scholarly journals The 22q11.2 region regulates presynaptic gene-products linked to schizophrenia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralda Nehme ◽  
Olli Pietiläinen ◽  
Mykyta Artomov ◽  
Matthew Tegtmeyer ◽  
Christina Bell ◽  
...  

AbstractTo study how the 22q11.2 deletion predisposes to psychiatric disease, we generated induced pluripotent stem cells from deletion carriers and controls, as well as utilized CRISPR/Cas9 to introduce the heterozygous deletion into a control cell line. Upon differentiation into neural progenitor cells, we found the deletion acted in trans to alter the abundance of transcripts associated with risk for neurodevelopmental disorders including Autism Spectrum Disorder. In more differentiated excitatory neurons, altered transcripts encoded presynaptic factors and were associated with genetic risk for schizophrenia, including common (per-SNP heritability p (τc)= 4.2 x 10-6) and rare, loss of function variants (p = 1.29×10-12). These findings suggest a potential relationship between cellular states, developmental windows and susceptibility to psychiatric conditions with different ages of onset. To understand how the deletion contributed to these observed changes in gene expression, we developed and applied PPItools, which identifies the minimal protein-protein interaction network that best explains an observed set of gene expression alterations. We found that many of the genes in the 22q11.2 interval interact in presynaptic, proteasome, and JUN/FOS transcriptional pathways that underlie the broader alterations in psychiatric risk gene expression we identified. Our findings suggest that the 22q11.2 deletion impacts genes and pathways that may converge with risk loci implicated by psychiatric genetic studies to influence disease manifestation in each deletion carrier.

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahar Shohat ◽  
Eyal Ben-David ◽  
Sagiv Shifman

AbstractGenetic susceptibility to Intellectual disability (ID), autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia (SCZ) often arises from mutations in the same genes, suggesting that they share common mechanisms. We studied genes with de novo mutations in the three disorders and genes implicated by SCZ genome-wide association study (GWAS). Using biological annotations and brain gene expression, we show that mutation class explains enrichment patterns more than specific disorder. Genes with loss of function mutations and genes with missense mutations were enriched with different pathways, shared with genes intolerant to mutations. Specific gene expression patterns were found for each disorder. ID genes were preferentially expressed in fetal cortex, ASD genes also in fetal cerebellum and striatum, and genes associated with SCZ were most significantly enriched in adolescent cortex. Our study suggests that convergence across neuropsychiatric disorders stems from vulnerable pathways to genetic variations, but spatiotemporal activity of genes contributes to specific phenotypes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 295 (9) ◽  
pp. 2555-2567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debapratim Dutta ◽  
Joseph E. Wedekind

Riboswitches are a class of nonprotein-coding RNAs that directly sense cellular metabolites to regulate gene expression. They are model systems for analyzing RNA-ligand interactions and are established targets for antibacterial agents. Many studies have analyzed the ligand-binding properties of riboswitches, but this work has outpaced our understanding of the underlying chemical pathways that govern riboswitch-controlled gene expression. To address this knowledge gap, we prepared 15 mutants of the preQ1-II riboswitch—a structurally and biochemically well-characterized HLout pseudoknot that recognizes the metabolite prequeuosine1 (preQ1). The mutants span the preQ1-binding pocket through the adjoining Shine–Dalgarno sequence (SDS) and include A-minor motifs, pseudoknot-insertion helix P4, U·A-U base triples, and canonical G-C pairs in the anti-SDS. As predicted—and confirmed by in vitro isothermal titration calorimetry measurements—specific mutations ablated preQ1 binding, but most aberrant binding effects were corrected by compensatory mutations. In contrast, functional analysis in live bacteria using a riboswitch-controlled GFPuv-reporter assay revealed that each mutant had a deleterious effect on gene regulation, even when compensatory changes were included. Our results indicate that effector binding can be uncoupled from gene regulation. We attribute loss of function to defects in a chemical interaction network that links effector binding to distal regions of the fold that support the gene-off RNA conformation. Our findings differentiate effector binding from biological function, which has ramifications for riboswitch characterization. Our results are considered in the context of synthetic ligands and drugs that bind tightly to riboswitches without eliciting a biological response.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Ayanna Wade ◽  
Kenneth Lim ◽  
Rinaldo Catta-Preta ◽  
Alex S. Nord

