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Hakizimana O, Hitayezu J, Uyisenga JP, Onohuean H, Palmeira L, Bours V, Alagbonsi AI, Uwineza A. Genetic etiology of autism spectrum disorder in the African population: a scoping review. Front Genet 2024; 15:1431093. [PMID: 39391062 PMCID: PMC11464363 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2024.1431093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2024] [Accepted: 08/28/2024] [Indexed: 10/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) characterized by significant impairments in social, communicative, and behavioral abilities. However, only a limited number of studies address the genetic basis of ASD in the African population. This study aims to document the genes associated with ASD in Africa and the techniques used to identify them. Additionally, genes identified elsewhere but not yet in Africa are also noted. Methods Online databases such as Wiley Online Library, PubMed, and Africa Journal Online were used. The review was conducted using the keyword related to genetic and genomic ASD study in the African population. Result In this scoping review, 40 genetic studies on ASD in Africa were reviewed. The Egyptian and South African populations were the most studied, with 25 and 5 studies, respectively. Countries with fewer studies included Tunisia (4), East African countries (3), Libya (1), Nigeria (1), and Morocco (1). Some 61 genes responsible for ASD were identified in the African population: 26 were identified using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based method, 22 were identified using sequencing technologies, and 12 genes and one de novo chromosomal aberration were identified through other techniques. No African study identified any ASD gene with genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Notably, at least 20 ASD risk genes reported in non-African countries were yet to be confirmed in Africa's population. Conclusion There are insufficient genetic studies on ASD in the African population, with sample size being a major limitation in most genetic association studies, leading to inconclusive results. Thus, there is a need to conduct more studies with large sample sizes to identify other genes associated with ASD in Africa's population using high-throughput sequencing technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Hakizimana
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Genetics, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda
- Center for Human Genetics, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sart-Tilman, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
| | - Janvier Hitayezu
- Department of Pediatrics, University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK), Kigali, Rwanda
| | - Jeanne P. Uyisenga
- Department of Biology, College of Science and Technology, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda
| | - Hope Onohuean
- Biopharmaceutics Unit, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, Kampala International University, Bushenyi, Uganda
| | - Leonor Palmeira
- Center for Human Genetics, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sart-Tilman, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
| | - Vincent Bours
- Center for Human Genetics, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sart-Tilman, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
| | - Abdullateef Isiaka Alagbonsi
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda
| | - Annette Uwineza
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Genetics, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda
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Shiota Y, Nishiyama T, Yokoyama S, Yoshimura Y, Hasegawa C, Tanaka S, Iwasaki S, Kikuchi M. Association of genetic variants with autism spectrum disorder in Japanese children revealed by targeted sequencing. Front Genet 2024; 15:1352480. [PMID: 39280100 PMCID: PMC11395840 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2024.1352480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 09/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) represent a heterogeneous group of neurodevelopmental disorders with strong genetic predispositions. Although an increasing number of genetic variants have been implicated in the pathogenesis of ASD, little is known about the relationship between ASD-associated genetic variants and individual ASD traits. Therefore, we aimed to investigate these relationships. Methods Here, we report a case-control association study of 32 Japanese children with ASD (mainly with high-functioning autism [HFA]) and 36 with typical development (TD). We explored previously established ASD-associated genes using a next-generation sequencing panel and determined the association between Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) T-scores and intelligence quotient (IQ) scores. Results In the genotype-phenotype analyses, 40 variants of five genes (SCN1A, SHANK3, DYRK1A, CADPS, and SCN2A) were associated with ASD/TD phenotypes. In particular, 10 SCN1A variants passed permutation filtering (false discovery rate <0.05). In the quantitative association analyses, 49 variants of 12 genes (CHD8, SCN1A, SLC6A1, KMT5B, CNTNAP2, KCNQ3, SCN2A, ARID1B, SHANK3, DYRK1A, FOXP1, and GRIN2B) and 50 variants of 10 genes (DYRK1A, SCN2A, SLC6A1, ARID1B, CNTNAP2, SHANK3, FOXP1, PTEN, SCN1A, and CHD8) were associated with SRS T- and IQ-scores, respectively. Conclusion Our data suggest that these identified variants are essential for the genetic architecture of HFA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuka Shiota
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Tomoaki Nishiyama
- Research Center for Experimental Modeling of Human Disease, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Shigeru Yokoyama
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
- United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Kanazawa University, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Chiba University, and University of Fukui, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Yuko Yoshimura
- United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Kanazawa University, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Chiba University, and University of Fukui, Kanazawa, Japan
- Institute of Human and Social Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Chiaki Hasegawa
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
- United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Kanazawa University, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Chiba University, and University of Fukui, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Sanae Tanaka
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
- United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Kanazawa University, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Chiba University, and University of Fukui, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Sumie Iwasaki
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan
- Institute of Human and Social Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Mitsuru Kikuchi
- United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Kanazawa University, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Chiba University, and University of Fukui, Kanazawa, Japan
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
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Garcia MF, Retallick-Townsley K, Pruitt A, Davidson E, Dai Y, Fitzpatrick SE, Sen A, Cohen S, Livoti O, Khan S, Dossou G, Cheung J, Deans PJM, Wang Z, Huckins L, Hoffman E, Brennand K. Dynamic convergence of autism disorder risk genes across neurodevelopment. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.08.23.609190. [PMID: 39229156 PMCID: PMC11370590 DOI: 10.1101/2024.08.23.609190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2024]
Abstract
Over a hundred risk genes underlie risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) but the extent to which they converge on shared downstream targets to increase ASD risk is unknown. To test the hypothesis that cellular context impacts the nature of convergence, here we apply a pooled CRISPR approach to target 29 ASD loss-of-function genes in human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived neural progenitor cells, glutamatergic neurons, and GABAergic neurons. Two distinct approaches (gene-level and network-level analyses) demonstrate that convergence is greatest in mature glutamatergic neurons. Convergent effects are dynamic, varying in strength, composition, and biological role between cell types, increasing with functional similarity of the ASD genes examined, and driven by cell-type-specific gene co-expression patterns. Stratification of ASD genes yield targeted drug predictions capable of reversing gene-specific convergent signatures in human cells and ASD-related behaviors in zebrafish. Altogether, convergent networks downstream of ASD risk genes represent novel points of individualized therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meilin Fernandez Garcia
- Departments of Psychiatry and Genetics, Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Department of Genetics, Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511
| | - Kayla Retallick-Townsley
- Departments of Psychiatry and Genetics, Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Department of Genetics, Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511
- Pamela Sklar Division of Psychiatric Genomics, Department of Genetics and Genomics, Icahn Institute of Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
| | - April Pruitt
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511
| | - Elizabeth Davidson
- Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511
| | - Yi Dai
- Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511
| | - Sarah E Fitzpatrick
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511
| | - Annabel Sen
- Departments of Psychiatry and Genetics, Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Department of Genetics, Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511
| | - Sophie Cohen
- Departments of Psychiatry and Genetics, Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Department of Genetics, Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511
| | - Olivia Livoti
- Departments of Psychiatry and Genetics, Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Department of Genetics, Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511
| | - Suha Khan
- Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511
| | - Grace Dossou
- Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511
| | - Jen Cheung
- Departments of Psychiatry and Genetics, Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Department of Genetics, Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511
| | - P J Michael Deans
- Departments of Psychiatry and Genetics, Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Department of Genetics, Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511
| | - Zuoheng Wang
- Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511
| | - Laura Huckins
- Departments of Psychiatry and Genetics, Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Department of Genetics, Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511
- Pamela Sklar Division of Psychiatric Genomics, Department of Genetics and Genomics, Icahn Institute of Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
| | - Ellen Hoffman
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511
- Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511
| | - Kristen Brennand
- Departments of Psychiatry and Genetics, Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Department of Genetics, Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511
- Pamela Sklar Division of Psychiatric Genomics, Department of Genetics and Genomics, Icahn Institute of Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029
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4
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Long H, Chen Z, Xu X, Zhou Q, Fang Z, Lv M, Yang XH, Xiao J, Sun H, Fan M. Elucidating genetic and molecular basis of altered higher-order brain structure-function coupling in major depressive disorder. Neuroimage 2024; 297:120722. [PMID: 38971483 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2024] [Revised: 06/24/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that major depressive disorder (MDD) patients exhibit structural and functional impairments, but few studies have investigated changes in higher-order coupling between structure and function. Here, we systematically investigated the effect of MDD on higher-order coupling between structural connectivity (SC) and functional connectivity (FC). Each brain region was mapped into embedding vector by the node2vec algorithm. We used support vector machine (SVM) with the brain region embedding vector to distinguish MDD patients from health controls (HCs) and identify the most discriminative brain regions. Our study revealed that MDD patients had decreased higher-order coupling in connections between the most discriminative brain regions and local connections in rich-club organization and increased higher-order coupling in connections between the ventral attentional network and limbic network compared with HCs. Interestingly, transcriptome-neuroimaging association analysis demonstrated the correlations between regional rSC-FC coupling variations between MDD patients and HCs and α/β-hydrolase domain-containing 6 (ABHD6), β 1,3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase-9(β3GNT9), transmembrane protein 45B (TMEM45B), the correlation between regional dSC-FC coupling variations and retinoic acid early transcript 1E antisense RNA 1(RAET1E-AS1), and the correlations between regional iSC-FC coupling variations and ABHD6, β3GNT9, katanin-like 2 protein (KATNAL2). In addition, correlation analysis with neurotransmitter receptor/transporter maps found that the rSC-FC and iSC-FC coupling variations were both correlated with neuroendocrine transporter (NET) expression, and the dSC-FC coupling variations were correlated with metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5). Further mediation analysis explored the relationship between genes, neurotransmitter receptor/transporter and MDD related higher-order coupling variations. These findings indicate that specific genetic and molecular factors underpin the observed disparities in higher-order SC-FC coupling between MDD patients and HCs. Our study confirmed that higher-order coupling between SC and FC plays an important role in diagnosing MDD. The identification of new biological evidence for MDD etiology holds promise for the development of innovative antidepressant therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haixia Long
- College of Computer Science and Technology, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China
| | - Zihao Chen
- College of Computer Science and Technology, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China
| | - Xinli Xu
- College of Computer Science and Technology, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China
| | - Qianwei Zhou
- College of Computer Science and Technology, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China
| | - Zhaolin Fang
- Network Information Center, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China
| | - Mingqi Lv
- College of Computer Science and Technology, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China
| | - Xu-Hua Yang
- College of Computer Science and Technology, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China
| | - Jie Xiao
- College of Computer Science and Technology, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China
| | - Hui Sun
- College of Electrical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China.
| | - Ming Fan
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Instrumentation, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou 310018, China.
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Tuñon-Ortiz A, Tränkner D, Brockway SN, Raines O, Mahnke A, Grega M, Zelikowsky M, Williams ME. Inhibitory neurons marked by a connectivity molecule regulate memory precision. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.07.05.602304. [PMID: 39005261 PMCID: PMC11245094 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.05.602304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
The CA3 region is central to hippocampal function during learning and memory and has a unique connectivity. CA3 pyramidal neurons are the targets of huge, excitatory mossy fiber synapses from DG axons and have a high degree of excitatory recurrent connectivity. Thus, inhibition likely plays an outsized importance in constraining excitation and shaping CA3 ensembles during learning and memory. Here, we investigate the function of a never-before studied set of dendrite-targeting, GABAergic neurons defined by expression of the synaptic adhesion molecule, Kirrel3. We discovered that activating Kirrel3-expressing GABAergic neurons specifically impairs memory discrimination and inhibits CA3 pyramidal neurons in novel contexts. Kirrel3 is required for DG-to-GABA synapse formation and variants in Kirrel3 are strong risk factors for neurodevelopmental disorders. Thus, our work suggests that Kirrel3-GABA neurons are a critical source of feed-forward inhibition from DG to CA3 during the encoding and retrieval of contextual memories, a function which may be specifically disrupted in some brain disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnulfo Tuñon-Ortiz
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
| | - Dimitri Tränkner
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
| | - Sarah N Brockway
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
| | - Olivia Raines
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
| | - Abbey Mahnke
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
| | - Matthew Grega
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
| | - Moriel Zelikowsky
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
| | - Megan E Williams
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
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6
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Gao Y, Shonai D, Trn M, Zhao J, Soderblom EJ, Garcia-Moreno SA, Gersbach CA, Wetsel WC, Dawson G, Velmeshev D, Jiang YH, Sloofman LG, Buxbaum JD, Soderling SH. Proximity analysis of native proteomes reveals phenotypic modifiers in a mouse model of autism and related neurodevelopmental conditions. Nat Commun 2024; 15:6801. [PMID: 39122707 PMCID: PMC11316102 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51037-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 07/23/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024] Open
Abstract
One of the main drivers of autism spectrum disorder is risk alleles within hundreds of genes, which may interact within shared but unknown protein complexes. Here we develop a scalable genome-editing-mediated approach to target 14 high-confidence autism risk genes within the mouse brain for proximity-based endogenous proteomics, achieving the identification of high-specificity spatial proteomes. The resulting native proximity proteomes are enriched for human genes dysregulated in the brain of autistic individuals, and reveal proximity interactions between proteins from high-confidence risk genes with those of lower-confidence that may provide new avenues to prioritize genetic risk. Importantly, the datasets are enriched for shared cellular functions and genetic interactions that may underlie the condition. We test this notion by spatial proteomics and CRISPR-based regulation of expression in two autism models, demonstrating functional interactions that modulate mechanisms of their dysregulation. Together, these results reveal native proteome networks in vivo relevant to autism, providing new inroads for understanding and manipulating the cellular drivers underpinning its etiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yudong Gao
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Daichi Shonai
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Matthew Trn
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Jieqing Zhao
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Erik J Soderblom
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
- Proteomics and Metabolomics Shared Resource, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | - Charles A Gersbach
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Center for Advanced Genomic Technologies, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - William C Wetsel
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
- Mouse Behavioral and Neuroendocrine Analysis Core Facility, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Geraldine Dawson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Dmitry Velmeshev
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Yong-Hui Jiang
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Laura G Sloofman
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Joseph D Buxbaum
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- The Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Scott H Soderling
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.
