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Dalton GD, Siecinski SK, Nikolova VD, Cofer GP, Hornburg KJ, Qi Y, Johnson GA, Jiang YH, Moy SS, Gregory SG. Transcriptome analysis identifies an ASD-Like phenotype in oligodendrocytes and microglia from C58/J amygdala that is dependent on sex and sociability. BEHAVIORAL AND BRAIN FUNCTIONS : BBF 2024; 20:14. [PMID: 38898502 PMCID: PMC11188533 DOI: 10.1186/s12993-024-00240-3] [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: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a group of neurodevelopmental disorders with higher incidence in males and is characterized by atypical verbal/nonverbal communication, restricted interests that can be accompanied by repetitive behavior, and disturbances in social behavior. This study investigated brain mechanisms that contribute to sociability deficits and sex differences in an ASD animal model. METHODS Sociability was measured in C58/J and C57BL/6J mice using the 3-chamber social choice test. Bulk RNA-Seq and snRNA-Seq identified transcriptional changes in C58/J and C57BL/6J amygdala within which DMRseq was used to measure differentially methylated regions in amygdala. RESULTS C58/J mice displayed divergent social strata in the 3-chamber test. Transcriptional and pathway signatures revealed immune-related biological processes differ between C58/J and C57BL/6J amygdala. Hypermethylated and hypomethylated genes were identified in C58/J versus C57BL/6J amygdala. snRNA-Seq data in C58/J amygdala identified differential transcriptional signatures within oligodendrocytes and microglia characterized by increased ASD risk gene expression and predicted impaired myelination that was dependent on sex and sociability. RNA velocity, gene regulatory network, and cell communication analysis showed diminished oligodendrocyte/microglia differentiation. Findings were verified using Bulk RNA-Seq and demonstrated oxytocin's beneficial effects on myelin gene expression. LIMITATIONS Our findings are significant. However, limitations can be noted. The cellular mechanisms linking reduced oligodendrocyte differentiation and reduced myelination to an ASD phenotype in C58/J mice need further investigation. Additional snRNA-Seq and spatial studies would determine if effects in oligodendrocytes/microglia are unique to amygdala or if this occurs in other brain regions. Oxytocin's effects need further examination to understand its' potential as an ASD therapeutic. CONCLUSIONS Our work demonstrates the C58/J mouse model's utility in evaluating the influence of sex and sociability on the transcriptome in concomitant brain regions involved in ASD. Our single-nucleus transcriptome analysis elucidates potential pathological roles of oligodendrocytes and microglia in ASD. This investigation provides details regarding regulatory features disrupted in these cell types, including transcriptional gene dysregulation, aberrant cell differentiation, altered gene regulatory networks, and changes to key pathways that promote microglia/oligodendrocyte differentiation. Our studies provide insight into interactions between genetic risk and epigenetic processes associated with divergent affiliative behavior and lack of positive sociability.
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Affiliation(s)
- George D Dalton
- Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27701, USA
| | - Stephen K Siecinski
- Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27701, USA
| | - Viktoriya D Nikolova
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, USA
| | - Gary P Cofer
- Center for In Vivo Microscopy, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | | | - Yi Qi
- Center for In Vivo Microscopy, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - G Allan Johnson
- Center for In Vivo Microscopy, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Yong-Hui Jiang
- Department of Genetics, Neuroscience, and Pediatrics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Sheryl S Moy
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27516, USA
| | - Simon G Gregory
- Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27701, USA.
- Department of Neurology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.
- Department of Neurology, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, 300 N. Duke Street, DUMC 104775, Durham, NC, 27701, USA.
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2
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Tuncay IO, DeVries D, Gogate A, Kaur K, Kumar A, Xing C, Goodspeed K, Seyoum-Tesfa L, Chahrour MH. The genetics of autism spectrum disorder in an East African familial cohort. CELL GENOMICS 2023; 3:100322. [PMID: 37492102 PMCID: PMC10363748 DOI: 10.1016/j.xgen.2023.100322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of complex neurodevelopmental conditions affecting communication and social interaction in 2.3% of children. Studies that demonstrated its complex genetic architecture have been mainly performed in populations of European ancestry. We investigate the genetics of ASD in an East African cohort (129 individuals) from a population with higher prevalence (5%). Whole-genome sequencing identified 2.13 million private variants in the cohort and potentially pathogenic variants in known ASD genes (including CACNA1C, CHD7, FMR1, and TCF7L2). Admixture analysis demonstrated that the cohort comprises two ancestral populations, African and Eurasian. Admixture mapping discovered 10 regions that confer ASD risk on the African haplotypes, containing several known ASD genes. The increased ASD prevalence in this population suggests decreased heterogeneity in the underlying genetic etiology, enabling risk allele identification. Our approach emphasizes the power of African genetic variation and admixture analysis to inform the architecture of complex disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Islam Oguz Tuncay
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Darlene DeVries
- Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Ashlesha Gogate
- Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Kiran Kaur
- Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Ashwani Kumar
- Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Chao Xing
- Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Department of Population and Data Sciences, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Kimberly Goodspeed
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | | | - Maria H Chahrour
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Center for the Genetics of Host Defense, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
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3
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Abstract
As a transcriptional factor and the negative regulator of alpha fetal protein (AFP), Zinc fingers and homeoboxes 2 (ZHX2) has a well-established role in protection against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, recent studies have suggested ZHX2 as an oncogene in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Moreover, mounting evidence has illustrated a much broader role of ZHX2 in multiple cellular processes, including cell proliferation, cell differentiation, lipid metabolism, and immunoregulation. This comprehensive review emphasizes the role of ZHX2 in health and diseases which have been more recently uncovered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Li
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education and Dept. Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo Medical College, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Zhuanchang Wu
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education and Dept. Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo Medical College, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Chunhong Ma
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education and Dept. Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo Medical College, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity of Shandong Province, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
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4
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Maurer MH, Kohler A, Hudemann M, Jüngling J, Biskup S, Menzel M. Case Report of a Juvenile Patient with Autism Spectrum Disorder with a Novel Combination of Copy Number Variants in ADGRL3 (LPHN3) and Two Pseudogenes. Appl Clin Genet 2022; 15:125-131. [PMID: 36082049 PMCID: PMC9447451 DOI: 10.2147/tacg.s361239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
We report the finding of two copy number variants (CNVs) in a 12-year-old boy presenting both with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Clinical features included aggressive behavior, mood instability, suicidal statements, repetitive and restrictive behavior, sensitivity to noise, learning problems and dyslexia, though no intellectual disability was present. Using array-based comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH), we identified two CNVs, both triplex duplications of 324 kb on 3p26.3, and 284 kb on 4q13.1, respectively. One of the CNVs is located on chromosome 4q13.1 in the region of the gene encoding for adhesion G protein-coupled receptor L3 (ADGRL3, former name: latrophilin-3, LPHN3), the other on chromosome 3p26.3 in the region of the two pseudogenes AC090043.1 and RPL23AP39. The patient described in the present study showed increased symptoms under methylphenidate treatment but responded positively to 3 mg per day of the atypical neuroleptic drug aripiprazole. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a CNV in the ADGRL3 gene and its first association with ASD in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin H Maurer
- Mariaberg Hospital for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Gammertingen, Germany
- Correspondence: Martin H Maurer, Mariaberg Hospital for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Burghaldenstraße 12, Gammertingen, 72501, Germany, Tel +49 7124 9237200, Fax +49 7124 923555, Email
| | - Anja Kohler
- Mariaberg Hospital for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Gammertingen, Germany
| | - Melanie Hudemann
- Mariaberg Hospital for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Gammertingen, Germany
| | | | - Saskia Biskup
- Zentrum für Humangenetik, Tübingen, Germany
- Center for Genomics and Transcriptomics, CeGaT GmbH, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Martin Menzel
- Mariaberg Hospital for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Gammertingen, Germany
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5
