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 spectrum disorder (ASD) is a highly heritable disorder of complex and heterogeneous aetiology. It is primarily characterized by altered cognitive ability including impaired language and communication skills and fundamental deficits in social reciprocity. Despite some notable successes in neuropsychiatric genetics, overall, the high heritability of ASD (~90%) remains poorly explained by common genetic risk variants. However, recent studies suggest that rare genomic variation, in particular copy number variation, may account for a significant proportion of the genetic basis of ASD. We present a large scale analysis to identify candidate genes which may contain low-frequency recessive variation contributing to ASD while taking into account the potential contribution of population differences to the genetic heterogeneity of ASD. Our strategy, homozygous haplotype (HH) mapping, aims to detect homozygous segments of identical haplotype structure that are shared at a higher frequency amongst ASD patients compared to parental controls. The analysis was performed on 1,402 Autism Genome Project trios genotyped for 1 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). We identified 25 known and 1,218 novel ASD candidate genes in the discovery analysis including CADM2, ABHD14A, CHRFAM7A, GRIK2, GRM3, EPHA3, FGF10, KCND2, PDZK1, IMMP2L and FOXP2. Furthermore, 10 of the previously reported ASD genes and 300 of the novel candidates identified in the discovery analysis were replicated in an independent sample of 1,182 trios. Our results demonstrate that regions of HH are significantly enriched for previously reported ASD candidate genes and the observed association is independent of gene size (odds ratio 2.10). Our findings highlight the applicability of HH mapping in complex disorders such as ASD and offer an alternative approach to the analysis of genome-wide association data.
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PMID:A novel approach of homozygous haplotype sharing identifies candidate genes in autism spectrum disorder. 2199 56

Efforts to understand the causes of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have been hampered by genetic complexity and heterogeneity among individuals. One strategy for reducing complexity is to target endophenotypes, simpler biologically based measures that may involve fewer genes and constitute a more homogenous sample. A genome-wide association study of 2,165 participants (mean age = 8.95 years) examined associations between genomic loci and individual assessment items from the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised, Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, and Social Responsiveness Scale. Significant associations with a number of loci were identified, including KCND2 (overly serious facial expressions), NOS2A (loss of motor skills), and NELL1 (faints, fits, or blackouts). These findings may help prioritize directions for future genomic efforts.
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PMID:A genome-wide association study of autism incorporating autism diagnostic interview-revised, autism diagnostic observation schedule, and social responsiveness scale. 2293 94

Numerous studies and case reports show comorbidity of autism and epilepsy, suggesting some common molecular underpinnings of the two phenotypes. However, the relationship between the two, on the molecular level, remains unclear. Here, whole exome sequencing was performed on a family with identical twins affected with autism and severe, intractable seizures. A de novo variant was identified in the KCND2 gene, which encodes the Kv4.2 potassium channel. Kv4.2 is a major pore-forming subunit in somatodendritic subthreshold A-type potassium current (ISA) channels. The de novo mutation p.Val404Met is novel and occurs at a highly conserved residue within the C-terminal end of the transmembrane helix S6 region of the ion permeation pathway. Functional analysis revealed the likely pathogenicity of the variant in that the p.Val404Met mutant construct showed significantly slowed inactivation, either by itself or after equimolar coexpression with the wild-type Kv4.2 channel construct consistent with a dominant effect. Further, the effect of the mutation on closed-state inactivation was evident in the presence of auxiliary subunits that associate with Kv4 subunits to form ISA channels in vivo. Discovery of a functionally relevant novel de novo variant, coupled with physiological evidence that the mutant protein disrupts potassium current inactivation, strongly supports KCND2 as the causal gene for epilepsy in this family. Interaction of KCND2 with other genes implicated in autism and the role of KCND2 in synaptic plasticity provide suggestive evidence of an etiological role in autism.
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PMID:Exome sequencing identifies de novo gain of function missense mutation in KCND2 in identical twins with autism and seizures that slows potassium channel inactivation. 2450 Dec 78

A de novo mutation in the KCND2 gene, which encodes the Kv4.2 K+ channel, was identified in twin boys with intractable, infant-onset epilepsy and autism. Kv4.2 channels undergo closed-state inactivation (CSI), a mechanism by which channels inactivate without opening during subthreshold depolarizations. CSI dynamically modulates neuronal excitability and action potential back propagation in response to excitatory synaptic input, controlling Ca2+ influx into dendrites and regulating spike timing-dependent plasticity. Here, we show that the V404M mutation specifically affects the mechanism of CSI, enhancing the inactivation of channels that have not opened while dramatically impairing the inactivation of channels that have opened. The mutation gives rise to these opposing effects by increasing the stability of the inactivated state and in parallel, profoundly slowing the closure of open channels, which according to our data, is required for CSI. The larger volume of methionine compared with valine is a major factor underlying altered inactivation gating. Our results suggest that V404M increases the strength of the physical interaction between the pore gate and the voltage sensor regardless of whether the gate is open or closed. Furthermore, in contrast to previous proposals, our data strongly suggest that physical coupling between the voltage sensor and the pore gate is maintained in the inactivated state. The state-dependent effects of V404M on CSI are expected to disturb the regulation of neuronal excitability and the induction of spike timing-dependent plasticity. Our results strongly support a role for altered CSI gating in the etiology of epilepsy and autism in the affected twins.
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PMID:Kv4.2 autism and epilepsy mutation enhances inactivation of closed channels but impairs access to inactivated state after opening. 2958 Dec 70