Genome-wide changes in lncRNA, splicing, and regional gene expression patterns in autism

Neelroop N. Parikshak, Vivek Swarup, T. Grant Belgard, Manuel Irimia, Gokul Ramaswami, Michael J. Gandal, Christopher Hartl, Virpi Leppa, Luis De La Torre Ubieta, Jerry Huang, Jennifer K. Lowe, Benjamin J. Blencowe, Steve Horvath, Daniel H. Geschwind

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

485 Scopus citations

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) involves substantial genetic contributions. These contributions are profoundly heterogeneous but may converge on common pathways that are not yet well understood. Here, through post-mortem genome-wide transcriptome analysis of the largest cohort of samples analysed so far, to our knowledge, we interrogate the noncoding transcriptome, alternative splicing, and upstream molecular regulators to broaden our understanding of molecular convergence in ASD. Our analysis reveals ASD-associated dysregulation of primate-specific long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), downregulation of the alternative splicing of activity-dependent neuron-specific exons, and attenuation of normal differences in gene expression between the frontal and temporal lobes. Our data suggest that SOX5, a transcription factor involved in neuron fate specification, contributes to this reduction in regional differences. We further demonstrate that a genetically defined subtype of ASD, chromosome 15q11.2-13.1 duplication syndrome (dup15q), shares the core transcriptomic signature observed in idiopathic ASD. Co-expression network analysis reveals that individuals with ASD show age-related changes in the trajectory of microglial and synaptic function over the first two decades, and suggests that genetic risk for ASD may influence changes in regional cortical gene expression. Our findings illustrate how diverse genetic perturbations can lead to phenotypic convergence at multiple biological levels in a complex neuropsychiatric disorder.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)423-427
Number of pages5
JournalNature
Volume540
Issue number7633
DOIs
StatePublished - 15 Dec 2016
Externally publishedYes

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