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Ouellette J, Lacoste B. Rock2 heterozygosity improves recognition memory and endothelial function in a mouse model of 16p11.2 deletion autism syndrome. Neurosci Lett 2024; 837:137904. [PMID: 39029613 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2024.137904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2024] [Revised: 07/15/2024] [Accepted: 07/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/21/2024]
Abstract
Rho-associated protein kinase-2 (ROCK2) is a critical player in many cellular processes and was incriminated in cardiovascular and neurological disorders. Recent evidence has shown that non-selective pharmacological blockage of ROCKs ameliorates behavioral alterations in a mouse model of 16p11.2 haploinsufficiency. We had revealed that 16p11.2-deficient mice also display cerebrovascular abnormalities, including endothelial dysfunction. To investigate whether genetic blockage of ROCK2 also exerts beneficial effects on cognition and angiogenesis, we generated mice with both 16p11.2 and Rock2 haploinsufficiency (16p11.2df/+;Rock2+/-). We find that Rock2 heterozygosity on a 16p11.2df/+ background significantly improved recognition memory. Furthermore, brain endothelial cells from 16p11.2df/+;Rock2+/- mice display improved angiogenic capacity compared to cells from 16p11.2df/+ littermates. Overall, this study implicates Rock2 gene as a modulator of 16p11.2-associated alterations, highlighting its potential as a target for treatment of autism spectrum disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Ouellette
- Neuroscience Program, The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada; Cellular & Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Baptiste Lacoste
- Neuroscience Program, The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada; Cellular & Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada; University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
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2
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Rodgers J, Cassidy S, Pelton M, Goodwin J, Wagnild J, Bhattarai N, Gordon I, Wilson C, Heslop P, Ogundimu E, O’Connor RC, Ramsay SE, Townsend E, Vale L. Feasibility and acceptability of autism adapted safety plans: an external pilot randomised controlled trial. EClinicalMedicine 2024; 73:102662. [PMID: 38864075 PMCID: PMC11165343 DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 05/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Autistic people are a high-risk group for self-harm and suicide. There are no evidence-based suicide prevention interventions developed specifically for autistic people. We undertook a pilot feasibility randomised controlled trial of autism adapted safety plans (AASP) to reduce self-harm and suicide for autistic people. Methods This study took place in the United Kingdom and followed a randomised, two-arm, controlled design. Autistic adults (n = 53, mean age = 39, gender = 49% female, 29% not male or female) were recruited via third sector organisations and self-referral between 11.8.21 and 19.10.22. Participants were randomised without stratification to usual care with or without AASP. The AASP was completed by the autistic adults together with someone trained to support them. Research staff who completed follow-up assessments were blind to participant allocation. Primary outcomes were feasibility and acceptability. Participants were assessed at baseline, 1 and 6 months. Primary data were analysed under the intention to treat principle. Study protocol is published. The trial is closed to new participants. This study is registered with the ISRCTN registry, ISRCTN70594445. Findings 53 participants consented, 49 were randomised to either AASP with usual care (n = 25) or usual care (n = 24). 68% of participants in the AASP arm were satisfied with the AASP and 41% rated it as useable. Feedback on the AASP and research methods were positive with suggested adaptations to some outcome measures. Retention and completion of outcomes measures in both arms was excellent, as was fidelity of delivery of the AASP. Interpretation Study progression criteria were met, suggesting that the parameters of a future definitive trial of clinical and cost effectiveness of AASP to reduce self-harm and suicide in autistic adults are achievable, with minor recommended adaptions to outcome measures and AASP. Future research should explore the use of AASP in routine clinical practice. Funding This study is funded by the NIHR [Public Health Research Programme (NIHR129196)].
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqui Rodgers
- Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Sarah Cassidy
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Mirabel Pelton
- Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, NE1 7RU, UK
- Autism Research Centre, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Jane Goodwin
- Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, NE1 7RU, UK
| | | | - Nawaraj Bhattarai
- Health Economics Group, Population Health Science Institute, Newcastle University, NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Isabel Gordon
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Colin Wilson
- Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Phil Heslop
- Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing, Northumbria University, NE7 7XA, UK
| | | | - Rory C. O’Connor
- Suicidal Behaviour Research Lab, School of Health & Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, G12 8TB, UK
| | - Sheena E. Ramsay
- Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Ellen Townsend
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Luke Vale
- Health Economics Group, Population Health Science Institute, Newcastle University, NE1 7RU, UK
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Leone R, Zuglian C, Brambilla R, Morella I. Understanding copy number variations through their genes: a molecular view on 16p11.2 deletion and duplication syndromes. Front Pharmacol 2024; 15:1407865. [PMID: 38948459 PMCID: PMC11211608 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1407865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) include a broad spectrum of pathological conditions that affect >4% of children worldwide, share common features and present a variegated genetic origin. They include clinically defined diseases, such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), motor disorders such as Tics and Tourette's syndromes, but also much more heterogeneous conditions like intellectual disability (ID) and epilepsy. Schizophrenia (SCZ) has also recently been proposed to belong to NDDs. Relatively common causes of NDDs are copy number variations (CNVs), characterised by the gain or the loss of a portion of a chromosome. In this review, we focus on deletions and duplications at the 16p11.2 chromosomal region, associated with NDDs, ID, ASD but also epilepsy and SCZ. Some of the core phenotypes presented by human carriers could be recapitulated in animal and cellular models, which also highlighted prominent neurophysiological and signalling alterations underpinning 16p11.2 CNVs-associated phenotypes. In this review, we also provide an overview of the genes within the 16p11.2 locus, including those with partially known or unknown function as well as non-coding RNAs. A particularly interesting interplay was observed between MVP and MAPK3 in modulating some of the pathological phenotypes associated with the 16p11.2 deletion. Elucidating their role in intracellular signalling and their functional links will be a key step to devise novel therapeutic strategies for 16p11.2 CNVs-related syndromes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Leone
- Università di Pavia, Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie “Lazzaro Spallanzani”, Pavia, Italy
| | - Cecilia Zuglian
- Università di Pavia, Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie “Lazzaro Spallanzani”, Pavia, Italy
| | - Riccardo Brambilla
- Università di Pavia, Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie “Lazzaro Spallanzani”, Pavia, Italy
- Cardiff University, School of Biosciences, Neuroscience and Mental Health Innovation Institute, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Ilaria Morella
- Cardiff University, School of Biosciences, Neuroscience and Mental Health Innovation Institute, Cardiff, United Kingdom
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Cai Y, Wang LW, Wu J, Chen ZW, Yu XF, Liu FH, Gao DP. Fasudil alleviates alcohol-induced cognitive deficits and hippocampal morphology injury partly by altering the assembly of the actin cytoskeleton and microtubules. Behav Brain Res 2024; 471:115068. [PMID: 38830386 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.115068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2024] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
Alcohol-Related Brain Damage (ARBD) manifests predominantly as cognitive impairment and brain atrophy with the hippocampus showing particular vulnerability. Fasudil, a Rho kinase (ROCK) inhibitor, has established neuroprotective properties; however, its impact on alcohol-induced cognitive dysfunction and hippocampal structural damage remains unelucidated. This study probes Fasudil's neuroprotective potential and identifies its mechanism of action in an in vivo context. Male C57BL/6 J mice were exposed to 30% (v/v, 6.0 g/kg) ethanol by intragastric administration for four weeks. Concurrently, these mice received a co-treatment with Fasudil through intraperitoneal injections at a dosage of 10 mg/kg/day. Fasudil was found to mitigate alcohol-induced spatial and recognition memory deficits, which were quantified using Y maze, Morris water maze, and novel object recognition tests. Concurrently, Fasudil attenuated hippocampal structural damage prompted by chronic alcohol exposure. Notably, Fasudil moderated alcohol-induced disassembly of the actin cytoskeleton and microtubules-mechanisms central to the maintenance of hippocampal synaptic integrity. Collectively, our findings indicate that Fasudil partially reverses alcohol-induced cognitive and morphological detriments by modulating cytoskeletal dynamics, offering insights into potential therapeutic strategies for ARBD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Cai
- Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Pharmaceutical University, 666 Siming Rd, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315500, PR China
| | - Lu-Wan Wang
- School of Medical, Ningbo University, 818 Fenghua Rd, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315211, PR China
| | - Jing Wu
- Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Pharmaceutical University, 666 Siming Rd, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315500, PR China
| | - Zi-Wei Chen
- Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Pharmaceutical University, 666 Siming Rd, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315500, PR China
| | - Xue-Feng Yu
- Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Pharmaceutical University, 666 Siming Rd, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315500, PR China
| | - Fu-He Liu
- Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Pharmaceutical University, 666 Siming Rd, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315500, PR China
| | - Da-Peng Gao
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, 247 Renmin Rd, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315020, PR China.
