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Saliva test for autism
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Researchers in Italy are reporting discovery of abnormal proteins in the saliva of autism patients that could eventually provide a clue for the molecular basis of this severe developmental disorder and could be used as a biomarker for a subgroup of patients with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
Massimo Castagnola, Irene Messana, Maria Giulia Torrioli and Fiorella Gurrieri, compared proteins in the saliva of 27 children with ASD to those in a control group without ASD. They discovered that at least one of four proteins in 19 children in the ASD group had significantly lower levels of phosphorylation. That key body process activates proteins so that they can work normally.
They found that at least one of four protein fragments, the salivary peptides statherin, histatin 1 and acidic proline-rich proteins, in 19 of the children from the ASD group had significantly lower levels of phosphorylation. Phosphorylation is a key biochemical process that activates proteins. "Phosphorylation of salivary peptides involves a Golgi casein kinase [enzyme] common to many organs and tissues, CNS included, whose expression seems to be synchronized during foetal development," the researchers explain.
The team also found that 10 of the children with normal or borderline development also presented "hypo-phosphorylated" salivary peptides. This, the researchers suggest, may indicate that the anomaly could relate mainly to the behavioral aspects of ASD rather than overall mental and physical development.
The Italian results suggest that these abnormal proteins might be indicative of anomalies in the timing of phosphorylation of proteins involved in the development of the central nervous system in early infancy that are thought to be involved in ASD. However, the reduced phosphorylation might also be associated with other pathological conditions rather than ASD.
The team add that while their results are striking, there are limitations to their statistical analysis, given the limited number of patients tested. Additional work is now needed to develop a robust clinical test based on the work and to tease apart the causes from the effects in hypophosphorylation of salivary peptides and how they might relate to ASD if at all.
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