Cadherins

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CDH10/CDH9, Synaptic pathway genes, and ASD
CNP LEVEL: Genes



Description

CDH10 and CDH9 encode type II classical cadherins from the cadherin superfamily, which represent transmembrane proteins that mediate calcium-dependent cell–cell adhesion. Because CDH10 and CDH9 are expressed at low levels in non-neural tissues, their messenger RNA distribution in human fetal brain by in situ hybridization was evaluated in one study which sought to find common genetic variants to implicate in ASD. A marked pattern of enrichment for CDH10 was observed in the frontal cortex (Fig. 2a)—a region known to be important in ASDs.1

Recent genetic studies have identified several neuronal cell-adhesion genes, including NRXN1 (neurexin 1)35,36, CNTNAP2 CACNA1C (L type voltage-gated calcium channel), CNTNAP2, GRIK2 (glutamate receptor, ionotropic, kainate 2), NRXN1 and NLGN4X, also show suggestive evidence of association. These sources of evidence indicate a potential role for cell-adhesion molecules in the pathogenesis of ASDs. Besides the potential roles of the nearby CDH10 and CDH9 genes, pathway-based association analysis lend further support to neuronal cell-adhesion molecules in conferring susceptibility to ASDs, suggesting that specific genetic variants in this gene class may be involved in shaping the physical structure and functional connectivity of the brain, that leads to the clinical manifestations of ASDs.1

Criticisms

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Citations

1. Wang et. al. Common genetic variants on 5p14.1 associate with autism spectrum disorders. Nature. 2009 May 28;459(7246):528-33. PMID 19404256