PET PET
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
Become a Friend Donate
  • About Us
    • People
    • Press Office
    • Our History
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Friend of PET
    • Volunteer
    • Campaigns
    • Writing Scheme
    • Partnership and Sponsorship
    • Advertise with Us
  • Donate
    • Become a Friend of PET
  • BioNews
    • News
    • Comment
    • Reviews
    • Elsewhere
    • Topics
    • Glossary
    • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Previous Events
  • Engagement
    • Policy and Projects
      • Resources
    • Education
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
    • People
    • Press Office
    • Our History
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Friend of PET
    • Volunteer
    • Campaigns
    • Writing Scheme
    • Partnership and Sponsorship
    • Advertise with Us
  • Donate
    • Become a Friend of PET
  • BioNews
    • News
    • Comment
    • Reviews
    • Elsewhere
    • Topics
    • Glossary
    • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Previous Events
  • Engagement
    • Policy and Projects
      • Resources
    • Education
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements
PETBioNewsNewsScientists create monkey with 'autism gene'

BioNews

Scientists create monkey with 'autism gene'

Published 29 January 2016 posted in News and appears in BioNews 837

Author

Dr Julia Hill

PET BioNews

A Chinese laboratory has created genetically modified monkeys that show symptoms of autism...

A Chinese laboratory has created genetically modified monkeys that show symptoms of autism.

The researchers say they are the closest animal model of the condition so far and should allow scientists to study the brain networks involved in autism as well as trial treatments, such as deep-brain stimulation.

'The monkeys show very similar behavior to human autism patients,' said Dr Zilong Qiu of the Institute of Neuroscience at the Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences, co-author of the paper published in Nature. 'We think it provides a very unique model.'

There are thought to be at least 100 genes related to autism – a spectrum of disorders that involve difficulties interacting and communicating with other people. In this study, researchers focused on a gene called MECP2, which is associated with autism and a related neurodevelopmental disorder called Rett's syndrome.

The researchers created transgenic monkeys that could express this gene by infecting egg cells with a virus carrying the gene. They used these eggs to create embryos and transplanted into female monkeys, resulting in eight live births.

By studying the brains of stillborn monkeys, the researchers confirmed that they were expressing the MECP2 protein in their brains. Then, within a year, they observed behaviours among the genetically modified monkeys similar to autism in humans. The monkeys were running repetitively in circles and had less social interaction with their peers than wild-type monkeys. They also became stressed when the researchers stared them in the eyes.

Previously, animal models of autism have been mostly limited to mice, but have produced little insight into possible treatments because rodent brain structure is not sufficiently complex to mimic the human brain.

Scientists have also genetically modified monkeys to express genes associated with autism, but this is the first time they have been able to link these genetic changes to behaviour in the animals.

The research team says that the model is not intended to replace mice models but should help overcome some of the limitations of studying brain disorders in mice. They plan to carry out brain scans on the monkeys and to trial deep brain stimulation, like that used in Parkinson's disease. It could also be used to trial gene therapy, they suggest.

However, not all researchers are convinced that the model is a close representation of autism in humans, and this type of research raises issues more generally around animal welfare.

Professor Huda Zoghbi, whose lab at the Baylor College of Medicine discovered the MECP2 gene's link to Rett's syndrome, noted that the monkeys did not display all of the characteristic features of autism, such as seizures. 'I think we need to be cautious calling this a model … it does not quite accomplish that,' she told the MIT Technology Review.

But Dr James Cusack, research director at the UK charity Autistica, told the Guardian that developing animal models of autism has been a major challenge.

'It should always be remembered that people with autism vary in a number of ways, and autism itself is linked to a number of other conditions. With this in mind, developing a single animal model of autism may be difficult to achieve.'

