Pharmacological, genetic and expression studies implicate N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor hypofunction in schizophrenia (SCZ). Similarly, several lines of evidence suggest that autism spectrum disorders (ASD) could be due to an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission. As part of a project aimed at exploring rare and/or de novo mutations in neurodevelopmental disorders, we have sequenced the seven genes encoding for NMDA receptor subunits (NMDARs) in a large cohort of individuals affected with SCZ or ASD (n=429 and 428, respectively), parents of these subjects and controls (n=568). Here, we identified two de novo mutations in patients with sporadic SCZ in GRIN2A and one de novo mutation in GRIN2B in a patient with ASD. Truncating mutations in GRIN2C, GRIN3A and GRIN3B were identified in both subjects and controls, but no truncating mutations were found in the GRIN1, GRIN2A, GRIN2B and GRIN2D genes, both in patients and controls, suggesting that these subunits are critical for neurodevelopment. The present results support the hypothesis that rare de novo mutations in GRIN2A or GRIN2B can be associated with cases of sporadic SCZ or ASD, just as it has recently been described for the related neurodevelopmental disease intellectual disability. The influence of genetic variants appears different, depending on NMDAR subunits. Functional compensation could occur to counteract the loss of one allele in GRIN2C and GRIN3 family genes, whereas GRIN1, GRIN2A, GRIN2B and GRIN2D appear instrumental to normal brain development and function.
Pubmed ID: 22833210 RIS Download
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Data analysis service that estimates the likelihood of a particular nonsynonymous (amino-acid changing) coding SNP to cause a functional impact on the protein. To analyze many SNPs, download the PANTHER Coding Snp Analysis tool from the downloads page.
View all literature mentionsThe SZGene database provides a comprehensive, unbiased and regularly updated field synopsis of genetic association studies performed in schizophrenia. In addition, hundreds of up-to-date meta-analyses are available for all eligible polymorphisms with sufficient data. Eligible publications are identified following systematic searches of scientific literature databases, as well as the table of contents of journals in genetics and psychiatry. The database can be searched either by a variety of dropdown menus or by specific keywords. For each gene, summary overviews are provided displaying key characteristics for each publication, including links to genotype distributions of the polymorphisms studied, random-effects allelic meta-analyses, and funnel plots for an assessment of publication bias.
View all literature mentionsData analysis service to predict whether an amino acid substitution affects protein function based on sequence homology and the physical properties of amino acids. SIFT can be applied to naturally occurring nonsynonymous polymorphisms and laboratory-induced missense mutations. (entry from Genetic Analysis Software) Web service is also available.
View all literature mentionsSoftware tool which predicts possible impact of amino acid substitution on structure and function of human protein using straightforward physical and comparative considerations. PolyPhen-2 is new development of PolyPhen tool for annotating coding nonsynonymous SNPs.
View all literature mentionsTHIS RESOURCE IS NO LONGER IN SERVICE, documented May 10, 2017. A pilot effort that has developed a centralized, web-based biospecimen locator that presents biospecimens collected and stored at participating Arizona hospitals and biospecimen banks, which are available for acquisition and use by researchers. Researchers may use this site to browse, search and request biospecimens to use in qualified studies. The development of the ABL was guided by the Arizona Biospecimen Consortium (ABC), a consortium of hospitals and medical centers in the Phoenix area, and is now being piloted by this Consortium under the direction of ABRC. You may browse by type (cells, fluid, molecular, tissue) or disease. Common data elements decided by the ABC Standards Committee, based on data elements on the National Cancer Institute''s (NCI''s) Common Biorepository Model (CBM), are displayed. These describe the minimum set of data elements that the NCI determined were most important for a researcher to see about a biospecimen. The ABL currently does not display information on whether or not clinical data is available to accompany the biospecimens. However, a requester has the ability to solicit clinical data in the request. Once a request is approved, the biospecimen provider will contact the requester to discuss the request (and the requester''s questions) before finalizing the invoice and shipment. The ABL is available to the public to browse. In order to request biospecimens from the ABL, the researcher will be required to submit the requested required information. Upon submission of the information, shipment of the requested biospecimen(s) will be dependent on the scientific and institutional review approval. Account required. Registration is open to everyone., documented September 29, 2016. A workbench tool to make existing population genetic software more accessible and to facilitate the integration of new tools for analyzing patterns of DNA sequence variation, within a phylogenetic context. Collectively, SNAP tools can serve as a bridge between theoretical and applied population genetic analysis. The exploration of DNA sequence variation for making inferences on evolutionary processes in populations requires the coordinated implementation of a Suite of Nucleotide Analysis Programs (SNAP), each bound by specific assumptions and limitations.
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