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Kim J, Vanrobaeys Y, Kelvington B, Peterson Z, Baldwin E, Gaine ME, Nickl-Jockschat T, Abel T. Dissecting 16p11.2 hemi-deletion to study sex-specific striatal phenotypes of neurodevelopmental disorders. Mol Psychiatry 2024; 29:1310-1321. [PMID: 38278994 PMCID: PMC11189748 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02411-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are polygenic in nature and copy number variants (CNVs) are ideal candidates to study the nature of this polygenic risk. The disruption of striatal circuits is considered a central mechanism in NDDs. The 16p11.2 hemi-deletion (16p11.2 del/+) is one of the most common CNVs associated with NDD, and 16p11.2 del/+ mice show sex-specific striatum-related behavioral phenotypes. However, the critical genes among the 27 genes in the 16p11.2 region that underlie these phenotypes remain unknown. Previously, we applied a novel strategy to identify candidate genes associated with the sex-specific phenotypes of 16p11.2 del/+ mice and highlighted three genes within the deleted region: thousand and one amino acid protein kinase 2 (Taok2), seizure-related 6 homolog-like 2 (Sez6l2), and major vault protein (Mvp). Using CRISPR/Cas9, we generated mice carrying null mutations in Taok2, Sez6l2, and Mvp (3 gene hemi-deletion (3g del/+)). Hemi-deletion of these 3 genes recapitulates sex-specific behavioral alterations in striatum-dependent behavioral tasks observed in 16p11.2 del/+ mice, specifically male-specific hyperactivity and impaired motivation for reward seeking. Moreover, RNAseq analysis revealed that 3g del/+ mice exhibit gene expression changes in the striatum similar to 16p11.2 del/+ mice exclusively in males. Subsequent analysis identified translation dysregulation and/or extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling as plausible molecular mechanisms underlying male-specific, striatum-dependent behavioral alterations. Interestingly, ribosomal profiling supported the notion of translation dysregulation in both 3g del/+ and 16p11.2 del/+ male mice. However, mice carrying a 4-gene deletion (with an additional deletion of Mapk3) exhibited fewer phenotypic similarities with 16p11.2 del/+ mice. Together, the mutation of 3 genes within the 16p11.2 region phenocopies striatal sex-specific phenotypes of 16p11.2 del/+ mice. These results support the importance of a polygenic approach to study NDDs and underscore that the effects of the large genetic deletions result from complex interactions between multiple candidate genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaekyoon Kim
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA
| | - Yann Vanrobaeys
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Genetics, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA
| | - Benjamin Kelvington
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA
| | - Zeru Peterson
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA
| | - Emily Baldwin
- The Iowa Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA
| | - Marie E Gaine
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA
| | - Thomas Nickl-Jockschat
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA.
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA.
| | - Ted Abel
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA.
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa, IA, USA.
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Aishworiya R, Valica T, Hagerman R, Restrepo B. An Update on Psychopharmacological Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder. FOCUS (AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC PUBLISHING) 2024; 22:198-211. [PMID: 38680976 PMCID: PMC11046717 DOI: 10.1176/appi.focus.24022006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
While behavioral interventions remain the mainstay of treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), several potential targeted treatments addressing the underlying neurophysiology of ASD have emerged in the last few years. These are promising for the potential to, in future, become part of the mainstay treatment in addressing the core symptoms of ASD. Although it is likely that the development of future targeted treatments will be influenced by the underlying heterogeneity in etiology, associated genetic mechanisms influencing ASD are likely to be the first targets of treatments and even gene therapy in the future for ASD. In this article, we provide a review of current psychopharmacological treatment in ASD including those used to address common comorbidities of the condition and upcoming new targeted approaches in autism management. Medications including metformin, arbaclofen, cannabidiol, oxytocin, bumetanide, lovastatin, trofinetide, and dietary supplements including sulforophane and N-acetylcysteine are discussed. Commonly used medications to address the comorbidities associated with ASD including atypical antipsychotics, serotoninergic agents, alpha-2 agonists, and stimulant medications are also reviewed. Targeted treatments in Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common genetic disorder leading to ASD, provide a model for new treatments that may be helpful for other forms of ASD. Appeared originally in Neurotherapeutics 2022; 19:248-262.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramkumar Aishworiya
- Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (MIND) Institute, University of California Davis, 2825 50th Street, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA (Aishworiya, Valica, Hagerman, Restrepo); Khoo Teck Puat-National University Children's Medical Institute, National University Health System, 5 Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119074, Singapore; Department of Pediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 1E Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119228, Singapore (Aishworiya); Association for Children With Autism, Chisinau, Moldova (Valica); Department of Pediatrics, University of California Davis School of Medicine, 4610 X St, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA (Hagerman, Restrepo)
| | - Tatiana Valica
- Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (MIND) Institute, University of California Davis, 2825 50th Street, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA (Aishworiya, Valica, Hagerman, Restrepo); Khoo Teck Puat-National University Children's Medical Institute, National University Health System, 5 Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119074, Singapore; Department of Pediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 1E Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119228, Singapore (Aishworiya); Association for Children With Autism, Chisinau, Moldova (Valica); Department of Pediatrics, University of California Davis School of Medicine, 4610 X St, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA (Hagerman, Restrepo)
| | - Randi Hagerman
- Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (MIND) Institute, University of California Davis, 2825 50th Street, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA (Aishworiya, Valica, Hagerman, Restrepo); Khoo Teck Puat-National University Children's Medical Institute, National University Health System, 5 Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119074, Singapore; Department of Pediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 1E Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119228, Singapore (Aishworiya); Association for Children With Autism, Chisinau, Moldova (Valica); Department of Pediatrics, University of California Davis School of Medicine, 4610 X St, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA (Hagerman, Restrepo)
| | - Bibiana Restrepo
- Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (MIND) Institute, University of California Davis, 2825 50th Street, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA (Aishworiya, Valica, Hagerman, Restrepo); Khoo Teck Puat-National University Children's Medical Institute, National University Health System, 5 Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119074, Singapore; Department of Pediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 1E Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119228, Singapore (Aishworiya); Association for Children With Autism, Chisinau, Moldova (Valica); Department of Pediatrics, University of California Davis School of Medicine, 4610 X St, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA (Hagerman, Restrepo)
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Han JY, Cho YG, Jo DS, Park J. Diversity of Clinical and Molecular Characteristics in Korean Patients with 16p11.2 Microdeletion Syndrome. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 25:253. [PMID: 38203422 PMCID: PMC10779371 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25010253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
16p11.2 copy number variations (CNVs) are increasingly recognized as one of the most frequent genomic disorders, and the 16p11.2 microdeletion exhibits broad phenotypic variability and a diverse clinical phenotype. We describe the neurodevelopmental course and discordant clinical phenotypes observed within and between individuals with identical 16p11.2 microdeletions. An analysis with the CytoScan Dx Assay was conducted on a GeneChip System 3000Dx, and the sample signals were then compared to a reference set using the Chromosome Analysis Suite software version 3.1. Ten patients from six separate families were identified with 16p11.2 microdeletions. Nine breakpoints (BPs) 4-5 and one BP2-5 of the 16p11.2 microdeletion were identified. All patients with 16p11.2 microdeletions exhibited developmental delay and/or intellectual disability. Sixty percent of patients presented with neonatal hypotonia, but muscle weakness improved with age. Benign infantile epilepsy manifested between the ages of 7-10 months (a median of 8 months) in six patients (60%). Vertebral dysplasia was observed in two patients (20%), and mild scoliosis was noted in three patients. Sixty percent of patients were overweight. We present six unrelated Korean families, among which identical 16p11.2 microdeletions resulted in diverse developmental trajectories and discordant phenotypes. The clinical variability and incomplete penetrance observed in individuals with 16p11.2 microdeletions remain unclear, posing challenges to accurate clinical interpretation and diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Yoon Han
- Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Republic of Korea;
| | - Yong Gon Cho
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Jeonbuk National University Medical School and Hospital, Jeonju 54907, Republic of Korea;
- Research Institute of Clinical Medicine of Jeonbuk National University-Biomedical Research Institute of Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju 54907, Republic of Korea
| | - Dae Sun Jo
- Research Institute of Clinical Medicine of Jeonbuk National University-Biomedical Research Institute of Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju 54907, Republic of Korea
- Department of Pediatrics, Jeonbuk National University Medical School and Hospital, Jeonju 54907, Republic of Korea
| | - Joonhong Park
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Jeonbuk National University Medical School and Hospital, Jeonju 54907, Republic of Korea;
- Research Institute of Clinical Medicine of Jeonbuk National University-Biomedical Research Institute of Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju 54907, Republic of Korea
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Rusu A, Chevalier C, de Chaumont F, Nalesso V, Brault V, Hérault Y, Ey E. Day-to-day spontaneous social behaviours is quantitatively and qualitatively affected in a 16p11.2 deletion mouse model. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1294558. [PMID: 38173978 PMCID: PMC10763239 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1294558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Autism spectrum disorders affect more than 1% of the population, impairing social communication and increasing stereotyped behaviours. A micro-deletion of the 16p11.2 BP4-BP5 chromosomic region has been identified in 1% of patients also displaying intellectual disabilities. In mouse models generated to understand the mechanisms of this deletion, learning and memory deficits were pervasive in most genetic backgrounds, while social communication deficits were only detected in some models. Methods To complement previous studies, we itemized the social deficits in the mouse model of 16p11.2 deletion on a hybrid C57BL/6N × C3H.Pde6b+ genetic background. We examined whether behavioural deficits were visible over long-term observation periods lasting several days and nights, to parallel everyday-life assessment of patients. We recorded the individual and social behaviours of mice carrying a heterozygous deletion of the homologous 16p11.2 chromosomic region (hereafter Del/+) and their wild-type littermates from both sexes over two or three consecutive nights during social interactions of familiar mixed-genotype quartets of males and of females, and of same-genotype unfamiliar female pairs. Results We observed that Del/+ mice of both sexes increased significantly their locomotor activity compared to wild-type littermates. In the social domain, Del/+ mice of both sexes displayed widespread deficits, even more so in males than in females in quartets of familiar individuals. In pairs, significant perturbations of the organisation of the social communication and behaviours appeared in Del/+ females. Discussion Altogether, this suggests that, over long recording periods, the phenotype of the 16p11.2 Del/+ mice was differently affected in the locomotor activity and the social domains and between the two sexes. These findings confirm the importance of testing models in long-term conditions to provide a comprehensive view of their phenotype that will refine the study of cellular and molecular mechanisms and complement pre-clinical targeted therapeutic trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Rusu