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7
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Tozkır J, Yıldırım G, Demir S, Palabıyık O, Görker I, Gürkan H. Investigation of Pogz Gene Variants in Non-Syndromic Autism Spectrum Disorder. Noro Psikiyatr Ars 2024; 67:208-212. [PMID: 39258134 PMCID: PMC11382568 DOI: 10.29399/npa.28625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Genetic factors play an important role in the etiopathogenesis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The Pogo Transposable Element with ZNF Domain protein (POGZ) gene (MIM*614787) has been reported to be one of the most frequently mutated genes associated with ASD. This study aims to analyze the exonic regions of the POGZ gene in individuals diagnosed with non-syndromic ASD. Methods Fifty-one non-syndromic cases diagnosed with ASD according to the DSM-V diagnostic criteria, aged 2-18 years, were included in the study. The healthy control group consisted of 50 children of similar age groups without neurodevelopmental problems. Amplicons produced using deep intronic primers covering the mRNA-encoded regions of the POGZ gene from at least 50 base pairs were sequenced by Next Generation Sequencing Analysis. Results No pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants reported in open-access databases (ClinVar, HGMD, etc.) were detected in the case group. In the ASD and healthy control groups, rs113396244, rs11204811, rs779479223, rs772352054, rs3831142, rs112072925, rs227453 and rs142860188 variants were determined. The rs3831142, rs112072925, rs2274535, rs142860188 variants were found statistically significant in the ASD group. The distribution of the cases with detected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) according to gender was not statistically significant. Conclusion The variants identified as statistically significant within the patient group are situated in regions that encompass both the HP1-ZNF and DDE domains of the protein. Given the crucial role that the DDE domain plays, particularly in fetal brain development and neurogenesis, these four variants may potentially possess modifying and/or predisposing effects in the context of ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jülide Tozkır
- Trakya University Vocational School of Health Services, Edirne, Turkey
| | | | - Selma Demir
- Trakya University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Genetics, Edirne, Turkey
| | - Orkide Palabıyık
- Trakya University Vocational School of Health Services, Edirne, Turkey
| | - Işık Görker
- Trakya University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Edirne, Turkey
| | - Hakan Gürkan
- Trakya University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Genetics, Edirne, Turkey
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8
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Astorkia M, Liu Y, Pedrosa EM, Lachman HM, Zheng D. Molecular and network disruptions in neurodevelopment uncovered by single cell transcriptomics analysis of CHD8 heterozygous cerebral organoids. Heliyon 2024; 10:e34862. [PMID: 39149047 PMCID: PMC11325375 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e34862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 07/04/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 08/17/2024] Open
Abstract
More than 100 genes have been associated with significantly increased risks of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) with an estimate of ∼1000 genes that may contribute. The new challenge is to investigate the molecular and cellular functions of these genes during neural and brain development, and then even more challenging, to link the altered molecular and cellular phenotypes to the ASD clinical manifestations. In this study, we used single-cell RNA-seq analysis to study one of the top risk genes, CHD8, in cerebral organoids, which models early neural development. We identified 21 cell clusters in the organoid samples, representing non-neuronal cells, neural progenitors, and early differentiating neurons at the start of neural cell fate commitment. Comparisons of the cells with one copy of a CHD8 knockout allele, generated by CRISPR/Cas9 editing, and their isogenic controls uncovered thousands of differentially expressed genes, which were enriched with functions related to neural and brain development, cilium organization, and extracellular matrix organization. The affected genes were also enriched with genes and pathways previously implicated in ASD, but surprisingly not for schizophrenia and intellectual disability risk genes. The comparisons also uncovered cell composition changes, indicating potentially altered neural differential trajectories upon CHD8 reduction. Moreover, we found that cell-cell communications were affected in the CHD8 knockout organoids, including the interactions between neural and glial cells. Taken together, our results provide new data and information for understanding CHD8 functions in the early stages of neural lineage development and interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maider Astorkia
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Yang Liu
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Erika M. Pedrosa
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Herbert M. Lachman
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Deyou Zheng
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
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9
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Hong Y, Hu J, Zhang S, Liu J, Yan F, Yang H, Hu H. Integrative analysis identifies region- and sex-specific gene networks and Mef2c as a mediator of anxiety-like behavior. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114455. [PMID: 38990717 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 05/20/2024] [Accepted: 06/21/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024] Open
Abstract
The molecular mechanisms underlying multi-brain region origins and sexual dimorphism of anxiety remain unclear. Here, we leverage large-scale transcriptomics from seven brain regions in mouse models of anxiety and extensive experiments to dissect brain-region- and sex-specific gene networks. We identify 4,840 genes with sex-specific expression alterations across seven brain regions, organized into ten network modules with sex-biased expression patterns. Modular analysis prioritizes 86 sex-specific mediators of anxiety susceptibility, including myocyte-specific enhancer factor 2c (Mef2c) in the CA3 region of male mice. Mef2c expression is decreased in the pyramidal neurons (PyNs) of susceptible male mice. Up-regulating Mef2c in CA3 PyNs significantly alleviates anxiety-like behavior, whereas down-regulating Mef2c induces anxiety-like behavior in male mice. The anxiolytic effect of Mef2c up-regulation is associated with enhanced neuronal excitability and synaptic transmission. In summary, this study uncovers brain-region- and sex-specific networks and identifies Mef2c in CA3 PyNs as a critical mediator of anxiety in male mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yizhou Hong
- Research Center of Biostatistics and Computational Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China; State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jiameng Hu
- School of Life Science and Technology, Chongqing Innovation Institute of China Pharmaceutical University, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Shiya Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China; College of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jiaxin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China; College of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Fangrong Yan
- Research Center of Biostatistics and Computational Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Hua Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China.
| | - Haiyang Hu
- School of Life Science and Technology, Chongqing Innovation Institute of China Pharmaceutical University, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China; Central Laboratory, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
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10
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Hong JS, Tindall JM, Tindall SR, Sorscher EJ. Mutation accumulation in H. sapiens F508del CFTR countermands dN/dS type genomic analysis. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0305832. [PMID: 39024311 PMCID: PMC11257350 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0305832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms that underlie de novo mutations (DNMs) can be essential for interpreting human evolution, including aspects such as rapidly diverging genes, conservation of non-coding regulatory elements, and somatic DNA adaptation, among others. DNM accumulation in Homo sapiens is often limited to evaluation of human trios or quads across a single generation. Moreover, human SNPs in exons, pseudogenes, or other non-coding elements can be ancient and difficult to date, including polymorphisms attributable to founder effects and identity by descent. In this report, we describe multigenerational evolution of a human coding locus devoid of natural selection, and delineate patterns and principles by which DNMs have accumulated over the past few thousand years. We apply a data set comprising cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) alleles from 2,393 individuals homozygous for the F508del defect. Additional polymorphism on the F508del background diversified subsequent to a single mutational event during recent human history. Because F508del CFTR is without function, SNPs observed on this haplotype are effectively attributable to factors that govern accumulating de novo mutations. We show profound enhancement of transition, synonymous, and positionally repetitive polymorphisms, indicating appearance of DNMs in a manner evolutionarily designed to protect protein coding DNA against mutational attrition while promoting diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeong S. Hong
- Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Janice M. Tindall
- Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Samuel R. Tindall
- Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Eric J. Sorscher
- Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
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11
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Bensaid S, Bendahmane M, Loddo S, Poke G, Januel L, Nicolle R, Malan V, Chatron N, Ottombrino S, Dentici ML, Novelli A, Digilio MC, Sanlaville D. Clinical and molecular cytogenetic studies of five new patients with 20q11q12 deletion and review of the literature: Proposition of two critical regions. Am J Med Genet A 2024; 194:e63580. [PMID: 38511524 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.63580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2023] [Revised: 12/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Deletions of the long arm of chromosome 20 (20q) are rare, with only 16 reported patients displaying a proximal interstitial 20q deletion. A 1.62 Mb minimal critical region at 20q11.2, encompassing three genes GDF5, EPB41L1, and SAMHD1, is proposed to be responsible for this syndrome. The leading clinical features include growth retardation, intractable feeding difficulties with gastroesophageal reflux, hypotonia and psychomotor developmental delay. Common facial dysmorphisms including triangular face, hypertelorism, and hypoplastic alae nasi were additionally reported. Here, we present the clinical and molecular findings of five new patients with proximal interstitial 20q deletions. We analyzed the phenotype and molecular data of all previously reported patients with 20q11.2q12 microdeletions, along with our five new cases. Copy number variation analysis of patients in our cohort has enabled us to identify the second critical region in the 20q11.2q12 region and redefine the first region that is initially identified. The first critical region spans 359 kb at 20q11.2, containing six MIM genes, including two disease-causing genes, GDF5 and CEP250. The second critical region spans 706 kb at 20q12, encompassing four MIM genes, including two disease-causing genes, MAFB and TOP1. We propose GDF5 to be the primary candidate gene generating the phenotype of patients with 20q11.2 deletions. Moreover, we hypothesize TOP1 as a potential candidate gene for the second critical region at 20q12. Of note, we cannot exclude the possibility of a synergistic role of other genes involved in the deletion, including a contiguous gene deletion syndrome or position effect affecting both critical regions. Further studies focusing on patients with proximal 20q deletions are required to support our hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Souad Bensaid
- Hospices Civils de Lyon, GHE, Service de Génétique, Lyon, France
- Laboratoire d'Environnement et de Santé, Université de Sidi Bel Abbés, UDL, Sidi Bel Abbés, Algeria
| | - Malika Bendahmane
- Laboratoire d'Environnement et de Santé, Université de Sidi Bel Abbés, UDL, Sidi Bel Abbés, Algeria
| | - Sara Loddo
- Translational Cytogenomics Research Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Gemma Poke
- Genetic Health Service New Zealand, Wellington Hospital, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Louis Januel
- Hospices Civils de Lyon, GHE, Service de Génétique, Lyon, France
| | - Romain Nicolle
- AP-HP, Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Fédération de Génétique et Médecine Génomique, Service de Médecine Génomique des Maladies Rares, Paris, France
| | - Valérie Malan
- AP-HP, Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Fédération de Génétique et Médecine Génomique, Service de Médecine Génomique des Maladies Rares, Paris, France
| | - Nicolas Chatron
- Hospices Civils de Lyon, GHE, Service de Génétique, Lyon, France
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, INSERM, Physiopathologie et Génétique du Neurone et du Muscle, UMR5261, U1315, Institut NeuroMyoGène, Lyon, France
| | - Silvia Ottombrino
- Translational Cytogenomics Research Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Lisa Dentici
- Medical Genetics Unit, Bambino Gesù Children Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Novelli
- Translational Cytogenomics Research Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Damien Sanlaville
- Hospices Civils de Lyon, GHE, Service de Génétique, Lyon, France
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, INSERM, Physiopathologie et Génétique du Neurone et du Muscle, UMR5261, U1315, Institut NeuroMyoGène, Lyon, France
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12
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Shiraishi T, Katayama Y, Nishiyama M, Shoji H, Miyakawa T, Mizoo T, Matsumoto A, Hijikata A, Shirai T, Mayanagi K, Nakayama KI. The complex etiology of autism spectrum disorder due to missense mutations of CHD8. Mol Psychiatry 2024; 29:2145-2160. [PMID: 38438524 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02491-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
CHD8 is an ATP-dependent chromatin-remodeling factor encoded by the most frequently mutated gene in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Although many studies have examined the consequences of CHD8 haploinsufficiency in cells and mice, few have focused on missense mutations, the most common type of CHD8 alteration in ASD patients. We here characterized CHD8 missense mutations in ASD patients according to six prediction scores and experimentally examined the effects of such mutations on the biochemical activities of CHD8, neural differentiation of embryonic stem cells, and mouse behavior. Only mutations with high prediction scores gave rise to ASD-like phenotypes in mice, suggesting that not all CHD8 missense mutations detected in ASD patients are directly responsible for the development of ASD. Furthermore, we found that mutations with high scores cause ASD by mechanisms either dependent on or independent of loss of chromatin-remodeling function. Our results thus provide insight into the molecular underpinnings of ASD pathogenesis caused by missense mutations of CHD8.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taichi Shiraishi
- Division of Cell Biology, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan
| | - Yuta Katayama
- Division of Cell Biology, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan
| | - Masaaki Nishiyama
- Department of Histology and Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, 920-8640, Japan
| | - Hirotaka Shoji
- Division of Systems Medical Science, Center for Medical Science, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1192, Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Miyakawa
- Division of Systems Medical Science, Center for Medical Science, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1192, Japan
| | - Taisuke Mizoo
- Division of Cell Biology, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan
| | - Akinobu Matsumoto
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8602, Japan
| | - Atsushi Hijikata
- School of Life Sciences, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, 1432-1 Horinouchi, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0392, Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Shirai
- Department of Computer Bioscience, Nagahama Institute of Bio-Science and Technology, 1266 Tamura-Cho, Nagahama, Shiga, 526-0829, Japan
| | - Kouta Mayanagi
- Department of Drug Discovery Structural Biology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan
| | - Keiichi I Nakayama
- Division of Cell Biology, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan.
