Psychoactive pharmaceuticals as environmental contaminants may disrupt highly inter-connected nodes in an Autism-associated protein-protein interaction network.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Most cases of idiopathic autism spectrum disorder (ASD) likely result from unknown environmental triggers in genetically susceptible individuals. These triggers may include maternal exposure of a fetus to minute concentrations of pharmaceuticals, such as carbamazepine (CBZ), venlafaxine (VNX) and fluoxetine (FLX). Unmetabolized pharmaceuticals reach drinking water through a variety of routes, including ineffectively treated sewage. Previous studies in our laboratory examined the extent to which gene sets were enriched in minnow brains treated with pharmaceuticals. Here, we tested the hypothesis that genes in fish brains and human cell cultures, significantly enriched by pharmaceuticals, would have distinct characteristics in an ASD-associated protein interaction network.

SUBMITTER: Kaushik G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4423768 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature