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Global methylation profiling of lymphoblastoid cell lines reveals epigenetic contributions to autism spectrum disorders and a novel autism candidate gene, RORA , whose protein product is reduced in autistic brain
Author(s) -
Nguyen Anhthu,
Rauch Tibor A.,
Pfeifer Gerd P.,
Hu Valerie W.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fj.10-154484
Subject(s) - epigenetics , dna methylation , methylation , biology , autism , genetics , candidate gene , gene expression profiling , bisulfite sequencing , gene , gene expression , psychology , psychiatry
Autism is currently considered a multigene disorder with epigenetic influences. To investigate the contribution of DNA methylation to autism spectrum disorders, we have recently completed large‐scale methylation profiling by CpG island microarray analysis of lymphoblastoid cell lines derived from monozygotic twins discordant for diagnosis of autism and their nonautistic siblings. Methylation profiling revealed many candidate genes differentially methylated between discordant MZ twins as well as between both twins and nonautistic siblings. Bioinformatics analysis of the differentially methylated genes demonstrated enrichment for high‐level functions including gene transcription, nervous system development, cell death/survival, and other biological processes implicated in autism. The methylation status of 2 of these candidate genes, BCL‐2 and retinoic acid‐related orphan receptor alpha ( RORA ), was further confirmed by bisulfite sequencing and methylation‐specific PCR, respectively. Immunohistochemical analyses of tissue arrays containing slices of the cerebellum and frontal cortex of autistic and age‐ and sex‐matched control subjects revealed decreased expression of RORA and BCL‐2 proteins in the autistic brain. Our data thus confirm the role of epigenetic regulation of gene expression via differential DNA methylation in idiopathic autism, and furthermore link molecular changes in a peripheral cell model with brain pathobiology in autism.—Nguyen, A., Rauch, T. A., Pfeifer, G. P., Hu, V. W. Global methylation profiling of lymphoblastoid cell lines reveals epigenetic contributions to autism spectrum disorders and a novel autism candidate gene, RORA , whose protein product is reduced in autistic brain. FASEB J . 24, 3036–3051 (2010). www.fasebj.org