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Arpi MNT, Simpson TI. SFARI genes and where to find them; modelling Autism Spectrum Disorder specific gene expression dysregulation with RNA-seq data. Sci Rep 2022; 12:10158. [PMID: 35710789 PMCID: PMC9203566 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-14077-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have a strong, yet heterogeneous, genetic component. Among the various methods that are being developed to help reveal the underlying molecular aetiology of the disease one approach that is gaining popularity is the combination of gene expression and clinical genetic data, often using the SFARI-gene database, which comprises lists of curated genes considered to have causative roles in ASD when mutated in patients. We build a gene co-expression network to study the relationship between ASD-specific transcriptomic data and SFARI genes and then analyse it at different levels of granularity. No significant evidence is found of association between SFARI genes and differential gene expression patterns when comparing ASD samples to a control group, nor statistical enrichment of SFARI genes in gene co-expression network modules that have a strong correlation with ASD diagnosis. However, classification models that incorporate topological information from the whole ASD-specific gene co-expression network can predict novel SFARI candidate genes that share features of existing SFARI genes and have support for roles in ASD in the literature. A statistically significant association is also found between the absolute level of gene expression and SFARI's genes and Scores, which can confound the analysis if uncorrected. We propose a novel approach to correct for this that is general enough to be applied to other problems affected by continuous sources of bias. It was found that only co-expression network analyses that integrate information from the whole network are able to reveal signatures linked to ASD diagnosis and novel candidate genes for the study of ASD, which individual gene or module analyses fail to do. It was also found that the influence of SFARI genes permeates not only other ASD scoring systems, but also lists of genes believed to be involved in other neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - T Ian Simpson
- School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, 10 Crichton Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9AB, UK. .,Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain (SIDB), Centre for Brain Discovery Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
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6
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Sakamoto Y, Shimoyama S, Furukawa T, Adachi M, Takahashi M, Mikami T, Kuribayashi M, Osato A, Tsushima D, Saito M, Ueno S, Nakamura K. Copy number variations in Japanese children with autism spectrum disorder. Psychiatr Genet 2021; 31:79-87. [PMID: 33591083 PMCID: PMC8115735 DOI: 10.1097/ypg.0000000000000276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Although autism spectrum disorder (ASD) occurs worldwide, most genomic studies on ASD were performed on those of Western ancestry. We hypothesized ASD-related copy number variations (CNVs) of Japanese individuals might be different from those of Western individuals. METHODS Subjects were recruited from the Hirosaki 5-year-old children's developmental health check-up (HFC) between 2013 and 2016 (ASD group; n = 68, control group; n = 124). This study conducted CNV analysis using genomic DNA from peripheral blood of 5-year-old Japanese children. Fisher's exact test was applied for profiling subjects and CNV loci. RESULTS Four ASD-related CNVs: deletion at 12p11.1, duplications at 4q13.2, 8p23.1 and 18q12.3 were detected (P = 0.015, 0.024, 0.009, 0.004, respectively). Specifically, the odds ratio of duplication at 18q12.3 was highest among the 4 CNVs (odds ratio, 8.13). CONCLUSIONS Four CNVs: microdeletion at 12p11.1, microduplications at 4q13.2, 8p23.1 and 18q12.3 were detected as ASD-related CNVs in Japanese children in this study. Although these CNVs were consistent with several reports by Western countries at cytoband levels, these did not consistent at detailed genomic positions and sizes. Our data indicate the possibility that these CNVs are characteristic of Japanese children with ASD. We conclude that Japanese individuals with ASD may harbor CNVs different from those of Western individuals with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Masaki Adachi
- Research Center for Child Mental Development
- Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Aomori, Japan
| | - Michio Takahashi
- Research Center for Child Mental Development
- Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Aomori, Japan
| | | | - Michito Kuribayashi
- Research Center for Child Mental Development
- Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Aomori, Japan
| | | | | | - Manabu Saito
- Departments of Neuropsychiatry
- Research Center for Child Mental Development
| | - Shinya Ueno
- Neurophysiology
- Research Center for Child Mental Development
| | - Kazuhiko Nakamura
- Departments of Neuropsychiatry
- Research Center for Child Mental Development
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7
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Arghir A, Papuc SM, Tutulan‐Cunita A, Erbescu A, Loddo S, Genovese S, Ciocca L, Goldoni M, Piscopo C, Bernardini L, Novelli A, Budisteanu M. Autism and severe clinical phenotype in a patient with 8p21.2p11.21 deletion: Case report and literature review. Clin Case Rep 2021; 9:314-321. [PMID: 33505690 PMCID: PMC7813129 DOI: 10.1002/ccr3.3523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Revised: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Interstitial 8p deletions were previously described, in literature and databases, in approximately 30 patients with neurodevelopmental disorders. We report on a novel patient with a 8p21.2p11.21 deletion presenting a clinical phenotype that includes severe intellectual disability, microcephaly, epilepsy, and autism, the latter having been rarely associated with this genetic defect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurora Arghir
- Victor Babes National Institute of PathologyBucharestRomania
| | | | | | - Alina Erbescu
- Victor Babes National Institute of PathologyBucharestRomania
| | - Sara Loddo
- Bambino Gesù Children's HospitalIRCCSRomeItaly
| | | | | | - Marina Goldoni
- IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza FoundationSan Giovanni RotondoItaly
| | | | - Laura Bernardini
- IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza FoundationSan Giovanni RotondoItaly
| | | | - Magdalena Budisteanu
- Victor Babes National Institute of PathologyBucharestRomania
- Prof. Dr. Alex. Obregia Clinical Hospital of PsychiatryBucharestRomania
- Titu Maiorescu UniversityBucharestRomania
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8
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Schmitz-Abe K, Sanchez-Schmitz G, Doan RN, Hill RS, Chahrour MH, Mehta BK, Servattalab S, Ataman B, Lam ATN, Morrow EM, Greenberg ME, Yu TW, Walsh CA, Markianos K. Homozygous deletions implicate non-coding epigenetic marks in Autism spectrum disorder. Sci Rep 2020; 10:14045. [PMID: 32820185 PMCID: PMC7441318 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-70656-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
More than 98% of the human genome is made up of non-coding DNA, but techniques to ascertain its contribution to human disease have lagged far behind our understanding of protein coding variations. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been mostly associated with coding variations via de novo single nucleotide variants (SNVs), recessive/homozygous SNVs, or de novo copy number variants (CNVs); however, most ASD cases continue to lack a genetic diagnosis. We analyzed 187 consanguineous ASD families for biallelic CNVs. Recessive deletions were significantly enriched in affected individuals relative to their unaffected siblings (17% versus 4%, p < 0.001). Only a small subset of biallelic deletions were predicted to result in coding exon disruption. In contrast, biallelic deletions in individuals with ASD were enriched for overlap with regulatory regions, with 23/28 CNVs disrupting histone peaks in ENCODE (p < 0.009). Overlap with regulatory regions was further demonstrated by comparisons to the 127-epigenome dataset released by the Roadmap Epigenomics project, with enrichment for enhancers found in primary brain tissue and neuronal progenitor cells. Our results suggest a novel noncoding mechanism of ASD, describe a powerful method to identify important noncoding regions in the human genome, and emphasize the potential significance of gene activation and regulation in cognitive and social function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klaus Schmitz-Abe
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Divisions of Newborn Medicine and Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Guzman Sanchez-Schmitz
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics and Precision Vaccines Program, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Ryan N Doan
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - R Sean Hill
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Maria H Chahrour
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Bhaven K Mehta
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Sarah Servattalab
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Bulent Ataman
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Anh-Thu N Lam
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Eric M Morrow
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry and Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912, USA
| | | | - Timothy W Yu
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA. .,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - Christopher A Walsh
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA. .,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA. .,Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, 02115, USA. .,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA. .,Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - Kyriacos Markianos
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA. .,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA. .,Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, 02115, USA. .,Center for Data and Computational Sciences, Cooperative Studies Program, VA Boston Healthcare system, Boston, MA, 02130, USA.
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9
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Ross PJ, Mok RSF, Smith BS, Rodrigues DC, Mufteev M, Scherer SW, Ellis J. Modeling neuronal consequences of autism-associated gene regulatory variants with human induced pluripotent stem cells. Mol Autism 2020; 11:33. [PMID: 32398033 PMCID: PMC7218542 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-020-00333-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Accepted: 04/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic factors contribute to the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and although non-protein-coding regions of the genome are being increasingly implicated in ASD, the functional consequences of these variants remain largely uncharacterized. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) enable the production of personalized neurons that are genetically matched to people with ASD and can therefore be used to directly test the effects of genomic variation on neuronal gene expression, synapse function, and connectivity. The combined use of human pluripotent stem cells with genome editing to introduce or correct specific variants has proved to be a powerful approach for exploring the functional consequences of ASD-associated variants in protein-coding genes and, more recently, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Here, we review recent studies that implicate lncRNAs, other non-coding mutations, and regulatory variants in ASD susceptibility. We also discuss experimental design considerations for using iPSCs and genome editing to study the role of the non-protein-coding genome in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Joel Ross
- Department of Biology, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PE, Canada.
