A functional tetranucleotide (AAAT) polymorphism in an Alu element in the NF1 gene is associated with mental retardation.

Mental retardation (MR) is frequent in neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Allele 5 of a tetranucleotide polymorphism in an Alu element (GXAlu) localized in intron 27b of the NF1 gene has previously been associated with autism. We considered that the microsatellite GXAlu could also represent a risk factor in MR without autism.

Study of the serotonin transporter (SLC6A4) and BDNF genes in French patients with non syndromic mental deficiency.

Background: Mental deficiency has been linked to abnormalities in cortical neuronal network connectivity and plasticity. These mechanisms are in part under the control of two interacting signalling pathways, the serotonergic and the brain-derived neurotrophic (BDNF) pathways. The aim of the current paper is to determine whether particular alleles or genotypes of two crucial genes of these systems, the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) and the brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene (BDNF), are associated with mental deficiency (MD).

Association study of the ubiquitin conjugating enzyme gene UBE2H in sporadic ALS.

Ubiquitin inclusions represent a cytopathological hallmark of ALS. The ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation pathway may also be involved in the pathophysiology of SOD1 mutated ALS cases as demonstrated in transgenic animals. UBE2H is an ubiquitin conjugating enzyme known to act on histones and cytoskeletal proteins, both involved in the degenerative pathway of the motor neuron.

Autism and nonsyndromic mental retardation associated with a de novo mutation in the NLGN4X gene promoter causing an increased expression level.

Background: Pathogenic mutations in the X-linked Neuroligin 4 gene (NLGN4X) in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and/or mental retardation (MR) are rare. However, nothing is known regarding a possible altered expression level of NLGN4X that would be caused by mutations in regulatory sequences. We investigated this issue by analyzing these regions in patients with ASDs and no mutation in the NLGN4X coding sequence.

Effect of the oligodendrocyte myelin glycoprotein (OMgp) on the expansion and neuronal differentiation of rat neural stem cells.

The oligodendrocyte myelin glycoprotein (OMgp) inhibits axon regeneration after injury in the adult mammalian central nervous system. However its function during brain development remains largely unknown. The present study aims to analyze a possible role for OMgp during neurogenesis.

Haploinsufficiency of the GPD2 gene in a patient with nonsyndromic mental retardation.

We have investigated the chromosome abnormalities in a female patient exhibiting mild nonsyndromic mental retardation. The patient carries a de novo balanced reciprocal translocation 46,XX,t(2;7)(q24.1;q36.

Transmission disequilibrium study of an oligodendrocyte and myelin glycoprotein gene allele in 431 families with an autistic proband.

Autistic disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder where genetic factors play an important role. We previously described an association between a subgroup of French autistic patients and an allele of a non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphism (nsSNP: OMGP62 G>A or rs11080149) in the gene coding for the oligodendrocyte and myelin glycoprotein (OMG), located at 7Mb from the marker D17S250, linked to autism in two independent genome scan studies. We report a study on 431 families with 1 affected child from different origins: French Canada (n=262), Italy (n=123) and United States (n=46).