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire‑UMR 7104-UMR-S 1258, Illkirch, France
| | - Claire Chevalier
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire‑UMR 7104-UMR-S 1258, Illkirch, France
| | - Fabrice de Chaumont
- Génétique Humaine et Fonctions Cognitives, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Valérie Nalesso
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire‑UMR 7104-UMR-S 1258, Illkirch, France
| | - Véronique Brault
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire‑UMR 7104-UMR-S 1258, Illkirch, France
| | - Yann Hérault
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire‑UMR 7104-UMR-S 1258, Illkirch, France
- Génétique Humaine et Fonctions Cognitives, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Elodie Ey
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire‑UMR 7104-UMR-S 1258, Illkirch, France
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Forrest MP, Penzes P. Mechanisms of copy number variants in neuropsychiatric disorders: From genes to therapeutics. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2023; 82:102750. [PMID: 37515924 PMCID: PMC10529795 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2023] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/31/2023]
Abstract
Copy number variants (CNVs) are genomic imbalances strongly linked to the aetiology of neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and autism. By virtue of their large size, CNVs often contain many genes, providing a multi-genic view of disease processes that can be dissected in model systems. Thus, CNV research provides an important stepping stone towards understanding polygenic disease mechanisms, positioned between monogenic and polygenic risk models. In this review, we will outline hypothetical models for gene interactions occurring within CNVs and discuss different approaches used to study rodent and stem cell disease models. We highlight recent work showing that genetic and pharmacological strategies can be used to rescue important aspects of CNV-mediated pathophysiology, which often converges onto synaptic pathways. We propose that using a rescue approach in complete CNV models provides a new path forward for precise mechanistic understanding of complex disorders and a tangible route towards therapeutic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc P Forrest
- Department of Neuroscience, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA; Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
| | - Peter Penzes
- Department of Neuroscience, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA; Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
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Wilkinson CL, Yankowitz L, Chao JY, Gutiérrez R, Rhoades JL, Shinnar S, Purdon PL, Nelson CA. Developmental trajectories of EEG aperiodic and periodic power: Implications for understanding the timing of thalamocortical development during infancy. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-3215728. [PMID: 37790544 PMCID: PMC10543027 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3215728/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
The development of neural circuits over the first years of life has long-lasting effects on brain function, yet our understanding of early circuit development in humans remains limited. Here, aperiodic and periodic EEG power features were examined from longitudinal EEGs collected from 592 healthy 2-44 month-old infants, revealing age-dependent nonlinear changes suggestive of distinct milestones in early brain maturation. Consistent with the transient developmental progression of thalamocortical circuitry, we observe the presence and then absence of periodic alpha and high beta peaks across the three-year period, as well as the emergence of a low beta peak (12-20Hz) after six months of age. We present preliminary evidence that the emergence of the low beta peak is associated with thalamocortical connectivity sufficient for anesthesia-induced alpha coherence. Together, these findings suggest that early age-dependent changes in alpha and beta periodic peaks may reflect the state of thalamocortical network development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carol L Wilkinson
- Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lisa Yankowitz
- Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Jerry Y Chao
- Department of Anesthesiology, Montefiore Medical Center, Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Rodrigo Gutiérrez
- Centro de Investigación Clínica Avanzada, Hospital Clínico de la Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Jeff L Rhoades
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, Division of Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Shlomo Shinnar
- The Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Patrick L Purdon
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Charles A Nelson
- Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, United States
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11
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Hope S, Shadrin AA, Lin A, Bahrami S, Rødevand L, Frei O, Hübenette SJ, Cheng W, Hindley G, Nag H, Ulstein L, Efrim-Budisteanu M, O'Connell K, Dale AM, Djurovic S, Nærland T, Andreassen OA. Bidirectional genetic overlap between autism spectrum disorder and cognitive traits. Transl Psychiatry 2023; 13:295. [PMID: 37709755 PMCID: PMC10502136 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02563-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a highly heritable condition with a large variation in cognitive function. Here we investigated the shared genetic architecture between cognitive traits (intelligence (INT) and educational attainment (EDU)), and risk loci jointly associated with ASD and the cognitive traits. We analyzed data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of INT (n = 269,867), EDU (n = 766,345) and ASD (cases n = 18,381, controls n = 27,969). We used the bivariate causal mixture model (MiXeR) to estimate the total number of shared genetic variants, local analysis of co-variant annotation (LAVA) to estimate local genetic correlations, conditional false discovery rate (cond/conjFDR) to identify specific overlapping loci. The MiXeR analyses showed that 12.7k genetic variants are associated with ASD, of which 12.0k variants are shared with EDU, and 11.1k are shared with INT with both positive and negative relationships within overlapping variants. The majority (59-68%) of estimated shared loci have concordant effect directions, with a positive, albeit modest, genetic correlation between ASD and EDU (rg = 0.21, p = 2e-13) and INT (rg = 0.22, p = 4e-12). We discovered 43 loci jointly associated with ASD and cognitive traits (conjFDR<0.05), of which 27 were novel for ASD. Functional analysis revealed significant differential expression of candidate genes in the cerebellum and frontal cortex. To conclude, we quantified the genetic architecture shared between ASD and cognitive traits, demonstrated mixed effect directions, and identified the associated genetic loci and molecular pathways. The findings suggest that common genetic risk factors for ASD can underlie both better and worse cognitive functioning across the ASD spectrum, with different underlying biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sigrun Hope
- K.G. Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
- Department of Neurohabilitation, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
- NevSom, Department of Rare Disorders and Disabilities, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
| | - Alexey A Shadrin
- K.G. Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo and Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Aihua Lin
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo and Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Shahram Bahrami
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo and Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Linn Rødevand
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo and Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Oleksandr Frei
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo and Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Center for Bioinformatics, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Saira J Hübenette
- K.G. Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Weiqiu Cheng
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo and Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Guy Hindley
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo and Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Heidi Nag
- Frambu Resource Centre for Rare Disorders, Siggerud, Norway
| | | | - Magdalena Efrim-Budisteanu
- Prof. Dr. Alex Obregia Clinical Hospital of Psychiatry, Bucharest, Romania
- "Victor Babes", Național Institute of Pathology, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Kevin O'Connell
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo and Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anders M Dale
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Srdjan Djurovic
- K.G. Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- NORMENT, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Terje Nærland
- K.G. Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- NevSom, Department of Rare Disorders and Disabilities, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ole A Andreassen
- K.G. Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo and Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
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12
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Investigating autistic traits, social phobia, fear of COVID-19, and internet use disorder variables in the context of videoconference fatigue. TELEMATICS AND INFORMATICS REPORTS 2023; 11:100067. [PMCID: PMC10202897 DOI: 10.1016/j.teler.2023.100067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 04/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
In response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many individuals turned to synchronous online video communication technologies as a substitute for real-world face-to-face interactions. Evidence indicates that some users of such technologies show symptoms of exhaustion and fatigue during and after videoconferences (VCs) – this phenomenon is referred to as Videoconference Fatigue (VC fatigue). Research characterizing the possible vulnerability factors for VC fatigue is still scarce and considered to be in its early stage. Contributing to closing this gap in the existing literature is the motivation for the present study. Survey data was collected from 311 German-speaking participants to explore the relationships of VC fatigue with several psychological factors including autistic traits, social phobia, Fear of COVID-19, tendencies towards Internet Use Disorders (IUD tendencies), and Fear of Missing Out (FoMO, trait and state variables). Results showed that VC fatigue was significantly positively correlated with all of these psychological factors except state-FoMO, and corss-sectional mediation analyses provided further evidence for the positive association between autistic traits and VC fatigue. Specifically, the relationship between autistic traits and VC fatigue was mediated by Fear of COVID-19 and IUD tendencies rather than social phobia, with the latter being a preregistered hypothesis. This study adds to the literature by revealing several possible vulnerability factors associated with VC fatigue. In essence, the present work sheds light on the complex association between autistic traits and VC fatigue. We discuss the implications of our study as well as its limitations and potential avenues for future research.
