PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Vahid H. Gazestani
AU  - Tiziano Pramparo
AU  - Srinivasa Nalabolu
AU  - Benjamin P. Kellman
AU  - Sarah Murray
AU  - Linda Lopez
AU  - Karen Pierce
AU  - Eric Courchesne
AU  - Nathan E. Lewis
TI  - A perturbed gene network containing PI3K/AKT, RAS/ERK, WNT/β-catenin pathways in leukocytes is linked to ASD genetics and symptom severity
AID  - 10.1101/435917
DP  - 2019 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 435917
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2019/08/09/435917.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2019/08/09/435917.full
AB  - Hundreds of genes are implicated in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) but the mechanisms through which they contribute to ASD pathophysiology remain elusive. Here, we analyzed leukocyte transcriptomics from 1-4 year-old male toddlers with ASD or typical development from the general population. We discovered a perturbed gene network that includes genes that are highly expressed during fetal brain development and which is dysregulated in hiPSC-derived neuron models of ASD. High-confidence ASD risk genes emerge as upstream regulators of the network, and many risk genes may impact the network by modulating RAS/ERK, PI3K/AKT, and WNT/β-catenin signaling pathways. We found that the degree of dysregulation in this network correlated with the severity of ASD symptoms in the toddlers. These results demonstrate how the heterogeneous genetics of ASD may dysregulate a core network to influence brain development at prenatal and very early postnatal ages and, thereby, the severity of later ASD symptoms.