The neuron-specific potassium-chloride co-transporter, KCC2, is involved in the regulation of excitatory and inhibitory neuronal activity. It has been identified as a promising therapeutic target for autism. In the current project, Charles Craik’s laboratory and collaborators plan to determine the high-resolution structure of KCC2 with the intention of developing strategies to regulate its activity.
SPARK (Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research for Knowledge) is an autism research initiative that aims to recruit, engage and retain a community of 50,000 individuals with autism and their family members living in the U.S. Participation in this cohort will involve contribution of medical and behavioral information, mailing in saliva for genetic analysis, the potential option to have genetic findings related to autism returned, and consenting to be invited to participate in future research studies.
The mitochondrial genome encodes genes critical for energy production within the brain. Many lines of evidence suggest that mitochondrial function may be impaired in autism. Neal Sondheimer will evaluate the association between mitochondrial mutations and their interactions with the nuclear genome and the risk for autism.
Neuronal activity triggers the expression of new genes that play a critical role in aspects of neural development and cognitive function. Building on evidence suggesting links between a class of ASD susceptibility loci (i.e., subunits of the BAF chromatin remodeling complex) and this form of gene regulation, Michael Greenberg and colleagues seek to determine whether disruption in neuronal activity-responsive chromatin remodeling underlies the effects of these ASD mutations.