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13
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Attary T, Noorbala L, Ghazizadeh A. The Covid-19 pandemic had polarizing effects on trait scores depending on a person's resilience and predispositions: A longitudinal prospective study. Heliyon 2023; 9:e18399. [PMID: 37529337 PMCID: PMC10388164 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
While Covid-19 is, first and foremost, a pernicious physical illness, its highly contagious nature has led to significant disruption in social life and psychological stress, occasionally resulting in dire mental health consequences that are still not fully understood. To address this issue, a prospective longitudinal design study was conducted by administering standard self-reporting questionnaires covering the NEO-five factor inventory (NEO-FFI), shyness, alexithymia, autism quotient, anxiety, depression, and sensory processing sensitivity (SPS). A total of 114 participants (of which 71.93% were females) with an average age of 30.29 (standard deviation = 11.04) completed the survey before and a few months after the pandemic. Results revealed the distribution of population scores to become more extreme in either positive or negative trait directions despite the stability of average trait scores across the population. Higher resilience was found to be positively correlated with improved trait scores post-pandemic but corona anxiety score was not correlated with trait score changes. In addition, in the subjects with moderate negative trait scores, agreeableness and autism scores and in subjects with high negative trait scores, openness, SPS and shyness scores were significantly correlated with trait scores changes post-pandemic. These results reveal the nuanced effects of the pandemic on the people's psychological well-being and highlight vulnerabilities for certain groups despite the overall stability of population that needs to be taken into account for mental health policies going forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taraneh Attary
- Bio-Intelligence Unit, Sharif Brain Center, Electrical Engineering Department, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Leila Noorbala
- Bio-Intelligence Unit, Sharif Brain Center, Electrical Engineering Department, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
- Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Ali Ghazizadeh
- Bio-Intelligence Unit, Sharif Brain Center, Electrical Engineering Department, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
- School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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14
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Martin Lorenzo S, Muniz Moreno MDM, Atas H, Pellen M, Nalesso V, Raffelsberger W, Prevost G, Lindner L, Birling MC, Menoret S, Tesson L, Negroni L, Concordet JP, Anegon I, Herault Y. Changes in social behavior with MAPK2 and KCTD13/CUL3 pathways alterations in two new outbred rat models for the 16p11.2 syndromes with autism spectrum disorders. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1148683. [PMID: 37465586 PMCID: PMC10350633 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1148683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Copy number variations (CNVs) of the human 16p11.2 locus are associated with several developmental/neurocognitive syndromes. Particularly, deletion and duplication of this genetic interval are found in patients with autism spectrum disorders, intellectual disability and other psychiatric traits. The high gene density associated with the region and the strong phenotypic variability of incomplete penetrance, make the study of the 16p11.2 syndromes extremely complex. To systematically study the effect of 16p11.2 CNVs and identify candidate genes and molecular mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology, mouse models were generated previously and showed learning and memory, and to some extent social deficits. To go further in understanding the social deficits caused by 16p11.2 syndromes, we engineered deletion and duplication of the homologous region to the human 16p11.2 genetic interval in two rat outbred strains, Sprague Dawley (SD) and Long Evans (LE). The 16p11.2 rat models displayed convergent defects in social behavior and in the novel object test in male carriers from both genetic backgrounds. Interestingly major pathways affecting MAPK1 and CUL3 were found altered in the rat 16p11.2 models with additional changes in males compared to females. Altogether, the consequences of the 16p11.2 genetic region dosage on social behavior are now found in three different species: humans, mice and rats. In addition, the rat models pointed to sexual dimorphism with lower severity of phenotypes in rat females compared to male mutants. This phenomenon is also observed in humans. We are convinced that the two rat models will be key to further investigating social behavior and understanding the brain mechanisms and specific brain regions that are key to controlling social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Martin Lorenzo
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS UMR7104, INSERM U1258, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Illkirch, France
| | - Maria Del Mar Muniz Moreno
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS UMR7104, INSERM U1258, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Illkirch, France
| | - Helin Atas
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS UMR7104, INSERM U1258, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Illkirch, France
| | - Marion Pellen
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS UMR7104, INSERM U1258, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Illkirch, France
| | - Valérie Nalesso
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS UMR7104, INSERM U1258, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Illkirch, France
| | - Wolfgang Raffelsberger
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS UMR7104, INSERM U1258, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Illkirch, France
| | - Geraldine Prevost
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, CELPHEDIA-PHENOMIN, Institut Clinique de la Souris, Illkirch, France
| | - Loic Lindner
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, CELPHEDIA-PHENOMIN, Institut Clinique de la Souris, Illkirch, France
| | - Marie-Christine Birling
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, CELPHEDIA-PHENOMIN, Institut Clinique de la Souris, Illkirch, France
| | - Séverine Menoret
- Nantes Université, CHU Nantes, INSERM, CNRS, SFR Santé, Inserm UMS 016 CNRS UMS 3556, Nantes, France
- INSERM, Centre de Recherche en Transplantation et Immunologie UMR1064, Nantes Université, Nantes, France
| | - Laurent Tesson
- INSERM, Centre de Recherche en Transplantation et Immunologie UMR1064, Nantes Université, Nantes, France
| | - Luc Negroni
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS UMR7104, INSERM U1258, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Illkirch, France
| | | | - Ignacio Anegon
- INSERM, Centre de Recherche en Transplantation et Immunologie UMR1064, Nantes Université, Nantes, France
| | - Yann Herault
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS UMR7104, INSERM U1258, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Illkirch, France
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, CELPHEDIA-PHENOMIN, Institut Clinique de la Souris, Illkirch, France
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15
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Gu J, Ke P, Guo H, Liu J, Liu Y, Tian X, Huang Z, Xu X, Xu D, Ma Y, Wang X, Xiao F. KCTD13-mediated ubiquitination and degradation of GluN1 regulates excitatory synaptic transmission and seizure susceptibility. Cell Death Differ 2023; 30:1726-1741. [PMID: 37142655 PMCID: PMC10307852 DOI: 10.1038/s41418-023-01174-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common and severe form of epilepsy in adults; however, its underlying pathomechanisms remain elusive. Dysregulation of ubiquitination is increasingly recognized to contribute to the development and maintenance of epilepsy. Herein, we observed for the first time that potassium channel tetramerization domain containing 13 (KCTD13) protein, a substrate-specific adapter for cullin3-based E3 ubiquitin ligase, was markedly down-regulated in the brain tissue of patients with TLE. In a TLE mouse model, the protein expression of KCTD13 dynamically changed during epileptogenesis. Knockdown of KCTD13 in the mouse hippocampus significantly enhanced seizure susceptibility and severity, whereas overexpression of KCTD13 showed the opposite effect. Mechanistically, GluN1, an obligatory subunit of N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptors (NMDARs), was identified as a potential substrate protein of KCTD13. Further investigation revealed that KCTD13 facilitates lysine-48-linked polyubiquitination of GluN1 and its degradation through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Besides, the lysine residue 860 of GluN1 is the main ubiquitin site. Importantly, dysregulation of KCTD13 affected membrane expression of glutamate receptors and impaired glutamate synaptic transmission. Systemic administration of the NMDAR inhibitor memantine significantly rescued the epileptic phenotype aggravated by KCTD13 knockdown. In conclusion, our results demonstrated an unrecognized pathway of KCTD13-GluN1 in epilepsy, suggesting KCTD13 as a potential neuroprotective therapeutic target for epilepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Gu
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurology, Chongqing, 400016, China
- Department of Neurology, The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, China
| | - Pingyang Ke
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurology, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Haokun Guo
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurology, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Jing Liu
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurology, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Yan Liu
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurology, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Xin Tian
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurology, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Zhuo Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, 100191, Beijing, China
| | - Xin Xu
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurology, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Demei Xu
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurology, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Yuanlin Ma
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurology, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Xuefeng Wang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurology, Chongqing, 400016, China.
| | - Fei Xiao
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurology, Chongqing, 400016, China.
- Institute for Brain Science and Disease of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China.
