learning, social cognition and vocalization. We provide evidence that both myosin XVI and the WRC component WAVE1 localize to PC spines. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) analysis of GFP-actin in cultured PCs shows that Myo16 knockout as well as PC-specific Myo16 knockdown, lead to faster F-actin turnover in the dendritic spines of PCs. We also detect accelerated F-actin turnover upon interference with the WRC, and upon inhibition of Arp2/3 that drives formation of branched F-actin downstream of the WRC. In contrast, inhibition of formins that are responsible for polymerization of linear actin filaments does not cause faster F-actin turnover. Together, our data establish myosin XVI as a regulator of the postsynaptic actin cytoskeleton and suggest that it is an upstream activator of the WRC-Arp2/3 pathway in PC spines. Furthermore, ultra-structural and electrophysiological analyses of Myo16 knockout cerebellum reveals the presence of reduced numbers of synaptic vesicles at presynaptic terminals in the absence of the myosin. Therefore, we here define myosin XVI as an F-actin regulator important for presynaptic organization in the cerebellum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mona Katrin Roesler
- Department of Molecular Neurogenetics, Center for Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Franco Luis Lombino
- Department of Molecular Neurogenetics, Center for Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sandra Freitag
- Department of Molecular Neurogenetics, Center for Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michaela Schweizer
- Electron Microscopy Unit, Center for Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Irm Hermans-Borgmeyer
- Transgenic Animal Unit, Center for Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jürgen R Schwarz
- Department of Molecular Neurogenetics, Center for Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Kneussel
- Department of Molecular Neurogenetics, Center for Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Wagner
- Department of Molecular Neurogenetics, Center for Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
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Abstract
Examining sex differences in the brain has been historically contentious but is nonetheless important for advancing mental health for both girls and boys. Unfortunately, females in biomedical research remain underrepresented in most mental health conditions including autism spectrum disorders (ASD), even though equal inclusion of females would improve treatment for girls and yield benefits to boys. This review examines sex differences in the relationship between neuroanatomy and neurogenetics of ASD. Recent findings reveal that girls diagnosed with ASD exhibit more intellectual and behavioral problems compared to their male counterparts, suggesting that girls may be less likely diagnosed in the absence of such problems or that they require a higher mutational load to meet the diagnostic criteria. Thus far, the female biased effect of chromosome 4, 5p15.33, 8p, 9p24.1, 11p12-13, 15q, and Xp22.3 and the male biased effect of 1p31.3, 5q12.3, 7q, 9q33.3, 11q13.4, 13q33.3, 16p11.2, 17q11-21, Xp22.33/Yp11.31, DRD1, NLGN3, MAOA, and SHANK1 deletion have been discovered in ASD. The SNPs of genes such as RYR2, UPP2, and the androgen receptor gene have been shown to have sex-biasing factors in both girls and boys diagnosed with ASD. These sex-related genetic factors may drive sex differences in the neuroanatomy of these girls and boys, including abnormal enlargement in temporal gray and white matter volumes, and atypical reduction in cerebellar gray matter volumes and corpus callosum fibers projecting to the anterior frontal cortex in ASD girls relative to boys. Such factors may also be responsible for the attenuation of brain sexual differentiation in adult men and women with ASD; however, much remains to be uncovered or replicated. Future research should leverage further the association between neuroanatomy and genetics in girls for an integrated and interdisciplinary understanding of ASD.
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Reilly J, Gallagher L, Chen JL, Leader G, Shen S. Bio-collections in autism research. Mol Autism 2017; 8:34. [PMID: 28702161 PMCID: PMC5504648 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-017-0154-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2017] [Accepted: 06/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of complex neurodevelopmental disorders with diverse clinical manifestations and symptoms. In the last 10 years, there have been significant advances in understanding the genetic basis for ASD, critically supported through the establishment of ASD bio-collections and application in research. Here, we summarise a selection of major ASD bio-collections and their associated findings. Collectively, these include mapping ASD candidate genes, assessing the nature and frequency of gene mutations and their association with ASD clinical subgroups, insights into related molecular pathways such as the synapses, chromatin remodelling, transcription and ASD-related brain regions. We also briefly review emerging studies on the use of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to potentially model ASD in culture. These provide deeper insight into ASD progression during development and could generate human cell models for drug screening. Finally, we provide perspectives concerning the utilities of ASD bio-collections and limitations, and highlight considerations in setting up a new bio-collection for ASD research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie Reilly