- Anticancer Strategies Laboratory, TMDU Advanced Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8510, Japan.
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13
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Sandin S, Yip BHK, Yin W, Weiss LA, Dougherty JD, Fass S, Constantino JN, Hailin Z, Turner TN, Marrus N, Gutmann DH, Sanders SJ, Christoffersson B. Examining Sex Differences in Autism Heritability. JAMA Psychiatry 2024; 81:673-680. [PMID: 38630491 PMCID: PMC11024771 DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.0525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
Importance Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder more prevalent in males than in females. The cause of ASD is largely genetic, but the association of genetics with the skewed sex ratio is not yet understood. To our knowledge, no large population-based study has provided estimates of heritability by sex. Objective To estimate the sex-specific heritability of ASD. Design, Setting, and Participants This was a population-based, retrospective analysis using national health registers of nontwin siblings and cousins from Sweden born between January 1, 1985, and December 31, 1998, with follow-up to 19 years of age. Data analysis occurred from August 2022 to November 2023. Main Outcomes and Measures Models were fitted to estimate the relative variance in risk for ASD occurrence owing to sex-specific additive genetics, shared environmental effects, and a common residual term. The residual term conceptually captured other factors that promote individual behavioral variation (eg, maternal effects, de novo variants, rare genetic variants not additively inherited, or gene-environment interactions). Estimates were adjusted for differences in prevalence due to birth year and maternal and paternal age by sex. Results The sample included 1 047 649 individuals in 456 832 families (538 283 males [51.38%]; 509 366 females [48.62%]). Within the entire sample, 12 226 (1.17%) received a diagnosis of ASD, comprising 8128 (1.51%) males and 4098 (0.80%) females. ASD heritability was estimated at 87.0% (95% CI, 81.4%-92.6%) for males and 75.7% (95% CI, 68.4%-83.1%) for females with a difference in heritability estimated at 11.3% (95% CI, 1.0%-21.6%). There was no support for shared environmental contributions. Conclusions and Relevance These findings suggest that the degree of phenotypic variation attributable to genetic differences (heritability) differs between males and females, indicating that some of the underlying causes of the condition may differ between the 2 sexes. The skewed sex ratio in ASD may be partly explained by differences in genetic variance between the sexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sven Sandin
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Benjamin H. K. Yip
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Weiyao Yin
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lauren A. Weiss
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California San Francisco
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco
| | - Joseph D. Dougherty
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
| | - Stuart Fass
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
| | - John N. Constantino
- Pediatric Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Zhu Hailin
- Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Tychele N. Turner
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
| | - Natasha Marrus
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
| | - David H. Gutmann
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
- Neurofibromatosis Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri
| | - Stephan J. Sanders
- Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Benjamin Christoffersson
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Churney ApS, Copenhagen, Denmark
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14
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Ilangovan H, Elangovan J, Danda S, Beck MM, Navaneethan P, Athiyarath R. Exploring the clinical utility of exome sequencing/Mono, Duo, Trio in prenatal testing: a retrospective study in a tertiary care centre in South India. J Perinat Med 2024; 52:520-529. [PMID: 38709224 DOI: 10.1515/jpm-2023-0485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES With the availability of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) diagnosis of genetic disorders has improved significantly. Its use is also applicable to ascertain diagnosis and management in a perinatal setting. The study aims to detect the genetic aetiology of various congenital structural and functional defects using NGS technology in the reproductive cohort at a tertiary centre. The secondary objective is to address challenges in the interpretation of variants. METHODS This was a retrospective study of couples who underwent exome sequencing (Mono-testing proband only or Duo-testing parents only or Trio-testing proband and parents) for suspected single gene disorders between years 2020-2022 at a tertiary care perinatal center in the South India. American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) guidelines were followed to classify the pathogenicity of the variants identified by exome sequencing. RESULTS The overall diagnostic yield as defined by pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants obtained was (23/43) 53.4 %. The individual subsets have the following diagnostic yield viz., Mono 5/6 (83 %); Carrier 16/32 (50 %); Trio 2/5 (40 %). Diagnostic yield was significantly higher in consanguineous couples. However, miscarriage history, and organ system involvement did not have a significant effect on the diagnostic yield. Prenatal diagnosis was offered for seven patients based on the exome result. One fetus was confirmed with a compound heterozygous pathogenic variant. CONCLUSIONS Diagnostic yield of exome sequencing in our cohort was 53 %. The detection of pathogenic variants was maximum in those cases undergoing Mono exome sequencing. In places where there is a high prevalence of consanguinity and endogamy, NGS may be offered as first line test in the context of prenatal diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hemalatha Ilangovan
- Department of Clinical Genetics, 30025 Christian Medical College and Hospital , Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Janane Elangovan
- Department of Clinical Genetics, 30025 Christian Medical College and Hospital , Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Government Medical College and Hospital, Tirupur, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Sumita Danda
- Department of Clinical Genetics, 30025 Christian Medical College and Hospital , Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Manisha M Beck
- Fetal Medicine Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 30025 Christian Medical College and Hospital , Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Preethi Navaneethan
- Fetal Medicine Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 30025 Christian Medical College and Hospital , Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Rekha Athiyarath
- Department of Clinical Genetics, 30025 Christian Medical College and Hospital , Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
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15
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Lee AT, Chang EF, Paredes MF, Nowakowski TJ. Large-scale neurophysiology and single-cell profiling in human neuroscience. Nature 2024; 630:587-595. [PMID: 38898291 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07405-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Advances in large-scale single-unit human neurophysiology, single-cell RNA sequencing, spatial transcriptomics and long-term ex vivo tissue culture of surgically resected human brain tissue have provided an unprecedented opportunity to study human neuroscience. In this Perspective, we describe the development of these paradigms, including Neuropixels and recent brain-cell atlas efforts, and discuss how their convergence will further investigations into the cellular underpinnings of network-level activity in the human brain. Specifically, we introduce a workflow in which functionally mapped samples of human brain tissue resected during awake brain surgery can be cultured ex vivo for multi-modal cellular and functional profiling. We then explore how advances in human neuroscience will affect clinical practice, and conclude by discussing societal and ethical implications to consider. Potential findings from the field of human neuroscience will be vast, ranging from insights into human neurodiversity and evolution to providing cell-type-specific access to study and manipulate diseased circuits in pathology. This Perspective aims to provide a unifying framework for the field of human neuroscience as we welcome an exciting era for understanding the functional cytoarchitecture of the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony T Lee
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Edward F Chang
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Mercedes F Paredes
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Tomasz J Nowakowski
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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16
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Nóbrega IDS, Teles e Silva AL, Yokota-Moreno BY, Sertié AL. The Importance of Large-Scale Genomic Studies to Unravel Genetic Risk Factors for Autism. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:5816. [PMID: 38892002 PMCID: PMC11172008 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25115816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2024] [Revised: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a common and highly heritable neurodevelopmental disorder. During the last 15 years, advances in genomic technologies and the availability of increasingly large patient cohorts have greatly expanded our knowledge of the genetic architecture of ASD and its neurobiological mechanisms. Over two hundred risk regions and genes carrying rare de novo and transmitted high-impact variants have been identified. Additionally, common variants with small individual effect size are also important, and a number of loci are now being uncovered. At the same time, these new insights have highlighted ongoing challenges. In this perspective article, we summarize developments in ASD genetic research and address the enormous impact of large-scale genomic initiatives on ASD gene discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Andréa Laurato Sertié
- Faculdade Israelita de Ciências da Saúde Albert Einstein, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Rua Comendador Elias Jafet, 755. Morumbi, São Paulo 05653-000, Brazil; (I.d.S.N.); (A.L.T.e.S.); (B.Y.Y.-M.)
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17
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杨 晓. [Sperm Mosaic Variants and Their Influence on the Offspring]. SICHUAN DA XUE XUE BAO. YI XUE BAN = JOURNAL OF SICHUAN UNIVERSITY. MEDICAL SCIENCE EDITION 2024; 55:535-541. [PMID: 38948294 PMCID: PMC11211766 DOI: 10.12182/20240560507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Genomic mosaicism arising from mosaic variants is a phenomenon that describes the presence of a cell or cell populations with different genome compositions from the germline cells of an individual. It comprises all types of genetic variants. A large proportion of childhood genetic disorders are defined as being de novo, meaning that the disease-causing mutations are only detected in the proband, not in any of the parents. Population studies show that 80% of the de novo mutations arise from the paternal haplotype, that is, from paternal sperm mosaicism. This review provides a summary of the types and detection strategies of sperm mosaicism. In addition, it provides discussions on how recent studies demonstrated that genomic mosaic mutations in parents, especially those in the paternal sperms, could be inherited by the offspring and cause childhood disorders. According to the previous findings of the author's research team, sperm mosaicism derived from early embryogenesis and primordial germ cell stages can explain 5% to 20% of the de novo mutations related to clinical phenotypes and can serve as an important predictor of both rare and complex disorders. Sperm mosaicism shows great potential for clinical genetic diagnosis and consultations. Based on the published literature, the author suggests that, large-scale screening for de novo sperm mosaic mutations and population-based genetic screening should be conducted in future studies, which will greatly enhance the risk assessment in the offspring and effectively improve the genetic health at the population level. Implementation of direct sperm detection for de novo mutations will significantly increase the efficiency of the stratification of patient cohorts and improve recurrence risk assessment for future births. Future research in the field should be focused on the impact of environmental and lifestyle factors on the health of the offspring through sperms and their modeling of mutation signatures. In addition, targeted in vitro modeling of sperm mutations will also be a promising direction.
