Search for the candidate genes for autism by the DNA methylation microarray analysis of sperm cells

• Project/Area Number: 24791197
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Psychiatric science
• Research Institution: Teikyo University (2013); The University of Tokyo (2012)
• Principal Investigator: TOCHIGI Mamoru 帝京大学, 医学部, 准教授 (40456116)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2014-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2013)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,160,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥960,000); Fiscal Year 2013: ¥2,080,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥480,000); Fiscal Year 2012: ¥2,080,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥480,000)
• Keywords: 自閉症 / エピジェネティクス / マイクロアレイ / DNAメチル化 / 遺伝学

Research Abstract

The utility of sperm cells in the epgenetic studies of autism was reviewed. It was concluded that sperm cells from the patients' fathers may be helpful for identifying the candidate genes for autism. It was also tried to establish the method of evaluating the genome-wide DNA methylation status by using microarrays, and investigate the DNA methylation status by using blood cells as a pilot study. As a result, the reproducibility of the method was not enough, and further improvement of the assessment procedure was recommended.

Research Products

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  • URL: http://www.teikyo-psy.com/laboratory.html