MicroRNAs and gene-environment interactions in autism: effects of prenatal maternal stress and the SERT gene on maternal microRNA expression
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PROVIDER: PRJNA742754 | ENA |
REPOSITORIES: ENA
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Project description:In the study presented here, microRNA expression was profiled in blood samples from mothers of children with autism, with known stress exposure during pregnancy. 2500 mature microRNAs were examined. Thirty-four maternal blood samples were examined in this study. Samples were divided into five groups based on maternal SERT genotypes (LL/LS/SS) and prenatal stress level (High/Low).
2021-07-02 | GSE179222 | GEO
Project description:Early identification of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remains a critical challenge, particularly in utero when non-genetic factors such as maternal obesity (MO) are implicated. Here, we report results of whole-genome bisulfite sequencing of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from third-trimester maternal plasma in a high-likelihood ASD pregnancy cohort associated with child (3 y) ASD diagnosis and/or MO. Differentially methylated regions (DMRs) between ASD and control cfDNA were strongly enriched for synaptic functions and genes previously implicated in ASD. These cfDNA ASD DMRs recapitulated those observed in ASD placenta and postmortem cortex and significantly overlapped with MO DMRs. Our findings establish cfDNA methylation derived from maternal blood as a minimally invasive window into fetal brain ASD etiology, providing a framework for future mechanistic and early intervention studies. Future studies could investigate additional prenatal environmental exposures interacting with genetics during neurodevelopment.
2026-04-30 | GSE307129 | GEO
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Project description:Prenatal cell-free DNA methylome detects association with autism and maternal obesity
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Project description:Infection during pregnancy is strongly implicated as an environmental risk factor for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with activation of the maternal immune system (MIA) identified in the causative pathway. Maternal exposure to viral and bacterial mimics at midgestation leads to the development of core ASD behaviors in rodent offspring. However, the fundamental pathogenic mechanisms coupling MIA to persistent changes in brain function and behavior are incompletely understood.The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is a major locus of pathology in ASD and highly associated with behaviors dysregulated by MIA. Transcriptomic profiling of the mPFC from adult MIA and control offspring provides insight into molecular pathways persistently disrupted by prenatal exposure to maternal inflammation.
2018-07-26 | GSE117327 | GEO
Project description:Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a highly heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder that significantly jeopardizes the physical and mental well-being of children. Autism spectrum disorder results from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. Hyperandrogenic exposure during pregnancy increases their risk of developing autism. Nevertheless, the prenatal exposure to androgens affects offspring neurodevelopment and the underlying mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. In the present study, administration of excessive dihydrotestosterone (DHT) to pregnant mice was found to impair neuronal development and dendritic spine formation in offspring, inducing autism-like behaviors. Furthermore, through mRNA transcriptome sequencing technology, the key molecule Nr4a2 was identified during this process of change. Overexpression of Nr4a2 and treatment with amodiaquine (AQ) significantly improved the abnormal phenotypes in offspring caused by prenatal exposure to androgens. Overall, Nr4a2 emerges as a crucial molecule involved in the impairment of offspring neurodevelopment due to prenatal androgen exposure, which provides a new perspective for the in-depth study of the influencing factors and underlying mechanisms.
2023-11-04 | GSE246534 | GEO
Project description:Fetal DNA is present in the plasma of pregnant women. Massively parallel sequencing of maternal plasma DNA has been used to detect fetal trisomies 21, 18, 13 and selected sex chromosomal aneuploidies noninvasively. Case reports describing the detection of fetal microdeletions from maternal plasma using massively parallel sequencing have been reported. However, these previous reports were either polymorphism-dependent or used statistical analyses which were confined to one or a small number of selected parts of the genome. In this report, we reported a procedure for performing noninvasive prenatal karyotyping at 3 Mb resolution across the whole genome through the massively parallel sequencing of maternal plasma DNA. This method has been used to analyze the plasma obtained from 6 cases. In 5 cases, fetal microduplications or microdeletions have been detected successfully from maternal plasma. The two cases with fetal microduplications represented the first noninvasive prenatal detection of such changes from maternal plasma. In the remaining case, the plasma DNA sequencing result was consistent with the pregnant mother being a carrier of a microduplication. Simulation analyses were performed for determining the number of plasma DNA molecules that would need to be sequenced and aligned for enhancing the diagnostic resolution of noninvasive prenatal karyotyping to 2 Mb and 1 Mb. In conclusion, noninvasive prenatal molecular karyotyping from maternal plasma by massively parallel sequencing is feasible and would enhance the diagnostic spectrum of noninvasive prenatal testing.