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Affiliation(s)
- 晓旭 杨
- 犹他大学 (盐湖城 UT 84112)University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
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18
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Luo T, Zhang M, Li S, Situ M, Liu P, Wang M, Tao Y, Zhao S, Wang Z, Yang Y, Huang Y. Exome functional risk score and brain connectivity can predict social adaptability outcome of children with autism spectrum disorder in 4 years' follow up. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15:1384134. [PMID: 38818019 PMCID: PMC11137745 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1384134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder emerging in early childhood, with heterogeneous clinical outcomes across individuals. This study aims to recognize neuroimaging genetic factors associated with outcomes of ASD after a 4-year follow-up. Methods A total of 104 ASD children were included in this study; they underwent clinical assessments, MRI data acquisition, and the whole exome sequencing (WES). Exome functional risk score (EFRS) was calculated based on WES; and two modalities of brain connectivity were constructed based on MRI data, that is functional connectivity (FC) for functional MRI (fMRI), and individual differential structural covariance network (IDSCN) for structural MRI (sMRI), to explore the neuroimaging genetic biomarker of outcomes of ASD children. Results Regression analysis found EFRS predicts social adaptability at the 4-year follow-up (Y = -0.013X + 9.29, p = 0.003). We identified 19 pairs of FC associated with autism symptoms severity at follow-up, 10 pairs of FC and 4 pairs of IDSCN associated with social adaptability at follow-up, and 10 pairs of FC associated with ASD EFRS by support vector regression (SVR). Related brain regions with prognostic predictive effects are mainly distributed in superior frontal gyrus, occipital cortex, temporal cortex, parietal cortex, paracentral lobule, pallidum, and amygdala for FC, and temporal cortex, thalamus, and hippocampus for IDSCN. Mediation model showed that ASD EFRS affects the social communication of ASD children through the mediation of FC between left middle occipital gyrus and left pallidum (RMSEA=0.126, CMIN=80.66, DF=42, p< 0.001, CFI=0.867, AIC=152). Discussion Our findings underscore that both EFRS and brain connectivity can predict social adaptability, and that brain connectivity serving as mediator in the relationship of EFRS and behaviors of ASD, suggesting the intervention targets in the future clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Yi Huang
- Mental Health Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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19
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Plyler ZE, McAtee CW, Hill AE, Crowley MR, Tindall JM, Tindall SR, Joshi D, Sorscher EJ. Relationships between genomic dissipation and de novo SNP evolution. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0303257. [PMID: 38753830 PMCID: PMC11098520 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0303257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Patterns of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in eukaryotic DNA are traditionally attributed to selective pressure, drift, identity descent, or related factors-without accounting for ways in which bias during de novo SNP formation, itself, might contribute. A functional and phenotypic analysis based on evolutionary resilience of DNA points to decreased numbers of non-synonymous SNPs in human and other genomes, with a predominant component of SNP depletion in the human gene pool caused by robust preferences during de novo SNP formation (rather than selective constraint). Ramifications of these findings are broad, belie a number of concepts regarding human evolution, and point to a novel interpretation of evolving DNA across diverse species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zackery E. Plyler
- Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
- Gregory Fleming James Cystic Fibrosis Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Christopher W. McAtee
- Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
- Gregory Fleming James Cystic Fibrosis Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Aubrey E. Hill
- Gregory Fleming James Cystic Fibrosis Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
- Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Michael R. Crowley
- Department of Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
| | | | | | - Disha Joshi
- Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
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20
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Zhang Y, Ahsan MU, Wang K. Noncoding de novo mutations in SCN2A are associated with autism spectrum disorders. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2024:2024.05.05.24306908. [PMID: 38766206 PMCID: PMC11100849 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.05.24306908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Coding de novo mutations (DNMs) contribute to the risk for autism spectrum disorders (ASD), but the contribution of noncoding DNMs remains relatively unexplored. Here we use whole genome sequencing (WGS) data of 12,411 individuals (including 3,508 probands and 2,218 unaffected siblings) from 3,357 families collected in Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research for Knowledge (SPARK) to detect DNMs associated with ASD, while examining Simons Simplex Collection (SSC) with 6383 individuals from 2274 families to replicate the results. For coding DNMs, SCN2A reached exome-wide significance (p=2.06×10-11) in SPARK. The 618 known dominant ASD genes as a group are strongly enriched for coding DNMs in cases than sibling controls (fold change=1.51, p =1.13×10-5 for SPARK; fold change=1.86, p =2.06×10-9 for SSC). For noncoding DNMs, we used two methods to assess statistical significance: a point-based test that analyzes sites with a Combined Annotation Dependent Depletion (CADD) score ≥15, and a segment-based test that analyzes 1kb genomic segments with segment-specific background mutation rates (inferred from expected rare mutations in Gnocchi genome constraint scores). The point-based test identified SCN2A as marginally significant (p=6.12×10-4) in SPARK, yet segment-based test identified CSMD1, RBFOX1 and CHD13 as exome-wide significant. We did not identify significant enrichment of noncoding DNMs (in all 1kb segments or those with Gnocchi>4) in the 618 known ASD genes as a group in cases than sibling controls. When combining evidence from both coding and noncoding DNMs, we found that SCN2A with 11 coding and 5 noncoding DNMs exhibited the strongest significance (p=4.15×10-13). In summary, we identified both coding and noncoding DNMs in SCN2A associated with ASD, while nominating additional candidates for further examination in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Zhang
- Raymond G. Perelman Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Mian Umair Ahsan
- Raymond G. Perelman Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Kai Wang
- Raymond G. Perelman Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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21
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Ellingford R, Tojo M, Basson MA, Andreae LC. Male-Dominant Effects of Chd8 Haploinsufficiency on Synaptic Phenotypes during Development in Mouse Prefrontal Cortex. ACS Chem Neurosci 2024; 15:1635-1642. [PMID: 38557009 PMCID: PMC11027092 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
CHD8 is a high penetrance, high confidence risk gene for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental disorder that is substantially more prevalent among males than among females. Recent studies have demonstrated variable sex differences in the behaviors and synaptic phenotypes of mice carrying different heterozygous ASD-associated mutations in Chd8. We examined functional and structural cellular phenotypes linked to synaptic transmission in deep layer pyramidal neurons of the prefrontal cortex in male and female mice carrying a heterozygous, loss-of-function Chd8 mutation in the C57BL/6J strain across development from postnatal day 2 to adulthood. Notably, excitatory neurotransmission was decreased only in Chd8+/- males with no differences in Chd8+/- females, and the majority of alterations in inhibitory transmission were found in males. Similarly, analysis of cellular morphology showed male-specific effects of reduced Chd8 expression. Both functional and structural phenotypes were most prominent at postnatal days 14-20, a stage approximately corresponding to childhood. Our findings suggest that the effects of Chd8 mutation are predominantly seen in males and are maximal during childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert
A. Ellingford
- Centre
for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology
& Neuroscience, King’s College
London, London SE1 1UL, U.K.
- Centre
for Craniofacial & Regenerative Biology, King’s College London, London SE1 9RT, U.K.
| | - Mizuki Tojo
- Centre
for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology
& Neuroscience, King’s College
London, London SE1 1UL, U.K.
| | - M. Albert Basson
- Centre
for Craniofacial & Regenerative Biology, King’s College London, London SE1 9RT, U.K.
- MRC
Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King’s College London, London, U.K.
| | - Laura C. Andreae
- Centre
for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology
& Neuroscience, King’s College
London, London SE1 1UL, U.K.
- MRC
Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King’s College London, London, U.K.
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22
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Nitahara K, Kawamura A, Kitamura Y, Kato K, Namekawa SH, Nishiyama M. Chromatin remodeler CHD8 is required for spermatogonial proliferation and early meiotic progression. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:2995-3010. [PMID: 38224953 PMCID: PMC11014243 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad1256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Meiosis is a key step during germ cell differentiation, accompanied by the activation of thousands of genes through germline-specific chromatin reorganization. The chromatin remodeling mechanisms underpinning early meiotic stages remain poorly understood. Here we focus on the function of one of the major autism genes, CHD8, in spermatogenesis, based on the epidemiological association between autism and low fertility rates. Specific ablation of Chd8 in germ cells results in gradual depletion of undifferentiated spermatogonia and the failure of meiotic double-strand break (DSB) formation, leading to meiotic prophase I arrest and cell death. Transcriptional analyses demonstrate that CHD8 is required for extensive activation of spermatogenic genes in spermatogonia, necessary for spermatogonial proliferation and meiosis. CHD8 directly binds and regulates genes crucial for meiosis, including H3K4me3 histone methyltransferase genes, meiotic cohesin genes, HORMA domain-containing genes, synaptonemal complex genes, and DNA damage response genes. We infer that CHD8 contributes to meiotic DSB formation and subsequent meiotic progression through combined regulation of these meiosis-related genes. Our study uncovers an essential role of CHD8 in the proliferation of undifferentiated spermatogonia and the successful progression of meiotic prophase I.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenta Nitahara
- Department of Histology and Cellular Biology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Atsuki Kawamura
- Department of Histology and Cellular Biology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan
| | - Yuka Kitamura
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Kiyoko Kato
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Satoshi H Namekawa
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Masaaki Nishiyama
- Department of Histology and Cellular Biology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan
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23
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Nelson AD, Catalfio AM, Gupta JP, Min L, Caballero-Florán RN, Dean KP, Elvira CC, Derderian KD, Kyoung H, Sahagun A, Sanders SJ, Bender KJ, Jenkins PM. Physical and functional convergence of the autism risk genes Scn2a and Ank2 in neocortical pyramidal cell dendrites. Neuron 2024; 112:1133-1149.e6. [PMID: 38290518 PMCID: PMC11097922 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
Dysfunction in sodium channels and their ankyrin scaffolding partners have both been implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In particular, the genes SCN2A, which encodes the sodium channel NaV1.2, and ANK2, which encodes ankyrin-B, have strong ASD association. Recent studies indicate that ASD-associated haploinsufficiency in Scn2a impairs dendritic excitability and synaptic function in neocortical pyramidal cells, but how NaV1.2 is anchored within dendritic regions is unknown. Here, we show that ankyrin-B is essential for scaffolding NaV1.2 to the dendritic membrane of mouse neocortical neurons and that haploinsufficiency of Ank2 phenocopies intrinsic dendritic excitability and synaptic deficits observed in Scn2a+/- conditions. These results establish a direct, convergent link between two major ASD risk genes and reinforce an emerging framework suggesting that neocortical pyramidal cell dendritic dysfunction can contribute to neurodevelopmental disorder pathophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D Nelson
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Amanda M Catalfio
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Julie P Gupta
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Lia Min
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | | | - Kendall P Dean
- Cellular and Molecular Biology Program, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Carina C Elvira
- Cellular and Molecular Biology Program, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Kimberly D Derderian
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Henry Kyoung
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Atehsa Sahagun
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Stephan J Sanders
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Kevin J Bender
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Paul M Jenkins
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
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24
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张 余, 罗 飞. [Recent advances in the genetic etiology of central precocious puberty]. ZHONGGUO DANG DAI ER KE ZA ZHI = CHINESE JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY PEDIATRICS 2024; 26:302-307. [PMID: 38557384 PMCID: PMC10986386 DOI: 10.7499/j.issn.1008-8830.2309098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Central precocious puberty (CPP) is a developmental disorder caused by early activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. The incidence of CPP is rapidly increasing, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Previous studies have shown that gain-of-function mutations in the KISS1R and KISS1 genes and loss-of-function mutations in the MKRN3, LIN28, and DLK1 genes may lead to early initiation of pubertal development. Recent research has also revealed the significant role of epigenetic factors such as DNA methylation and microRNAs in the regulation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons, as well as the modulating effect of gene networks involving multiple variant genes on pubertal initiation. This review summarizes the genetic etiology and pathogenic mechanisms underlying CPP.
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25
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Xie Y, Wu R, Li H, Dong W, Zhou G, Zhao H. Statistical methods for assessing the effects of de novo variants on birth defects. Hum Genomics 2024; 18:25. [PMID: 38486307 PMCID: PMC10938830 DOI: 10.1186/s40246-024-00590-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024] Open
Abstract
With the development of next-generation sequencing technology, de novo variants (DNVs) with deleterious effects can be identified and investigated for their effects on birth defects such as congenital heart disease (CHD). However, statistical power is still limited for such studies because of the small sample size due to the high cost of recruiting and sequencing samples and the low occurrence of DNVs. DNV analysis is further complicated by genetic heterogeneity across diseased individuals. Therefore, it is critical to jointly analyze DNVs with other types of genomic/biological information to improve statistical power to identify genes associated with birth defects. In this review, we discuss the general workflow, recent developments in statistical methods, and future directions for DNV analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhan Xie
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale School of Public Health, 60 College Street, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Ruoxuan Wu
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale School of Public Health, 60 College Street, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Hongyu Li
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale School of Public Health, 60 College Street, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Weilai Dong
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Geyu Zhou
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale School of Public Health, 60 College Street, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Hongyu Zhao
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale School of Public Health, 60 College Street, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
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26
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Guan J, Wu X, Zhang J, Li J, Wang H, Wang Q. Global research landscape on the contribution of de novo mutations to human genetic diseases over the past 20 years: bibliometric analysis. J Neurogenet 2024; 38:9-18. [PMID: 38647210 DOI: 10.1080/01677063.2024.2335171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
As the contribution of de novo mutations (DNMs) to human genetic diseases has been gradually uncovered, analyzing the global research landscape over the past 20 years is essential. Because of the large and rapidly increasing number of publications in this field, understanding the current landscape of the contribution of DNMs in the human genome to genetic diseases remains a challenge. Bibliometric analysis provides an approach for visualizing these studies using information in published records in a specific field. This study aimed to illustrate the current global research status and explore trends in the field of DNMs underlying genetic diseases. Bibliometric analyses were performed using the Bibliometrix Package based on the R language version 4.1.3 and CiteSpace version 6.1.R2 software for publications from 2000 to 2021 indexed under the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) about DNMs underlying genetic diseases on 17 September 2022. We identified 3435 records, which were published in 731 journals by 26,538 authors from 6052 institutes in 66 countries. There was an upward trend in the number of publications since 2013. The USA, China, and Germany contributed the majority of the records included. The University of Washington, Columbia University, and Baylor College of Medicine were the top-producing institutions. Evan E Eichler of the University of Washington, Stephan J Sanders of the Yale University School of Medicine, and Ingrid E Scheffer of the University of Melbourne were the most high-ranked authors. Keyword co-occurrence analysis suggested that DNMs in neurodevelopmental disorders and intellectual disabilities were research hotspots and trends. In conclusion, our data show that DNMs have a significant effect on human genetic diseases, with a noticeable increase in annual publications over the last 5 years. Furthermore, potential hotspots are shifting toward understanding the causative role and clinical interpretation of newly identified or low-frequency DNMs observed in patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Guan
