Mechanistic Insight Into the Regulation of Immune-Related Genes Expression in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder featuring impairment in verbal and non-verbal interactions, defects in social interactions, stereotypic behaviors as well as restricted interests. In recent times, the incidence of ASD is growing at a rapid pace. In spite of great endeavors devoted to explaining ASD pathophysiology, its precise etiology remains unresolved. ASD pathogenesis is related to different phenomena associated with the immune system; however, the mechanisms behind these immune phenomena as well as the potential contributing genes remain unclear. In the current work, we used a bioinformatics approach to describe the role of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)-associated competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) in the peripheral blood (PB) samples to figure out the molecular regulatory procedures involved in ASD better. The Gene Expression Omnibus database was used to obtain the PB microarray dataset (GSE89594) from the subjects suffering from ASD and control subjects, containing the data related to both mRNAs and lncRNAs. The list of immune-related genes was obtained from the ImmPort database. In order to determine the immune-related differentially expressed mRNAs (DEmRNAs) and lncRNAs (DElncRNAs), the limma package of R software was used. A protein-protein interaction network was developed for the immune-related DEmRNAs. By employing the Human MicroRNA Disease Database, DIANA-LncBase, and DIANA-TarBase databases, the RNA interaction pairs were determined. We used the Pearson correlation coefficient to discover the positive correlations between DElncRNAs and DEmRNAs within the ceRNA network. Finally, the lncRNA-associated ceRNA network was created based on DElncRNA-miRNA-DEmRNA interactions and co-expression interactions. In addition, the KEGG enrichment analysis was conducted for immune-related DEmRNAs found within the constructed network. This work found four potential DElncRNA-miRNA-DEmRNA axes in ASD pathogenesis, including, LINC00472/hsa-miR-221-3p/PTPN11, ANP32A-IT1/hsa-miR-182-5p/S100A2, LINC00472/hsa-miR-132-3p/S100A2, and RBM26-AS1/hsa-miR-182-5p/S100A2. According to pathway enrichment analysis, the immune-related DEmRNAs were enriched in the “JAK-STAT signaling pathway” and “Adipocytokine signaling pathway.” An understanding of regulatory mechanisms of ASD-related immune genes would provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms behind ASD pathogenesis.

Download Full-text

Genetics and Epigenetics of One-Carbon Metabolism Pathway in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Sex-Specific Brain Epigenome?

Genes ◽

10.3390/genes12050782 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 782

Author(s):

Veronica Tisato ◽

Juliana A. Silva ◽

Giovanna Longo ◽

Ines Gallo ◽

Ajay V. Singh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Mthfr Gene ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Fetal Life ◽

Clinical Phenotypes ◽

One Carbon Metabolism ◽

Causes And Risk Factors ◽

Individual Disease

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition affecting behavior and communication, presenting with extremely different clinical phenotypes and features. ASD etiology is composite and multifaceted with several causes and risk factors responsible for different individual disease pathophysiological processes and clinical phenotypes. From a genetic and epigenetic side, several candidate genes have been reported as potentially linked to ASD, which can be detected in about 10–25% of patients. Folate gene polymorphisms have been previously associated with other psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases, mainly focused on gene variants in the DHFR gene (5q14.1; rs70991108, 19bp ins/del), MTHFR gene (1p36.22; rs1801133, C677T and rs1801131, A1298C), and CBS gene (21q22.3; rs876657421, 844ins68). Of note, their roles have been scarcely investigated from a sex/gender viewpoint, though ASD is characterized by a strong sex gap in onset-risk and progression. The aim of the present review is to point out the molecular mechanisms related to intracellular folate recycling affecting in turn remethylation and transsulfuration pathways having potential effects on ASD. Brain epigenome during fetal life necessarily reflects the sex-dependent different imprint of the genome-environment interactions which effects are difficult to decrypt. We here will focus on the DHFR, MTHFR and CBS gene-triad by dissecting their roles in a sex-oriented view, primarily to bring new perspectives in ASD epigenetics.

Download Full-text

Genomics of autism spectrum disorder: approach to therapy

F1000Research ◽

10.12688/f1000research.13865.1 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

pp. 627 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Fatma Ayhan ◽

Genevieve Konopka

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Genetic Variants ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Protein Translation ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Current Treatment ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Current State ◽

Genetics And Genomics

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a highly prevalent neurodevelopmental condition with no current treatment available. Although advances in genetics and genomics have identified hundreds of genes associated with ASD, very little is known about the pathophysiology of ASD and the functional contribution of specific genes to ASD phenotypes. Improved understanding of the biological function of ASD-associated genes and how this heterogeneous group of genetic variants leads to the disease is needed in order to develop therapeutic strategies. Here, we review the current state of ASD research related to gene discovery and examples of emerging molecular mechanisms (protein translation and alternative splicing). In addition, we discuss how patient-derived three-dimensional brain organoids might provide an opportunity to model specific genetic variants in order to define molecular and cellular defects that could be amenable for developing and screening personalized therapies related to ASD.