Related Articles

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
18 December 2017 • 2 minutes read

18 new genes linked to autism

by Jenny Sharpe

A study that sequenced the whole genomes of over 5000 people has discovered 18 genes associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
Comment
18 December 2017 • 4 minutes read

Autism, genetics and epigenetics: why the lived experience matters in research

by Dr Kristien Hens and 1 others

Popular scientific publications regularly have articles with headlines suggesting that 'autism is hereditary' or that the 'risk for developing autism' is mostly caused by genetics...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
25 April 2017 • 2 minutes read

Autism linked to cognitive genes

by Jamie Rickman

Researchers have discovered that genetic variants associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) also correlate with higher intelligence...

Image by Sílvia Ferreira, Cristina Lopo and Eileen Gentleman via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a single human stem cell embedded within a porous hydrogel matrix (false colour).
CC BY 4.0
Image by Sílvia Ferreira, Cristina Lopo and Eileen Gentleman via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a single human stem cell embedded within a porous hydrogel matrix (false-coloured cryogenic scanning electron micrograph).
News
10 April 2017 • 2 minutes read

Autism stem cell trial reports improvement in symptoms

by Dr Lucy Freem

Children with autism spectrum disorder who received infusions of their own stem cells from banked umbilical cord blood as part of a clinical trial have no apparent lasting adverse effects after one year...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
22 November 2016 • 2 minutes read

Autism link to mutations in mitochondria

by Jonathan Bestwick

Children with autism spectrum disorder have twice as many harmful mutations in their mitochondrial DNA as their siblings, a study has found...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
19 April 2016 • 3 minutes read

Combined genetic tests could aid autism diagnosis

by Dr Ashley Cartwright

Scientists have found that two genetic analysis techniques can increase the number of causative mutations found in children with autism spectrum disorder...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
17 July 2015 • 2 minutes read

Miniature brain 'organoids' offer model for autism

by Ayala Ochert

Scientists have grown miniature brains out of stem cells from people with autism, and have found that they over-produce one type of neuron...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
20 April 2015 • 3 minutes read

Sperm DNA changes linked to autism

by Meghna Kataria

A study has found a link between DNA methylation levels in sperm and an increased risk of autism in children, indicating that epigenetic changes could explain why the disorder appears to run in families....

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
6 March 2015 • 2 minutes read

UK twin study shows autism 'largely genetic'

by Sophie McLachlan

A UK twin study estimates that between 56 and 95 percent of autism spectrum disorder cases are attributable to genetics...

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

« French surrogate in court for defrauding couple

Data-Label The UK's Leading Supplier Of Medical Labels & Asset Labels

RetiringDentist.co.uk The UK's Leading M&A Company.

Find out how you can advertise here
easyfundraising
amazon

This month in BioNews

  • Popular
  • Recent
13 June 2022 • 2 minutes read

Drop in diversity of blood stem cells leads to old-age health issues

8 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

Placenta and organ formation observed in mouse embryo models

8 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

Complex structures of the human heart bioengineered

8 August 2022 • 1 minute read

Brain tumour gene also linked to childhood cancers

8 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

Lower hormone doses may improve IVF egg quality

8 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

Boosting muscle cell production of gene therapy proteins

Subscribe to BioNews and other PET updates for free.

Subscribe
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
Wellcome
Website redevelopment supported by Wellcome.

Website by Impact Media Impact Media

  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements

© 1992 - 2022 Progress Educational Trust. All rights reserved.

Limited company registered in England and Wales no 07405980 • Registered charity no 1139856

Subscribe to BioNews and other PET updates for free.

Subscribe
PET PET

PET is an independent charity that improves choices for people affected by infertility and genetic conditions.

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
Wellcome
Website redevelopment supported by Wellcome.

Navigation

  • About Us
  • Get Involved
  • Donate
  • BioNews
  • Events
  • Engagement
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us

BioNews

  • News
  • Comment
  • Reviews
  • Elsewhere
  • Topics
  • Glossary
  • Newsletters

Other

  • My Account
  • Subscribe

Website by Impact Media Impact Media

  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements

© 1992 - 2022 Progress Educational Trust. All rights reserved.

Limited company registered in England and Wales no 07405980 • Registered charity no 1139856