- Senior Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, the Sixth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, PR China
- National Clinical Research Center for Otolaryngologic Diseases, Beijing, PR China
- State Key Laboratory of Hearing and Balance Science, Beijing, PR China
| | - Xiaonan Wu
- Senior Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, the Sixth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, PR China
- National Clinical Research Center for Otolaryngologic Diseases, Beijing, PR China
- State Key Laboratory of Hearing and Balance Science, Beijing, PR China
| | - Jiao Zhang
- Senior Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, the Sixth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, PR China
- National Clinical Research Center for Otolaryngologic Diseases, Beijing, PR China
- State Key Laboratory of Hearing and Balance Science, Beijing, PR China
| | - Jin Li
- Senior Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, the Sixth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, PR China
- National Clinical Research Center for Otolaryngologic Diseases, Beijing, PR China
- State Key Laboratory of Hearing and Balance Science, Beijing, PR China
| | - Hongyang Wang
- Senior Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, the Sixth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, PR China
- National Clinical Research Center for Otolaryngologic Diseases, Beijing, PR China
- State Key Laboratory of Hearing and Balance Science, Beijing, PR China
| | - Qiuju Wang
- Senior Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, the Sixth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, PR China
- National Clinical Research Center for Otolaryngologic Diseases, Beijing, PR China
- State Key Laboratory of Hearing and Balance Science, Beijing, PR China
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27
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Grove DJ, Russell PJ, Kearse MG. To initiate or not to initiate: A critical assessment of eIF2A, eIF2D, and MCT-1·DENR to deliver initiator tRNA to ribosomes. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. RNA 2024; 15:e1833. [PMID: 38433101 PMCID: PMC11260288 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
Selection of the correct start codon is critical for high-fidelity protein synthesis. In eukaryotes, this is typically governed by a multitude of initiation factors (eIFs), including eIF2·GTP that directly delivers the initiator tRNA (Met-tRNAi Met ) to the P site of the ribosome. However, numerous reports, some dating back to the early 1970s, have described other initiation factors having high affinity for the initiator tRNA and the ability of delivering it to the ribosome, which has provided a foundation for further work demonstrating non-canonical initiation mechanisms using alternative initiation factors. Here we provide a critical analysis of current understanding of eIF2A, eIF2D, and the MCT-1·DENR dimer, the evidence surrounding their ability to initiate translation, their implications in human disease, and lay out important key questions for the field. This article is categorized under: RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > RNA-Protein Complexes Translation > Mechanisms Translation > Regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisy J. Grove
- The Ohio State Biochemistry Program, Department of Biological Chemistry, Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Paul J. Russell
- The Ohio State Biochemistry Program, Department of Biological Chemistry, Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
- The Cellular, Molecular, Biochemical Sciences Program, Department of Biological Chemistry, Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Michael G. Kearse
- The Ohio State Biochemistry Program, Department of Biological Chemistry, Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
- The Cellular, Molecular, Biochemical Sciences Program, Department of Biological Chemistry, Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
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28
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Basson MA. Neurodevelopmental functions of CHD8: new insights and questions. Biochem Soc Trans 2024; 52:15-27. [PMID: 38288845 PMCID: PMC10903457 DOI: 10.1042/bst20220926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
Heterozygous, de novo, loss-of-function variants of the CHD8 gene are associated with a high penetrance of autism and other neurodevelopmental phenotypes. Identifying the neurodevelopmental functions of high-confidence autism risk genes like CHD8 may improve our understanding of the neurodevelopmental mechanisms that underlie autism spectrum disorders. Over the last decade, a complex picture of pleiotropic CHD8 functions and mechanisms of action has emerged. Multiple brain and non-brain cell types and progenitors appear to be affected by CHD8 haploinsufficiency. Behavioural, cellular and synaptic phenotypes are dependent on the nature of the gene mutation and are modified by sex and genetic background. Here, I review some of the CHD8-interacting proteins and molecular mechanisms identified to date, as well as the impacts of CHD8 deficiency on cellular processes relevant to neurodevelopment. I endeavour to highlight some of the critical questions that still require careful and concerted attention over the next decade to bring us closer to the goal of understanding the salient mechanisms whereby CHD8 deficiency causes neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Albert Basson
- Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Exeter Medical School, Hatherly Laboratories, Exeter EX4 4PS, U.K
- Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology and MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London SE1 9RT, U.K
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29
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Chorbadjiev L, Cokol M, Weinstein Z, Shi K, Fleisch C, Dimitrov N, Mladenov S, Xu S, Hall J, Ford S, Lee YH, Yamrom B, Marks S, Munoz A, Lash A, Volfovsky N, Iossifov I. The Genotype and Phenotypes in Families (GPF) platform manages the large and complex data at SFARI. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.08.579330. [PMID: 38370639 PMCID: PMC10871337 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.08.579330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
The exploration of genotypic variants impacting phenotypes is a cornerstone in genetics research. The emergence of vast collections containing deeply genotyped and phenotyped families has made it possible to pursue the search for variants associated with complex diseases. However, managing these large-scale datasets requires specialized computational tools tailored to organize and analyze the extensive data. GPF (Genotypes and Phenotypes in Families) is an open-source platform ( https://github.com/iossifovlab/gpf ) that manages genotypes and phenotypes derived from collections of families. The GPF interface allows interactive exploration of genetic variants, enrichment analysis for de novo mutations, and phenotype/genotype association tools. In addition, GPF allows researchers to share their data securely with the broader scientific community. GPF is used to disseminate two large-scale family collection datasets (SSC, SPARK) for the study of autism funded by the SFARI foundation. However, GPF is versatile and can manage genotypic data from other small or large family collections. Our GPF-SFARI GPF instance ( https://gpf.sfari.org/ ) provides protected access to comprehensive genotypic and phenotypic data for the SSC and SPARK. In addition, GPF-SFARI provides public access to an extensive collection of de novo mutations identified in individuals with autism and related disorders and to gene-level statistics of the protected datasets characterizing the genes' roles in autism. Here, we highlight the primary features of GPF within the context of GPF-SFARI.
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He J, Li Q, Zhang Q. rvTWAS: identifying gene-trait association using sequences by utilizing transcriptome-directed feature selection. Genetics 2024; 226:iyad204. [PMID: 38001381 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Toward the identification of genetic basis of complex traits, transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) is successful in integrating transcriptome data. However, TWAS is only applicable for common variants, excluding rare variants in exome or whole-genome sequences. This is partly because of the inherent limitation of TWAS protocols that rely on predicting gene expressions. Our previous research has revealed the insight into TWAS: the 2 steps in TWAS, building and applying the expression prediction models, are essentially genetic feature selection and aggregations that do not have to involve predictions. Based on this insight disentangling TWAS, rare variants' inability of predicting expression traits is no longer an obstacle. Herein, we developed "rare variant TWAS," or rvTWAS, that first uses a Bayesian model to conduct expression-directed feature selection and then uses a kernel machine to carry out feature aggregation, forming a model leveraging expressions for association mapping including rare variants. We demonstrated the performance of rvTWAS by thorough simulations and real data analysis in 3 psychiatric disorders, namely schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and autism spectrum disorder. We confirmed that rvTWAS outperforms existing TWAS protocols and revealed additional genes underlying psychiatric disorders. Particularly, we formed a hypothetical mechanism in which zinc finger genes impact all 3 disorders through transcriptional regulations. rvTWAS will open a door for sequence-based association mappings integrating gene expressions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingni He
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Calgary, Calgary T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Qing Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Calgary, Calgary T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Qingrun Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Calgary, Calgary T2N 1N4, Canada
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Calgary, Calgary T2N 1N4, Canada
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary T2N 1N4, Canada
- Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary T2N 1N4, Canada
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Ng JK, Chen Y, Akinwe TM, Heins HB, Mehinovic E, Chang Y, Payne ZL, Manuel JG, Karchin R, Turner TN. Proteome-Wide Assessment of Clustering of Missense Variants in Neurodevelopmental Disorders Versus Cancer. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2024:2024.02.02.24302238. [PMID: 38352539 PMCID: PMC10863034 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.02.24302238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
Missense de novo variants (DNVs) and missense somatic variants contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) and cancer, respectively. Proteins with statistical enrichment based on analyses of these variants exhibit convergence in the differing NDD and cancer phenotypes. Herein, the question of why some of the same proteins are identified in both phenotypes is examined through investigation of clustering of missense variation at the protein level. Our hypothesis is that missense variation is present in different protein locations in the two phenotypes leading to the distinct phenotypic outcomes. We tested this hypothesis in 1D protein space using our software CLUMP. Furthermore, we newly developed 3D-CLUMP that uses 3D protein structures to spatially test clustering of missense variation for proteome-wide significance. We examined missense DNVs in 39,883 parent-child sequenced trios with NDDs and missense somatic variants from 10,543 sequenced tumors covering five TCGA cancer types and two COSMIC pan-cancer aggregates of tissue types. There were 57 proteins with proteome-wide significant missense variation clustering in NDDs when compared to cancers and 79 proteins with proteome-wide significant missense clustering in cancers compared to NDDs. While our main objective was to identify differences in patterns of missense variation, we also identified a novel NDD protein BLTP2. Overall, our study is innovative, provides new insights into differential missense variation in NDDs and cancer at the protein-level, and contributes necessary information toward building a framework for thinking about prognostic and therapeutic aspects of these proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey K. Ng
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Yilin Chen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Titilope M. Akinwe
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Molecular Genetics & Genomics Graduate Program, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Hillary B. Heins
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Elvisa Mehinovic
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Yoonhoo Chang
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Human & Statistical Genetics Graduate Program, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Zachary L. Payne
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Molecular Genetics & Genomics Graduate Program, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Juana G. Manuel
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Rachel Karchin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
- The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Institute for Computational Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Tychele N. Turner
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
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Wang N, Wan R, Tang K. Transcriptional regulation in the development and dysfunction of neocortical projection neurons. Neural Regen Res 2024; 19:246-254. [PMID: 37488873 PMCID: PMC10503610 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.379039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Revised: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Glutamatergic projection neurons generate sophisticated excitatory circuits to integrate and transmit information among different cortical areas, and between the neocortex and other regions of the brain and spinal cord. Appropriate development of cortical projection neurons is regulated by certain essential events such as neural fate determination, proliferation, specification, differentiation, migration, survival, axonogenesis, and synaptogenesis. These processes are precisely regulated in a tempo-spatial manner by intrinsic factors, extrinsic signals, and neural activities. The generation of correct subtypes and precise connections of projection neurons is imperative not only to support the basic cortical functions (such as sensory information integration, motor coordination, and cognition) but also to prevent the onset and progression of neurodevelopmental disorders (such as intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorders, anxiety, and depression). This review mainly focuses on the recent progress of transcriptional regulations on the development and diversity of neocortical projection neurons and the clinical relevance of the failure of transcriptional modulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ningxin Wang
- Precise Genome Engineering Center, School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Rong Wan
- Precise Genome Engineering Center, School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Ke Tang
- Precise Genome Engineering Center, School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
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33
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Mayer FP, Stewart A, Blakely RD. Leaky lessons learned: Efflux prone dopamine transporter variant reveals sex and circuit specific contributions of D2 receptor signalling to neuropsychiatric disease. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol 2024; 134:206-218. [PMID: 37987120 DOI: 10.1111/bcpt.13964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Aberrant dopamine (DA) signalling has been implicated in various neuropsychiatric disorders, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), schizophrenia, bipolar disorder (BPD) and addiction. The availability of extracellular DA is sculpted by the exocytotic release of vesicular DA and subsequent transporter-mediated clearance, rendering the presynaptic DA transporter (DAT) a crucial regulator of DA neurotransmission. D2-type DA autoreceptors (D2ARs) regulate multiple aspects of DA homeostasis, including (i) DA synthesis, (ii) vesicular release, (iii) DA neuron firing and (iv) the surface expression of DAT and DAT-mediated DA clearance. The DAT Val559 variant, identified in boys with ADHD or ASD, as well as in a girl with BPD, supports anomalous DA efflux (ADE), which we have shown drives tonic activation of D2ARs. Through ex vivo and in vivo studies of the DAT Val559 variant using transgenic knock-in mice, we have uncovered a circuit and sex-specific capacity of D2ARs to regulate DAT, which consequently disrupts DA signalling and behaviour differently in males and females. Our studies reveal the ability of the construct-valid DAT Val559 model to elucidate endogenous mechanisms that support DA signalling, findings that may be of translational and/or therapeutic importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix P Mayer
- Department of Biomedical Science, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida, USA
- Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida, USA
| | - Adele Stewart
- Department of Biomedical Science, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida, USA
- Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida, USA
| | - Randy D Blakely
- Department of Biomedical Science, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida, USA
- Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida, USA
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Bar O, Vahey E, Mintz M, Frye RE, Boles RG. Reanalysis of Trio Whole-Genome Sequencing Data Doubles the Yield in Autism Spectrum Disorder: De Novo Variants Present in Half. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:1192. [PMID: 38256266 PMCID: PMC10816071 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25021192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2023] [Revised: 01/14/2024] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a common condition with lifelong implications. The last decade has seen dramatic improvements in DNA sequencing and related bioinformatics and databases. We analyzed the raw DNA sequencing files on the Variantyx® bioinformatics platform for the last 50 ASD patients evaluated with trio whole-genome sequencing (trio-WGS). "Qualified" variants were defined as coding, rare, and evolutionarily conserved. Primary Diagnostic Variants (PDV), additionally, were present in genes directly linked to ASD and matched clinical correlation. A PDV was identified in 34/50 (68%) of cases, including 25 (50%) cases with heterozygous de novo and 10 (20%) with inherited variants. De novo variants in genes directly associated with ASD were far more likely to be Qualifying than non-Qualifying versus a control group of genes (p = 0.0002), validating that most are indeed disease related. Sequence reanalysis increased diagnostic yield from 28% to 68%, mostly through inclusion of de novo PDVs in genes not yet reported as ASD associated. Thirty-three subjects (66%) had treatment recommendation(s) based on DNA analyses. Our results demonstrate a high yield of trio-WGS for revealing molecular diagnoses in ASD, which is greatly enhanced by reanalyzing DNA sequencing files. In contrast to previous reports, de novo variants dominate the findings, mostly representing novel conditions. This has implications to the cause and rising prevalence of autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omri Bar
- NeurAbilities Healthcare, Voorhees, NJ 08043, USA; (O.B.); (E.V.); (M.M.)
| | - Elizabeth Vahey
- NeurAbilities Healthcare, Voorhees, NJ 08043, USA; (O.B.); (E.V.); (M.M.)
| | - Mark Mintz
- NeurAbilities Healthcare, Voorhees, NJ 08043, USA; (O.B.); (E.V.); (M.M.)
| | - Richard E. Frye
- Autism Discovery and Treatment Foundation, Phoenix, AZ 85050, USA;
| | - Richard G. Boles
- NeurAbilities Healthcare, Voorhees, NJ 08043, USA; (O.B.); (E.V.); (M.M.)