Download Full-text

A Network Pharmacology Approach to Uncover the Mechanisms of Shen-Qi-Di-Huang Decoction against Diabetic Nephropathy

Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine ◽

10.1155/2018/7043402 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2018 ◽

pp. 1-14 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Sha Di ◽

Lin Han ◽

Qing Wang ◽

Xinkui Liu ◽

Yingying Yang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Diabetic Nephropathy ◽

Signaling Pathway ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Interaction Network ◽

Enrichment Analysis ◽

Network Pharmacology ◽

Pathway Enrichment Analysis ◽

Protein Protein Interaction ◽

Regulation Of Blood Pressure ◽

Protein Protein Interaction Network

Shen-Qi-Di-Huang decoction (SQDHD), a well-known herbal formula from China, has been widely used in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy (DN). However, the pharmacological mechanisms of SQDHD have not been entirely elucidated. At first, we conducted a comprehensive literature search to identify the active constituents of SQDHD, determined their corresponding targets, and obtained known DN targets from several databases. A protein-protein interaction network was then built to explore the complex relations between SQDHD targets and those known to treat DN. Following the topological feature screening of each node in the network, 400 major targets of SQDHD were obtained. The pathway enrichment analysis results acquired from DAVID showed that the significant bioprocesses and pathways include oxidative stress, response to glucose, regulation of blood pressure, regulation of cell proliferation, cytokine-mediated signaling pathway, and the apoptotic signaling pathway. More interestingly, five key targets of SQDHD, named AKT1, AR, CTNNB1, EGFR, and ESR1, were significant in the regulation of the above bioprocesses and pathways. This study partially verified and predicted the pharmacological and molecular mechanisms of SQDHD on DN from a holistic perspective. This has laid the foundation for further experimental research and has expanded the rational application of SQDHD in clinical practice.

Download Full-text

Comprehensive circRNA Expression Profile and Construction of circRNAs-Related ceRNA Network in a Mouse Model of Autism

Frontiers in Genetics ◽

10.3389/fgene.2020.623584 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Author(s):

Ji Wang ◽

Zhongxiu Yang ◽

Canming Chen ◽

Yang Xu ◽

Hongguang Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Signaling Pathway ◽

Expression Profile ◽

Enrichment Analysis ◽

Notch Signaling Pathway ◽

Mapk Signaling ◽

Circular Rnas ◽

Pathway Enrichment Analysis ◽

Common Disease ◽

Cerna Network

Autism is a common disease that seriously affects the quality of life. The role of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in autism remains largely unexplored. We aimed to detect the circRNA expression profile and construct a circRNA-based competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network in autism. Valproate acid was used to establish an in vivo model of autism in mice. A total of 1,059 differentially expressed circRNAs (477 upregulated and 582 downregulated) in autism group was identified by RNA sequencing. The expression of novel_circ_015779 and novel_circ_035247 were detected by real-time PCR. A ceRNA network based on altered circRNAs was established, with 9,715 nodes and 150,408 edges. Module analysis was conducted followed by GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. The top three modules were all correlated with autism-related pathways involving “TGF-beta signaling pathway,” “Notch signaling pathway,” “MAPK signaling pathway,” “long term depression,” “thyroid hormone signaling pathway,” etc. The present study reveals a novel circRNA involved mechanisms in the pathogenesis of autism.

Download Full-text

Mitochondrial morphology is associated with respiratory chain uncoupling in autism spectrum disorder

Translational Psychiatry ◽

10.1038/s41398-021-01647-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Richard E. Frye ◽

Loïc Lionnard ◽

Indrapal Singh ◽

Mohammad A. Karim ◽

Hanane Chajra ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Complex I ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Mitochondrial Metabolism ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Mitochondrial Morphology ◽