ABSTRACTThe packaging of DNA into chromatin determines the transcriptional potential of cells and is central to eukaryotic gene regulation. Recent sequencing of patient mutations has linked de novo loss-of-function mutations to chromatin remodeling factors with specific, causal roles in neurodevelopmental disorders. Characterizing cellular and molecular phenotypes arising from haploinsufficiency of chromatin remodeling factors could reveal convergent mechanisms of pathology. Chromodomain helicase DNA binding protein 8 (CHD8) encodes a chromatin remodeling factor gene and has among the highest de novo loss-of-function mutations rates in patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Mutations to CHD8 are expected to drive neurodevelopmental pathology through global disruptions to gene expression and chromatin state, however, mechanisms associated with CHD8 function have yet to be fully elucidated. We analyzed published transcriptomic and epigenomic data across CHD8 in vitro and in vivo knockdown and knockout models to identify convergent mechanisms of gene regulation by CHD8. We found reproducible high-affinity interactions of CHD8 near promoters of genes necessary for basic cell functions and gene regulation, especially chromatin organization and RNA processing genes. Overlap between CHD8 interaction and differential expression suggests that reduced dosage of CHD8 directly relates to decreased expression of these genes. In addition, genes important for neuronal development and function showed consistent dysregulation, though there was a reduced rate and decreased affinity for CHD8 interactions near these genes. This meta-analysis verifies CHD8 as a critical regulator of gene expression and reveals a consistent set of high affinity CHD8 interaction targets observed across human and mouse in vivo and in vitro studies. Our findings highlight novel core functions of CHD8 and indicate direct and downstream gene regulatory impacts that are likely to be associated with neuropathology underlying CHD8-associated neurodevelopmental disorder.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Song Ding ◽  
Xianchun Lan ◽  
Yajing Meng ◽  
Chenchao Yan ◽  
Mao Li ◽  
...  

AbstractThe chromatin remodeler CHD8, which belongs to the ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers CHD family, is one of the most high-risk mutated genes in autism spectrum disorders. However, the role of CHD8 in neural differentiation and the mechanism of CHD8 in autism remains unclear, despite there are a few studies based on the CHD8 haploinsufficient models. Here, we generate the CHD8 knockout human ESCs by CRISPR/Cas9 technology and characterize the effect of loss-of-function of CHD8 on pluripotency maintenance and lineage determination by utilizing efficient directed differentiation protocols. The results show loss-of-function of CHD8 does not affect human ESC maintenance although having slight effect on proliferation and cell cycle. Interestingly, CHD8 depletion results in defective neuroectoderm differentiation, along with severe cell death in neural progenitor stage. Transcriptome analysis also indicates CHD8 does not alter the expression of pluripotent genes in ESC stage, but in neural progenitor cells depletion of CHD8 induces the abnormal expression of the apoptosis genes and suppresses neuroectoderm-related genes. These results provide the evidence that CHD8 plays an essential role in the pluripotency exit and neuroectoderm differentiation as well as the regulation of apoptosis during neurogenesis.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mona Zamanian Azodi ◽  
Mostafa Rezaei-Tavirani ◽  
Majid Rezaei-Tavirani

Background: Currently, the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is increasing, which widely spurs the interest in the molecular investigation. Thereby, a better understanding of the given disorder mechanisms is likely to be achieved. Bioinformatics suiting protein-protein interactions analysis via the application of high-throughput studies, such as protein array, is one of these achievements.Materials and Methods: The gene expression data from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database were downloaded, and the expression profile of patients with developmental delay and autistic features were analyzed via Cytoscape and its relevant plug-ins.Results: Our findings indicated that EGFR, ACTB, RHOA, CALM1, MAPK1, and JUN genes as the hub-bottlenecks and their related terms could be important in ASD risk. In other words, any expression modification in these genes could trigger dysfunctions in the corresponding biological processes.Conclusion: We suggest that differentially expressed genes could be used as suitable targets for ASD after being validated.[GMJ.2019;8:e1367]


Author(s):  
Niels Hansen ◽  
◽  
Daniel Luedecke ◽  
Berend Malchow ◽  
Michael Lipp ◽  
...  

