Characterizing microRNA editing and mutation sites in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder whose pathogenesis is still unclear. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a kind of endogenous small non-coding RNAs that play important roles in the post-transcriptional regulation of genes. Recent researches show that miRNAs are edited in multiple ways especially in central nervous systems. A-to-I editing of RNA catalyzed by Adenosine deaminases acting on RNA (ADARs) happens intensively in brain and is also noticed in other organs and tissues. Although miRNAs are widely edited in human brain, miRNA editing in ASD is still largely unexplored. In order to reveal the editing events of miRNAs in ASD, we analyzed 131 miRNA-seq samples from 8 different brain regions of ASD patients and normal controls. We identified 834 editing sites with significant editing levels, of which 70 sites showed significantly different editing levels in the superior frontal gyrus samples of ASD patients (ASD-SFG) when compared with those of control samples. The editing level of an A-to-I editing site in hsa-mir-376a-1 (hsa-mir-376a-1_9_A_g) in ASD-SFG is higher than that of normal controls, and the difference is exaggerated in individuals under 10 years. The increased expression of ADAR1 is consistent with the increased editing level of hsa-mir-376a-1_9_A_g in ASD-SFG samples compared to normal SFG samples. Furthermore, we verify that A-to-I edited hsa-mir-376a-5p directly represses GPR85 and NAPB, which may contribute to the abnormal neuronal development of ASD patients. These results provide new insights into the mechanism of ASD.

Identification of microRNA editing sites in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

“…We identified 1025 M/E sites with significant editing levels by analyzing 176 sRNA-seq profiles of ccRCC patients (n = 154) and healthy controls (n = 22). The M/E sites at the 3 end accounted for the majority, which was consistent with previous work 37 , 40 , 43 , 56 – 59 . We identified 122 editing events with significantly different editing levels in ccRCC samples compared to healthy control samples.…”

Improved lung cancer classification by employing diverse molecular features of microRNAs

“…Liu et al [42] identified 122 miRNA editing sites of different types that were differentially edited in clear cell renal cell carcinoma. In neurological diseases [43] , [44] , [31] , there are also hundreds of miRNA editing sites with different editing levels compared to controls.…”

Proximity Interactome Analysis of Super Conserved Receptors Expressed in the Brain Identifies EPB41L2, SLC3A2, and LRBA as Main Partners

“…Conversely, mice lacking SREB2 exhibited an opposite phenotype [15]. Genetic variants of SREB2 were also described as risk factors for schizophrenia [16] and autism spectrum disorder [17]. SREB3 was proposed to function as a receptor for the pentapeptide gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH-(1-5)), as well as for a novel reproductive peptide known as phoenixin-20 amide (PNX).…”