Complex Iv ◽

Children With Asd

AbstractAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is associated with unique changes in mitochondrial metabolism, including elevated respiration rates and morphological alterations. We examined electron transport chain (ETC) complex activity in fibroblasts derived from 18 children with ASD as well as mitochondrial morphology measurements in fibroblasts derived from the ASD participants and four typically developing controls. In ASD participants, symptoms severity was measured by the Social Responsiveness Scale and Aberrant Behavior Checklist. Mixed-model regression demonstrated that alterations in mitochondrial morphology were associated with both ETC Complex I+III and IV activity as well as the difference between ETC Complex I+III and IV activity. The subgroup of ASD participants with relative elevation in Complex IV activity demonstrated more typical mitochondrial morphology and milder ASD related symptoms. This study is limited by sample size given the invasive nature of obtaining fibroblasts from children. Furthermore, since mitochondrial function is heterogenous across tissues, the result may be specific to fibroblast respiration. Previous studies have separately described elevated ETC Complex IV activity and changes in mitochondrial morphology in cells derived from children with ASD but this is the first study to link these two findings in mitochondrial metabolism. The association between a difference in ETC complex I+III and IV activity and normal morphology suggests that mitochondrial in individuals with ASD may require ETC uncoupling to function optimally. Further studies should assess the molecular mechanisms behind these unique metabolic changes.Trial registration: Protocols used in this study were registered in clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02000284 and NCT02003170.

Download Full-text

Update on Atypicalities of Central Nervous System in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci10050309 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 309

Author(s):

Ahmad Naqib Shuid ◽

Putri Ayu Jayusman ◽

Nazrun Shuid ◽

Juriza Ismail ◽

Norazlin Kamal Nor ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Central Nervous System ◽

Nervous System ◽

Signaling Pathway ◽

Immune Dysregulation ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Mtor Signaling ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Mtor Signaling Pathway ◽

And Function

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous, behaviorally defined, neurodevelopmental disorder that has been modeled as a brain-based disease. The behavioral and cognitive features of ASD are associated with pervasive atypicalities in the central nervous system (CNS). To date, the exact mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of ASD still remain unknown and there is currently no cure or effective treatment for this disorder. Many publications implicated the association of ASD with inflammation, immune dysregulation, neurotransmission dysfunction, mitochondrial impairment and cell signaling dysregulation. This review attempts to highlight evidence of the major pathophysiology of ASD including abnormalities in the brain structure and function, neuroglial activation and neuroinflammation, glutamatergic neurotransmission, mitochondrial dysfunction and mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway dysregulation. Molecular and cellular factors that contributed to the pathogenesis of ASD and how they may affect the development and function of CNS are compiled in this review. However, findings of published studies have been complicated by the fact that autism is a very heterogeneous disorder; hence, we addressed the limitations that led to discrepancies in the reported findings. This review emphasizes the need for future studies to control study variables such as sample size, gender, age range and intelligence quotient (IQ), all of which that could affect the study measurements. Neuroinflammation or immune dysregulation, microglial activation, genetically linked neurotransmission, mitochondrial dysfunctions and mTOR signaling pathway could be the primary targets for treating and preventing ASD. Further research is required to better understand the molecular causes and how they may contribute to the pathophysiology of ASD.

Download Full-text

MicroRNA profiling in adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder

Molecular Brain ◽

10.1186/s13041-019-0508-6 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Masatoshi Nakata ◽

Ryo Kimura ◽

Yasuko Funabiki ◽

Tomonari Awaya ◽

Toshiya Murai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Mirna Expression ◽

Target Genes ◽

High Functioning Autism ◽

Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽

Enrichment Analysis ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Repetitive Behaviors ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

High Functioning

Abstract Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social communication deficits and repetitive behaviors. Owing to the difficulty of clinical diagnosis, ASD without intellectual disability (i.e., high-functioning ASD) is often overlooked. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been recently recognized as potential biomarkers of ASD as they are dysregulated in various tissues of individuals with ASD. However, it remains unclear whether miRNA expression is altered in individuals with high-functioning ASD. Here, we investigated the miRNA expression profile in peripheral blood from adults with high-functioning ASD, and age and gender-matched healthy controls. We identified miR-6126 as being robustly down-regulated in ASD and correlated with the severity of social deficits. Enrichment analysis of predicted target genes revealed potential association with neurons, synapses, and oxytocin signaling pathways. Our findings may provide insights regarding the molecular clues for recognizing high-functioning ASD.

Download Full-text

A network pharmacology-based study on Alzheimer disease prevention and treatment of Qiong Yu Gao

10.21203/rs.2.24495/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jieshu You ◽

Chen-yue Li ◽

Wei Chen ◽

Xia-lin Wu ◽

Li-jie Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Signaling Pathway ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Kegg Pathway ◽