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16
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Day TC, Gerber A, McNair ML, Reicher D, Lerner MD. Trajectories of internalizing symptoms among autistic and nonautistic youth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Autism Res 2023; 16:1403-1412. [PMID: 37222243 PMCID: PMC10524859 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic elicited increases in anxiety and depression in youth, and youth on the autism spectrum demonstrate elevations in such symptoms pre-pandemic. However, it is unclear whether autistic youth experienced similar increases in internalizing symptoms after the COVID-19 pandemic onset or whether decreases in these symptoms were present, as speculated in qualitative work. In the current study, longitudinal changes in anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic in autistic youth were assessed in comparison to nonautistic youth. A well-characterized sample of 51 autistic and 25 nonautistic youth (ageM = 12.8, range = 8.5-17.4 years, IQ > 70) and their parents completed the Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS), a measure of internalizing symptoms, repeatedly, representing up to 7 measurement occasions from June to December 2020 (N ~ 419 occasions). Multilevel models were used to evaluate changes in internalizing symptoms over time. Internalizing symptoms did not differ between autistic and nonautistic youth in the summer of 2020. As reported by youth themselves, internalizing symptoms decreased in autistic youth, both overall and compared to nonautstic peers. This effect was driven by decreases in generalized anxiety, social anxiety, and depression symptoms in autistic youth. Reductions in generalized anxiety, social anxiety, and depression in autistic youth may be due to COVID-19 pandemic-specific differences in response to social, environmental, and contextual changes that unfolded in 2020. This highlights the importance of understanding unique protective and resilience factors that may be evident in autistic individuals in response to broad societal shifts such as those seen in response to COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Talena C. Day
- Psychology Department, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
| | - Alan Gerber
- Psychology Department, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
| | | | - Debra Reicher
- Psychiatry Department, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
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17
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Kallitsounaki A, Williams DM. Brief Report: An Exploration of Alexithymia in Autistic and Nonautistic Transgender Adults. AUTISM IN ADULTHOOD 2023; 5:210-216. [PMID: 37346987 PMCID: PMC10280221 DOI: 10.1089/aut.2022.0113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
Background Research has shown that many autistic people have alexithymia, a psychological trait characterized by difficulties in identifying and describing emotions. It is also now clear that there is a high rate of autism among transgender people, but we know little about the intersection of autism and gender diversity or about the clinical features of autistic transgender individuals. Methods Seventy-eight nonautistic transgender, 56 autistic transgender, 106 nonautistic cisgender, and 107 autistic cisgender adults completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 and the Autism-spectrum Quotient as part of an online study. We also used the General Alexithymia Factor Score-8 as an additional alexithymia score. Results We found that nonautistic transgender participants reported significantly higher mean levels of alexithymia than nonautistic cisgender participants, and that there was a significant overrepresentation of individuals in this group who met the clinical cutoff for alexithymia. The difference in alexithymia between autistic cisgender and autistic transgender participants was nonsignificant, with >50% of each group scoring above the clinical cutoff point. Of note, when we used the General Alexithymia Factor Score-8, the difference between autistic transgender participants and autistic cisgender participants was significant, with autistic transgender participants reporting higher mean levels of alexithymia. Conclusion Results suggest that nonautistic transgender individuals might be more prone to experience alexithymia (including at clinically significant levels) than nonautistic cisgender people. When autism occurs in transgender people, the average level and clinical rate of alexithymia is higher than among nonautistic transgender people and potentially higher than among autistic cisgender people. Our findings are in keeping with evidence of a subgroup of transgender people with "subclinical autism" and inconsistent with the notion that autism among transgender and gender diverse people is a "phenomimic" of autism. Lastly, our study highlights the potential importance of screening autistic and nonautistic transgender people for alexithymia.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - David M. Williams
- School of Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
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18
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Ratto AB, Bascom J, daVanport S, Strang JF, Anthony LG, Verbalis A, Pugliese C, Nadwodny N, Brown LX, Cruz M, Hector BL, Kapp SK, Giwa Onaiwu M, Raymaker DM, Robison JE, Stewart C, Stone R, Whetsell E, Pelphrey K, Kenworthy L. Centering the Inner Experience of Autism: Development of the Self-Assessment of Autistic Traits. AUTISM IN ADULTHOOD 2023; 5:93-105. [PMID: 36941856 PMCID: PMC10024271 DOI: 10.1089/aut.2021.0099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Current tools for identifying autism are critiqued for their lack of specificity and sensitivity, especially in autistic people who are older, have higher verbal ability or significant compensatory skills, and are not cisgender boys. This may reflect the following: the historical focus of autism research on White (cisgender) male, upper and middle class children; limited interest in the inner, lived experience of autism; and the predominance of a deficit-based model of autism. We report here on the first attempt of which we are aware to develop a clinical self-report measure of autistic traits as described by autistic people. We believe this is an advance in methodology because prior work in the development of autistic trait/diagnostic measures has prioritized the perspectives of nonautistic clinicians and scientists. The measure was developed under the leadership of two autistic researchers and constructed by leveraging descriptions of autism by autistic people to generate items designed to encompass the range of the autistic experience, using strength-based, accessible language. The team utilized iterative feedback from a panel of autistic experts to refine and enhance the measure, called the Self Assessment of Autistic Traits (SAAT). It is intended for people 16 years or older and uses a format that is designed to increase its accessibility and acceptability for autistic respondents. Future work will report on the preliminary psychometrics of the SAAT, with a long-term goal of advancing our understanding of the inner autistic experience and enhancing the clinical and scientific assessment of autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison B. Ratto
- Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders, Division of Neuropsychology, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Julia Bascom
- Autistic Self Advocacy Network, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - John F. Strang
- Gender and Autism Program, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Laura G. Anthony
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Alyssa Verbalis
- Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders, Division of Neuropsychology, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Cara Pugliese
- Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders, Division of Neuropsychology, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Nicole Nadwodny
- Department of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Brookline, MA, USA
| | - Lydia X.Z. Brown
- Department of Disability Studies and Women's and Gender Studies, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Mallory Cruz
- Private Consultant, Hitachiomiya, Ibaraki, Japan
| | | | - Steven K. Kapp
- Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Morénike Giwa Onaiwu
- Center for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality, Rice University, & Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Dora M. Raymaker
- School of Social Work, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - John Elder Robison
- Neurodiversity Working Group, The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA, USA
| | | | - Ren Stone
- Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Kevin Pelphrey
- Department of Neurology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Lauren Kenworthy
- Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders, Division of Neuropsychology, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, USA
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19
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Abel T, Kim J, Vanrobaeys Y, Peterson Z, Kelvington B, Gaine M, Nickl-Jockschat T. Dissecting 16p11.2 hemi-deletion to study sex-specific striatal phenotypes of neurodevelopmental disorders. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-2565823. [PMID: 36824977 PMCID: PMC9949238 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2565823/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/19/2023]
Abstract
Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are polygenic in nature and copy number variants (CNVs) are ideal candidates to study the nature of this polygenic risk. The disruption of striatal circuits is considered a central mechanism in NDDs. The 16p11.2 hemi-deletion (16p11.2 del) is one of the most common CNVs associated with NDD, and 16p11.2 del/+ mice show sex-specific striatum-related behavioral phenotypes. However, the critical genes among the 27 genes in the 16p11.2 region that underlie these phenotypes remain unknown. Previously, we applied a novel strategy to identify candidate genes associated with the sex-specific phenotypes of 16p11.2 del/+ mice and identified 3 genes of particular importance within the deleted region: thousand and one amino acid protein kinase 2 (Taok2), seizure-related 6 homolog-like 2 (Sez6l2), and major vault protein (Mvp). Using the CRISPR/Cas9 technique, we generated 3 gene hemi-deletion (3g del/+) mice carrying null mutations in Taok2, Sez6l2, and Mvp. We assessed striatum-dependent phenotypes of these 3g del/+ mice in behavioral, molecular, and imaging studies. Hemi-deletion of Taok2, Sez6l2, and Mvp induces sex-specific behavioral alterations in striatum-dependent behavioral tasks, specifically male-specific hyperactivity and impaired motivation for reward seeking, resembling behavioral phenotypes of 16p11.2 del/+ mice. Moreover, RNAseq analysis revealed that 3g del/+ mice exhibit gene expression changes in the striatum similar to 16p11.2 del/+ mice, but only in males. Pathway analysis identified ribosomal dysfunction and translation dysregulation as molecular mechanisms underlying male-specific, striatum-dependent behavioral alterations. Together, the mutation of 3 genes within the 16p11.2 region phenocopies striatal sex-specific phenotypes of 16p11.2 del/+ mice, unlike single gene mutation studies. These results support the importance of a polygenic approach to study NDDs and our novel strategy to identify genes of interest using gene expression patterns in brain regions, such as the striatum, which are impacted in these disorders.
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20
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Kim J, Vanrobaeys Y, Peterson Z, Kelvington B, Gaine ME, Nickl-Jockschat T, Abel T. Dissecting 16p11.2 hemi-deletion to study sex-specific striatal phenotypes of neurodevelopmental disorders. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.09.527866. [PMID: 36798381 PMCID: PMC9934710 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.09.527866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are polygenic in nature and copy number variants (CNVs) are ideal candidates to study the nature of this polygenic risk. The disruption of striatal circuits is considered a central mechanism in NDDs. The 16p11.2 hemi-deletion (16p11.2 del) is one of the most common CNVs associated with NDD, and 16p11.2 del/+ mice show sex-specific striatum-related behavioral phenotypes. However, the critical genes among the 27 genes in the 16p11.2 region that underlie these phenotypes remain unknown. Previously, we applied a novel strategy to identify candidate genes associated with the sex-specific phenotypes of 16p11.2 del/+ mice and identified 3 genes of particular importance within the deleted region: thousand and one amino acid protein kinase 2 ( Taok2 ), seizure-related 6 homolog-like 2 ( Sez6l2 ), and major vault protein ( Mvp ). Using the CRISPR/Cas9 technique, we generated 3 gene hemi-deletion (3g del/+) mice carrying null mutations in Taok2, Sez6l2 , and Mvp . We assessed striatum-dependent phenotypes of these 3g del/+ mice in behavioral, molecular, and imaging studies. Hemi-deletion of Taok2, Sez6l2 , and Mvp induces sex-specific behavioral alterations in striatum-dependent behavioral tasks, specifically male-specific hyperactivity and impaired motivation for reward seeking, resembling behavioral phenotypes of 16p11.2 del/+ mice. Moreover, RNAseq analysis revealed that 3g del/+ mice exhibit gene expression changes in the striatum similar to 16p11.2 del/+ mice, but only in males. Pathway analysis identified ribosomal dysfunction and translation dysregulation as molecular mechanisms underlying male-specific, striatum-dependent behavioral alterations. Together, the mutation of 3 genes within the 16p11.2 region phenocopies striatal sex-specific phenotypes of 16p11.2 del/+ mice, unlike single gene mutation studies. These results support the importance of a polygenic approach to study NDDs and our novel strategy to identify genes of interest using gene expression patterns in brain regions, such as the striatum, which are impacted in these disorders.
