Luke S. Heuer

Reduced Levels of Immunoglobulin in Children With Autism Correlates With Behavioral Symptoms

Objectives: To assay if plasma antibody levels in children with autism or developmental delays (DD) differ from those with typical development as an indicator of immune function and to correlate antibody levels with severity of behavioral symptoms.

Association of a MET genetic variant with autism-associated maternal autoantibodies to fetal brain proteins and cytokine expression

The contribution of peripheral immunity to autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) risk is debated and poorly understood. Some mothers of children with ASD have autoantibodies that react to fetal brain proteins, raising the possibility that a subset of ASD cases may be associated with a maternal antibody response during gestation. The mechanism by which the maternal immune system breaks tolerance has not been addressed. We hypothesized that the mechanism may involve decreased expression of the MET receptor tyrosine kinase, an ASD risk gene that also serves as a key negative regulator of immune responsiveness. In a sample of 365 mothers, including 202 mothers of children with ASD, the functional MET promoter variant rs1858830 C allele was strongly associated with the presence of an ASD-specific 37+73-kDa band pattern of maternal autoantibodies to fetal brain proteins (P=0.003). To determine the mechanism of this genetic association, we measured MET protein and cytokine production in freshly prepared peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 76 mothers of ASD and typically developing children. The MET rs1858830 C allele was significantly associated with MET protein expression (P=0.025). Moreover, decreased expression of the regulatory cytokine IL-10 was associated with both the MET gene C allele (P=0.001) and reduced MET protein levels (P=0.002). These results indicate genetic distinction among mothers who produce ASD-associated antibodies to fetal brain proteins, and suggest a potential mechanism for how a genetically determined decrease in MET protein production may lead to a reduction in immune regulation.

Autism with intellectual disability is associated with increased levels of maternal cytokines and chemokines during gestation

Immune abnormalities have been described in some individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) as well as their family members. However, few studies have directly investigated the role of prenatal cytokine and chemokine profiles on neurodevelopmental outcomes in humans. In the current study, we characterized mid-gestational serum profiles of 22 cytokines and chemokines in mothers of children with ASD (N=415), developmental delay (DD) without ASD (N=188), and general population (GP) controls (N=428) using a bead-based multiplex technology. The ASD group was further divided into those with intellectual disabilities (developmental/cognitive and adaptive composite score<70) (ASD+ID, N=184) and those without (composite score⩾70) (ASD-noID, N=201). Levels of cytokines and chemokines were compared between groups using multivariate logistic regression analyses, adjusting for maternal age, ethnicity, birth country and weight, as well as infant gender, birth year and birth month. Mothers of children with ASD+ID had significantly elevated mid-gestational levels of numerous cytokines and chemokines, such as granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor, interferon-γ, interleukin-1α (IL-1α) and IL-6, compared with mothers of children with either ASD-noID, those with DD, or GP controls. Conversely, mothers of children with either ASD-noID or with DD had significantly lower levels of the chemokines IL-8 and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 compared with mothers of GP controls. This observed immunologic distinction between mothers of children with ASD+ID from mothers of children with ASD-noID or DD suggests that the intellectual disability associated with ASD might be etiologically distinct from DD without ASD. These findings contribute to the ongoing efforts toward identification of early biological markers specific to subphenotypes of ASD.

Increased production of IL-17 in children with autism spectrum disorders and co-morbid asthma.

Inflammation and asthma have both been reported in some children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To further assess this connection, peripheral immune cells isolated from young children with ASD and typically developing (TD) controls and the production of cytokines IL-17, -13, and -4 assessed following ex vivo mitogen stimulation. Notably, IL-17 production was significantly higher following stimulation in ASD children compared to controls. Moreover, IL-17 was increased in ASD children with co-morbid asthma compared to controls with the same condition. In conclusion, children with ASD exhibited a differential response to T cell stimulation with elevated IL-17 production compared to controls.

