Background: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a severe mental disease manifested in time-consuming repetition of behaviors, affects 1 to 3% of the human population. While highly heritable, complex genetics has hampered attempts to elucidate OCD etiology. Dogs suffer from naturally occurring compulsive disorders that closely model human OCD, manifested as an excessive repetition of normal canine behaviors that only partially responds to drug therapy. The limited diversity within dog breeds makes identifying underlying genetic factors easier.
Results: We use genome-wide association of 87 Doberman Pinscher cases and 63 controls to identify genomic loci associated with OCD and sequence these regions in 8 affected dogs from high-risk breeds and 8 breed-matched controls. We find 119 variants in evolutionarily conserved sites that are specific to dogs with OCD. These case-only variants are significantly more common in high OCD risk breeds compared to breeds with no known psychiatric problems. Four genes, all with synaptic function, have the most case-only variation: neuronal cadherin (CDH2), catenin alpha2 (CTNNA2), ataxin-1 (ATXN1), and plasma glutamate carboxypeptidase (PGCP). In the 2 Mb gene desert between the cadherin genes CDH2 and DSC3, we find two different variants found only in dogs with OCD that disrupt the same highly conserved regulatory element. These variants cause significant changes in gene expression in a human neuroblastoma cell line, likely due to disrupted transcription factor binding.
Conclusions: The limited genetic diversity of dog breeds facilitates identification of genes, functional variants and regulatory pathways underlying complex psychiatric disorders that are mechanistically similar in dogs and humans.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/gb-2014-15-3-r25 | DOI Listing |
Syst Biol Reprod Med
December 2025
Department of Biosciences and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have acquired an increased recognition to unravel the complex molecular mechanisms underlying Diminished Ovarian Reserve (DOR), one of the main responsible for infertility. To investigate the impact of miRNA profiles in granulosa cells and follicular fluid, crucial players in follicle development, this study employed a computational network theory approach to reconstruct potential pathways regulated by miRNAs in granulosa cells and follicular fluid of women suffering from DOR. Available data from published research were collected to create the FGC_MiRNome_MC, a representation of miRNA target genes and their interactions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Biosci (Landmark Ed)
January 2025
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, The Affiliated Jiangyin Hospital of Nantong University, 214400 Jiangyin, Jiangsu, China.
Background: This study investigates the role of small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO)-specific peptidase 5 (SENP5), a key regulator of SUMOylation, in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), a lethal disease, and its underlying molecular mechanisms.
Methods: Differentially expressed genes between ESCC mouse oesophageal cancer tissues and normal tissues were analysed via RNA-seq; among them, SENP5 expression was upregulated, and this gene was selected for further analysis. Immunohistochemistry and western blotting were then used to validate the increased protein level of SENP5 in both mouse and human ESCC samples.
Front Biosci (Landmark Ed)
January 2025
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI 49401, USA.
Background: Diabetes mellitus is associated with morphological and functional impairment of the heart primarily due to lipid toxicity caused by increased fatty acid metabolism. Extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) have been implicated in the metabolism of fatty acids in the liver and skeletal muscles. However, their role in the heart in diabetes remains unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Biosci (Landmark Ed)
January 2025
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, National Regional Medical Center, Binhai Campus of The First Affiliated Hospital, 350005 Fuzhou, Fujian, China.
Background: In this study, we prepared a porous gradient scaffold with hydroxyapatite microtubules (HAMT) and chitosan (CHS) and investigated osteogenesis induced by these scaffolds.
Methods: The arrangement of wax balls in the mold can control the size and distribution of the pores of the scaffold, and form an interconnected gradient pore structure. The scaffolds were systematically evaluated and for biocompatibility, biological activity, and regulatory mechanisms.
Br J Hosp Med (Lond)
January 2025
Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College, Nuclear Industry 416 Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Hypertension (HT) is a prevalent medical condition showing an increasing incidence rate in various populations over recent years. Long-term hypertension increases the risk of the occurrence of hypertensive nephropathy (HTN), which is also a health-threatening disorder. Given that very little is known about the pathogenesis of HTN, this study was designed to identify disease biomarkers, which enable early diagnosis of the disease, through the utilization of high-throughput untargeted metabolomics strategies.
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