Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0004352 (autism)
 32,579 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Autism may be a disorder linked to the disruption of the G-alpha protein, affecting retinoid receptors in the brain. A study of 60 autistic children suggests that autism may be caused by inserting a G-alpha protein defect, the pertussis toxin found in the DPT vaccine, into genetically at-risk children. This toxin separates the G-alpha protein from retinoid receptors. Those most at risk report a family history of at least one parent with a pre-existing G-alpha protein defect, including night blindness, pseudohypoparathyroidism or adenoma of the thyroid or pituitary gland. Natural vitamin A may reconnect the retinoid receptors critical for vision, sensory perception, language processing and attention. Autism spectrum disorders have increased from 1 in 10 000 in 1978 to 1 in 300 in some US communities in 1999. Recent evidence indicates that autism is a disorder of the nervous system and the immune system, affecting multiple metabolic pathways.
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PMID:Is autism a G-alpha protein defect reversible with natural vitamin A? 1086 50

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant disorder in humans characterized by the development of hamartomas in several organs, including renal angiomyolipomas, cardiac rhabdomyomas and subependymal giant cell astrocytomas. TSC causes disabling neurologic disorders, including epilepsy, mental retardation and autism. Brain lesions, including subependymal and subcortical hamartomas, have also been reported in TSC patients. TSC is associated with hamartomas and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) as well as sporadic tumors in TSC patient. Renal angiomyolipomas associated with TSC tend to be larger, bilateral, multifocal and present at a younger age compared with sporadic forms. Tuberous sclerosis complex of 2 genes, TSC2 encodes a protein called tuberin that normally exists in an active state and forms a heterodimeric complex with hamartin, the protein encoded by the TSC1. Deficiency ofTSC2 in Eker rat is associated with the development of tumors in several organs including kidney. The majority of renal cell tumors observed in the Eker rat originates from renal proximal tubules and are histologically similar to renal cell carcinoma in humans. On the other hand, mutations in DNA repair enzyme 8-oxoG-DNA glycosylase (OGG1) are associated with cancer. OGG1 gene is found somatically mutated in some cancer cells and is highly polymorphic among human cancers. Moreover, knockout mice in OGG1 developed spontaneously adenoma and carcinoma. We recently show that the constitutive expression of OGG1 in heterozygous (TSC2+/-) Eker rat and in angiomyolipomas kidney tissue from human is 2-3fold less than in kidney from wild-type rats and control human subjects. In addition, we show that loss of TSC2 in kidney tumor of Eker rat is associated with loss of OGG1 and accumulation significant levels of oxidative DNA damage 8-oxo-deoxyguanine suggesting that TSC2 and OGG1 play a major role in renal tumorigenesis.
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PMID:Tuberous sclerosis complex and DNA repair. 2068 97

The Ca2+ extrusion function of the four mammalian isoforms of the plasma membrane calcium ATPases (PMCAs) is well established. There is also ever-increasing detail known of their roles in global and local Ca2+ homeostasis and intracellular Ca2+ signaling in a wide variety of cell types and tissues. It is becoming clear that the spatiotemporal patterns of expression of the PMCAs and the fact that their abundances and relative expression levels vary from cell type to cell type both reflect and impact on their specific functions in these cells. Over recent years it has become increasingly apparent that these genes have potentially significant roles in human health and disease, with PMCAs1-4 being associated with cardiovascular diseases, deafness, autism, ataxia, adenoma, and malarial resistance. This review will bring together evidence of the variety of tissue-specific functions of PMCAs and will highlight the roles these genes play in regulating normal physiological functions and the considerable impact the genes have on human disease.
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PMID:The Plasma Membrane Calcium ATPases and Their Role as Major New Players in Human Disease. 2856 38