- Regenerative Medicine Institute, School of Medicine, BioMedical Sciences Building, National University of Ireland (NUI), Galway, Ireland
| | - Louise Gallagher
- Trinity Translational Medicine Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, St. James Hospital Street, Dublin 8, Ireland
| | - June L Chen
- Department of Special Education, Faculty of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062 China
| | - Geraldine Leader
- Irish Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Research (ICAN), Department of Psychology, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland
| | - Sanbing Shen
- Regenerative Medicine Institute, School of Medicine, BioMedical Sciences Building, National University of Ireland (NUI), Galway, Ireland
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Zaki MM, Abdel-Al H, Al-Sawi M. Assessment of plasma amino acid profile in autism using cation-exchange chromatography with postcolumn derivatization by ninhydrin. Turk J Med Sci 2017; 47:260-267. [PMID: 28263499 DOI: 10.3906/sag-1506-105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2015] [Accepted: 05/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIM Autism is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder. This study aimed to assess the clinical significance of amino acid profile assay in autism using cation-exchange chromatography with ninhydrin postcolumn derivatization. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study included 42 autistic children and 26 apparently healthy children. All participants were subjected to the assay of plasma amino acids (essential, nonessential, and nonstandard) using cation-exchange chromatography with postcolumn derivatization by ninhydrin. RESULTS The levels of most of the essential amino acids were significantly lower in autistic children than controls. As regards nonessential amino acids, significantly lower levels for plasma cysteine, tyrosine, and serine and significantly higher levels for plasma glutamic acid were recorded in autistic children than controls. Finally, the autistic group demonstrated significantly lower levels of α-aminoadipic acid, carnosine, and β-alanine and significantly higher levels of hydroxyproline, phosphoserine, β-amino-isobutyric acid, and ammonia as compared to controls. CONCLUSION The study revealed that autistic children exhibit distinct alterations in the plasma levels of some amino acids, which can in turn participate in the disease etiology and can be applied as a diagnostic tool for early detection of autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mona Mohamed Zaki
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Hala Abdel-Al
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Mohamed Al-Sawi
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
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Wang J, Li L, Shao SS, He Z, Chen YL, Kong R, Zhang XH, Gong JH, Song RR. Association analysis of genetic variant of rs13331 in PSD95 gene with autism spectrum disorders: A case-control study in a Chinese population. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 36:285-288. [PMID: 27072977 DOI: 10.1007/s11596-016-1581-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2015] [Revised: 10/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by high heritability. Recently, autism, the most profound form of ASD, has been increasingly attributed to synaptic abnormalities. Postsynaptic density 95 (PSD95), encoding PSD protein-95, was found essential for synaptic formation, maturation and plasticity at a PSD of excitatory synapse. It is possibly a crucial candidate gene for the pathogenesis of ASD. To identify the relationship between the rs13331 of PSD95 gene and ASD, we performed a case-control study in 212 patients and 636 controls in a Chinese population by using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymerase (PCR-RFLP) assay. The results showed that in genetic analysis of the heterozygous model, an association between the T allele of the rs13331 and ASD was found in the dominant model (OR=1.709, 95% CI 1.227-2.382, P=0.002) and the additive model (OR=1.409, 95% CI=1.104-1.800, P=0.006). Our data indicate that the genetic mutation C>T at the rs13331 in the PSD95 gene is strikingly associated with an increased risk of ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Wang
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and MOE Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Li Li
- Maternity and Children Health Care Hospital of Luohu District, Shenzhen, 518019, China
| | - Shan-Shan Shao
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and MOE Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Zhen He
- Central Hospital of Longhua New District, Shenzhen, 518000, China
| | - Yan-Lin Chen
- Maternity and Children Health Care Hospital of Luohu District, Shenzhen, 518019, China
| | - Rui Kong
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and MOE Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Xiao-Hui Zhang
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and MOE Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Jian-Hua Gong
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and MOE Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
- Maternity and Children Health Care Hospital of Luohu District, Shenzhen, 518019, China.
