ANALYSIS OF CANDIDATE GENETIC REGIONS AND PEPTIDES AND METABOLITES PROFILE IN AUTISM

Autism (A) and A related disorders (ALD) include an heterogeneous group of conditions of almost unknown etiology. In fact, only in 10-25% of cases it is possible to recognize a specific cause, be it genetic or enviromental. Many different studies have pointed to a genetic component in A, indicating that several genes interact to make individuals susceptible to this condition. However, no such gene has been so far identified, except for some possible candidates whose etiologic role has to be clarified. Given that the numerous genetic studies performed so far by various groups have failed to produce definitive results, it is likely that different methodologic approaches are needed for more successful results. In particular, together with genomic studies we propose to perform metabolic and proteomic studies, with the purpose of identifying specific metabolites or peptides in biofluids (saliva and urines) of autistic patients. Therefore, while continuing genomic studies, we have undertaken