AbstractStudies show that psychiatric symptoms in adults and children are sometimes associated with serum neural autoantibodies. The significance of serum neural autoantibodies associated with psychiatric symptoms in children remains often unclear, but might be relevant for the extent and occurrence of psychiatric disease manifestation in later life, as well as therapy and outcome. For this narrative review, we sought articles listed in PubMed and published between 1988 and 2020 addressing the maternal–fetal transfer of neural autoantibodies and psychiatric disorders associated with serum neural autoantibodies. We identified six major subgroups of psychiatric disorders in children that are associated with serum neural autoantibodies: patients with attentional deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, Gilles de la Tourette syndrome, psychosis and catatonia. Furthermore, we summarized study findings from maternal–fetal transfer of Contactin-associated protein-like 2, N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor and fetal brain autoantibodies associated with behavioral effects in animals and humans. We hypothesize that the maternal transfer of serum neuronal autoantibodies during or after birth could result (1) in the ignition of an autoimmune-mediated inflammation having neurodevelopmental consequences for their children (autoimmune-priming-attack hypothesis) and (2) has a potential impact on the later manifestation of psychiatric disorders. Through this narrative review, we propose a diagnostic pathway for the clinical diagnosis of a potentially autoimmune origin of psychiatric symptoms in children while considering recent guidelines.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (29) ◽  
pp. 3619-3630
Author(s):  
Saumya Choudhary ◽  
Dibyabhaba Pradhan ◽  
Noor S. Khan ◽  
Harpreet Singh ◽  
George Thomas ◽  
...  

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic immune mediated skin disorder with global prevalence of 0.2- 11.4%. Despite rare mortality, the severity of the disease could be understood by the accompanying comorbidities, that has even led to psychological problems among several patients. The cause and the disease mechanism still remain elusive. Objective: To identify potential therapeutic targets and affecting pathways for better insight of the disease pathogenesis. Method: The gene expression profile GSE13355 and GSE14905 were retrieved from NCBI, Gene Expression Omnibus database. The GEO profiles were integrated and the DEGs of lesional and non-lesional psoriasis skin were identified using the affy package in R software. The Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes pathways of the DEGs were analyzed using clusterProfiler. Cytoscape, V3.7.1 was utilized to construct protein interaction network and analyze the interactome map of candidate proteins encoded in DEGs. Functionally relevant clusters were detected through Cytohubba and MCODE. Results: A total of 1013 genes were differentially expressed in lesional skin of which 557 were upregulated and 456 were downregulated. Seven dysregulated genes were extracted in non-lesional skin. The disease gene network of these DEGs revealed 75 newly identified differentially expressed gene that might have a role in development and progression of the disease. GO analysis revealed keratinocyte differentiation and positive regulation of cytokine production to be the most enriched biological process and molecular function. Cytokines -cytokine receptor was the most enriched pathways. Among 1013 identified DEGs in lesional group, 36 DEGs were found to have altered genetic signature including IL1B and STAT3 which are also reported as hub genes. CCNB1, CCNA2, CDK1, IL1B, CXCL8, MKI 67, ESR1, UBE2C, STAT1 and STAT3 were top 10 hub gene. Conclusion: The hub genes, genomic altered DEGs and other newly identified differentially dysregulated genes would improve our understanding of psoriasis pathogenesis, moreover, the hub genes could be explored as potential therapeutic targets for psoriasis.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Peng Yu ◽  
Baoli Zhang ◽  
Ming Liu ◽  
Ying Yu ◽  
Ji Zhao ◽  
...  