| | - Ran-Ran Song
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and MOE Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
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Huang M, Graham BE, Zhang G, Harder R, Kodaman N, Moore JH, Muglia L, Williams SM. Evolutionary triangulation: informing genetic association studies with evolutionary evidence. BioData Min 2016; 9:12. [PMID: 27042214 PMCID: PMC4818851 DOI: 10.1186/s13040-016-0091-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2015] [Accepted: 03/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Genetic studies of human diseases have identified many variants associated with pathogenesis and severity. However, most studies have used only statistical association to assess putative relationships to disease, and ignored other factors for evaluation. For example, evolution is a factor that has shaped disease risk, changing allele frequencies as human populations migrated into and inhabited new environments. Since many common variants differ among populations in frequency, as does disease prevalence, we hypothesized that patterns of disease and population structure, taken together, will inform association studies. Thus, the population distributions of allelic risk variants should reflect the distributions of their associated diseases. Evolutionary Triangulation (ET) exploits this evolutionary differentiation by comparing population structure among three populations with variable patterns of disease prevalence. By selecting populations based on patterns where two have similar rates of disease that differ substantially from a third, we performed a proof of principle analysis for this method. We examined three disease phenotypes, lactase persistence, melanoma, and Type 2 diabetes mellitus. We show that for lactase persistence, a phenotype with a simple genetic architecture, ET identifies the key gene, lactase. For melanoma, ET identifies several genes associated with this disease and/or phenotypes related to it, such as skin color genes. ET was less obviously successful for Type 2 diabetes mellitus, perhaps because of the small effect sizes in known risk loci and recent environmental changes that have altered disease risk. Alternatively, ET may have revealed new genes involved in conferring disease risk for diabetes that did not meet nominal GWAS significance thresholds. We also compared ET to another method used to filter for phenotype associated genes, population branch statistic (PBS), and show that ET performs better in identifying genes known to associate with diseases appropriately distributed among populations. Our results indicate that ET can filter association results to improve our ability to discover disease loci.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minjun Huang
- Department of Genetics, Dartmouth College, Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, NH USA ; Institute for Quantitative Biomedical Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH USA
| | - Britney E Graham
- Department of Genetics, Dartmouth College, Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, NH USA ; Institute for Quantitative Biomedical Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH USA
| | - Ge Zhang
- Human Genetics Division, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH USA
| | - Reed Harder
- Department of Genetics, Dartmouth College, Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, NH USA ; Institute for Quantitative Biomedical Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH USA
| | - Nuri Kodaman
- Department of Genetics, Dartmouth College, Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, NH USA ; Institute for Quantitative Biomedical Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH USA
| | - Jason H Moore
- Institute for Quantitative Biomedical Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH USA ; Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA USA
| | - Louis Muglia
- Center for Prevention of Preterm Birth, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, and March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center Ohio Collaborative, Cincinnati, OH USA
| | - Scott M Williams
- Department of Genetics, Dartmouth College, Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, NH USA ; Institute for Quantitative Biomedical Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH USA ; Present Address: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106 USA
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Schaer M, Kochalka J, Padmanabhan A, Supekar K, Menon V. Sex differences in cortical volume and gyrification in autism. Mol Autism 2015; 6:42. [PMID: 26146534 PMCID: PMC4491212 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-015-0035-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2015] [Accepted: 06/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Male predominance is a prominent feature of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), with a reported male to female ratio of 4:1. Because of the overwhelming focus on males, little is known about the neuroanatomical basis of sex differences in ASD. Investigations of sex differences with adequate sample sizes are critical for improving our understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying ASD in females. Methods We leveraged the open-access autism brain imaging data exchange (ABIDE) dataset to obtain structural brain imaging data from 53 females with ASD, who were matched with equivalent samples of males with ASD, and their typically developing (TD) male and female peers. Brain images were processed with FreeSurfer to assess three key features of local cortical morphometry: volume, thickness, and gyrification. A whole-brain approach was used to identify significant effects of sex, diagnosis, and sex-by-diagnosis interaction, using a stringent threshold of p < 0.01 to control for false positives. Stability and power analyses were conducted to guide future research on sex differences in ASD. Results We detected a main effect of sex in the bilateral superior temporal cortex, driven by greater cortical volume in females compared to males in both the ASD and TD groups. Sex-by-diagnosis interaction was detected in the gyrification of the ventromedial/orbitofrontal prefrontal cortex (vmPFC/OFC). Post-hoc analyses revealed that sex-by-diagnosis interaction was driven by reduced vmPFC/OFC gyrification in males with ASD, compared to females with ASD as well as TD males and females. Finally, stability analyses demonstrated a dramatic drop in the likelihood of observing significant clusters as the sample size decreased, suggesting that previous studies have been largely underpowered. For instance, with a sample of 30 females with ASD (total n = 120), a significant sex-by-diagnosis interaction was only detected in 50 % of the simulated subsamples. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that some features of typical sex differences are preserved in the brain of individuals with ASD, while others are not. Sex differences in ASD are associated with cortical regions involved in language and social function, two domains of deficits in the disorder. Stability analyses provide novel quantitative insights into why smaller samples may have previously failed to detect sex differences. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13229-015-0035-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Schaer
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305 USA
| | - John Kochalka
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305 USA
| | - Aarthi Padmanabhan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305 USA
| | - Kaustubh Supekar
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305 USA
| | - Vinod Menon
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305 USA ; Program in Neuroscience, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305 USA ; Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, USA
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12
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Yoo HJ, Kim K, Kim IH, Rho SH, Park JE, Lee KY, Kim SA, Choi BY, Kim N. Whole exome sequencing for a patient with Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome reveals de novo variants besides an overt CREBBP mutation. Int J Mol Sci 2015; 16:5697-713. [PMID: 25768348 PMCID: PMC4394500 DOI: 10.3390/ijms16035697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2014] [Revised: 02/16/2015] [Accepted: 02/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome (RSTS) is a rare condition with a prevalence of 1 in 125,000–720,000 births and characterized by clinical features that include facial, dental, and limb dysmorphology and growth retardation. Most cases of RSTS occur sporadically and are caused by de novo mutations. Cytogenetic or molecular abnormalities are detected in only 55% of RSTS cases. Previous genetic studies have yielded inconsistent results due to the variety of methods used for genetic analysis. The purpose of this study was to use whole exome sequencing (WES) to evaluate the genetic causes of RSTS in a young girl presenting with an Autism phenotype. We used the Autism diagnostic observation schedule (ADOS) and Autism diagnostic interview revised (ADI-R) to confirm her diagnosis of Autism. In addition, various questionnaires were used to evaluate other psychiatric features. We used WES to analyze the DNA sequences of the patient and her parents and to search for de novo variants. The patient showed all the typical features of Autism, WES revealed a de novo frameshift mutation in CREBBP and de novo sequence variants in TNC and IGFALS genes. Mutations in the CREBBP gene have been extensively reported in RSTS patients, while potential missense mutations in TNC and IGFALS genes have not previously been associated with RSTS. The TNC and IGFALS genes are involved in central nervous system development and growth. It is possible for patients with RSTS to have additional de novo variants that could account for previously unexplained phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hee Jeong Yoo
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seongnam, Gyeonggi 463-707, Korea.
