MicroRNA profiling in adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder.
Masatoshi NakataRyo KimuraYasuko FunabikiTomonari AwayaToshiya MuraiMasatoshi HagiwaraPublished in: Molecular brain (2019)
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.
Keyphrases
- autism spectrum disorder
- intellectual disability
- attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
- mental health
- peripheral blood
- healthcare
- traumatic brain injury
- cell proliferation
- poor prognosis
- long non coding rna
- gene expression
- single cell
- oxidative stress
- epithelial mesenchymal transition
- long noncoding rna
- mass spectrometry