Abstract
© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a spectrum of disorders that are characterized by problems in social interaction and repetitive behavior. The disease is thought to develop from changes in brain development at an early age, although the exact mechanisms are not known yet. In addition, a significant number of people with ASD develop problems in the intestinal tract. A Disintegrin And Metalloproteases (ADAMs) include a group of enzymes that are able to cleave membrane-bound proteins. ADAM10 and ADAM17 are two members of this family that are able to cleave protein substrates involved in ASD pathogenesis, such as specific proteins important for synapse formation, axon signaling and neuroinflammation. All these pathological mechanisms are involved in ASD. Besides the brain, ADAM10 and ADAM17 are also highly expressed in the intes-tines. ADAM10 and ADAM17 have implications in pathways that regulate gut permeability, home-ostasis and inflammation. These metalloproteases might be involved in microbiota-gut–brain axis interactions in ASD through the regulation of immune and inflammatory responses in the intestinal tract. In this review, the potential roles of ADAM10 and ADAM17 in the pathology of ASD and as targets for new therapies will be discussed, with a focus on the gut–brain axis.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 118 |
Pages (from-to) | 1-30 |
Journal | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
Volume | 22 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2021 |
Externally published | Yes |
Funding
Funding: This review was written in the context of The GEMMA project (grant number 00002771-13001252) and partly funded by the China Scholarship Council (CSC) (grant number 201706210077).
Funders | Funder number |
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Horizon 2020 Framework Programme | 825033 |
China Scholarship Council | 201706210077 |