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University, College of Medicine, Seoul 110-744, Korea.
| | - Kyung Kim
- Epigenomics Research Center, Genome Institute, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon 305-806, Korea.
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Ajou University, School of Medicine, Suwon 443-749, Korea.
- Department of Biomedical Science, Ajou University Graduate School of Medicine, Suwon 443-749, Korea.
| | - In Hyang Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seongnam, Gyeonggi 463-707, Korea.
| | | | - Jong-Eun Park
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seongnam, Gyeonggi 463-707, Korea.
| | - Ki Young Lee
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Ajou University, School of Medicine, Suwon 443-749, Korea.
- Department of Biomedical Science, Ajou University Graduate School of Medicine, Suwon 443-749, Korea.
| | - Soon Ae Kim
- Department of Pharmacology, Eulji University College of Medicine, Daejeon 301-746, Korea.
| | - Byung Yoon Choi
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University, College of Medicine, Seoul 110-744, Korea.
- Department of Otolaryngology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seongnam, Gyeonggi 463-707, Korea.
| | - Namshin Kim
- Epigenomics Research Center, Genome Institute, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon 305-806, Korea.
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Lai MC, Lombardo MV, Auyeung B, Chakrabarti B, Baron-Cohen S. Sex/gender differences and autism: setting the scene for future research. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2015; 54:11-24. [PMID: 25524786 PMCID: PMC4284309 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2014.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 556] [Impact Index Per Article: 61.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2014] [Revised: 10/10/2014] [Accepted: 10/13/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The relationship between sex/gender differences and autism has attracted a variety of research ranging from clinical and neurobiological to etiological, stimulated by the male bias in autism prevalence. Findings are complex and do not always relate to each other in a straightforward manner. Distinct but interlinked questions on the relationship between sex/gender differences and autism remain underaddressed. To better understand the implications from existing research and to help design future studies, we propose a 4-level conceptual framework to clarify the embedded themes. METHOD We searched PubMed for publications before September 2014 using search terms "'sex OR gender OR females' AND autism." A total of 1,906 articles were screened for relevance, along with publications identified via additional literature reviews, resulting in 329 articles that were reviewed. RESULTS Level 1, "Nosological and diagnostic challenges," concerns the question, "How should autism be defined and diagnosed in males and females?" Level 2, "Sex/gender-independent and sex/gender-dependent characteristics," addresses the question, "What are the similarities and differences between males and females with autism?" Level 3, "General models of etiology: liability and threshold," asks the question, "How is the liability for developing autism linked to sex/gender?" Level 4, "Specific etiological-developmental mechanisms," focuses on the question, "What etiological-developmental mechanisms of autism are implicated by sex/gender and/or sexual/gender differentiation?" CONCLUSIONS Using this conceptual framework, findings can be more clearly summarized, and the implications of the links between findings from different levels can become clearer. Based on this 4-level framework, we suggest future research directions, methodology, and specific topics in sex/gender differences and autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng-Chuan Lai
- National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan and the Autism Research Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Michael V Lombardo
- University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus and the Autism Research Centre, University of Cambridge
| | - Bonnie Auyeung
- University of Edinburgh and the Autism Research Centre, University of Cambridge
| | - Bhismadev Chakrabarti
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Neurodynamics, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK and the Autism Research Centre, University of Cambridge
| | - Simon Baron-Cohen
- Cambridge Lifespan Asperger Syndrome Service (CLASS) Clinic, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough National Health Service Foundation Trust, Cambridge, and the Autism Research Centre, University of Cambridge
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