Drury, V. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2023

A foundational atlas of autism protein interactions reveals molecular convergence

Translating high-confidence (hc) autism spectrum disorder (ASD) genes into viable treatment targets remains elusive. We constructed a foundational protein-protein interaction (PPI) network in HEK293T cells involving 100 hcASD risk genes, revealing over 1,800 PPIs (87% novel). Interactors, expressed in the human brain and enriched for ASD but not schizophrenia genetic risk, converged on protein complexes involved in neurogenesis, tubulin biology, transcriptional regulation, and chromatin modification. A PPI map of 54 patient-derived missense variants identified differential physical interactions, and we leveraged AlphaFold-Multimer predictions to prioritize direct PPIs and specific variants for interrogation in Xenopus tropicalis and human forebrain organoids. A mutation in the transcription factor FOXP1 led to reconfiguration of DNA binding sites and altered development of deep cortical layer neurons in forebrain organoids. This work offers new insights into molecular mechanisms underlying ASD and describes a powerful platform to develop and test therapeutic strategies for many genetically-defined conditions.

systems biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Pleiotropy of autism-associated chromatin regulators

Gene ontology analyses of high confidence autism spectrum disorder (hcASD) risk genes have historically highlighted chromatin regulation and synaptic function as major contributors to pathobiology. Our recent functional work in vivo has additionally implicated microtubule biology and identified disrupted cellular proliferation as a convergent ASD phenotype. As many chromatin regulators, including ASD risk genes ADNP and CHD3, are known to directly regulate both tubulins and histones, we studied the five chromatin regulators most strongly associated with ASD (ADNP, CHD8, CHD2, POGZ, and SUV420H1/KMT5B) specifically with respect to microtubule biology. We observe that all five localize to microtubules of the mitotic spindle in vitro and in vivo. Further in-depth investigation of CHD2 provides evidence that patient-derived mutations lead to a range of microtubule-related phenotypes, including disrupted localization of the protein at the mitotic spindle, spindle defects, cell cycle stalling, DNA damage, and cell death. Lastly, we observe that ASD genetic risk is significantly enriched among microtubule-associated proteins, suggesting broader relevance. Together, these results provide further evidence that the role of tubulin biology and cellular proliferation in ASD warrant further investigation and highlight the pitfalls of relying solely on annotated gene functions in the search for pathological mechanisms.

developmental biology↗