Autism-tied gene ZNF462 keeps developing neurons on track
The gene, linked to a little-known condition called Weiss-Kruszka syndrome, prevents embryonic stem cells from deviating from their neuronal destiny.
The gene, linked to a little-known condition called Weiss-Kruszka syndrome, prevents embryonic stem cells from deviating from their neuronal destiny.
Shortly after the study’s publication, experts critiqued it on PubPeer and other online platforms.
Postmortem brain samples from people with one of six conditions, including autism, show distinct signatures of over- and underexpression of immune genes.
Many autism-linked genes are somehow tied to cilia, the tiny hair-like sensors that stud a cell’s surface. But the question remains whether, and how, cilia differences contribute to the condition.
Such high expression levels may account for the condition’s sex bias, a new preprint suggests — but not everyone agrees with that logic.
A massive update to the MSSNG dataset gives qualified researchers ready access to explore autism’s genetic architecture on a cloud-based platform.
The in-depth approach shows mutations in the autism-linked gene disrupt neuronal growth and communication, as well as mitochondrial gene expression.
The method yields complex organoids that more closely mimic embryonic brain development than do those cultured in other ways.
The signal, called CD47, is disrupted in autistic people who have a larger-than-average head.
The function of microglia and astrocytes in the brain may mediate the intersection of sex-differential biology and autism biology.