Maternal mid-pregnancy C-reactive protein and risk of autism spectrum disorders: The early markers for autism study

Maternal pregnancy levels of the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP) has been previously associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the offspring. We conducted a population-based nested case–control study with 500 children with ASD, 235 with developmental delay (DD) and 580 general population (GP) controls to further investigate whether elevated CRP during pregnancy increases the risk of ASD. Maternal CRP concentration was measured in archived serum collected during 15–19 weeks of pregnancy and genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data were generated. The levels of CRP were compared between ASD vs GP and DD vs GP. The genetic associations with CRP were assessed via linear regression. Maternal CRP levels in mid-pregnancy were lower in mothers of ASD compared with controls. The maternal CRP levels in the upper third and fourth quartiles were associated with a 45 and 44% decreased risk of ASD, respectively. Two SNPs at the CRP locus showed strong association with CRP levels but they were not associated with ASD. No difference was found between maternal CRP levels of DD and controls. The reasons for the lower levels of CRP in mothers of ASD are not known with certainty but may be related to alterations in the immune response to infectious agents. The biological mechanisms underlying this association remain to be clarified.

Decreased levels of total immunoglobulin in children with autism are not a result of B cell dysfunction

Autism spectrum disorders are a heterogeneous group of behaviorally defined disorders having complex etiologies. We previously reported a direct correlation between lower plasma levels of the immunoglobulins (Ig) IgG and IgM and increased severity of behavioral symptoms in children with autism. Our current objective was to determine if these reduced plasma levels of IgG and IgM are the result of defective B cell development, activation, or function. Results suggest no differences in the B cell parameters measured, indicating that decreased Ig in autism is not a result of B cell dysfunction and other immune cells might be involved.

The Immune System in Autism

Autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) are a broad spectrum of heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorders, most with unknown etiology. Although the development of autism is suspected to be the result of a complex combination of genetic, environmental, neurobiological, and immunological factors, the role of each of these factors is still under investigation. In this chapter, we review current concepts regarding the immunological aspects of autism as they pertain to areas of our own research. Three specific areas are covered including autoantibodies in children with ASD, maternal antibodies directed against fetal brain, and immune dysfunction in children with ASD.

Immune Abnormalities and Autism Spectrum Disorders

This chapter explores the link between autism spectrum disorders and the immune system. It begins with a discussion of basic immunology for each topic, integrated with a comprehensive review of the most recent studies describing dysfunction of the immune system in the context of autism. Although many of these observations are still under investigation with respect to their mechanistic relevance to autism, they remain valuable as biologic markers in the quest for understanding the etiology and pathology of this complex disorder

Cross-genetic determination of maternal and neonatal immune mediators during pregnancy

BackgroundThe immune system plays a fundamental role in development during pregnancy and early life. Alterations in circulating maternal and neonatal immune mediators have been associated with pregnancy complications as well as susceptibility to autoimmune and neurodevelopmental conditions in later life. Evidence suggests that the immune system in adults not only responds to environmental stimulation but is also under strong genetic control.MethodsThis is the first genetic study of > 700 mother-infant pairs to analyse the circulating levels of 22 maternal mid-gestational serum-derived and 42 neonatal bloodspot-derived immune mediators (cytokines/chemokines) in the context of maternal and fetal genotype. We first estimated the maternal and fetal genome-wide SNP-based heritability (h2g) for each immune molecule and then performed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to identify specific loci contributing to individual immune mediators. Finally, we assessed the relationship between genetic immune determinants and ASD outcome.ResultsWe show maternal and neonatal cytokines/chemokines displaying genetic regulation using independent methodologies. We demonstrate that novel fetal loci for immune function independently affect the physiological levels of maternal immune mediators and vice versa. The cross-associated loci are in distinct genomic regions compared with individual-specific immune mediator loci. Finally, we observed an interaction between increased IL-8 levels at birth, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) status, and a specific maternal genotype.ConclusionsOur results suggest that maternal and fetal genetic variation influences the immune system during pregnancy and at birth via distinct mechanisms and that a better understanding of immune factor determinants in early development may shed light on risk factors for developmental disorders.