Reduced plasma levels of microtubule-associated STOP/MAP6 protein in autistic patients

Psychiatry Res. 2016 Nov 30:245:116-118. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2016.08.024. Epub 2016 Aug 8.

Abstract

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by abnormal reciprocal social interactions, communication deficits and repetitive behaviors with restricted interests. A previous quantitative proteomic profiling study demonstrated that microtubule-associated stable tubule only polypeptide (STOP; also known as MAP6) protein was significant reduced in the cerebral cortex from BTBR mouse model of autism compared to the C57BL/6J mice. In the present study, the result showed that the concentration of STOP/MAP6 protein was significantly reduced in the plasma of autistic subjects than that in healthy controls. Finally, a possible mechanism of STOP/MAP6 protein in the pathogenesis of autism was proposed.

Keywords: Autism; Hypothesis; STOP/MAP6 protein.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Autistic Disorder / blood*
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Microtubule-Associated Proteins / blood*
  • Proteomics

Substances

  • MAP6 protein, human
  • Microtubule-Associated Proteins