| | - Rebecca S F Mok
- Developmental & Stem Cell Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Brandon S Smith
- Department of Biology, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PE, Canada
| | - Deivid C Rodrigues
- Developmental & Stem Cell Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Marat Mufteev
- Developmental & Stem Cell Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Stephen W Scherer
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Genetics & Genome Biology Program and The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,McLaughlin Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - James Ellis
- Developmental & Stem Cell Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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10
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Choi Y, Park H, Kang S, Jung H, Kweon H, Kim S, Choi I, Lee SY, Choi YE, Lee SH, Kim E. NGL-1/LRRC4C-Mutant Mice Display Hyperactivity and Anxiolytic-Like Behavior Associated With Widespread Suppression of Neuronal Activity. Front Mol Neurosci 2019; 12:250. [PMID: 31680855 PMCID: PMC6798069 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2019.00250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Netrin-G ligand-1 (NGL-1), encoded by Lrrc4c, is a post-synaptic adhesion molecule implicated in various brain disorders, including bipolar disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and developmental delay. Although previous studies have explored the roles of NGL-1 in the regulation of synapse development and function, the importance of NGL-1 for specific behaviors and the nature of related neural circuits in mice remain unclear. Here, we report that mice lacking NGL-1 (Lrrc4c–/–) show strong hyperactivity and anxiolytic-like behavior. They also display impaired spatial and working memory, but normal object-recognition memory and social interaction. c-Fos staining under baseline and anxiety-inducing conditions revealed suppressed baseline neuronal activity as well as limited neuronal activation in widespread brain regions, including the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), motor cortex, endopiriform nucleus, bed nuclei of the stria terminalis, and dentate gyrus. Neurons in the ACC, motor cortex, and dentate gyrus exhibit distinct alterations in excitatory synaptic transmission and intrinsic neuronal excitability. These results suggest that NGL-1 is important for normal locomotor activity, anxiety-like behavior, and learning and memory, as well as synapse properties and excitability of neurons in widespread brain regions under baseline and anxiety-inducing conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeonsoo Choi
- Center for Synaptic Brain Dysfunctions, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Haram Park
- Center for Synaptic Brain Dysfunctions, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Suwon Kang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Hwajin Jung
- Center for Synaptic Brain Dysfunctions, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Hanseul Kweon
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Seoyeong Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Ilsong Choi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Soo Yeon Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Ye-Eun Choi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Seung-Hee Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Eunjoon Kim
- Center for Synaptic Brain Dysfunctions, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon, South Korea.,Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology, Daejeon, South Korea
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11
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Hu Z, Xiao X, Zhang Z, Li M. Genetic insights and neurobiological implications from NRXN1 in neuropsychiatric disorders. Mol Psychiatry 2019; 24:1400-1414. [PMID: 31138894 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-019-0438-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2019] [Revised: 03/31/2019] [Accepted: 04/29/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Many neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders commonly share genetic risk factors. To date, the mechanisms driving the pathogenesis of these disorders, particularly how genetic variations affect the function of risk genes and contribute to disease symptoms, remain largely unknown. Neurexins are a family of synaptic adhesion molecules, which play important roles in the formation and establishment of synaptic structure, as well as maintenance of synaptic function. Accumulating genomic findings reveal that genetic variations within genes encoding neurexins are associated with a variety of psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder, and some developmental abnormalities. In this review, we focus on NRXN1, one of the most compelling psychiatric risk genes of the neurexin family. We performed a comprehensive survey and analysis of current genetic and molecular data including both common and rare alleles within NRXN1 associated with psychiatric illnesses, thus providing insights into the genetic risk conferred by NRXN1. We also summarized the neurobiological evidences, supporting the function of NRXN1 and its protein products in synaptic formation, organization, transmission and plasticity, as well as disease-relevant behaviors, and assessed the mechanistic link between the mutations of NRXN1 and synaptic and behavioral pathology in neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhonghua Hu
- Institute of Molecular Precision Medicine and Hunan Key Laboratory of Molecular Precision Medicine, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China. .,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China. .,Center for Medical Genetics and Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China. .,Hunan Key Laboratory of Animal Models for Human Diseases, School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China. .,Department of Psychiatry, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China. .,National Clinical Research Center on Mental Disorders, Changsha, Hunan, China.
| | - Xiao Xiao
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Zhuohua Zhang
- Institute of Molecular Precision Medicine and Hunan Key Laboratory of Molecular Precision Medicine, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.,Center for Medical Genetics and Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.,Hunan Key Laboratory of Animal Models for Human Diseases, School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Ming Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China. .,CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
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12
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Autism spectrum disorder in a patient with a genomic rearrangement that only involves the EPHA5 gene. Psychiatr Genet 2019; 29:86-90. [DOI: 10.1097/ypg.0000000000000217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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13
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Holleman AM, Broadaway KA, Duncan R, Todor A, Almli LM, Bradley B, Ressler KJ, Ghosh D, Mulle JG, Epstein MP. Powerful and Efficient Strategies for Genetic Association Testing of Symptom and Questionnaire Data in Psychiatric Genetic Studies. Sci Rep 2019; 9:7523. [PMID: 31101869 PMCID: PMC6525248 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-44046-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2018] [Accepted: 05/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic studies of psychiatric disorders often deal with phenotypes that are not directly measurable. Instead, researchers rely on multivariate symptom data from questionnaires and surveys like the PTSD Symptom Scale (PSS) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to indirectly assess a latent phenotype of interest. Researchers subsequently collapse such multivariate questionnaire data into a univariate outcome to represent a surrogate for the latent phenotype. However, when a causal variant is only associated with a subset of collapsed symptoms, the effect will be challenging to detect using the univariate outcome. We describe a more powerful strategy for genetic association testing in this situation that jointly analyzes the original multivariate symptom data collectively using a statistical framework that compares similarity in multivariate symptom-scale data from questionnaires to similarity in common genetic variants across a gene. We use simulated data to demonstrate this strategy provides substantially increased power over standard approaches that collapse questionnaire data into a single surrogate outcome. We also illustrate our approach using GWAS data from the Grady Trauma Project and identify genes associated with BDI not identified using standard univariate techniques. The approach is computationally efficient, scales to genome-wide studies, and is applicable to correlated symptom data of arbitrary dimension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron M Holleman
- Department of Epidemiology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Center for Computational and Quantitative Genetics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | - Richard Duncan
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Andrei Todor
- Center for Computational and Quantitative Genetics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Lynn M Almli
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Bekh Bradley
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Clinical Psychologist, Mental Health Service Line, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Kerry J Ressler
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Debashis Ghosh
- Department of Biostatistics and Informatics, Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Jennifer G Mulle
- Center for Computational and Quantitative Genetics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Michael P Epstein
- Center for Computational and Quantitative Genetics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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14
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Castronovo P, Baccarin M, Ricciardello A, Picinelli C, Tomaiuolo P, Cucinotta F, Frittoli M, Lintas C, Sacco R, Persico AM. Phenotypic spectrum of NRXN1 mono- and bi-allelic deficiency: A systematic review. Clin Genet 2019; 97:125-137. [PMID: 30873608 DOI: 10.1111/cge.13537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2019] [Revised: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 03/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Neurexins are presynaptic cell adhesion molecules critically involved in synaptogenesis and vesicular neurotransmitter release. They are encoded by three genes (NRXN1-3), each yielding a longer alpha (α) and a shorter beta (β) transcript. Deletions spanning the promoter and the initial exons of the NRXN1 gene, located in chromosome 2p16.3, are associated with a variety of neurodevelopmental, psychiatric, neurological and neuropsychological phenotypes. We have performed a systematic review to define (a) the clinical phenotypes most associated with mono-allelic exonic NRXN1 deletions, and (b) the phenotypic features of NRXN1 bi-allelic deficiency due to compound heterozygous deletions/mutations. Clinically, three major conclusions can be drawn: (a) incomplete penetrance and pleiotropy do not allow reliable predictions of clinical outcome following prenatal detection of mono-allelic exonic NRXN1 deletions. Newborn carriers should undergo periodic neuro-behavioral observations for the timely detection of warning signs and the prescription of early behavioral intervention; (b) the presence of additional independent genetic risk factors should always be sought, as they may influence prognosis; (c) children with exonic NRXN1 deletions displaying early-onset, severe psychomotor delay in the context of a Pitt-Hopkins-like syndrome 2 phenotype, should undergo DNA sequencing of the spared NRXN1 allele in search for mutations or very small insertions/deletions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Castronovo
- Laboratory for Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Mafalda Luce Center, Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Baccarin
- Laboratory for Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Mafalda Luce Center, Milan, Italy
| | - Arianna Ricciardello
- Interdepartmental Program "Autism 0-90", "Gaetano Martino" University Hospital, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Chiara Picinelli
- Laboratory for Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Mafalda Luce Center, Milan, Italy
| | - Pasquale Tomaiuolo
- Laboratory for Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Mafalda Luce Center, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesca Cucinotta
- Interdepartmental Program "Autism 0-90", "Gaetano Martino" University Hospital, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Myriam Frittoli
- Laboratory for Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Mafalda Luce Center, Milan, Italy
| | - Carla Lintas
- Service for Neurodevelopmental Disorders & Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry and Neurogenetics, University "Campus Bio-Medico", Rome, Italy
| | - Roberto Sacco
- Service for Neurodevelopmental Disorders & Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry and Neurogenetics, University "Campus Bio-Medico", Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio M Persico
- Interdepartmental Program "Autism 0-90", "Gaetano Martino" University Hospital, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
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15
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Wang C, Pan YH, Wang Y, Blatt G, Yuan XB. Segregated expressions of autism risk genes Cdh11 and Cdh9 in autism-relevant regions of developing cerebellum. Mol Brain 2019; 12:40. [PMID: 31046797 PMCID: PMC6498582 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-019-0461-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Results of recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and whole genome sequencing (WGS) highlighted type II cadherins as risk genes for autism spectrum disorders (ASD). To determine whether these cadherins may be linked to the morphogenesis of ASD-relevant brain regions, in situ hybridization (ISH) experiments were carried out to examine the mRNA expression profiles of two ASD-associated cadherins, Cdh9 and Cdh11, in the developing cerebellum. During the first postnatal week, both Cdh9 and Cdh11 were expressed at high levels in segregated sub-populations of Purkinje cells in the cerebellum, and the expression of both genes was declined as development proceeded. Developmental expression of Cdh11 was largely confined to dorsal lobules (lobules VI/VII) of the vermis as well as the lateral hemisphere area equivalent to the Crus I and Crus II areas in human brains, areas known to mediate high order cognitive functions in adults. Moreover, in lobules VI/VII of the vermis, Cdh9 and Cdh11 were expressed in a complementary pattern with the Cdh11-expressing areas flanked by Cdh9-expressing areas. Interestingly, the high level of Cdh11 expression in the central domain of lobules VI/VII was correlated with a low level of expression of the Purkinje cell marker calbindin, coinciding with a delayed maturation of Purkinje cells in the same area. These findings suggest that these two ASD-associated cadherins may exert distinct but coordinated functions to regulate the wiring of ASD-relevant circuits in the cerebellum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunlei Wang
- Hussman Institute for Autism, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Yi-Hsuan Pan
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (Ministry of Education and Shanghai), Institute of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Science and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, People's Republic of China
| | - Yue Wang
- Hussman Institute for Autism, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Gene Blatt
- Hussman Institute for Autism, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Xiao-Bing Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (Ministry of Education and Shanghai), Institute of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Science and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, People's Republic of China. .,Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
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16
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Hui DHF, Tam KJ, Jiao IZF, Ong CJ. Semaphorin 3C as a Therapeutic Target in Prostate and Other Cancers. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:E774. [PMID: 30759745 PMCID: PMC6386986 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20030774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2019] [Revised: 02/05/2019] [Accepted: 02/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The semaphorins represent a large family of signaling molecules with crucial roles in neuronal and cardiac development. While normal semaphorin function pertains largely to development, their involvement in malignancy is becoming increasingly evident. One member, Semaphorin 3C (SEMA3C), has been shown to drive a number of oncogenic programs, correlate inversely with cancer prognosis, and promote the progression of multiple different cancer types. This report surveys the body of knowledge surrounding SEMA3C as a therapeutic target in cancer. In particular, we summarize SEMA3C's role as an autocrine andromedin in prostate cancer growth and survival and provide an overview of other cancer types that SEMA3C has been implicated in including pancreas, brain, breast, and stomach. We also propose molecular strategies that could potentially be deployed against SEMA3C as anticancer agents such as biologics, small molecules, monoclonal antibodies and antisense oligonucleotides. Finally, we discuss important considerations for the inhibition of SEMA3C as a cancer therapeutic agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel H F Hui
- Vancouver Prostate Centre and Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6H 3Z6, Canada.