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21
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Yang Y, Booker SA, Clegg JM, Quintana-Urzainqui I, Sumera A, Kozic Z, Dando O, Martin Lorenzo S, Herault Y, Kind PC, Price DJ, Pratt T. Identifying foetal forebrain interneurons as a target for monogenic autism risk factors and the polygenic 16p11.2 microdeletion. BMC Neurosci 2023; 24:5. [PMID: 36658491 PMCID: PMC9850541 DOI: 10.1186/s12868-022-00771-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism spectrum condition or 'autism' is associated with numerous genetic risk factors including the polygenic 16p11.2 microdeletion. The balance between excitatory and inhibitory neurons in the cerebral cortex is hypothesised to be critical for the aetiology of autism making improved understanding of how risk factors impact on the development of these cells an important area of research. In the current study we aim to combine bioinformatics analysis of human foetal cerebral cortex gene expression data with anatomical and electrophysiological analysis of a 16p11.2+/- rat model to investigate how genetic risk factors impact on inhibitory neuron development. METHODS We performed bioinformatics analysis of single cell transcriptomes from gestational week (GW) 8-26 human foetal prefrontal cortex and anatomical and electrophysiological analysis of 16p11.2+/- rat cerebral cortex and hippocampus at post-natal day (P) 21. RESULTS We identified a subset of human interneurons (INs) first appearing at GW23 with enriched expression of a large fraction of risk factor transcripts including those expressed from the 16p11.2 locus. This suggests the hypothesis that these foetal INs are vulnerable to mutations causing autism. We investigated this in a rat model of the 16p11.2 microdeletion. We found no change in the numbers or position of either excitatory or inhibitory neurons in the somatosensory cortex or CA1 of 16p11.2+/- rats but found that CA1 Sst INs were hyperexcitable with an enlarged axon initial segment, which was not the case for CA1 pyramidal cells. LIMITATIONS The human foetal gene expression data was acquired from cerebral cortex between gestational week (GW) 8 to 26. We cannot draw inferences about potential vulnerabilities to genetic autism risk factors for cells not present in the developing cerebral cortex at these stages. The analysis 16p11.2+/- rat phenotypes reported in the current study was restricted to 3-week old (P21) animals around the time of weaning and to a single interneuron cell-type while in human 16p11.2 microdeletion carriers symptoms likely involve multiple cell types and manifest in the first few years of life and on into adulthood. CONCLUSIONS We have identified developing interneurons in human foetal cerebral cortex as potentially vulnerable to monogenic autism risk factors and the 16p11.2 microdeletion and report interneuron phenotypes in post-natal 16p11.2+/- rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifei Yang
- Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, The University of Edinburgh, 15 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, United Kingdom.,Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, 15 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, United Kingdom.,Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, United Kingdom
| | - Sam A Booker
- Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, The University of Edinburgh, 15 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, United Kingdom.,Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, 15 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, United Kingdom
| | - James M Clegg
- Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, The University of Edinburgh, 15 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, United Kingdom.,Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, 15 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, United Kingdom
| | - Idoia Quintana-Urzainqui
- Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, The University of Edinburgh, 15 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, United Kingdom.,Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, 15 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, United Kingdom.,Developmental Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69012, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Anna Sumera
- Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, The University of Edinburgh, 15 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, United Kingdom.,Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, 15 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, United Kingdom
| | - Zrinko Kozic
- Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, The University of Edinburgh, 15 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, United Kingdom.,Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, 15 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, United Kingdom
| | - Owen Dando
- Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, The University of Edinburgh, 15 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, United Kingdom.,Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, 15 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, United Kingdom
| | - Sandra Martin Lorenzo
- CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, INSERM, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, IGBMC, 1 rue Laurent Fries, 67404, Illkirch, France
| | - Yann Herault
- CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, INSERM, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, IGBMC, 1 rue Laurent Fries, 67404, Illkirch, France
| | - Peter C Kind
- Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, The University of Edinburgh, 15 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, United Kingdom.,Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, 15 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, United Kingdom
| | - David J Price
- Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, The University of Edinburgh, 15 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, United Kingdom.,Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, 15 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas Pratt
- Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, The University of Edinburgh, 15 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, United Kingdom. .,Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, 15 George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XD, United Kingdom.
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22
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Frost-Karlsson M, Capusan AJ, Perini I, Olausson H, Zetterqvist M, Gustafsson PA, Boehme R. Neural processing of self-touch and other-touch in anorexia nervosa and autism spectrum condition. Neuroimage Clin 2022; 36:103264. [PMID: 36451367 PMCID: PMC9668667 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.103264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The tactile sense plays a crucial role in the development and maintenance of a functional bodily self. The ability to differentiate between self- and nonself-generated touch contributes to the perception of the bodies' boundaries and more generally to self-other-distinction, both of which are thought be altered in anorexia nervosa (AN) and autism spectrum condition (AS). While it has been suggested that AN and AS are characterized by overlapping symptomatology, they might differ regarding body perception and self-other-distinction. METHODS Participants with a diagnosis of AN (n = 25), AS (n = 29), and a comparison group without diagnoses (n = 57) performed a self-other-touch task during functional brain imaging. In the experimental conditions, they stroked their own arm or were stroked on the arm by an experimenter. RESULTS As shown previously, the CG group showed lower activation or deactivation in response to self-touch compared to social touch from someone else. A main group effect was found in areas including somatosensory cortex, frontal and temporal gyri, insula, and subcortical regions. This was driven by increased activations in participants with AN, while participants in the AS group showed mostly comparable activations to the comparison group. CONCLUSIONS AN diagnosis was associated with an increased neural activity in response to both self-touch and social touch. Failure to attenuate self-touch might relate to altered predictions regarding the own body and reduced perception of bodily boundaries. Participants with an AS diagnosis were mostly comparable to the comparison group, potentially indicating unaltered tactile self-other-distinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan Frost-Karlsson
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Linköping University, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, 58185 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Andrea Johansson Capusan
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Linköping University, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, 58185 Linköping, Sweden,Department of Psychiatry in Linköping and Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, 58185 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Irene Perini
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Linköping University, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, 58185 Linköping, Sweden,Center for Medical Imaging and Visualization, Linköping University, 58185 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Håkan Olausson
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Linköping University, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, 58185 Linköping, Sweden,Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Linköping University Hospital, 58185 Linköping, Sweden,Center for Medical Imaging and Visualization, Linköping University, 58185 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Maria Zetterqvist
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Linköping University, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, 58185 Linköping, Sweden,Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Linköping and Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, 58185 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Per A. Gustafsson
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Linköping University, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, 58185 Linköping, Sweden,Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Linköping and Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, 58185 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Rebecca Boehme
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Linköping University, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, 58185 Linköping, Sweden,Center for Medical Imaging and Visualization, Linköping University, 58185 Linköping, Sweden,Corresponding author at: Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, The Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, S-581 83 Linköping, Sweden.
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23
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Huang P, Wu L, Zhu N, Zhao H, Du J. The polymerase δ-interacting protein family and their emerging roles in diseases. Front Med (Lausanne) 2022; 9:1026931. [PMID: 36425112 PMCID: PMC9679015 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.1026931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 10/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The polymerase δ-interacting protein (POLDIP) family is a new family that can interact with DNA polymerase δ (delta). The members of the POLDIP family include POLDIP1, POLDIP2, and POLDIP3. Screened by the two-hybrid method, POLDIP1, POLDIP2, and POLDIP3 were initially discovered and named for their ability to bind to the p50 subunit of DNA polymerase δ. Recent studies have confirmed that POLDIPs are involved in the regulation of signal transduction pathways in neurodevelopment, neuropsychiatric diseases, cardiovascular diseases, tumors, and other diseases. However, each protein participates in different signaling pathways. In this review, we elucidate upon the family in terms of their genes and protein structures, their biological functions, in addition to the pathways that they are involved in during the development of diverse diseases. Finally, to provide new insights to the scientific community, we used the TCGA database to analyze and summarize the gene expressions of POLDIP family members in various tumors, as well as the correlations between their expressions and the overall survival times of tumor patients. Our data summary will give researchers working on cancer new concepts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peiluo Huang
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medicine, Guilin Medical University, Guilin, China
- College of Pharmacy, Guilin Medical University, Guilin, China
| | - Lei Wu
- College of Continuing Education, Guilin Medical University, Guilin, China
| | - Ningxia Zhu
- Department of Pathophysiology, College of Basic Medicine, Guilin Medical University, Guilin, China
| | - Hongtao Zhao