Herbal Medicines ◽

Enrichment Analysis ◽

Network Pharmacology ◽

Pathway Enrichment Analysis ◽

Resistance Pathway ◽

Prevention And Treatment ◽

Ad Prevention

Abstract Background and objective: As the pathological mechanisms of AD are complex, increasing evidence have demonstrated Chinese Medicine with multi-ingredients and multi-targets may be more suitable for the treatment of diseases with complex pathogenesis. Therefore, the study was to preliminarily decipher the bioactive compounds and potential mechanisms of Qiong Yu Gao (QYG) for AD prevention and treatment by an integrated network pharmacology approach. Methods: Putative ingredients of QYG and significant genes of AD were retrieved from public database after screening. Then QYG ingredients target proteins/genes were obtained by target fishing. Compound-target-disease network was constructed using Cytoscape to decipher the mechanism of QYG for AD. KEGG pathway and GO enrichment analysis were performed to investigate the molecular mechanisms and pathways related to QYG for AD treatments. Results: Finally, 70 compounds and 511 relative drug targets were collected. In which, 17 representative direct targets were found. Gene ontology enrichment analysis revealed that the adenylate cyclase-inhibiting G-protein coupled acetylcholine receptor signaling pathway was the key biological processes and were regulated simultaneously by the 17 direct targets. The KEGG pathway enrichment analysis found that three signaling pathways were closely related to AD prevention and treatment by QYG, including PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, regulation of actin cytoskeleton pathway and insulin resistance pathway. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that QYG exerted the effect of preventing and treating AD by regulating multi-targets with multi-components. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that a network pharmacology-based approach was useful for elucidation of the interrelationship between complex diseases and interventions of Chinese herbal medicines.

Download Full-text

Influence of the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Activating Environmental Pollutants on Autism Spectrum Disorder

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22179258 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (17) ◽

pp. 9258

Author(s):

Hevna Dhulkifle ◽

Abdelali Agouni ◽

Asad Zeidan ◽

Mohammed Saif Al-Kuwari ◽

Aijaz Parray ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Environmental Pollutants ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Development Communication ◽

Aryl Hydrocarbon ◽

The Impact

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is an umbrella term that includes many different disorders that affect the development, communication, and behavior of an individual. Prevalence of ASD has risen exponentially in the past couple of decades. ASD has a complex etiology and traditionally recognized risk factors only account for a small percentage of incidence of the disorder. Recent studies have examined factors beyond the conventional risk factors (e.g., environmental pollution). There has been an increase in air pollution since the beginning of industrialization. Most environmental pollutants cause toxicities through activation of several cellular receptors, such as the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)/cytochrome P450 (CYPs) pathway. There is little research on the involvement of AhR in contributing to ASD. Although a few reviews have discussed and addressed the link between increased prevalence of ASD and exposure to environmental pollutants, the mechanism governing this effect, specifically the role of AhR in ASD development and the molecular mechanisms involved, have not been discussed or reviewed before. This article reviews the state of knowledge regarding the impact of the AhR/CYP pathway modulation upon exposure to environmental pollutants on ASD risk, incidence, and development. It also explores the molecular mechanisms involved, such as epigenesis and polymorphism. In addition, the review explores possible new AhR-mediated mechanisms of several drugs used for treatment of ASD, such as sulforaphane, resveratrol, haloperidol, and metformin.

Download Full-text

Network Pharmacology-Based Prediction of the Active Ingredients and Potential Targets of Chinese Herbal Danyu Gukang Pills for Application to Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head Disease

10.21203/rs.3.rs-143355/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yongchang Guo ◽

Dapeng Zhang ◽

Yuju Cao ◽

Xiaoyan Feng ◽

Caihong Shen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Molecular Docking ◽

Femoral Head ◽

Signaling Pathway ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Enrichment Analysis ◽

Network Pharmacology ◽

Pathway Enrichment Analysis ◽

In Vitro Experiments ◽

Active Components

Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevanceOsteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is still a challenge for orthopedists worldwide, which may lead to disability in patients without effective treatment. A newly developed formula of Chinese medicine, Danyu Gukang Pills (DGP), was recognized to be effective for ONFH. Nevertheless, its molecular mechanisms remain to be clarified. MethodsNetwork pharmacology was adopted to detect the mechanism of DGP on ONFH. The compounds of DGP were collected from the online databases, and active components were selected based on their OB and DL index. The potential proteins of DGP were acquired from TCMSP database, while the potential genes of ONFH were obtained from Gene Cards and Pubmed Gene databases. The function of Gene and potential pathways were researched by GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. The compounds-targets and targets-pathways network were constructed in an R and Cytosacpe software. The mechanism was further investigated via molecular docking. Finally, in-vitro experiments were validated in the BMSCs. ResultsA total of 2305 compounds in DGP were gained, among which, 370 were selected as active components for which conforming to criteria. Combined the network analysis, molecular docking and in-vitro experiments, the results firstly demonstrated that the treatment effect of DGP on ONFH may be closely related to HIF-1α, VEGFA and HIF-1 signaling pathway. ConclusionThe current study firstly researched the molecular mechanism of DGP on ONFH based on network pharmacology. The results indicated that DGP may exert the effect on ONFH targeting on HIF-1α and VEGFA via HIF-1 signaling pathway.

Download Full-text