| | - Kevin J Tam
- Vancouver Prostate Centre and Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6H 3Z6, Canada.
| | - Ivy Z F Jiao
- Vancouver Prostate Centre and Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6H 3Z6, Canada.
| | - Christopher J Ong
- Vancouver Prostate Centre and Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6H 3Z6, Canada.
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17
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Devanna P, Chen XS, Ho J, Gajewski D, Smith SD, Gialluisi A, Francks C, Fisher SE, Newbury DF, Vernes SC. Next-gen sequencing identifies non-coding variation disrupting miRNA-binding sites in neurological disorders. Mol Psychiatry 2018; 23:1375-1384. [PMID: 28289279 PMCID: PMC5474318 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2017.30] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2016] [Revised: 12/17/2016] [Accepted: 01/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the genetic factors underlying neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders is a major challenge given their prevalence and potential severity for quality of life. While large-scale genomic screens have made major advances in this area, for many disorders the genetic underpinnings are complex and poorly understood. To date the field has focused predominantly on protein coding variation, but given the importance of tightly controlled gene expression for normal brain development and disorder, variation that affects non-coding regulatory regions of the genome is likely to play an important role in these phenotypes. Herein we show the importance of 3 prime untranslated region (3'UTR) non-coding regulatory variants across neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. We devised a pipeline for identifying and functionally validating putatively pathogenic variants from next generation sequencing (NGS) data. We applied this pipeline to a cohort of children with severe specific language impairment (SLI) and identified a functional, SLI-associated variant affecting gene regulation in cells and post-mortem human brain. This variant and the affected gene (ARHGEF39) represent new putative risk factors for SLI. Furthermore, we identified 3'UTR regulatory variants across autism, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder NGS cohorts demonstrating their impact on neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. Our findings show the importance of investigating non-coding regulatory variants when determining risk factors contributing to neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. In the future, integration of such regulatory variation with protein coding changes will be essential for uncovering the genetic causes of complex neurological disorders and the fundamental mechanisms underlying health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Devanna
- Neurogenetics of Vocal Communication
Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen,
The Netherlands
| | - X S Chen
- Language and Genetics Department, Max
Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The
Netherlands
| | - J Ho
- Neurogenetics of Vocal Communication
Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen,
The Netherlands
- Language and Genetics Department, Max
Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The
Netherlands
| | - D Gajewski
- Neurogenetics of Vocal Communication
Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen,
The Netherlands
| | - S D Smith
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience,
Munroe Meyer Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center,
Omaha, NE, USA
| | - A Gialluisi
- Language and Genetics Department, Max
Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The
Netherlands
- Department of Translational Research in
Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich,
Germany
| | - C Francks
- Language and Genetics Department, Max
Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The
Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition
and Behaviour, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - S E Fisher
- Language and Genetics Department, Max
Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The
Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition
and Behaviour, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - D F Newbury
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics,
University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Biological and Medical
Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University,
Oxford, UK
| | - S C Vernes
- Neurogenetics of Vocal Communication
Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen,
The Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition
and Behaviour, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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18
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Chen X, Long F, Cai B, Chen X, Chen G. A novel relationship for schizophrenia, bipolar and major depressive disorder Part 3: Evidence from chromosome 3 high density association screen. J Comp Neurol 2017; 526:59-79. [PMID: 28856687 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2017] [Revised: 07/29/2017] [Accepted: 07/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Familial clustering of schizophrenia (SCZ), bipolar disorder (BPD), and major depressive disorder (MDD) was systematically reported (Aukes et al, Genet Med 2012, 14, 338-341) and convergent evidence from genetics, symptomatology, and psychopharmacology imply that there are intrinsic connections between these three major psychiatric disorders, for example, any two or even three of these disorders could co-exist in some families. A total of 60, 838 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on chromosome 3 were genotyped by Affymetrix Genome-Wide Human SNP array 6.0 on 119 SCZ, 253 BPD (type-I), 177 MDD patients and 1,000 controls. The population of Shandong province was formed in 14 century and believed that it belongs to homogenous population. Associated SNPs were systematically revealed and outstanding susceptibility genes (CADPS, GRM7,KALRN, LSAMP, NLGN1, PRICKLE2, ROBO2) were identified. Unexpectedly, flanking genes for the associated SNPs distinctive for BPD and/or MDD were replicated in an enlarged cohort of 986 SCZ patients. The evidence from this chromosome 3 analysis supports the notion that both of bipolar and MDD might be subtypes of schizophrenia rather than independent disease entity. Also, a similar finding was detected on chromosome 5, 6, 7, and 8 (Chen et al. Am J Transl Res 2017;9 (5):2473-2491; Curr Mol Med 2016;16(9):840-854; Behav Brain Res 2015;293:241-251; Mol Neurobiol 2016. doi: 10.1007/s12035-016-0102-1). Furthermore, PRICKLE2 play an important role in the pathogenesis of three major psychoses in this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xing Chen
- Department of Medical Genetics, Institute of Basic Medicine, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, People's Republic of China
| | - Feng Long
- Department of Medical Genetics, Institute of Basic Medicine, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, People's Republic of China
| | - Bin Cai
- CapitalBio corporation, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaohong Chen
- CapitalBio corporation, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Gang Chen
- Department of Medical Genetics, Institute of Basic Medicine, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, People's Republic of China
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19
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Noncoding copy-number variations are associated with congenital limb malformation. Genet Med 2017; 20:599-607. [PMID: 29236091 DOI: 10.1038/gim.2017.154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2017] [Accepted: 07/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
PurposeCopy-number variants (CNVs) are generally interpreted by linking the effects of gene dosage with phenotypes. The clinical interpretation of noncoding CNVs remains challenging. We investigated the percentage of disease-associated CNVs in patients with congenital limb malformations that affect noncoding cis-regulatory sequences versus genes sensitive to gene dosage effects.MethodsWe applied high-resolution copy-number analysis to 340 unrelated individuals with isolated limb malformation. To investigate novel candidate CNVs, we re-engineered human CNVs in mice using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-based genome editing.ResultsOf the individuals studied, 10% harbored CNVs segregating with the phenotype in the affected families. We identified 31 CNVs previously associated with congenital limb malformations and four novel candidate CNVs. Most of the disease-associated CNVs (57%) affected the noncoding cis-regulatory genome, while only 43% included a known disease gene and were likely to result from gene dosage effects. In transgenic mice harboring four novel candidate CNVs, we observed altered gene expression in all cases, indicating that the CNVs had a regulatory effect either by changing the enhancer dosage or altering the topological associating domain architecture of the genome.ConclusionOur findings suggest that CNVs affecting noncoding regulatory elements are a major cause of congenital limb malformations.