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medicine, Guilin Medical University, Guilin, China
| | - Juan Du
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medicine, Guilin Medical University, Guilin, China
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24
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Tai DJC, Razaz P, Erdin S, Gao D, Wang J, Nuttle X, de Esch CE, Collins RL, Currall BB, O'Keefe K, Burt ND, Yadav R, Wang L, Mohajeri K, Aneichyk T, Ragavendran A, Stortchevoi A, Morini E, Ma W, Lucente D, Hastie A, Kelleher RJ, Perlis RH, Talkowski ME, Gusella JF. Tissue- and cell-type-specific molecular and functional signatures of 16p11.2 reciprocal genomic disorder across mouse brain and human neuronal models. Am J Hum Genet 2022; 109:1789-1813. [PMID: 36152629 PMCID: PMC9606388 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2022.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Chromosome 16p11.2 reciprocal genomic disorder, resulting from recurrent copy-number variants (CNVs), involves intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and schizophrenia, but the responsible mechanisms are not known. To systemically dissect molecular effects, we performed transcriptome profiling of 350 libraries from six tissues (cortex, cerebellum, striatum, liver, brown fat, and white fat) in mouse models harboring CNVs of the syntenic 7qF3 region, as well as cellular, transcriptional, and single-cell analyses in 54 isogenic neural stem cell, induced neuron, and cerebral organoid models of CRISPR-engineered 16p11.2 CNVs. Transcriptome-wide differentially expressed genes were largely tissue-, cell-type-, and dosage-specific, although more effects were shared between deletion and duplication and across tissue than expected by chance. The broadest effects were observed in the cerebellum (2,163 differentially expressed genes), and the greatest enrichments were associated with synaptic pathways in mouse cerebellum and human induced neurons. Pathway and co-expression analyses identified energy and RNA metabolism as shared processes and enrichment for ASD-associated, loss-of-function constraint, and fragile X messenger ribonucleoprotein target gene sets. Intriguingly, reciprocal 16p11.2 dosage changes resulted in consistent decrements in neurite and electrophysiological features, and single-cell profiling of organoids showed reciprocal alterations to the proportions of excitatory and inhibitory GABAergic neurons. Changes both in neuronal ratios and in gene expression in our organoid analyses point most directly to calretinin GABAergic inhibitory neurons and the excitatory/inhibitory balance as targets of disruption that might contribute to changes in neurodevelopmental and cognitive function in 16p11.2 carriers. Collectively, our data indicate the genomic disorder involves disruption of multiple contributing biological processes and that this disruption has relative impacts that are context specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek J C Tai
- Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Parisa Razaz
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Serkan Erdin
- Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Dadi Gao
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Jennifer Wang
- Center for Quantitative Health, Division of Clinical Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Xander Nuttle
- Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Celine E de Esch
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Ryan L Collins
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Benjamin B Currall
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Kathryn O'Keefe
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Nicholas D Burt
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Rachita Yadav
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Lily Wang
- Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Kiana Mohajeri
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Tatsiana Aneichyk
- Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Ashok Ragavendran
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Alexei Stortchevoi
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Elisabetta Morini
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Weiyuan Ma
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Diane Lucente
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | | | - Raymond J Kelleher
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Roy H Perlis
- Center for Quantitative Health, Division of Clinical Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Michael E Talkowski
- Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
| | - James F Gusella
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
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25
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Purushotham SS, Reddy NMN, D'Souza MN, Choudhury NR, Ganguly A, Gopalakrishna N, Muddashetty R, Clement JP. A perspective on molecular signalling dysfunction, its clinical relevance and therapeutics in autism spectrum disorder. Exp Brain Res 2022; 240:2525-2567. [PMID: 36063192 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-022-06448-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Intellectual disability (ID) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are neurodevelopmental disorders that have become a primary clinical and social concern, with a prevalence of 2-3% in the population. Neuronal function and behaviour undergo significant malleability during the critical period of development that is found to be impaired in ID/ASD. Human genome sequencing studies have revealed many genetic variations associated with ASD/ID that are further verified by many approaches, including many mouse and other models. These models have facilitated the identification of fundamental mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of ASD/ID, and several studies have proposed converging molecular pathways in ASD/ID. However, linking the mechanisms of the pathogenic genes and their molecular characteristics that lead to ID/ASD has progressed slowly, hampering the development of potential therapeutic strategies. This review discusses the possibility of recognising the common molecular causes for most ASD/ID based on studies from the available models that may enable a better therapeutic strategy to treat ID/ASD. We also reviewed the potential biomarkers to detect ASD/ID at early stages that may aid in diagnosis and initiating medical treatment, the concerns with drug failure in clinical trials, and developing therapeutic strategies that can be applied beyond a particular mutation associated with ASD/ID.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sushmitha S Purushotham
- Neuroscience Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bengaluru, 560064, India
| | - Neeharika M N Reddy
- Neuroscience Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bengaluru, 560064, India
| | - Michelle Ninochka D'Souza
- Centre for Brain Research, Indian Institute of Science Campus, CV Raman Avenue, Bangalore, 560 012, India.,The University of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology (TDU), Bangalore, 560064, India
| | - Nilpawan Roy Choudhury
- Neuroscience Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bengaluru, 560064, India
| | - Anusa Ganguly
- Neuroscience Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bengaluru, 560064, India
| | - Niharika Gopalakrishna
- Neuroscience Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bengaluru, 560064, India
| | - Ravi Muddashetty
- Centre for Brain Research, Indian Institute of Science Campus, CV Raman Avenue, Bangalore, 560 012, India.,The University of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology (TDU), Bangalore, 560064, India
| | - James P Clement
- Neuroscience Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bengaluru, 560064, India.
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26
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Sahebnasagh A, Eghbali S, Saghafi F, Sureda A, Avan R. Neurohormetic phytochemicals in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. Immun Ageing 2022; 19:36. [PMID: 35953850 PMCID: PMC9367062 DOI: 10.1186/s12979-022-00292-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 07/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
The world population is progressively ageing, assuming an enormous social and health challenge. As the world ages, neurodegenerative diseases are on the rise. Regarding the progressive nature of these diseases, none of the neurodegenerative diseases are curable at date, and the existing treatments can only help relieve the symptoms or slow the progression. Recently, hormesis has increased attention in the treatment of age-related neurodegenerative diseases. The concept of hormesis refers to a biphasic dose-response phenomenon, where low levels of the drug or stress exert protective of beneficial effects and high doses deleterious or toxic effects. Neurohormesis, as the adaptive aspect of hormetic dose responses in neurons, has been shown to slow the onset of neurodegenerative diseases and reduce the damages caused by aging, stroke, and traumatic brain injury. Hormesis was also observed to modulate anxiety, stress, pain, and the severity of seizure. Thus, neurohormesis can be considered as a potentially innovative approach in the treatment of neurodegenerative and other neurologic disorders. Herbal medicinal products and supplements are often considered health resources with many applications. The hormesis phenomenon in medicinal plants is valuable and several studies have shown that hormetic mechanisms of bioactive compounds can prevent or ameliorate the neurodegenerative pathogenesis in animal models of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Moreover, the hormesis activity of phytochemicals has been evaluated in other neurological disorders such as Autism and Huntington’s disease. In this review, the neurohormetic dose–response concept and the possible underlying neuroprotection mechanisms are discussed. Different neurohormetic phytochemicals used for the better management of neurodegenerative diseases, the rationale for using them, and the key findings of their studies are also reviewed.
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Smolen C, Girirajan S. The gene dose makes the disease. Cell 2022; 185:2850-2852. [PMID: 35931018 PMCID: PMC10000018 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Abstract
A long-standing challenge in genomics has been to identify causal genes within rare copy-number variant regions that are intolerant to altered dosage. In this issue, Collins et al. perform a meta-analysis of almost a million individuals to identify dosage-sensitive segments and genes conferring risk for a range of disease phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corrine Smolen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Bioinformatics and Genomics Graduate Program, The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Santhosh Girirajan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Bioinformatics and Genomics Graduate Program, The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
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28
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Anijs M, Devanna P, Vernes SC. ARHGEF39, a Gene Implicated in Developmental Language Disorder, Activates RHOA and Is Involved in Cell De-Adhesion and Neural Progenitor Cell Proliferation. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:941494. [PMID: 35959104 PMCID: PMC9359124 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.941494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
ARHGEF39 was previously implicated in developmental language disorder (DLD) via a functional polymorphism that can disrupt post-transcriptional regulation by microRNAs. ARHGEF39 is part of the family of Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factors (RhoGEFs) that activate small Rho GTPases to regulate a wide variety of cellular processes. However, little is known about the function of ARHGEF39, or how its function might contribute to neurodevelopment or related disorders. Here, we explore the molecular function of ARHGEF39 and show that it activates the Rho GTPase RHOA and that high ARHGEF39 expression in cell cultures leads to an increase of detached cells. To explore its role in neurodevelopment, we analyse published single cell RNA-sequencing data and demonstrate that ARHGEF39 is a marker gene for proliferating neural progenitor cells and that it is co-expressed with genes involved in cell division. This suggests a role for ARHGEF39 in neurogenesis in the developing brain. The co-expression of ARHGEF39 with other RHOA-regulating genes supports RHOA as substrate of ARHGEF39 in neural cells, and the involvement of RHOA in neuropsychiatric disorders highlights a potential link between ARHGEF39 and neurodevelopment and disorder. Understanding the GTPase substrate, co-expression network, and processes downstream of ARHGEF39 provide new avenues for exploring the mechanisms by which altered expression levels of ARHGEF39 may contribute to neurodevelopment and associated disorders.
