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No association between HOXA1 and HOXB1 genes and autism spectrum disorders (ASD)

Z Talebizadeh¹, D C Bittel¹, J H Miles², N Takahashi², C H Wang², N Kibiryeva¹, M G Butler¹

¹ Section of Medical Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, Missouri, USA
² University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, Missouri, USA

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr M G Butler, Section of Medical Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, 2401 Gillham Road, Kansas City, MO 64108, USA;
mgbutler@cmh.edu

Keywords: autism; HOXA1; HOXB1; lack of association

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Autism (MIM 209850) is an early onset neurodevelopmental disorder with a prevalence rate of at least 5 in 10 000 people^1–3 and belongs to a group of heterogeneous diseases known as autism spectrum disorders (ASD), including autism, Asperger syndrome, and the prototypical pervasive development disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS).⁴ Affected subjects have impairment in reciprocal communication and social interaction which are accompanied by repetitive and stereotyped behaviours and interests.

Twin and family studies have shown a strong underlying genetic predisposition for autism^5–8 with linkage to regions 2q, 7q, 16p,^9–12 and 15q.^13–15 The greatest linkage is to 7q31.^9,16,17 However, to date no single gene has been identified as being responsible for autism and it is suggested that as many as 15 loci are likely to contribute to its aetiology.^18,19

Because autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder, genes involved in early formation of the brain and nervous system are good candidates to study for . . . [Full text of this article]

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• Butler, M G, Dasouki, M J, Zhou, X-P, Talebizadeh, Z, Brown, M, Takahashi, T N, Miles, J H, Wang, C H, Stratton, R, Pilarski, R, Eng, C (2005). Subset of individuals with autism spectrum disorders and extreme macrocephaly associated with germline PTEN tumour suppressor gene mutations. J. Med. Genet. 42: 318-321 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Muhle, R., Trentacoste, S. V., Rapin, I. (2004). The Genetics of Autism. Pediatrics 113: e472-e486 [Abstract] [Full Text]