title: Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) who exhibit chronic gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and marked fluctuation of behavioral symptoms exhibit distinct innate immune abnormalities and transcriptional profiles of peripheral blood (PB) monocytes.
abstract: Innate/adaptive immune responses and transcript profiles of peripheral blood monocytes were studied in ASD children who exhibit fluctuating behavioral symptoms following infection and other immune insults (ASD/Inf, N=30). The ASD/Inf children with persistent gastrointestinal symptoms (ASD/Inf+GI, N=19), revealed less production of proinflammatory and counter-regulatory cytokines with stimuli of innate immunity and marked changes in transcript profiles of monocytes as compared to ASD/no-Inf (N=28) and normal (N=26) controls. This included a 4-5 fold up-regulation of chemokines (CCL2 and CCL7), consistent with the production of more CCL2 by ASD/Inf+GI cells. These results indicate dysregulated innate immune defense in the ASD/Inf+GI children, rendering them more vulnerable to common microbial infection/dysbiosis and possibly subsequent behavioral changes.
authors.affiliation: Division of Allergy/Immunology and Infection Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School, 185 South Orange Ave, Newark, NJ 07101-1709, USA. jyanouha@umdnj.edu
authors.forename: Harumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jyonouchi
authors.forename: Lee
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Geng
authors.forename: Deanna L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Streck
authors.forename: Gokce A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Toruner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001526:Behavioral Symptoms / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014157:Transcription Factors