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20
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Pawlina-Tyszko K, Gurgul A, Szmatoła T, Ropka-Molik K, Semik-Gurgul E, Klukowska-Rötzler J, Koch C, Mählmann K, Bugno-Poniewierska M. Genomic landscape of copy number variation and copy neutral loss of heterozygosity events in equine sarcoids reveals increased instability of the sarcoid genome. Biochimie 2017; 140:122-132. [PMID: 28743673 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2017.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2017] [Accepted: 07/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Although they are the most common neoplasms in equids, sarcoids are not fully characterized at the molecular level. Therefore, the objective of this study was to characterize the landscape of structural rearrangements, such as copy number variation (CNV) and copy neutral loss of heterozygosity (cnLOH), in the genomes of sarcoid tumor cells. This information will not only broaden our understanding of the characteristics of this genome but will also improve the general knowledge of this tumor and the mechanisms involved in its generation. To this end, Equine SNP64K Illumina microarrays were applied along with bioinformatics tools dedicated for signal intensity analysis. The analysis revealed increased instability of the genome of sarcoid cells compared with unaltered skin tissue samples, which was manifested by the prevalence of CNV and cnLOH events. Many of the identified CNVs overlapped with the other research results, but the simultaneously observed variability in the number and sizes of detected aberrations indicated a need for further studies and the development of more reliable bioinformatics algorithms. The functional analysis of genes co-localized with the identified aberrations revealed that these genes are engaged in vital cellular processes. In addition, a number of these genes directly contribute to neoplastic transformation. Furthermore, large numbers of cnLOH events identified in the sarcoids suggested that they may play no less significant roles than CNVs in the carcinogenesis of this tumor. Thus, our results indicate the importance of cnLOH and CNV in equine sarcoid oncogenesis and present a direction of future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klaudia Pawlina-Tyszko
- Laboratory of Genomics, Department of Animal Genomics and Molecular Biology, National Research Institute of Animal Production, Krakowska 1, 32-083, Balice, Poland.
| | - Artur Gurgul
- Laboratory of Genomics, Department of Animal Genomics and Molecular Biology, National Research Institute of Animal Production, Krakowska 1, 32-083, Balice, Poland.
| | - Tomasz Szmatoła
- Laboratory of Genomics, Department of Animal Genomics and Molecular Biology, National Research Institute of Animal Production, Krakowska 1, 32-083, Balice, Poland.
| | - Katarzyna Ropka-Molik
- Laboratory of Genomics, Department of Animal Genomics and Molecular Biology, National Research Institute of Animal Production, Krakowska 1, 32-083, Balice, Poland.
| | - Ewelina Semik-Gurgul
- Laboratory of Genomics, Department of Animal Genomics and Molecular Biology, National Research Institute of Animal Production, Krakowska 1, 32-083, Balice, Poland.
| | - Jolanta Klukowska-Rötzler
- Division of Pedriatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Clinical Research, University of Bern, Murtenstrasse 35, 3008, Bern, Switzerland; Department of Emergency Medicine, University Hospital Bern, Inselspital, 3010, Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Christoph Koch
- Swiss Institute of Equine Medicine ISME, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bern and Agroscope, Länggassstrasse 124c, Postfach 8466, CH-3001, Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Kathrin Mählmann
- Swiss Institute of Equine Medicine ISME, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bern and Agroscope, Länggassstrasse 124c, Postfach 8466, CH-3001, Bern, Switzerland; Equine Clinic: Surgery and Radiology, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Free University of Berlin, Oertzenweg 19b, 14163, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Monika Bugno-Poniewierska
- Laboratory of Genomics, Department of Animal Genomics and Molecular Biology, National Research Institute of Animal Production, Krakowska 1, 32-083, Balice, Poland.
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21
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Ma T, Zhang A. Reconstructing context-specific gene regulatory network and identifying modules and network rewiring through data integration. Methods 2017; 124:36-45. [PMID: 28529066 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2017.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2017] [Accepted: 05/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Reconstructing context-specific transcriptional regulatory network is crucial for deciphering principles of regulatory mechanisms underlying various conditions. Recently studies that reconstructed transcriptional networks have focused on individual organisms or cell types and relied on data repositories of context-free regulatory relationships. Here we present a comprehensive framework to systematically derive putative regulator-target pairs in any given context by integrating context-specific transcriptional profiling and public data repositories of gene regulatory networks. Moreover, our framework can identify core regulatory modules and signature genes underlying global regulatory circuitry, and detect network rewiring and core rewired modules in different contexts by considering gene modules and edge (gene interaction) modules collaboratively. We applied our methods to analyzing Autism RNA-seq experiment data and produced biologically meaningful results. In particular, all 11 hub genes in a predicted rewired autistic regulatory subnetwork have been linked to autism based on literature review. The predicted rewired autistic regulatory network may shed some new insight into disease mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianle Ma
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University at Buffalo (SUNY), Buffalo, NY 14260-2500, United States.
| | - Aidong Zhang
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University at Buffalo (SUNY), Buffalo, NY 14260-2500, United States.
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22
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Jennings CG, Landman R, Zhou Y, Sharma J, Hyman J, Movshon JA, Qiu Z, Roberts AC, Roe AW, Wang X, Zhou H, Wang L, Zhang F, Desimone R, Feng G. Opportunities and challenges in modeling human brain disorders in transgenic primates. Nat Neurosci 2017; 19:1123-30. [PMID: 27571191 DOI: 10.1038/nn.4362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2016] [Accepted: 07/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Molecular genetic tools have had a profound impact on neuroscience, but until recently their application has largely been confined to a few model species, most notably mouse, zebrafish, Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans. With the development of new genome engineering technologies such as CRISPR, it is becoming increasingly feasible to apply these molecular tools in a wider range of species, including nonhuman primates. This will lead to many opportunities for brain research, but it will also pose challenges. Here we identify some of these opportunities and challenges in light of recent and foreseeable technological advances and offer some suggestions. Our main focus is on the creation of new primate disease models for understanding the pathological mechanisms of brain disorders and for developing new approaches to effective treatment. However, we also emphasize that primate genetic models have great potential to address many fundamental questions about brain function, providing an essential foundation for future progress in disease research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles G Jennings
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rogier Landman
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Yang Zhou
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jitendra Sharma
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Julia Hyman
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - J Anthony Movshon
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Zilong Qiu
- Institute of Neuroscience, CAS Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Angela C Roberts
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Anna Wang Roe
- Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoqin Wang
- Laboratory of Auditory Neurophysiology, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Huihui Zhou
- The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI) for Collaboration Research of SIAT at CAS and McGovern Institute at MIT, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT), Chinese Academy of Science, Shenzhen, China
| | - Liping Wang
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, The Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI) for Collaboration Research of SIAT at CAS and McGovern Institute at MIT, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT), Chinese Academy of Science, Shenzhen, China
| | - Feng Zhang
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Robert Desimone
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Guoping Feng
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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23
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Meta-analysis of GWAS of over 16,000 individuals with autism spectrum disorder highlights a novel locus at 10q24.32 and a significant overlap with schizophrenia. Mol Autism 2017; 8:21. [PMID: 28540026 PMCID: PMC5441062 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-017-0137-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 323] [Impact Index Per Article: 46.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2016] [Accepted: 04/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Over the past decade genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been applied to aid in the understanding of the biology of traits. The success of this approach is governed by the underlying effect sizes carried by the true risk variants and the corresponding statistical power to observe such effects given the study design and sample size under investigation. Previous ASD GWAS have identified genome-wide significant (GWS) risk loci; however, these studies were of only of low statistical power to identify GWS loci at the lower effect sizes (odds ratio (OR) <1.15). METHODS We conducted a large-scale coordinated international collaboration to combine independent genotyping data to improve the statistical power and aid in robust discovery of GWS loci. This study uses genome-wide genotyping data from a discovery sample (7387 ASD cases and 8567 controls) followed by meta-analysis of summary statistics from two replication sets (7783 ASD cases and 11359 controls; and 1369 ASD cases and 137308 controls). RESULTS We observe a GWS locus at 10q24.32 that overlaps several genes including PITX3, which encodes a transcription factor identified as playing a role in neuronal differentiation and CUEDC2 previously reported to be associated with social skills in an independent population cohort. We also observe overlap with regions previously implicated in schizophrenia which was further supported by a strong genetic correlation between these disorders (Rg = 0.23; P = 9 × 10-6). We further combined these Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) ASD GWAS data with the recent PGC schizophrenia GWAS to identify additional regions which may be important in a common neurodevelopmental phenotype and identified 12 novel GWS loci. These include loci previously implicated in ASD such as FOXP1 at 3p13, ATP2B2 at 3p25.3, and a 'neurodevelopmental hub' on chromosome 8p11.23. CONCLUSIONS This study is an important step in the ongoing endeavour to identify the loci which underpin the common variant signal in ASD. In addition to novel GWS loci, we have identified a significant genetic correlation with schizophrenia and association of ASD with several neurodevelopmental-related genes such as EXT1, ASTN2, MACROD2, and HDAC4.