Background. Mechanical stress-induced cardiac remodeling that results in heart failure is characterized by transcriptional reprogramming of gene expression. However, a systematic study of genomic changes involved in this process has not been performed to date. To investigate the genomic changes and underlying mechanism of cardiac remodeling, we collected and analyzed DNA microarray data for murine transverse aortic constriction (TAC) and human aortic stenosis (AS) from the Gene Expression Omnibus database and the European Bioinformatics Institute. Methods and Results. The differential expression genes (DEGs) across the datasets were merged. The Venn diagrams showed that the number of intersections for early and late cardiac remodeling was 74 and 16, respectively. Gene ontology and protein–protein interaction network analysis showed that metabolic changes, cell differentiation and growth, cell cycling, and collagen fibril organization accounted for a great portion of the DEGs in the TAC model, while in AS patients’ immune system signaling and cytokine signaling displayed the most significant changes. The intersections between the TAC model and AS patients were few. Nevertheless, the DEGs of the two species shared some common regulatory transcription factors (TFs), including SP1, CEBPB, PPARG, and NFKB1, when the heart was challenged by applied mechanical stress. Conclusions. This study unravels the complex transcriptome profiles of the heart tissues and highlighting the candidate genes involved in cardiac remodeling induced by mechanical stress may usher in a new era of precision diagnostics and treatment in patients with cardiac remodeling.


Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 520
Author(s):  
Wenfeng Nie ◽  
Jinyu Wang

As essential structural components of ATP-dependent chromatin-remodeling complex, the nucleolus-localized actin-related proteins (ARPs) play critical roles in many biological processes. Among them, ARP4 is identified as an integral subunit of chromatin remodeling complex SWR1, which is conserved in yeast, humans and plants. It was shown that RNAi mediated knock-down of Arabidopsis thaliana ARP4 (AtARP4) could affect plant development, specifically, leading to early flowering. However, so far, little is known about how ARP4 functions in the SWR1 complex in plant. Here, we identified a loss-of-function mutant of AtARP4 with a single nucleotide change from glycine to arginine, which had significantly smaller leaf size. The results from the split luciferase complementation imaging (LCI) and yeast two hybrid (Y2H) assays confirmed its physical interaction with the scaffold and catalytic subunit of SWR1 complex, photoperiod-independent early flowering 1 (PIE1). Furthermore, mutation of AtARP4 caused altered transcription response of hundreds of genes, in which the number of up-regulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was much larger than those down-regulated. Although most DEGs in atarp4 are related to plant defense and response to hormones such as salicylic acid, overall, it has less overlapping with other swr1 mutants and the hta9 hta11 double-mutant. In conclusion, our results reveal that AtARP4 is important for plant growth and such an effect is likely attributed to its repression on gene expression, typically at defense-related loci, thus providing some evidence for the coordination of plant growth and defense, while the regulatory patterns and mechanisms are distinctive from other SWR1 complex components.


Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 470
Author(s):  
Jeremy W. Prokop ◽  
Caleb P. Bupp ◽  
Austin Frisch ◽  
Stephanie M. Bilinovich ◽  
Daniel B. Campbell ◽  
...  

Ornithine decarboxylase 1 (ODC1 gene) has been linked through gain-of-function variants to a rare disease featuring developmental delay, alopecia, macrocephaly, and structural brain anomalies. ODC1 has been linked to additional diseases like cancer, with growing evidence for neurological contributions to schizophrenia, mood disorders, anxiety, epilepsy, learning, and suicidal behavior. The evidence of ODC1 connection to neural disorders highlights the need for a systematic analysis of ODC1 genotype-to-phenotype associations. An analysis of variants from ClinVar, Geno2MP, TOPMed, gnomAD, and COSMIC revealed an intellectual disability and seizure connected loss-of-function variant, ODC G84R (rs138359527, NC_000002.12:g.10444500C > T). The missense variant is found in ~1% of South Asian individuals and results in 2.5-fold decrease in enzyme function. Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) reveal multiple functionally annotated, non-coding variants regulating ODC1 that associate with psychiatric/neurological phenotypes. Further dissection of RNA-Seq during fetal brain development and within cerebral organoids showed an association of ODC1 expression with cell proliferation of neural progenitor cells, suggesting gain-of-function variants with neural over-proliferation and loss-of-function variants with neural depletion. The linkage from the expression data of ODC1 in early neural progenitor proliferation to phenotypes of neurodevelopmental delay and to the connection of polyamine metabolites in brain function establish ODC1 as a bona fide neurodevelopmental disorder gene.


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