Work

Transcriptional activity of human endogenous retrovirus in Albanian children with autism spectrum disorders.

Year: 2016

Type: article

Abstract: Recent studies suggest that autism spectrum disorders (ASD) result from interactions between genetic and environmental factors, whose possible links could be represented by epigenetic mechanisms. Here, we investigated the transcriptional activity of three human endogenous retrovirus (HERV) families, in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from Albanian ASD children, by quantitative real-time PCR. We aimed to confirm the different expression profile already found in Italian ASD children, and to highlight any social and family health condition emerging from information gathered through a questionnaire, to be included among environmental risk factors. The presence of increased HERV-H transcriptional activity in all autistic patients could be understood as a constant epigenetic imprinting of the disease, potentially useful for early diagnosis and for the development of effective novel therapeutic strategies.

Source: PubMed

Authors: Emanuela Balestrieri, Chiara Cipriani, Claudia Matteucci, Natale Capodicasa, Anita Pilika, Ina Korca, Roberta Sorrentino, Ayele Argaw-Denboba, Ilaria Bucci, Martino Tony Miele, Antonella Coniglio, Riccardo Alessandrelli, Paola Sinibaldi Vallebona

Language: English

Topic: Autism Spectrum Disorder Research

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W2518875602

FWCI: 1.484

Cites: 35

Cited by: 22

Related to: 10