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24
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C Yuen RK, Merico D, Bookman M, L Howe J, Thiruvahindrapuram B, Patel RV, Whitney J, Deflaux N, Bingham J, Wang Z, Pellecchia G, Buchanan JA, Walker S, Marshall CR, Uddin M, Zarrei M, Deneault E, D'Abate L, Chan AJS, Koyanagi S, Paton T, Pereira SL, Hoang N, Engchuan W, Higginbotham EJ, Ho K, Lamoureux S, Li W, MacDonald JR, Nalpathamkalam T, Sung WWL, Tsoi FJ, Wei J, Xu L, Tasse AM, Kirby E, Van Etten W, Twigger S, Roberts W, Drmic I, Jilderda S, Modi BM, Kellam B, Szego M, Cytrynbaum C, Weksberg R, Zwaigenbaum L, Woodbury-Smith M, Brian J, Senman L, Iaboni A, Doyle-Thomas K, Thompson A, Chrysler C, Leef J, Savion-Lemieux T, Smith IM, Liu X, Nicolson R, Seifer V, Fedele A, Cook EH, Dager S, Estes A, Gallagher L, Malow BA, Parr JR, Spence SJ, Vorstman J, Frey BJ, Robinson JT, Strug LJ, Fernandez BA, Elsabbagh M, Carter MT, Hallmayer J, Knoppers BM, Anagnostou E, Szatmari P, Ring RH, Glazer D, Pletcher MT, Scherer SW. Whole genome sequencing resource identifies 18 new candidate genes for autism spectrum disorder. Nat Neurosci 2017; 20:602-611. [PMID: 28263302 DOI: 10.1038/nn.4524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 525] [Impact Index Per Article: 75.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2016] [Accepted: 02/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
We are performing whole-genome sequencing of families with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to build a resource (MSSNG) for subcategorizing the phenotypes and underlying genetic factors involved. Here we report sequencing of 5,205 samples from families with ASD, accompanied by clinical information, creating a database accessible on a cloud platform and through a controlled-access internet portal. We found an average of 73.8 de novo single nucleotide variants and 12.6 de novo insertions and deletions or copy number variations per ASD subject. We identified 18 new candidate ASD-risk genes and found that participants bearing mutations in susceptibility genes had significantly lower adaptive ability (P = 6 × 10-4). In 294 of 2,620 (11.2%) of ASD cases, a molecular basis could be determined and 7.2% of these carried copy number variations and/or chromosomal abnormalities, emphasizing the importance of detecting all forms of genetic variation as diagnostic and therapeutic targets in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan K C Yuen
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Daniele Merico
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Deep Genomics Inc., Toronto, Canada
| | - Matt Bookman
- Google, Mountain View, California, USA.,Verily Life Sciences, South San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Jennifer L Howe
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Bhooma Thiruvahindrapuram
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Rohan V Patel
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Joe Whitney
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Nicole Deflaux
- Google, Mountain View, California, USA.,Verily Life Sciences, South San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Jonathan Bingham
- Google, Mountain View, California, USA.,Verily Life Sciences, South San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Zhuozhi Wang
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Giovanna Pellecchia
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Janet A Buchanan
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Susan Walker
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Christian R Marshall
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Genome Diagnostics, Department of Paediatric Laboratory Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Mohammed Uddin
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Mehdi Zarrei
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Eric Deneault
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Lia D'Abate
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Ada J S Chan
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Stephanie Koyanagi
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Tara Paton
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Sergio L Pereira
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Ny Hoang
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Autism Research Unit, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Worrawat Engchuan
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Edward J Higginbotham
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Karen Ho
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Sylvia Lamoureux
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Weili Li
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Jeffrey R MacDonald
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Thomas Nalpathamkalam
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Wilson W L Sung
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Fiona J Tsoi
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - John Wei
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Lizhen Xu
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Anne-Marie Tasse
- Public Population Project in Genomics and Society, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Emily Kirby
- Public Population Project in Genomics and Society, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | | | | | - Wendy Roberts
- Autism Research Unit, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Irene Drmic
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Autism Research Unit, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Sanne Jilderda
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Autism Research Unit, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Bonnie MacKinnon Modi
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Autism Research Unit, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Barbara Kellam
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Michael Szego
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Dalla Lana School of Public Health and the Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Cheryl Cytrynbaum
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Dalla Lana School of Public Health and the Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Division of Clinical and Metabolic Genetics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Rosanna Weksberg
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Division of Clinical and Metabolic Genetics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | | | - Marc Woodbury-Smith
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Jessica Brian
- Bloorview Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
| | - Lili Senman
- Bloorview Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
| | - Alana Iaboni
- Bloorview Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
| | | | - Ann Thompson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Christina Chrysler
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Jonathan Leef
- Bloorview Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
| | | | - Isabel M Smith
- Departments of Pediatrics and of Psychology &Neuroscience, Dalhousie University and Autism Research Centre, IWK Health Centre, Halifax, Canada
| | - Xudong Liu
- Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University, Kinston, Canada
| | - Rob Nicolson
- Children's Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada.,Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | | | | | - Edwin H Cook
- Institute for Juvenile Research, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Stephen Dager
- Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Annette Estes
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Louise Gallagher
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Beth A Malow
- Sleep Disorders Division, Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Jeremy R Parr
- Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
| | - Sarah J Spence
- Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jacob Vorstman
- Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Brendan J Frey
- Deep Genomics Inc., Toronto, Canada.,Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - James T Robinson
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Lisa J Strug
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Division of Biostatistics, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Canada
| | - Bridget A Fernandez
- Disciplines of Genetics and Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Provincial Medical Genetic Program, Eastern Health, St. John's, Canada
| | | | - Melissa T Carter
- Division of Clinical and Metabolic Genetics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Regional Genetics Program, The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Joachim Hallmayer
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | | | | | - Peter Szatmari
- Child Youth and Family Services, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Robert H Ring
- Department of Pharmacology &Physiology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - David Glazer
- Google, Mountain View, California, USA.,Verily Life Sciences, South San Francisco, California, USA
| | | | - Stephen W Scherer
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,McLaughlin Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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25
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Martin-Vilchez S, Whitmore L, Asmussen H, Zareno J, Horwitz R, Newell-Litwa K. RhoGTPase Regulators Orchestrate Distinct Stages of Synaptic Development. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0170464. [PMID: 28114311 PMCID: PMC5256999 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0170464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2016] [Accepted: 01/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Small RhoGTPases regulate changes in post-synaptic spine morphology and density that support learning and memory. They are also major targets of synaptic disorders, including Autism. Here we sought to determine whether upstream RhoGTPase regulators, including GEFs, GAPs, and GDIs, sculpt specific stages of synaptic development. The majority of examined molecules uniquely regulate either early spine precursor formation or later maturation. Specifically, an activator of actin polymerization, the Rac1 GEF β-PIX, drives spine precursor formation, whereas both FRABIN, a Cdc42 GEF, and OLIGOPHRENIN-1, a RhoA GAP, regulate spine precursor elongation. However, in later development, a novel Rac1 GAP, ARHGAP23, and RhoGDIs inactivate actomyosin dynamics to stabilize mature synapses. Our observations demonstrate that specific combinations of RhoGTPase regulatory proteins temporally balance RhoGTPase activity during post-synaptic spine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Martin-Vilchez
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America
| | - Leanna Whitmore
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America
| | - Hannelore Asmussen
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America
| | - Jessica Zareno
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America
| | - Rick Horwitz
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America
| | - Karen Newell-Litwa
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, United States of America
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, United States of America
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26
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Lin YC, Frei JA, Kilander MBC, Shen W, Blatt GJ. A Subset of Autism-Associated Genes Regulate the Structural Stability of Neurons. Front Cell Neurosci 2016; 10:263. [PMID: 27909399 PMCID: PMC5112273 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2016.00263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2016] [Accepted: 10/28/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) comprises a range of neurological conditions that affect individuals’ ability to communicate and interact with others. People with ASD often exhibit marked qualitative difficulties in social interaction, communication, and behavior. Alterations in neurite arborization and dendritic spine morphology, including size, shape, and number, are hallmarks of almost all neurological conditions, including ASD. As experimental evidence emerges in recent years, it becomes clear that although there is broad heterogeneity of identified autism risk genes, many of them converge into similar cellular pathways, including those regulating neurite outgrowth, synapse formation and spine stability, and synaptic plasticity. These mechanisms together regulate the structural stability of neurons and are vulnerable targets in ASD. In this review, we discuss the current understanding of those autism risk genes that affect the structural connectivity of neurons. We sub-categorize them into (1) cytoskeletal regulators, e.g., motors and small RhoGTPase regulators; (2) adhesion molecules, e.g., cadherins, NCAM, and neurexin superfamily; (3) cell surface receptors, e.g., glutamatergic receptors and receptor tyrosine kinases; (4) signaling molecules, e.g., protein kinases and phosphatases; and (5) synaptic proteins, e.g., vesicle and scaffolding proteins. Although the roles of some of these genes in maintaining neuronal structural stability are well studied, how mutations contribute to the autism phenotype is still largely unknown. Investigating whether and how the neuronal structure and function are affected when these genes are mutated will provide insights toward developing effective interventions aimed at improving the lives of people with autism and their families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Chih Lin
- Laboratory of Neuronal Connectivity, Program in Neuroscience, Hussman Institute for Autism, Baltimore MD, USA
| | - Jeannine A Frei