- NeuroNeeds, Old Lyme, CT 06371, USA
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35
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Davydova YD, Kazantseva AV, Khusnutdinova EK. [A perspective on the application of CRISPR/CAS9 genome editing system to study of molecular-genetic basis of mental disorders]. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova 2024; 124:27-33. [PMID: 38529860 DOI: 10.17116/jnevro202412403127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/27/2024]
Abstract
Schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder and autism spectrum disorders are common mental disorders that are among the leading causes of disability worldwide. The major complication to effective therapies for mental disorders is the poor understanding of their pathogenic mechanisms. Currently, an increasing number of research groups are focusing on uncovering the molecular mechanisms of mental disorders and developing novel therapies using the CRISPR/Cas9 (Clustered, Regularly Interspaced, Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) - CRISPR-associated system 9 (Cas9)) system to determine the molecular mechanisms of developing mental disorders and novel therapy. The CRISPR/Cas9 system is the most promising among genome editing tools. Numerous advantages of the CRISPR/Cas9 system and its successful application in some studies provide wide opportunities for genome therapy and regeneration medicine. In this review we shortly describe structure and function of the CRISPR/Cas9 system and its application to study the molecular-genetic basis of mental disorders in human.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu D Davydova
- Institute of Biochemistry and Genetics - Subdivision of the Ufa Federal Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ufa, Russia
- Ufa University of Science and Technology, Ufa, Russia
| | - A V Kazantseva
- Institute of Biochemistry and Genetics - Subdivision of the Ufa Federal Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ufa, Russia
- Ufa State Petroleum Technical University, Ufa, Russia
| | - E K Khusnutdinova
- Institute of Biochemistry and Genetics - Subdivision of the Ufa Federal Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ufa, Russia
- Ufa University of Science and Technology, Ufa, Russia
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36
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Cornejo KG, Venegas A, Sono MH, Door M, Gutierrez-Ruiz B, Karabedian LB, Nandi SG, Dykhuizen EC, Saha RN. Activity-assembled nBAF complex mediates rapid immediate early gene transcription by regulating RNA Polymerase II productive elongation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.30.573688. [PMID: 38234780 PMCID: PMC10793463 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.30.573688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
Signal-dependent RNA Polymerase II (Pol2) productive elongation is an integral component of gene transcription, including those of immediate early genes (IEGs) induced by neuronal activity. However, it remains unclear how productively elongating Pol2 overcome nucleosomal barriers. Using RNAi, three degraders, and several small molecule inhibitors, we show that the mammalian SWI/SNF complex of neurons (neuronal BAF, or nBAF) is required for activity-induced transcription of neuronal IEGs, including Arc . The nBAF complex facilitates promoter-proximal Pol2 pausing, signal-dependent Pol2 recruitment (loading), and importantly, mediates productive elongation in the gene body via interaction with the elongation complex and elongation-competent Pol2. Mechanistically, Pol2 elongation is mediated by activity-induced nBAF assembly (especially, ARID1A recruitment) and its ATPase activity. Together, our data demonstrate that the nBAF complex regulates several aspects of Pol2 transcription and reveal mechanisms underlying activity-induced Pol2 elongation. These findings may offer insights into human maladies etiologically associated with mutational interdiction of BAF functions.
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Wang S, Wang B, Drury V, Drake S, Sun N, Alkhairo H, Arbelaez J, Duhn C, Bal VH, Langley K, Martin J, Hoekstra PJ, Dietrich A, Xing J, Heiman GA, Tischfield JA, Fernandez TV, Owen MJ, O'Donovan MC, Thapar A, State MW, Willsey AJ. Rare X-linked variants carry predominantly male risk in autism, Tourette syndrome, and ADHD. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8077. [PMID: 38057346 PMCID: PMC10700338 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43776-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Tourette syndrome (TS), and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) display strong male sex bias, due to a combination of genetic and biological factors, as well as selective ascertainment. While the hemizygous nature of chromosome X (Chr X) in males has long been postulated as a key point of "male vulnerability", rare genetic variation on this chromosome has not been systematically characterized in large-scale whole exome sequencing studies of "idiopathic" ASD, TS, and ADHD. Here, we take advantage of informative recombinations in simplex ASD families to pinpoint risk-enriched regions on Chr X, within which rare maternally-inherited damaging variants carry substantial risk in males with ASD. We then apply a modified transmission disequilibrium test to 13,052 ASD probands and identify a novel high confidence ASD risk gene at exome-wide significance (MAGEC3). Finally, we observe that rare damaging variants within these risk regions carry similar effect sizes in males with TS or ADHD, further clarifying genetic mechanisms underlying male vulnerability in multiple neurodevelopmental disorders that can be exploited for systematic gene discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheng Wang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Belinda Wang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Vanessa Drury
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Sam Drake
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Nawei Sun
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Hasan Alkhairo
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Juan Arbelaez
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Clif Duhn
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Vanessa H Bal
- Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Kate Langley
- Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales, UK
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales, UK
| | - Joanna Martin
- Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales, UK
| | - Pieter J Hoekstra
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Accare Child Study Center, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Andrea Dietrich
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Accare Child Study Center, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jinchuan Xing
- Department of Genetics and the Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Gary A Heiman
- Department of Genetics and the Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Jay A Tischfield
- Department of Genetics and the Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Thomas V Fernandez
- Yale Child Study Center and Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Michael J Owen
- Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales, UK
| | - Michael C O'Donovan
- Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales, UK
| | - Anita Thapar
- Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales, UK
| | - Matthew W State
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - A Jeremy Willsey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA.
- Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI), University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA.
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Alrehaili RA, ElKady RM, Alrehaili JA, Alreefi RM. Exploring Early Childhood Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Comprehensive Review of Diagnostic Approaches in Young Children. Cureus 2023; 15:e50111. [PMID: 38186518 PMCID: PMC10771115 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.50111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) encompass a diverse range of developmental disabilities characterized by pervasive deficiencies in socialization, communication, and the manifestation of behavioral issues. This review aims to clarify the diagnostic criteria for ASD, explore available diagnostic tools, evaluate biomedical examinations facilitating ASD diagnosis, and discuss the approach to screening assessments for ASD. ASDs are prevalent conditions, with a globally estimated prevalence of 7.6 cases per 100 (one in 132), based on a comprehensive review of epidemiological studies. The precise cause of autism and other ASDs remains unknown; however, genetic and environmental factors likely contribute. Common signs and symptoms shared among individuals with autism include restricted repetitive behaviors and learning disabilities. Standardized methods, such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), diagnostic instruments, a thorough medical history, multiple physical examinations, laboratory investigations, neuroimaging, and screening tests, play a pivotal role in early autism diagnosis and intervention. ASD is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition characterized by multiple deficits. Early detection is anticipated to have a positive impact on outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruba A Alrehaili
- Family Medicine, Academy of Family Medicine, Ministry of Health, Al-Madinah, SAU
| | - Reem M ElKady
- Radiology and Medical Imaging, Faculty of Medicine, Taibah University, Al-Madinah, SAU
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Akouchekian M, Alizadeh R, Beiranvandi F, Dehghan Manshadi M, Taherizadeh F, Hakim Shooshtari M. Evaluation of DNA repair capacity in parents of pediatric patients diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder using the comet assay procedure. IBRO Neurosci Rep 2023; 15:304-309. [PMID: 37885831 PMCID: PMC10598524 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibneur.2023.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 10/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by impairments in social communication, limited repetitive behaviors, impaired language development, and interest or activity patterns, which include a group complex neurodevelopmental syndrome with diverse phenotypes that reveal considerable etiological and clinical heterogeneity and are also considered one of the most heritable disorders (over 90%). Genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors play a role in the development of ASD. Aim This study was designed to investigate the extent of DNA damage in parents of autistic children by treating peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with bleomycin and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Methods Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated by the Ficoll method and treated with a specific concentration of bleomycin and H2O2 for 30 min and 5 min, respectively. Then, the degree of DNA damage was analyzed by the alkaline comet assay or single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE), an effective way to measure DNA fragmentation in eukaryotic cells. Results Our findings revealed that there is a significant difference in the increase of DNA damage in parents with affected children compared to the control group, which can indicate the inability of the DNA molecule repair system. Furthermore, our study showed a significant association between fathers' occupational difficulties (exposed to the influence of environmental factors), as well as family marriage, and suffering from ASD in offspring. Conclusion Our results suggested that the influence of environmental factors on parents of autistic children may affect the development of autistic disorder in their offspring. Subsequently, based on our results, investigating the effect of environmental factors on the amount of DNA damage in parents with affected children requires more studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mansoureh Akouchekian
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Rasoul Alizadeh
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Beiranvandi
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Masoumeh Dehghan Manshadi
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Taherizadeh
- Department of Information and Communication, Faculty 3, Hanover University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Hanover, Germany
| | - Mitra Hakim Shooshtari
- Mental Health Research Center, Tehran Institute of Psychiatry – School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Muhammad T, Pastore SF, Good K, Ausió J, Vincent JB. Chromatin gatekeeper and modifier CHD proteins in development, and in autism and other neurological disorders. Psychiatr Genet 2023; 33:213-232. [PMID: 37851134 DOI: 10.1097/ypg.0000000000000353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
Chromatin, a protein-DNA complex, is a dynamic structure that stores genetic information within the nucleus and responds to molecular/cellular changes in its structure, providing conditional access to the genetic machinery. ATP-dependent chromatin modifiers regulate access of transcription factors and RNA polymerases to DNA by either "opening" or "closing" the structure of chromatin, and its aberrant regulation leads to a variety of neurodevelopmental disorders. The chromodomain helicase DNA-binding (CHD) proteins are ATP-dependent chromatin modifiers involved in the organization of chromatin structure, act as gatekeepers of genomic access, and deposit histone variants required for gene regulation. In this review, we first discuss the structural and functional domains of the CHD proteins, and their binding sites, and phosphorylation, acetylation, and methylation sites. The conservation of important amino acids in SWItch/sucrose non-fermenting (SWI/SNF) domains, and their protein and mRNA tissue expression profiles are discussed. Next, we convey the important binding partners of CHD proteins, their protein complexes and activities, and their involvements in epigenetic regulation. We also show the ChIP-seq binding dynamics for CHD1, CHD2, CHD4, and CHD7 proteins at promoter regions of histone genes, as well as several genes that are critical for neurodevelopment. The role of CHD proteins in development is also discussed. Finally, this review provides information about CHD protein mutations reported in autism and neurodevelopmental disorders, and their pathogenicity. Overall, this review provides information on the progress of research into CHD proteins, their structural and functional domains, epigenetics, and their role in stem cell, development, and neurological disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tahir Muhammad
- Molecular Neuropsychiatry & Development (MiND) Lab, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
| | - Stephen F Pastore
- Molecular Neuropsychiatry & Development (MiND) Lab, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
| | - Katrina Good
- Molecular Neuropsychiatry & Development (MiND) Lab, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC
| | - Juan Ausió
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC
| | - John B Vincent
- Molecular Neuropsychiatry & Development (MiND) Lab, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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41
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Mosconi MW, Stevens CJ, Unruh KE, Shafer R, Elison JT. Endophenotype trait domains for advancing gene discovery in autism spectrum disorder. J Neurodev Disord 2023; 15:41. [PMID: 37993779 PMCID: PMC10664534 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-023-09511-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with a diverse range of etiological processes, including both genetic and non-genetic causes. For a plurality of individuals with ASD, it is likely that the primary causes involve multiple common inherited variants that individually account for only small levels of variation in phenotypic outcomes. This genetic landscape creates a major challenge for detecting small but important pathogenic effects associated with ASD. To address similar challenges, separate fields of medicine have identified endophenotypes, or discrete, quantitative traits that reflect genetic likelihood for a particular clinical condition and leveraged the study of these traits to map polygenic mechanisms and advance more personalized therapeutic strategies for complex diseases. Endophenotypes represent a distinct class of biomarkers useful for understanding genetic contributions to psychiatric and developmental disorders because they are embedded within the causal chain between genotype and clinical phenotype, and they are more proximal to the action of the gene(s) than behavioral traits. Despite their demonstrated power for guiding new understanding of complex genetic structures of clinical conditions, few endophenotypes associated with ASD have been identified and integrated into family genetic studies. In this review, we argue that advancing knowledge of the complex pathogenic processes that contribute to ASD can be accelerated by refocusing attention toward identifying endophenotypic traits reflective of inherited mechanisms. This pivot requires renewed emphasis on study designs with measurement of familial co-variation including infant sibling studies, family trio and quad designs, and analysis of monozygotic and dizygotic twin concordance for select trait dimensions. We also emphasize that clarification of endophenotypic traits necessarily will involve integration of transdiagnostic approaches as candidate traits likely reflect liability for multiple clinical conditions and often are agnostic to diagnostic boundaries. Multiple candidate endophenotypes associated with ASD likelihood are described, and we propose a new focus on the analysis of "endophenotype trait domains" (ETDs), or traits measured across multiple levels (e.g., molecular, cellular, neural system, neuropsychological) along the causal pathway from genes to behavior. To inform our central argument for research efforts toward ETD discovery, we first provide a brief review of the concept of endophenotypes and their application to psychiatry. Next, we highlight key criteria for determining the value of candidate endophenotypes, including unique considerations for the study of ASD. Descriptions of different study designs for assessing endophenotypes in ASD research then are offered, including analysis of how select patterns of results may help prioritize candidate traits in future research. We also present multiple candidate ETDs that collectively cover a breadth of clinical phenomena associated with ASD, including social, language/communication, cognitive control, and sensorimotor processes. These ETDs are described because they represent promising targets for gene discovery related to clinical autistic traits, and they serve as models for analysis of separate candidate domains that may inform understanding of inherited etiological processes associated with ASD as well as overlapping neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew W Mosconi
- Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies and Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training (K-CART), University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA.
