Identifying the impact of ARHGAP and MAP gene families on autism spectrum disorders

The rising incidence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has become a major concern, affecting children's psychological well-being and placing a significant strain on healthcare systems. Despite its impact, the etiological mechanisms underpinning ASD remain elusive. This study leveraged dorsolateral prefrontal cortex gene data from 452 individuals of European descent, sourced from the CommonMindConsortium, and examined ASD-related gene expression data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database (GSE18123), along with Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) data from the Lundbeck Foundation Integrated Psychiatric Research and Psychiatric Genomics Consortium. Expression quantitative trait loci data were sourced from the GTExv8 database. We employed Transcriptome-Wide Association Studies (TWAS) and Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) to pinpoint genes within ASD-associated susceptibility gene families (ARHGAP, MAP). Four genes-ARHGAP27, MAPT, ARHGAP19, and MAP1B-were scrutinized, and their biological implications were elucidated through Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses. Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) analysis and conditional analysis within the TWAS framework helped identify pivotal genes (ARHGAP27, MAPT). A subsequent verification phase involving Mendelian Randomization (MR) evaluated the potential causal links between the identified genes and ASD. The findings revealed no causal association between ARHGAP19, MAP1B, and ASD. In contrast, significant causal relationships were established for ARHGAP27 and MAPT, suggesting that ARHGAP27 may elevate ASD risk as a susceptibility gene, whereas MAPT appears to reduce the risk as a protective gene.