- Laboratory of Neuronal Connectivity, Program in Neuroscience, Hussman Institute for Autism, Baltimore MD, USA
| | - Michaela B C Kilander
- Laboratory of Neuronal Connectivity, Program in Neuroscience, Hussman Institute for Autism, Baltimore MD, USA
| | - Wenjuan Shen
- Laboratory of Neuronal Connectivity, Program in Neuroscience, Hussman Institute for Autism, Baltimore MD, USA
| | - Gene J Blatt
- Laboratory of Autism Neurocircuitry, Program in Neuroscience, Hussman Institute for Autism, Baltimore MD, USA
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27
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Lowther C, Speevak M, Armour CM, Goh ES, Graham GE, Li C, Zeesman S, Nowaczyk MJM, Schultz LA, Morra A, Nicolson R, Bikangaga P, Samdup D, Zaazou M, Boyd K, Jung JH, Siu V, Rajguru M, Goobie S, Tarnopolsky MA, Prasad C, Dick PT, Hussain AS, Walinga M, Reijenga RG, Gazzellone M, Lionel AC, Marshall CR, Scherer SW, Stavropoulos DJ, McCready E, Bassett AS. Molecular characterization of NRXN1 deletions from 19,263 clinical microarray cases identifies exons important for neurodevelopmental disease expression. Genet Med 2016; 19:53-61. [PMID: 27195815 PMCID: PMC4980119 DOI: 10.1038/gim.2016.54] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2016] [Accepted: 03/16/2016] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose The purpose of the current study was to assess the penetrance of NRXN1 deletions. Methods We compared the prevalence and genomic extent of NRXN1 deletions identified among 19,263 clinically referred cases to that of 15,264 controls. The burden of additional clinically relevant CNVs was used as a proxy to estimate the relative penetrance of NRXN1 deletions. Results We identified 41 (0.21%) previously unreported exonic NRXN1 deletions ascertained for developmental delay/intellectual disability, significantly greater than in controls [OR=8.14 (95% CI 2.91–22.72), p< 0.0001)]. Ten (22.7%) of these had a second clinically relevant CNV. Subjects with a deletion near the 3′ end of NRXN1 were significantly more likely to have a second rare CNV than subjects with a 5′ NRXN1 deletion [OR=7.47 (95% CI 2.36–23.61), p=0.0006]. The prevalence of intronic NRXN1 deletions was not statistically different between cases and controls (p=0.618). The majority (63.2%) of intronic NRXN1 deletion cases had a second rare CNV, a two-fold greater prevalence than for exonic NRXN1 deletion cases (p=0.0035). Conclusions The results support the importance of exons near the 5′ end of NRXN1 in the expression of neurodevelopmental disorders. Intronic NRXN1 deletions do not appear to substantially increase the risk for clinical phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea Lowther
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Marsha Speevak
- Trillium Health Partners Credit Valley Site, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Christine M Armour
- Regional Genetics Program, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Elaine S Goh
- Trillium Health Partners Credit Valley Site, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Gail E Graham
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Chumei Li
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,McMaster Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics and Clinical Genetics Program, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Susan Zeesman
- McMaster Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics and Clinical Genetics Program, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Malgorzata J M Nowaczyk
- McMaster Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics and Clinical Genetics Program, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lee-Anne Schultz
- McMaster Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics and Clinical Genetics Program, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Antonella Morra
- Trillium Health Partners Credit Valley Site, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rob Nicolson
- Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Dawa Samdup
- Hotel Dieu Hospital, Child Development Centre, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mostafa Zaazou
- Trillium Health Partners Credit Valley Site, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kerry Boyd
- Department of Psychiatry, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jack H Jung
- London Health Sciences Centre, Children's Hospital of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Victoria Siu
- Department of Pediatrics, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Sharan Goobie
- Department of Pediatrics, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mark A Tarnopolsky
- Department of Pediatrics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Chitra Prasad
- Department of Pediatrics, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Paul T Dick
- Grey Bruce Health Services, Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada
| | - Asmaa S Hussain
- London Health Sciences Centre, Children's Hospital of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | | | | | - Matthew Gazzellone
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Anath C Lionel
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Christian R Marshall
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Stephen W Scherer
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,McLaughlin Centre and Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Dimitri J Stavropoulos
- Cytogenetics Laboratory, Department of Pediatric Laboratory Medicine, the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Elizabeth McCready
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Anne S Bassett
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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28
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Szego MJ, Zawati MH. Whole Genome Sequencing as a Genetic Test for Autism Spectrum Disorder: From Bench to Bedside and then Back Again. JOURNAL OF THE CANADIAN ACADEMY OF CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRY = JOURNAL DE L'ACADEMIE CANADIENNE DE PSYCHIATRIE DE L'ENFANT ET DE L'ADOLESCENT 2016; 25:116-121. [PMID: 27274747 PMCID: PMC4879951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2015] [Accepted: 03/26/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by repetitive patterns of behaviour and impairments in social interactions and communication abilities. Although ASD is a heterogeneous disorder, it is a highly genetic condition for which genetic testing is routinely performed. Microarray analysis is currently the standard of care genetic test for ASD, however whole genome sequencing offers several key advantages and will likely replace microarrays as a frontline genetic test in the near future. The 2nd Consultation on Translation of Genomic Advances into Health Applications took place in the spring of 2014 to broadly explore the current and potential impacts of genomic advances in supporting personalized and family-centered care for autism and related developmental conditions. In anticipation of WGS becoming a standard of care test, we examine the policy landscape and highlight the lack of consistency among guidelines regarding what genomic information should be returned to patients and their families. We also discuss the need to create the infrastructure to share clinical WGS data with researchers in a systematic and ethically defensible manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Szego
- Centre for Clinical Ethics, St. Joseph’s Health Centre, Toronto, Ontario
- The Centre for Applied Genomics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, The Dalla Lana School of Public Health, and The Joint Centre for Bioethics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario
| | - Ma’n H. Zawati
- Centre of Genomics and Policy, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec
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29
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Two rare deletions upstream of the NRXN1 gene (2p16.3) affecting the non-coding mRNA AK127244 segregate with diverse psychopathological phenotypes in a family. Eur J Med Genet 2015; 58:650-3. [PMID: 26563496 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmg.2015.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2015] [Revised: 10/14/2015] [Accepted: 11/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
CNVs spanning the 2p16.3 (NRXN1) and the 15q11.2 gene rich region have been associated with severe neuropsychiatric disorders including schizophrenia. Recently, studies have also revealed that CNVs in non-coding regions play an essential role in genomic variability in addition to disease susceptibility. In this study, we describe a family affected by a wide range of psychiatric disorders including early onset schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder, and affective disorders. Microarray analysis identified two rare deletions immediately upstream of the NRXN1 gene affecting the non-coding mRNA AK127244 in addition to the pathogenic 15q11.2 deletion in distinct family members. The two deletions upstream of the NRXN1 gene were found to segregate with psychiatric disorders in the family and further similar deletions have been observed in patients diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Thus, we suggest that non-coding regions upstream of the NRXN1 gene affecting AK127244 might (as NRXN1) contain susceptibility regions for a wide spectrum of neuropsychiatric disorders.
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30
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Ziats MN, Grosvenor LP, Rennert OM. Functional genomics of human brain development and implications for autism spectrum disorders. Transl Psychiatry 2015; 5:e665. [PMID: 26506051 PMCID: PMC4930130 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2015.153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2014] [Revised: 09/03/2015] [Accepted: 09/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcription of the inherited DNA sequence into copies of messenger RNA is the most fundamental process by which the genome functions to guide development. Encoded sequence information, inherited epigenetic marks and environmental influences all converge at the level of mRNA gene expression to allow for cell-type-specific, tissue-specific, spatial and temporal patterns of expression. Thus, the transcriptome represents a complex interplay between inherited genomic structure, dynamic experiential demands and external signals. This property makes transcriptome studies uniquely positioned to provide insight into complex genetic-epigenetic-environmental processes such as human brain development, and disorders with non-Mendelian genetic etiologies such as autism spectrum disorders. In this review, we describe recent studies exploring the unique functional genomics profile of the human brain during neurodevelopment. We then highlight two emerging areas of research with great potential to increase our understanding of functional neurogenomics-non-coding RNA expression and gene interaction networks. Finally, we review previous functional genomics studies of autism spectrum disorder in this context, and discuss how investigations at the level of functional genomics are beginning to identify convergent molecular mechanisms underlying this genetically heterogeneous disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- M N Ziats
- Laboratory of Clinical and Developmental Genomics, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA,University of Cambridge, Robinson College, Cambridgeshire, UK,Baylor College of Medicine MSTP, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX, USA,Laboratory of Clinical and Developmental Genomics, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, 49 Convent Drive, Building 49, Room 2C08, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA. E-mail:
| | - L P Grosvenor
- Pediatrics and Developmental Neuroscience Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - O M Rennert
- Laboratory of Clinical and Developmental Genomics, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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31
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Friedman LG, Benson DL, Huntley GW. Cadherin-based transsynaptic networks in establishing and modifying neural connectivity. Curr Top Dev Biol 2015; 112:415-65. [PMID: 25733148 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2014.11.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
It is tacitly understood that cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) are critically important for the development of cells, circuits, and synapses in the brain. What is less clear is what CAMs continue to contribute to brain structure and function after the early period of development. Here, we focus on the cadherin family of CAMs to first briefly recap their multidimensional roles in neural development and then to highlight emerging data showing that with maturity, cadherins become largely dispensible for maintaining neuronal and synaptic structure, instead displaying new and narrower roles at mature synapses where they critically regulate dynamic aspects of synaptic signaling, structural plasticity, and cognitive function. At mature synapses, cadherins are an integral component of multiprotein networks, modifying synaptic signaling, morphology, and plasticity through collaborative interactions with other CAM family members as well as a variety of neurotransmitter receptors, scaffolding proteins, and other effector molecules. Such recognition of the ever-evolving functions of synaptic cadherins may yield insight into the pathophysiology of brain disorders in which cadherins have been implicated and that manifest at different times of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren G Friedman
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Deanna L Benson
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - George W Huntley
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA.