- Clinical Child Psychology Program, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA.
| | - Cassandra J Stevens
- Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies and Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training (K-CART), University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
- Clinical Child Psychology Program, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Kathryn E Unruh
- Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies and Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training (K-CART), University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Robin Shafer
- Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies and Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training (K-CART), University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Jed T Elison
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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Zhao S, Mekbib KY, van der Ent MA, Allington G, Prendergast A, Chau JE, Smith H, Shohfi J, Ocken J, Duran D, Furey CG, Hao LT, Duy PQ, Reeves BC, Zhang J, Nelson-Williams C, Chen D, Li B, Nottoli T, Bai S, Rolle M, Zeng X, Dong W, Fu PY, Wang YC, Mane S, Piwowarczyk P, Fehnel KP, See AP, Iskandar BJ, Aagaard-Kienitz B, Moyer QJ, Dennis E, Kiziltug E, Kundishora AJ, DeSpenza T, Greenberg ABW, Kidanemariam SM, Hale AT, Johnston JM, Jackson EM, Storm PB, Lang SS, Butler WE, Carter BS, Chapman P, Stapleton CJ, Patel AB, Rodesch G, Smajda S, Berenstein A, Barak T, Erson-Omay EZ, Zhao H, Moreno-De-Luca A, Proctor MR, Smith ER, Orbach DB, Alper SL, Nicoli S, Boggon TJ, Lifton RP, Gunel M, King PD, Jin SC, Kahle KT. Mutation of key signaling regulators of cerebrovascular development in vein of Galen malformations. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7452. [PMID: 37978175 PMCID: PMC10656524 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43062-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
To elucidate the pathogenesis of vein of Galen malformations (VOGMs), the most common and most severe of congenital brain arteriovenous malformations, we performed an integrated analysis of 310 VOGM proband-family exomes and 336,326 human cerebrovasculature single-cell transcriptomes. We found the Ras suppressor p120 RasGAP (RASA1) harbored a genome-wide significant burden of loss-of-function de novo variants (2042.5-fold, p = 4.79 x 10-7). Rare, damaging transmitted variants were enriched in Ephrin receptor-B4 (EPHB4) (17.5-fold, p = 1.22 x 10-5), which cooperates with p120 RasGAP to regulate vascular development. Additional probands had damaging variants in ACVRL1, NOTCH1, ITGB1, and PTPN11. ACVRL1 variants were also identified in a multi-generational VOGM pedigree. Integrative genomic analysis defined developing endothelial cells as a likely spatio-temporal locus of VOGM pathophysiology. Mice expressing a VOGM-specific EPHB4 kinase-domain missense variant (Phe867Leu) exhibited disrupted developmental angiogenesis and impaired hierarchical development of arterial-capillary-venous networks, but only in the presence of a "second-hit" allele. These results illuminate human arterio-venous development and VOGM pathobiology and have implications for patients and their families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shujuan Zhao
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kedous Y Mekbib
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Martijn A van der Ent
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Garrett Allington
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Andrew Prendergast
- Yale Zebrafish Research Core, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jocelyn E Chau
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Hannah Smith
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - John Shohfi
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jack Ocken
- Department of Neurosurgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Daniel Duran
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA
| | - Charuta G Furey
- Department of Neurosurgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ, USA
- Ivy Brain Tumor Center, Department of Translational Neuroscience, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Le Thi Hao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Phan Q Duy
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Benjamin C Reeves
- Department of Neurosurgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Junhui Zhang
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - Di Chen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Boyang Li
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Timothy Nottoli
- Yale Genome Editing Center, Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Suxia Bai
- Yale Genome Editing Center, Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Myron Rolle
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Xue Zeng
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Laboratory of Human Genetics and Genomics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Weilai Dong
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Laboratory of Human Genetics and Genomics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Po-Ying Fu
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Yung-Chun Wang
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Shrikant Mane
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Paulina Piwowarczyk
- Department of Neurosurgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Katie Pricola Fehnel
- Department of Neurosurgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alfred Pokmeng See
- Department of Neurosurgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Bermans J Iskandar
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Beverly Aagaard-Kienitz
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Quentin J Moyer
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Evan Dennis
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Emre Kiziltug
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Adam J Kundishora
- Department of Neurosurgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Tyrone DeSpenza
- Department of Neurosurgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Ana B W Greenberg
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Andrew T Hale
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - James M Johnston
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Eric M Jackson
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Phillip B Storm
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Division of Neurosurgery, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Shih-Shan Lang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Division of Neurosurgery, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - William E Butler
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Bob S Carter
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Paul Chapman
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Christopher J Stapleton
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Aman B Patel
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Georges Rodesch
- Service de Neuroradiologie Diagnostique et Thérapeutique, Hôpital Foch, Suresnes, France
- Department of Interventional Neuroradiology, Hôpital Fondation A. de Rothschild, Paris, France
| | - Stanislas Smajda
- Department of Interventional Neuroradiology, Hôpital Fondation A. de Rothschild, Paris, France
| | - Alejandro Berenstein
- Department of Neurosurgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Tanyeri Barak
- Department of Neurosurgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - Hongyu Zhao
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Andres Moreno-De-Luca
- Department of Radiology, Autism & Developmental Medicine Institute, Genomic Medicine Institute, Geisinger, Danville, PA, USA
| | - Mark R Proctor
- Department of Neurosurgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Edward R Smith
- Department of Neurosurgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Darren B Orbach
- Department of Neurosurgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurointerventional Radiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Seth L Alper
- Division of Nephrology and Center for Vascular Biology Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Stefania Nicoli
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Cardiovascular Research Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Cardiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Titus J Boggon
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Richard P Lifton
- Laboratory of Human Genetics and Genomics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Murat Gunel
- Department of Neurosurgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Philip D King
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| | - Sheng Chih Jin
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
| | - Kristopher T Kahle
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Neurosurgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, US.
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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43
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Lagunas T, Plassmeyer SP, Fischer AD, Friedman RZ, Rieger MA, Selmanovic D, Sarafinovska S, Sol YK, Kasper MJ, Fass SB, Aguilar Lucero AF, An JY, Sanders SJ, Cohen BA, Dougherty JD. A Cre-dependent massively parallel reporter assay allows for cell-type specific assessment of the functional effects of non-coding elements in vivo. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1151. [PMID: 37953348 PMCID: PMC10641075 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05483-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The function of regulatory elements is highly dependent on the cellular context, and thus for understanding the function of elements associated with psychiatric diseases these would ideally be studied in neurons in a living brain. Massively Parallel Reporter Assays (MPRAs) are molecular genetic tools that enable functional screening of hundreds of predefined sequences in a single experiment. These assays have not yet been adapted to query specific cell types in vivo in a complex tissue like the mouse brain. Here, using a test-case 3'UTR MPRA library with genomic elements containing variants from autism patients, we developed a method to achieve reproducible measurements of element effects in vivo in a cell type-specific manner, using excitatory cortical neurons and striatal medium spiny neurons as test cases. This targeted technique should enable robust, functional annotation of genetic elements in the cellular contexts most relevant to psychiatric disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Lagunas
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine., 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA
- Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA
| | - Stephen P Plassmeyer
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine., 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA
| | - Anthony D Fischer
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine., 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA
| | - Ryan Z Friedman
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA
- Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA
| | - Michael A Rieger
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine., 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA
- Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA
| | - Din Selmanovic
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine., 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA
- Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA
| | - Simona Sarafinovska
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine., 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA
| | - Yvette K Sol
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine., 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA
| | - Michael J Kasper
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine., 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA
| | - Stuart B Fass
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine., 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA
| | - Alessandra F Aguilar Lucero
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neuroscience, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94518, USA
| | - Joon-Yong An
- Department of Integrated Biomedical and Life Science, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
- School of Biosystem and Biomedical Science, College of Health Science, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Stephan J Sanders
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neuroscience, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94518, USA
| | - Barak A Cohen
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA
| | - Joseph D Dougherty
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine., 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA.
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Cording KR, Bateup HS. Altered motor learning and coordination in mouse models of autism spectrum disorder. Front Cell Neurosci 2023; 17:1270489. [PMID: 38026686 PMCID: PMC10663323 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2023.1270489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder with increasing prevalence. Over 1,000 risk genes have now been implicated in ASD, suggesting diverse etiology. However, the diagnostic criteria for the disorder still comprise two major behavioral domains - deficits in social communication and interaction, and the presence of restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior (RRBs). The RRBs associated with ASD include both stereotyped repetitive movements and other motor manifestations including changes in gait, balance, coordination, and motor skill learning. In recent years, the striatum, the primary input center of the basal ganglia, has been implicated in these ASD-associated motor behaviors, due to the striatum's role in action selection, motor learning, and habit formation. Numerous mouse models with mutations in ASD risk genes have been developed and shown to have alterations in ASD-relevant behaviors. One commonly used assay, the accelerating rotarod, allows for assessment of both basic motor coordination and motor skill learning. In this corticostriatal-dependent task, mice walk on a rotating rod that gradually increases in speed. In the extended version of this task, mice engage striatal-dependent learning mechanisms to optimize their motor routine and stay on the rod for longer periods. This review summarizes the findings of studies examining rotarod performance across a range of ASD mouse models, and the resulting implications for the involvement of striatal circuits in ASD-related motor behaviors. While performance in this task is not uniform across mouse models, there is a cohort of models that show increased rotarod performance. A growing number of studies suggest that this increased propensity to learn a fixed motor routine may reflect a common enhancement of corticostriatal drive across a subset of mice with mutations in ASD-risk genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine R. Cording
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Helen S. Bateup
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
- Molecular and Cell Biology Department, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, United States
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45
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Shil A, Levin L, Golan H, Meiri G, Michaelovski A, Sadaka Y, Aran A, Dinstein I, Menashe I. Comparison of three bioinformatics tools in the detection of ASD candidate variants from whole exome sequencing data. Sci Rep 2023; 13:18853. [PMID: 37914828 PMCID: PMC10620213 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46258-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogenous multifactorial neurodevelopmental condition with a significant genetic susceptibility component. Thus, identifying genetic variations associated with ASD is a complex task. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) is an effective approach for detecting extremely rare protein-coding single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) and short insertions/deletions (INDELs). However, interpreting these variants' functional and clinical consequences requires integrating multifaceted genomic information. We compared the concordance and effectiveness of three bioinformatics tools in detecting ASD candidate variants (SNVs and short INDELs) from WES data of 220 ASD family trios registered in the National Autism Database of Israel. We studied only rare (< 1% population frequency) proband-specific variants. According to the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) guidelines, the pathogenicity of variants was evaluated by the InterVar and TAPES tools. In addition, likely gene-disrupting (LGD) variants were detected based on an in-house bioinformatics tool, Psi-Variant, that integrates results from seven in-silico prediction tools. Overall, 372 variants in 311 genes distributed in 168 probands were detected by these tools. The overlap between the tools was 64.1, 22.9, and 23.1% for InterVar-TAPES, InterVar-Psi-Variant, and TAPES-Psi-Variant, respectively. The intersection between InterVar and Psi-Variant (I ∩ P) was the most effective approach in detecting variants in known ASD genes (PPV = 0.274; OR = 7.09, 95% CI = 3.92-12.22), while the union of InterVar and Psi Variant (I U P) achieved the highest diagnostic yield (20.5%).Our results suggest that integrating different variant interpretation approaches in detecting ASD candidate variants from WES data is superior to each approach alone. The inclusion of additional criteria could further improve the detection of ASD candidate variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Apurba Shil
- Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Health Community Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
- Azrieli National Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopment Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
- The School of Brain Sciences and Cognition, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Liron Levin
- Bioinformatics Core Facility, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Hava Golan
- Azrieli National Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopment Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
- The School of Brain Sciences and Cognition, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Gal Meiri
- Azrieli National Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopment Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
- Preschool Psychiatric Unit, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Analya Michaelovski
- Azrieli National Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopment Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
- Child Development Center, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Yair Sadaka
- Azrieli National Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopment Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
- Child Development Center, Ministry of Health, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Adi Aran
- Neuropediatric Unit, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
- Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ilan Dinstein
- Azrieli National Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopment Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
- The School of Brain Sciences and Cognition, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
- Psychology Department, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Idan Menashe
- Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Health Community Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
- Azrieli National Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopment Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
- The School of Brain Sciences and Cognition, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
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46
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Lau MS, Hu Z, Zhao X, Tan YS, Liu J, Huang H, Yeo CJ, Leong HF, Grinchuk OV, Chan JK, Yan J, Tee WW. Transcriptional repression by a secondary DNA binding surface of DNA topoisomerase I safeguards against hypertranscription. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6464. [PMID: 37833256 PMCID: PMC10576097 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42078-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Regulation of global transcription output is important for normal development and disease, but little is known about the mechanisms involved. DNA topoisomerase I (TOP1) is an enzyme well-known for its role in relieving DNA supercoils for enabling transcription. Here, we report a non-enzymatic function of TOP1 that downregulates RNA synthesis. This function is dependent on specific DNA-interacting residues located on a conserved protein surface. A loss-of-function knock-in mutation on this surface, R548Q, is sufficient to cause hypertranscription and alter differentiation outcomes in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). Hypertranscription in mESCs is accompanied by reduced TOP1 chromatin binding and change in genomic supercoiling. Notably, the mutation does not impact TOP1 enzymatic activity; rather, it diminishes TOP1-DNA binding and formation of compact protein-DNA structures. Thus, TOP1 exhibits opposing influences on transcription through distinct activities which are likely to be coordinated. This highlights TOP1 as a safeguard of appropriate total transcription levels in cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mei Sheng Lau
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore.
