Mutant gene raises likelyhood of autism, gastrointestinal problems, immune problems

[bascule]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/10/16/autism.genes.reut/index.html?section=cnn_topstories

 

I consider myself autistic spectrum, and I have gastrointestinal problems (IBS/nausea) and don't exactly have the world's greatest immune system.

 

I think it's very likely I have this gene.

[michael]

Join the club

Although my immune system is too good (allergies)

Itried your URL but only got

404 Error "Page not Found"

Could you please check the address of the article please?

[Super Genius]

You mean this specific gene can cause exactly these three symptoms?

[michael]

This is an amazing breakthrough for a heartbreaking condition.

Now we need to know what environmental factors makes this gene express.

Dr. Pat Levitt and colleagues at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, studied 743 families in which 1,200 family members were affected by autism spectrum disorders, which range from fully disabling autism to Asperger's syndrome.

 

They found a single mutation in a gene called MET, which is known to be involved in brain development, regulation of the immune system and repair of the gastrointestinal system.

All of these systems can be affected in children with autism.

 

"This is a vulnerability gene," Levitt said in a telephone interview. "There are not genes that actually cause autism. It raises the risk."

 

People with two copies of the mutated gene have 2 to 2.5 times the normal risk of autism and people with one mutated copy have 1.7 times the risk, he said.

 

The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, offer a way to start looking for the actual causes of autism, Levitt said.