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32
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Chuang HC, Huang TN, Hsueh YP. T-Brain-1--A Potential Master Regulator in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Autism Res 2015; 8:412-26. [PMID: 25600067 DOI: 10.1002/aur.1456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2014] [Revised: 09/30/2014] [Accepted: 11/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
T-Brain-1 (TBR1), a causative gene in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), encodes a brain-specific T-box transcription factor. It is therefore possible that TBR1 controls the expression of other autism risk factors. The downstream genes of TBR1 have been identified using microarray and promoter analyses. In this study, we annotated individual genes downstream of TBR1 and investigated any associations with ASDs through extensive literature searches. Of 124 TBR1 target genes, 23 were reported to be associated with ASDs. In addition, one gene, Kiaa0319, is a known causative gene for dyslexia, a disorder frequently associated with autism. A change in expression level in 10 of these 24 genes has been previously confirmed. We further validated the alteration of RNA expression levels of Kiaa0319, Baiap2, and Gad1 in Tbr1 deficient mice. Among these 24 genes, four transcription factors Auts2, Nfia, Nr4a2, and Sox5 were found, suggesting that TBR1 controls a transcriptional cascade relevant to autism pathogenesis. A further five of the 24 genes (Cd44, Cdh8, Cntn6, Gpc6, and Ntng1) encode membrane proteins that regulate cell adhesion and axonal outgrowth. These genes likely contribute to the role of TBR1 in regulation of neuronal migration and axonal extension. Besides, decreases in Grin2b expression and increases in Gad1 expression imply that neuronal activity may be aberrant in Tbr1 deficient mice. These analyses provide direction for future experiments to reveal the pathogenic mechanism of autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsiu-Chun Chuang
- Graduate Institute of Life Sciences, National Defense Medical Center.,Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Tzyy-Nan Huang
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Ping Hsueh
- Graduate Institute of Life Sciences, National Defense Medical Center.,Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
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33
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Engchuan W, Dhindsa K, Lionel AC, Scherer SW, Chan JH, Merico D. Performance of case-control rare copy number variation annotation in classification of autism. BMC Med Genomics 2015; 8 Suppl 1:S7. [PMID: 25783485 PMCID: PMC4315323 DOI: 10.1186/1755-8794-8-s1-s7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A substantial proportion of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) risk resides in de novo germline and rare inherited genetic variation. In particular, rare copy number variation (CNV) contributes to ASD risk in up to 10% of ASD subjects. Despite the striking degree of genetic heterogeneity, case-control studies have detected specific burden of rare disruptive CNV for neuronal and neurodevelopmental pathways. Here, we used machine learning methods to classify ASD subjects and controls, based on rare CNV data and comprehensive gene annotations. We investigated performance of different methods and estimated the percentage of ASD subjects that could be reliably classified based on presumed etiologic CNV they carry. RESULTS We analyzed 1,892 Caucasian ASD subjects and 2,342 matched controls. Rare CNVs (frequency 1% or less) were detected using Illumina 1M and 1M-Duo BeadChips. Conditional Inference Forest (CF) typically performed as well as or better than other classification methods. We found a maximum AUC (area under the ROC curve) of 0.533 when considering all ASD subjects with rare genic CNVs, corresponding to 7.9% correctly classified ASD subjects and less than 3% incorrectly classified controls; performance was significantly higher when considering only subjects harboring de novo or pathogenic CNVs. We also found rare losses to be more predictive than gains and that curated neurally-relevant annotations (brain expression, synaptic components and neurodevelopmental phenotypes) outperform Gene Ontology and pathway-based annotations. CONCLUSIONS CF is an optimal classification approach for case-control rare CNV data and it can be used to prioritize subjects with variants potentially contributing to ASD risk not yet recognized. The neurally-relevant annotations used in this study could be successfully applied to rare CNV case-control data-sets for other neuropsychiatric disorders.
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34
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Weak association of glyoxalase 1 (GLO1) variants with autism spectrum disorder. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2015; 24:75-82. [PMID: 24671236 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-014-0537-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2013] [Accepted: 03/07/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The prevalence of the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was recently estimated to 1 in 88 children by the CDC MMWR. In up to 25 % of the cases, the genetic cause can be identified. Past studies identified increased level of advanced glycation end products (AGE) in the brain samples of ASD patients. The methylglyoxal (MG) is one of the main precursors for AGE formation. Humans developed effective mechanism of the MG metabolism involving two enzymes glyoxalase 1 (GLO1) and hydroxyacylglutathione hydrolase (HAGH). Our aim was to analyse genetic variants of GLO1 and HAGH in population of 143 paediatric participants with ASD. We detected 7 genetic variants in GLO1 and 16 variants in HAGH using high-resolution melting (HRM) analysis. A novel association between variant rs1049346 and ASD [OR (allele C)] = 1.5; 95 % CI = 1.1-2.2 and p < 0.05) was identified, and weak association between ASD and variant rs2736654 [OR (allele A)] = 2.2; 95 % CI = 0.99-4.9; p = 0.045) was confirmed. Additionally, a novel genetic variant (GLO1 c.484G > A, p.Ala161Thr) with predicted potentially damaging effect on the activity of the glyoxalase 1 that may contribute to the aetiology of ASD was identified in one participant with ASD. No association between genetic variants of the HAGH gene and ASD was found. Increased level of MG and, consequently, AGEs can induce oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammation all of which have been implicated to act in the aetiology of the ASD. Our results indicate potential importance of MG metabolism in ASD. However, these results must be interpreted with caution until a causative relation is demonstrated.
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35
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36
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Friedman LG, Riemslagh FW, Sullivan JM, Mesias R, Williams FM, Huntley GW, Benson DL. Cadherin-8 expression, synaptic localization, and molecular control of neuronal form in prefrontal corticostriatal circuits. J Comp Neurol 2014; 523:75-92. [PMID: 25158904 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2014] [Revised: 08/25/2014] [Accepted: 08/25/2014] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Neocortical interactions with the dorsal striatum support many motor and executive functions, and such underlying functional networks are particularly vulnerable to a variety of developmental, neurological, and psychiatric brain disorders, including autism spectrum disorders, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease. Relatively little is known about the development of functional corticostriatal interactions, and in particular, virtually nothing is known of the molecular mechanisms that control generation of prefrontal cortex-striatal circuits. Here, we used regional and cellular in situ hybridization techniques coupled with neuronal tract tracing to show that Cadherin-8 (Cdh8), a homophilic adhesion protein encoded by a gene associated with autism spectrum disorders and learning disability susceptibility, is enriched within striatal projection neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex and in striatal medium spiny neurons forming the direct or indirect pathways. Developmental analysis of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot data show that Cdh8 expression peaks in the prefrontal cortex and striatum at P10, when cortical projections start to form synapses in the striatum. High-resolution immunoelectron microscopy shows that Cdh8 is concentrated at excitatory synapses in the dorsal striatum, and Cdh8 knockdown in cortical neurons impairs dendritic arborization and dendrite self-avoidance. Taken together, our findings indicate that Cdh8 delineates developing corticostriatal circuits where it is a strong candidate for regulating the generation of normal cortical projections, neuronal morphology, and corticostriatal synapses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren G Friedman
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience, Friedman Brain Institute and The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, 10029
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37
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Bowdin S, Ray PN, Cohn RD, Meyn MS. The Genome Clinic: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Assessing the Opportunities and Challenges of Integrating Genomic Analysis into Clinical Care. Hum Mutat 2014; 35:513-9. [DOI: 10.1002/humu.22536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2013] [Accepted: 02/21/2014] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Bowdin
- Division of Clinical and Metabolic Genetics; Department of Paediatrics; The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto Ontario Canada
- The Centre for Genetic Medicine; The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto Ontario Canada
- Department of Paediatrics; University of Toronto; Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Peter N. Ray
- The Centre for Genetic Medicine; The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto Ontario Canada
- Department of Paediatric Laboratory Medicine; The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto Ontario Canada
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology; The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto Ontario Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics; University of Toronto; Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Ronald D. Cohn
- Division of Clinical and Metabolic Genetics; Department of Paediatrics; The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto Ontario Canada
- The Centre for Genetic Medicine; The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto Ontario Canada
- Department of Paediatrics; University of Toronto; Toronto Ontario Canada
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology; The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto Ontario Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics; University of Toronto; Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - M. Stephen Meyn
- Division of Clinical and Metabolic Genetics; Department of Paediatrics; The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto Ontario Canada
- The Centre for Genetic Medicine; The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto Ontario Canada
- Department of Paediatrics; University of Toronto; Toronto Ontario Canada
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology; The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto Ontario Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics; University of Toronto; Toronto Ontario Canada
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38
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Copy Number Variation in Chickens: A Review and Future Prospects. MICROARRAYS 2014; 3:24-38. [PMID: 27605028 PMCID: PMC5003453 DOI: 10.3390/microarrays3010024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2013] [Revised: 01/22/2014] [Accepted: 01/23/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
DNA sequence variations include nucleotide substitution, deletion, insertion, translocation and inversion. Deletion or insertion of a large DNA segment in the genome, referred to as copy number variation (CNV), has caught the attention of many researchers recently. It is believed that CNVs contribute significantly to genome variability, and thus contribute to phenotypic variability. In chickens, genome-wide surveys with array comparative genome hybridization (aCGH), SNP chip detection or whole genome sequencing have revealed a large number of CNVs. A large portion of chicken CNVs involves protein coding or regulatory sequences. A few CNVs have been demonstrated to be the determinant factors for single gene traits, such as late-feathering, pea-comb and dermal hyperpigmentation. The phenotypic effects of the majority of chicken CNVs are to be delineated.
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