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29
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Ng-Cordell E, Kolesnik-Taylor A, O'Brien S, Astle D, Scerif G, Baker K. Social and emotional characteristics of girls and young women with DDX3X-associated intellectual disability: a descriptive and comparative study. J Autism Dev Disord 2022:10.1007/s10803-022-05527-w. [PMID: 35536379 PMCID: PMC9087164 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-022-05527-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
DDX3X variants are a common cause of intellectual disability (ID) in females, and have been associated with autism spectrum disorder and emotional-behavioural difficulties. In this study, we compared phenotypic data for 23 females with DDX3X variants, to 23 females with ID and other genetic diagnoses. We found a wide range of adaptive, social and emotional function within the DDX3X group. Autism characteristics did not differ between DDX3X and comparison groups, while levels of anxiety and self-injurious behaviour (SIB) were significantly higher in the DDX3X group. Within the DDX3X group, adaptive function, autism characteristics, anxiety and SIB scores were positively correlated, with evidence for group-specific associations with SIB. Future work is warranted to explore the multilevel mechanisms contributing to social and emotional development in individuals with DDX3X variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise Ng-Cordell
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.,MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Anna Kolesnik-Taylor
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Sinéad O'Brien
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Duncan Astle
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Gaia Scerif
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Kate Baker
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom. .,Department of Medical Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
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30
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Tomasello DL, Kim JL, Khodour Y, McCammon JM, Mitalipova M, Jaenisch R, Futerman AH, Sive H. 16pdel lipid changes in iPSC-derived neurons and function of FAM57B in lipid metabolism and synaptogenesis. iScience 2022; 25:103551. [PMID: 34984324 PMCID: PMC8693007 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The complex 16p11.2 deletion syndrome (16pdel) is accompanied by neurological disorders, including epilepsy, autism spectrum disorder, and intellectual disability. We demonstrated that 16pdel iPSC differentiated neurons from affected people show augmented local field potential activity and altered ceramide-related lipid species relative to unaffected. FAM57B, a poorly characterized gene in the 16p11.2 interval, has emerged as a candidate tied to symptomatology. We found that FAM57B modulates ceramide synthase (CerS) activity, but is not a CerS per se. In FAM57B mutant human neuronal cells and zebrafish brain, composition and levels of sphingolipids and glycerolipids associated with cellular membranes are disrupted. Consistently, we observed aberrant plasma membrane architecture and synaptic protein mislocalization, which were accompanied by depressed brain and behavioral activity. Together, these results suggest that haploinsufficiency of FAM57B contributes to changes in neuronal activity and function in 16pdel syndrome through a crucial role for the gene in lipid metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jiyoon L. Kim
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Yara Khodour
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | | | - Maya Mitalipova
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Rudolf Jaenisch
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Anthony H. Futerman
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Hazel Sive
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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31
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Aishworiya R, Valica T, Hagerman R, Restrepo B. An Update on Psychopharmacological Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Neurotherapeutics 2022; 19:248-262. [PMID: 35029811 PMCID: PMC9130393 DOI: 10.1007/s13311-022-01183-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
While behavioral interventions remain the mainstay of treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), several potential targeted treatments addressing the underlying neurophysiology of ASD have emerged in the last few years. These are promising for the potential to, in future, become part of the mainstay treatment in addressing the core symptoms of ASD. Although it is likely that the development of future targeted treatments will be influenced by the underlying heterogeneity in etiology, associated genetic mechanisms influencing ASD are likely to be the first targets of treatments and even gene therapy in the future for ASD. In this article, we provide a review of current psychopharmacological treatment in ASD including those used to address common comorbidities of the condition and upcoming new targeted approaches in autism management. Medications including metformin, arbaclofen, cannabidiol, oxytocin, bumetanide, lovastatin, trofinetide, and dietary supplements including sulforophane and N-acetylcysteine are discussed. Commonly used medications to address the comorbidities associated with ASD including atypical antipsychotics, serotoninergic agents, alpha-2 agonists, and stimulant medications are also reviewed. Targeted treatments in Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common genetic disorder leading to ASD, provide a model for new treatments that may be helpful for other forms of ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramkumar Aishworiya
- Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (MIND) Institute, University of California Davis, 2825 50th Street, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
- Khoo Teck Puat-National University Children's Medical Institute, National University Health System, 5 Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore, 119074, Singapore
- Department of Pediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 1E Kent Ridge Road, Singapore, 119228, Singapore
| | - Tatiana Valica
- Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (MIND) Institute, University of California Davis, 2825 50th Street, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
- Association for Children With Autism, Chisinau, Moldova
| | - Randi Hagerman
- Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (MIND) Institute, University of California Davis, 2825 50th Street, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California Davis School of Medicine, 4610 X St, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA.
| | - Bibiana Restrepo
- Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (MIND) Institute, University of California Davis, 2825 50th Street, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California Davis School of Medicine, 4610 X St, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
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32
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Qian H, Shang Q, Liang M, Gao B, Xiao J, Wang J, Li A, Yang C, Yin J, Chen G, Li T, Liu X. MicroRNA-31-3p/RhoA signaling in the dorsal hippocampus modulates methamphetamine-induced conditioned place preference in mice. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2021; 238:3207-3219. [PMID: 34313802 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-021-05936-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate neuroplasticity-related proteins and are implicated in methamphetamine (METH) addiction. RhoA is a small Rho GTPase that regulates synaptic plasticity and addictive behaviors. Nevertheless, the functional relationship between RhoA and upstream miRNAs of METH addiction remains unclear. OBJECTIVE To explore the molecular biology and epigenetic mechanisms of the miR-31-3p/RhoA pathway in METH addiction. METHODS RhoA protein and its potential upstream regulator, miR-31-3p, were detected. A dual luciferase reporter was employed to determine whether RhoA constituted a specific target of miR-31-3p. Following adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated knockdown or overexpression of miR-31-3p or RhoA in the dorsal hippocampus (dHIP), mice were subjected to conditioned place preference (CPP) to investigate the effects of miR-31-3p and RhoA on METH-induced addictive behaviors. RESULTS RhoA protein was significantly decreased in the dHIP of CPP mice with a concomitant increase in miR-31-3p. RhoA was identified as a direct target of miR-31-3p. Knockdown of miR-31-3p in the dHIP was associated with increased RhoA protein and attenuation of METH-induced CPP. Conversely, overexpression of miR-31-3p was associated with decreased RhoA protein and enhancement of METH effects. Similarly, knockdown of RhoA in the dHIP enhanced METH-induced CPP, whereas RhoA overexpression attenuated the effects of METH. Parallel experiments using sucrose preference revealed that the effects of miR-31-3p/RhoA pathway modulation were specific to METH. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that the miR-31-3p/RhoA pathway in the dHIP modulates METH-induced CPP in mice. Our results highlight the potential role of epigenetics represented by non-coding RNAs in the treatment of METH addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyan Qian
- Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bio-Evidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China.,College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Yanta Road W.76 , Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Qing Shang
- Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bio-Evidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China.,College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Yanta Road W.76 , Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Min Liang
- Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bio-Evidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China.,College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Yanta Road W.76 , Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Baoyao Gao
- Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bio-Evidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China.,College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Yanta Road W.76 , Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing Xiao
- Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bio-Evidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China.,College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Yanta Road W.76 , Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing Wang
- Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bio-Evidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China.,College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Yanta Road W.76 , Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Axiang Li
- Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bio-Evidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China.,College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Yanta Road W.76 , Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Canyu Yang
- Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bio-Evidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China.,College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Yanta Road W.76 , Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianmin Yin
- Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bio-Evidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China.,College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Yanta Road W.76 , Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Gang Chen
- Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bio-Evidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China.,College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Yanta Road W.76 , Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Tao Li
- Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bio-Evidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China. .,College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Yanta Road W.76 , Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.
| | - Xinshe Liu
- Institute of Forensic Injury, Institute of Forensic Bio-Evidence, Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbor, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, People's Republic of China. .,College of Forensic Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Yanta Road W.76 , Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.
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Liaci C, Camera M, Caslini G, Rando S, Contino S, Romano V, Merlo GR. Neuronal Cytoskeleton in Intellectual Disability: From Systems Biology and Modeling to Therapeutic Opportunities. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22116167. [PMID: 34200511 PMCID: PMC8201358 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22116167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Intellectual disability (ID) is a pathological condition characterized by limited intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviors. It affects 1–3% of the worldwide population, and no pharmacological therapies are currently available. More than 1000 genes have been found mutated in ID patients pointing out that, despite the common phenotype, the genetic bases are highly heterogeneous and apparently unrelated. Bibliomic analysis reveals that ID genes converge onto a few biological modules, including cytoskeleton dynamics, whose regulation depends on Rho GTPases transduction. Genetic variants exert their effects at different levels in a hierarchical arrangement, starting from the molecular level and moving toward higher levels of organization, i.e., cell compartment and functions, circuits, cognition, and behavior. Thus, cytoskeleton alterations that have an impact on cell processes such as neuronal migration, neuritogenesis, and synaptic plasticity rebound on the overall establishment of an effective network and consequently on the cognitive phenotype. Systems biology (SB) approaches are more focused on the overall interconnected network rather than on individual genes, thus encouraging the design of therapies that aim to correct common dysregulated biological processes. This review summarizes current knowledge about cytoskeleton control in neurons and its relevance for the ID pathogenesis, exploiting in silico modeling and translating the implications of those findings into biomedical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Liaci
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126 Torino, Italy; (C.L.); (M.C.); (G.C.); (S.R.)
| | - Mattia Camera
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126 Torino, Italy; (C.L.); (M.C.); (G.C.); (S.R.)
| | - Giovanni Caslini
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126 Torino, Italy; (C.L.); (M.C.); (G.C.); (S.R.)
| | - Simona Rando
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126 Torino, Italy; (C.L.); (M.C.); (G.C.); (S.R.)
| | - Salvatore Contino
- Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze Ed. 8, 90128 Palermo, Italy;
| | - Valentino Romano
- Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze Ed. 16, 90128 Palermo, Italy;
| | - Giorgio R. Merlo
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, Via Nizza 52, 10126 Torino, Italy; (C.L.); (M.C.); (G.C.); (S.R.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-0116706449; Fax: +39-0116706432
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34
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Brown SDM. Advances in mouse genetics for the study of human disease. Hum Mol Genet 2021; 30:R274-R284. [PMID: 34089057 PMCID: PMC8490014 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddab153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Revised: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The mouse is the pre-eminent model organism for studies of mammalian gene function and has provided an extraordinarily rich range of insights into basic genetic mechanisms and biological systems. Over several decades, the characterization of mouse mutants has illuminated the relationship between gene and phenotype, providing transformational insights into the genetic bases of disease. However, if we are to deliver the promise of genomic and precision medicine, we must develop a comprehensive catalogue of mammalian gene function that uncovers the dark genome and elucidates pleiotropy. Advances in large-scale mouse mutagenesis programmes allied to high-throughput mouse phenomics are now addressing this challenge and systematically revealing novel gene function and multi-morbidities. Alongside the development of these pan-genomic mutational resources, mouse genetics is employing a range of diversity resources to delineate gene–gene and gene–environment interactions and to explore genetic context. Critically, mouse genetics is a powerful tool for assessing the functional impact of human genetic variation and determining the causal relationship between variant and disease. Together these approaches provide unique opportunities to dissect in vivo mechanisms and systems to understand pathophysiology and disease. Moreover, the provision and utility of mouse models of disease has flourished and engages cumulatively at numerous points across the translational spectrum from basic mechanistic studies to pre-clinical studies, target discovery and therapeutic development.
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