dce5b786-ef90-40d9-8943-ac5dc8e2b3f5
title
No association between the  APOE  gene and autism.
3c31c46e-3b7f-4c5e-b7f4-0322aa3d53b6
abstract
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by stereotypic and repetitive behavior and interests, together with social and communicative deficiencies. The results of several genomic screens suggest the presence of an autism susceptibility locus on chromosome 19p13.2-q13.4. The  apolipoprotein E  ( APOE ) gene on chromosome 19 encodes for a protein,  apoE , whose different isoforms (E2, E3, E4) influence neuronal growth.  APOE  participates in lipid transport and metabolism, repair, growth, and maintenance of axons and myelin during neuronal development. The  APOE  protein competes with the  Reelin  protein for VLDL/ APOE R2 receptor binding. Several studies have reported evidence for an association between autism and the  Reelin  gene. Based on these data we tested for association between  APOE  and autism using family-based association methods in a data set of 322 autism families. Three promoter, one intronic, and one 3' UTR single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the  APOE  gene ( -491a/t ,  -427c/t ,  -219g/t ,  113c/g , and  5361c/t ) as well as the  APOE  functional polymorphism (E2, E3, E4) were examined and failed to reveal significant evidence that autism is associated with  APOE .