PreprintCited by 7Autism Spectrum Disorder ResearchGenetics and Neurodevelopmental DisordersBioinformatics and Genomic Networks

Hierarchical cortical transcriptome disorganization in autism

Open access
Lombardo, Michael V., Courchesne, Eric, Lewis, Nathan E., Pramparo, Tiziano·2016·bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)

Abstract

Background: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are etiologically heterogeneous and complex. Functional genomics work has begun to identify a diverse array of dysregulated transcriptomic programs (e.g., synaptic, immune, cell cycle, DNA damage, WNT signaling, cortical patterning and differentiation) potentially involved in ASD brain abnormalities during childhood and adulthood. However, it remains unclear whether such diverse dysregulated pathways are independent of each other or instead reflect coordinated hierarchical systems-level pathology. Methods: Two ASD cortical transcriptome datasets were re-analyzed using consensus weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to identify common coexpression modules across datasets. Linear mixed-effect models and Bayesian replication statistics were used to identify replicable differentially expressed modules. Eigengene network analysis was then utilized to identify between-group differences in how co-expression modules interact and cluster into hierarchical meta-modular organization. Protein-protein interaction analyses were also used to determine whether dysregulated co-expression modules show enhanced interactions. Results: We find replicable evidence for 10 gene co-expression modules that are differentially expressed in ASD cortex. Rather than being independent non-interacting sources of pathology, these dysregulated co-expression modules work in synergy and physically interact at the protein level. These systems-level transcriptional signals are characterized by downregulation of synaptic processes coordinated with upregulation of immune/inflammation, response to other organism, catabolism, viral processes, translation, protein targeting and localization, cell proliferation, and vasculature development. Hierarchical organization of meta-modules (clusters of highly correlated modules) is also highly affected in ASD. Conclusions: These findings highlight that dysregulation of the ASD cortical transcriptome is characterized by the dysregulation of multiple coordinated transcriptional programs producing synergistic systems-level effects that cannot be fully appreciated by studying the individual component biological processes in isolation.

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1101/042937

Cites

86 of 86 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Analysis of how gene co-expression modules interact within the cortical transcriptome of ASD supports the idea that a MIA-preserved translation initiation module is highly connected with immune/inflammation modules and other synaptic, cell cycle, and neurogenesis processes.

    “Furthermore, analysis of how gene co-expression modules interact within the cortical transcriptome of ASD (i.e. via eigengene network analysis of the same ASD transcriptome dataset analyzed here) supports the idea that a MIA-preserved translation initiation module is highly connected with immune/inflammation modules and other synaptic, cell cycle, and neurogenesis processes.99”

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Lombardo, M. V., Courchesne, E., Lewis, N. E., & Pramparo, T.
Affiliations
  • University of Cambridge (GB)
  • University of California San Diego (US)
Venue
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
Publisher
openRxiv
Published
2016-03-10
OpenAlex
W2339049666
Cited by
7
References
86
Citations by year
2025: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 2
Type
posted content
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Simons Foundation
  • National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (25434)
  • Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative
  • National Institutes of Health (KL2TR001444)
  • University of California, San Diego (1KL2TR001444)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (1 R01 MH110558, R01-MH110558)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Bioinformatics and Genomic Networks
Keywords
autism spectrum disorder, cortical transcriptome, gene co-expression modules, synaptic dysfunction, protein-protein interaction, brain transcriptomics

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review