| | - Zhenhua Hu
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Major Obstetric Diseases, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Obstetrics and Gynecology, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Higher Education Joint Laboratory of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Guangzhou, China
- The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaodan Zhao
- Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117551, Singapore
- Centre for Bioimaging Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117557, Singapore
| | - Yaw Sing Tan
- Bioinformatics Institute (BII), A*STAR, 30 Biopolis Street, Matrix, Singapore, 138671, Singapore
| | - Jinyue Liu
- Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS), A*STAR, 60 Biopolis Street, Genome, Singapore, 138672, Singapore
| | - Hua Huang
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Electrophysiology Core Facility, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Clarisse Jingyi Yeo
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore
| | - Hwei Fen Leong
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore
| | - Oleg V Grinchuk
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore
| | - Justin Kaixuan Chan
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore
| | - Jie Yan
- Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117551, Singapore.
- Centre for Bioimaging Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117557, Singapore.
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117411, Singapore.
| | - Wee-Wei Tee
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore.
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
- NUS Centre for Cancer Research, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
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47
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Shi X, Lu C, Corman A, Nikish A, Zhou Y, Platt RJ, Iossifov I, Zhang F, Pan JQ, Sanjana NE. Heterozygous deletion of the autism-associated gene CHD8 impairs synaptic function through widespread changes in gene expression and chromatin compaction. Am J Hum Genet 2023; 110:1750-1768. [PMID: 37802044 PMCID: PMC10577079 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2023.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Whole-exome sequencing of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) probands and unaffected family members has identified many genes harboring de novo variants suspected to play a causal role in the disorder. Of these, chromodomain helicase DNA-binding protein 8 (CHD8) is the most recurrently mutated. Despite the prevalence of CHD8 mutations, we have little insight into how CHD8 loss affects genome organization or the functional consequences of these molecular alterations in neurons. Here, we engineered two isogenic human embryonic stem cell lines with CHD8 loss-of-function mutations and characterized differences in differentiated human cortical neurons. We identified hundreds of genes with altered expression, including many involved in neural development and excitatory synaptic transmission. Field recordings and single-cell electrophysiology revealed a 3-fold decrease in firing rates and synaptic activity in CHD8+/- neurons, as well as a similar firing-rate deficit in primary cortical neurons from Chd8+/- mice. These alterations in neuron and synapse function can be reversed by CHD8 overexpression. Moreover, CHD8+/- neurons displayed a large increase in open chromatin across the genome, where the greatest change in compaction was near autism susceptibility candidate 2 (AUTS2), which encodes a transcriptional regulator implicated in ASD. Genes with changes in chromatin accessibility and expression in CHD8+/- neurons have significant overlap with genes mutated in probands for ASD, intellectual disability, and schizophrenia but not with genes mutated in healthy controls or other disease cohorts. Overall, this study characterizes key molecular alterations in genome structure and expression in CHD8+/- neurons and links these changes to impaired neuronal and synaptic function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Shi
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Bioengineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA; Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Congyi Lu
- New York Genome Center, New York, NY, USA; Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Alba Corman
- New York Genome Center, New York, NY, USA; Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Alexandra Nikish
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Bioengineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Yang Zhou
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Montreal Neurological Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Randy J Platt
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ivan Iossifov
- New York Genome Center, New York, NY, USA; Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA
| | - Feng Zhang
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Bioengineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jen Q Pan
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Neville E Sanjana
- New York Genome Center, New York, NY, USA; Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
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48
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Yuan B, Wang M, Wu X, Cheng P, Zhang R, Zhang R, Yu S, Zhang J, Du Y, Wang X, Qiu Z. Identification of de novo Mutations in the Chinese Autism Spectrum Disorder Cohort via Whole-Exome Sequencing Unveils Brain Regions Implicated in Autism. Neurosci Bull 2023; 39:1469-1480. [PMID: 36881370 PMCID: PMC10533446 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-023-01037-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/30/2022] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a highly heritable neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social interactions and repetitive behaviors. Although hundreds of ASD risk genes, implicated in synaptic formation and transcriptional regulation, have been identified through human genetic studies, the East Asian ASD cohorts are still under-represented in genome-wide genetic studies. Here, we applied whole-exome sequencing to 369 ASD trios including probands and unaffected parents of Chinese origin. Using a joint-calling analytical pipeline based on GATK toolkits, we identified numerous de novo mutations including 55 high-impact variants and 165 moderate-impact variants, as well as de novo copy number variations containing known ASD-related genes. Importantly, combined with single-cell sequencing data from the developing human brain, we found that the expression of genes with de novo mutations was specifically enriched in the pre-, post-central gyrus (PRC, PC) and banks of the superior temporal (BST) regions in the human brain. By further analyzing the brain imaging data with ASD and healthy controls, we found that the gray volume of the right BST in ASD patients was significantly decreased compared to healthy controls, suggesting the potential structural deficits associated with ASD. Finally, we found a decrease in the seed-based functional connectivity between BST/PC/PRC and sensory areas, the insula, as well as the frontal lobes in ASD patients. This work indicated that combinatorial analysis with genome-wide screening, single-cell sequencing, and brain imaging data reveal the brain regions contributing to the etiology of ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Yuan
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032 China
| | - Mengdi Wang
- Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101 China
| | - Xinran Wu
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433 China
| | - Peipei Cheng
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200032 China
| | - Ran Zhang
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032 China
| | - Ran Zhang
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200032 China
| | - Shunying Yu
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200032 China
| | - Jie Zhang
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433 China
| | - Yasong Du
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200032 China
| | - Xiaoqun Wang
- Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875 China
| | - Zilong Qiu
- Songjiang Research Institute, Songjiang Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 201600 China
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032 China
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49
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Einson J, Glinos D, Boerwinkle E, Castaldi P, Darbar D, de Andrade M, Ellinor P, Fornage M, Gabriel S, Germer S, Gibbs R, Hersh CP, Johnsen J, Kaplan R, Konkle BA, Kooperberg C, Nassir R, Loos RJF, Meyers DA, Mitchell BD, Psaty B, Vasan RS, Rich SS, Rienstra M, Rotter JI, Saferali A, Shoemaker MB, Silverman E, Smith AV, Mohammadi P, Castel SE, Iossifov I, Lappalainen T. Genetic control of mRNA splicing as a potential mechanism for incomplete penetrance of rare coding variants. Genetics 2023; 224:iyad115. [PMID: 37348055 PMCID: PMC10411602 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Exonic variants present some of the strongest links between genotype and phenotype. However, these variants can have significant inter-individual pathogenicity differences, known as variable penetrance. In this study, we propose a model where genetically controlled mRNA splicing modulates the pathogenicity of exonic variants. By first cataloging exonic inclusion from RNA-sequencing data in GTEx V8, we find that pathogenic alleles are depleted on highly included exons. Using a large-scale phased whole genome sequencing data from the TOPMed consortium, we observe that this effect may be driven by common splice-regulatory genetic variants, and that natural selection acts on haplotype configurations that reduce the transcript inclusion of putatively pathogenic variants, especially when limiting to haploinsufficient genes. Finally, we test if this effect may be relevant for autism risk using families from the Simons Simplex Collection, but find that splicing of pathogenic alleles has a penetrance reducing effect here as well. Overall, our results indicate that common splice-regulatory variants may play a role in reducing the damaging effects of rare exonic variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonah Einson
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
- New York Genome Center, New York, NY 10013, USA
| | | | - Eric Boerwinkle
- School of Public Health, University of Texas Health at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Peter Castaldi
- Department of Medicine, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Dawood Darbar
- Department of Cardiology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Mariza de Andrade
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Patrick Ellinor
- Corrigan Minehan Heart Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Myriam Fornage
- Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | | | | | - Richard Gibbs
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine Human Genome Sequencing Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Craig P Hersh
- Channing Division of Network Medicine and Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jill Johnsen
- Department of Hematology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Robert Kaplan
- Department of Epidemiology & Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Barbara A Konkle
- Department of Hematology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | | | - Rami Nassir
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Mecca 24382, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ruth J F Loos
- Environmental Medicine & Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Deborah A Meyers
- Department of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Braxton D Mitchell
- Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
- Geriatrics Research and Education Clinical Center, Baltimore Veterans Administration Medical Center, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Bruce Psaty
- Cardiovascular Health Research Unit, Departments of Medicine, Epidemiology, and Health Systems and Population Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | | | - Stephen S Rich
- Public Health Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
| | - Michael Rienstra
- Clinical Cardiology, UMCG Cardiology, Groningen 09713, the Netherlands
| | - Jerome I Rotter
- The Institute for Translational Genomics and Population Sciences, Department of Pediatrics, The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA 90502, USA
| | - Aabida Saferali
- Channing Division of Network Medicine and Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | | | - Edwin Silverman
- Channing Division of Network Medicine and Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Albert Vernon Smith
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | | | - Pejman Mohammadi
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Stephane E Castel
- New York Genome Center, New York, NY 10013, USA
- Variant Bio, Seattle, WA 98102, USA
| | - Ivan Iossifov
- New York Genome Center, New York, NY 10013, USA
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA
| | - Tuuli Lappalainen
- New York Genome Center, New York, NY 10013, USA
- Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
- Department of Gene Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm 114 28, Sweden
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50
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Berteli TS, Wang F, McKerrow W, Navarro PA, Fenyo D, Boeke JD, Kohlrausch FB, Keefe DL. Transposon insertion profiling by sequencing (TIPseq) identifies novel LINE-1 insertions in human sperm. J Assist Reprod Genet 2023; 40:1835-1843. [PMID: 37310664 PMCID: PMC10371950 DOI: 10.1007/s10815-023-02852-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Long interspersed nuclear element-1 (LINE-1 or L1) comprises 17% of the human genome. Retrotransposons may perturb gene integrity or alter gene expression by altering regulatory regions in the genome. The germline employs a number of mechanisms, including cytosine methylation, to repress retrotransposon transcription throughout most of life. Demethylation during germ cell and early embryo development de-represses retrotransposons. Intriguingly, de novo genetic variation appearing in sperm has been implicated in a number of disorders in offspring, including autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. We hypothesize that human sperm exhibit de novo retrotransposition and employ a new sequencing method, single cell transposon insertion profiling by sequencing (scTIPseq) to map them in small amounts of human sperm. METHODS Cross-sectional case-control study of sperm samples (n=10 men; ages 32-55 years old) from consenting men undergoing IVF at NYU Langone Fertility Center. scTIPseq identified novel LINE-1 insertions in individual sperm and TIPseqHunter, a custom bioinformatics pipeline, compared the architecture of sperm LINE-1 to known LINE-1 insertions from the European database of Human specific LINE-1 (L1Hs) retrotransposon insertions (euL1db). RESULTS scTIPseq identified 17 novel insertions in sperm. New insertions were mainly intergenic or intronic. Only one sample did not exhibit new insertions. The location or number of novel insertions did not differ by paternal age. CONCLUSION This study for the first time reports novel LINE-1 insertions in human sperm, demonstrating the feasibility of scTIPseq, and identifies new contributors to genetic diversity in the human germ line.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thalita S Berteli
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Human Reproduction Division, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirao Preto, University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, SP, Brazil.
| | - Fang Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Wilson McKerrow
- Institute for Systems Genetics, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Paula A Navarro
- Human Reproduction Division, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirao Preto, University of Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - David Fenyo
- Institute for Systems Genetics, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jef D Boeke
- Institute for Systems Genetics, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Fabiana B Kohlrausch
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Biology Institute, Department of General Biology, Fluminense Federal University (UFF), Niteroi, RJ, Brazil
| | - David L Keefe
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
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