Crucial link between protein and autism spectrum disorders Researchers from McGill University and the University of Montreal have identified a crucial link between protein synthesis and autism spectrum disorders (ASD), which can bolster new therapeutic avenues. Protein synthesis, also termed mRNA translation, is the process by which cells manufacture proteins. A new study in mice has found that abnormally high synthesis of a group of neuronal proteins called neuroligins results in symptoms similar to those diagnosed in ASD. The study also reveals that autism-like behaviors can be rectified in adult mice with compounds inhibiting protein synthesis, or with gene-therapy targeting neuroligins.
Professor Nahum Sonenberg, from McGill’s Dept. of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, and the Goodman Cancer Research Centre said: "Our team was surprised to discover that similar mechanisms may be implicated in the development of ASD. We used a mouse model in which a key gene controlling initiation of protein synthesis was deleted. In these mice, production of neuroligins was increased."
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) encompass a wide array of neurodevelopmental diseases that affect three areas of behaviour: social interactions, communication and repetitive interests or behaviors. Computer modeling played an important role in this research. Professor François Major, of the University of Montreal’s Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer said: “By using a new sophisticated computer algorithm that we specially developed to answer Dr. Sonenberg's questions, we identified the unique structures of mRNAs of the neuroligins that could be responsible for their specific regulation.”
The researchers found that dysregulated synthesis of neuroligins augments synaptic activity, resulting in an imbalance between excitation and inhibition in single brain cells, opening up exciting new avenues for research that may unlock the secrets of autism.
This research was funded by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Autism Speaks Agency and the Fonds de la recherche du Québec – Santé.