| EGAS00001000439 | EGA
Project description:The serotonin transporter (SERT, SLC6A4), belonging to Na+ and Cl- dependent transporters, functions to regulate the availability of serotonin (5-HT) in various tissues including brain, platelets, and intestine. Alterations in 5-HT levels and/or SERT expression have been implicated in pathophysiological conditions including anxiety-like behavior, obesity, cardiovascular disorders and GI disorders such as IBD, IBS, and diarrhea. Accordingly, SERT deficiency in mice is pleiotropic with many different phenotypic traits. Transgenic mice with global deletion of SERT exhibit increased anxiety, abnormal GI motility, and obesity associated with hyperglycemia. Additionally, these mice are more susceptible to intestinal inflammation. The mechanism by which SERT deficiency underlies GI related disturbances and exacerbates the severity of gut inflammation is not known. Thus, we evaluated the ileal mRNA expression to identify potential intestinal targets that contribute to disease pathogenesis when the SERT gene is non-functional. For these studies, RNA was extracted from ileum mucosa from age matched (9-10 wk) control and SERT KO mice by Trizol and was subjected to Mouse mRNA and OneArray Profiling. Our microarray data revealed 492 significantly upregulated and 293 downregulated genes in SERT KO ileum. Pathway analysis revealed significant enrichment in cell cycle, signaling, chemotaxis, and epithelial transporters. Genes of interest were validated by RT-PCR, which included CYP1A1 (~20 fold decrease, p < 0.05), CLDN8 (~30% decrease, p < 0.05), and HMGCS2 (~7 fold increase, p < 0.05). Similar changes were found in colon. A remarkable decrease in expression of Cyp1a1, which encodes a cytochrome P450 enzyme, provides a novel role of serotonergic pathways in drug and xenobiotic detoxification. CLDN8 encodes for claudin 8, which is downregulated in patients with Crohn’s disease. Deficiency of HMGCS2, the mitochondrial 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA synthase, is linked to hypoglycemia. Our data provides novel clues for differential expression of genes affected by 5-HT and/or SERT deficiency in the intestine.
2017-11-08 | GSE93534 | GEO
Project description:Prenatal exposure to valproic acid (VPA), an antiepileptic and mood-stabilizing drug, is a well-established environmental risk factor for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To investigate region-specific molecular alterations, we performed tandem mass tag (TMT)-based quantitative proteomic profiling of the striatum in 9–10 week-old mice prenatally exposed to VPA and control littermates. Striatal tissues were processed by protein extraction, digestion, TMT labeling, and high-pH reversed-phase fractionation, followed by LC–MS/MS analysis on a Q-Exactive HF-X mass spectrometer. In total, 101 differentially expressed proteins (47 upregulated, 54 downregulated) were identified. Functional enrichment analysis implicated pathways related to synaptic transmission, neuronal development, oxidative stress response, and excitation/inhibition balance. Key down-regulated proteins included parvalbumin (PVALB), NR2F1, and metallothioneins (MT1, MT2, MT3), highlighting disrupted inhibitory signaling and metal ion homeostasis in VPA-exposed mice. This dataset provides comprehensive proteomic profiles of striatal tissue, supporting molecular insights into the mechanisms by which prenatal VPA exposure contributes to ASD-related phenotypes.
2026-04-15 | PXD067574 | Pride
Project description:Background: Environmental exposures co-occurring during early life have a profound influence on neurodevelopment. Our previous work in rats suggests that postnatal maternal care modulates the effects of prenatal exposure to bisphenols, an estrogenic endocrine disrupting chemical, on offspring neurodevelopment. Elevated postnatal maternal licking/grooming and prenatal bisphenol exposure have known opposing effects on estrogen receptor alpha (Esr1) expression in the medial preoptic area (MPOA) of the hypothalamus, which could impact expression of estrogen-responsive genes. Based on this previous work, we hypothesized that postnatal maternal licking/grooming would mitigate the effects of prenatal bisphenol exposure on Esr1 expression and estrogen-responsive genes in the developing MPOA. In addition, we hypothesized that there would be interactive effects of prenatal bisphenol exposure and postnatal maternal licking/grooming on DNA methylation, particularly nearby estrogen responsive elements. Results: Our results indicated a significant interaction between prenatal bisphenol exposure and maternal postnatal licking/grooming on estrogen-related receptor gamma (Esrrg) expression in female pups. These interactions were also evident in co-expression gene profiles in female pups; the majority of which were enriched for estrogen-responsive genes. Finally, DNA methylation analyses indicated that adding postnatal maternal licking/grooming as a covariate influenced the number of differentially methylated regions for prenatal bisphenol-exposed male and female pups. These differentially methylated regions were enriched for binding sites for transcription factors that are known to interact with estrogen receptors, suggesting some secondary effects on postnatal gene regulation. Conclusions: These results suggest a novel biological mechanism in which postnatal maternal care can mitigate the negative neurodevelopmental impacts of prenatal bisphenol exposure.
2025-11-21 | GSE310191 | GEO