Recent findings of epigenetic mechanisms in neurodevelopmental disorders

Abstract

Disruptions of epigenetic mechanisms are known to be causative for several neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, rett syndrome (RTT) , attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) . RTT is caused by mutation in the X- linked gene methyl- CpG binding protein 2 (MECP2) . MeCP2 has a lot of targets and complex roles that encompass activating or repressing gene transcription, regulating chromatin remodeling, and altering non - coding RNAs. Although MeCP2 is important for neuronal function, recent studies suggest that glial cells, such as astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and microglia, likely control the progression of RTT. Recently, several works have described the generation and characterization of iPSC- derived neurons from autism and RTT patients. Neurons differentiated from RTT- iPSCs showed the recapitulation of RTT phenotypes. The iPSCs make a contribution to not only underlying of RTT pathology but also development of new therapeutic agents. Furthermore, early- life adversity increases the risk for neurodevelopmental disorders. The underlying mechanism suggests that prenatal exposures to tobacco smoke, alcohol and persistent organic pollutants cause aberrant DNA methylation patterns. Because epigenetic mechanisms are intrinsically reversible, there are great hopes that epigenetic drugs have been conducting for treatment of neurodevelopmental disorder.