Genetic Link to Autism
August 25, 2015 | Terry Sharrer
“Spectrum disorder” actually applies to every disease, but it has gained notable usage in describing autism, where genetic and environmental factors cause complicated variation. As DNA sequencing and other molecular technologies have become more accessible, the number of genes involved has slowly risen to about 20% of autism cases. This piece describes research at the University of Buffalo with knock-out mice for the Shank 3 gene. Shank 3 proteins play many roles in cells, from synapse formation to cell division. The research here suggests that Shank 3 mutations, some of which result in actin filament dysfunction for cell signaling, could be a new drug target for autism. MORE
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