title: ADP ribosyl-cyclases (CD38/CD157), social skills and friendship.
abstract: Why some individuals seek social engagement while others shy away has profound implications for normal and pathological human behavior. Evidence suggests that oxytocin (OT), the paramount human social hormone, and CD38 that governs OT release, contribute to individual differences in social skills from intense social involvement to extreme avoidance that characterize autism. To explore the neurochemical underpinnings of sociality, CD38 expression of peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) was measured in Han Chinese undergraduates. First, CD38 mRNA levels were correlated with lower Autism Quotient (AQ), indicating enhanced social skills. AQ assesses the extent of autistic-like traits including the propensity and dexterity needed for successful social engagement in the general population. Second, three CD157 eQTL SNPs in the CD38/CD157 gene region were associated with CD38 expression. CD157 is a paralogue of CD38 and is contiguous with it on chromosome 4p15. Third, association was also observed between the CD157 eQTL SNPs, CD38 expression and AQ. In the full model, CD38 expression and CD157 eQTL SNPs altogether account for a substantial 14% of the variance in sociality. Fourth, functionality of CD157 eQTL SNPs was suggested by a significant association with plasma oxytocin immunoreactivity products. Fifth, the ecological validity of these findings was demonstrated with subjects with higher PBL CD38 expression having more friends, especially for males. Furthermore, CD157 sequence variation predicts scores on the Friendship questionnaire. To summarize, this study by uniquely leveraging various measures reveals salient elements contributing to nonkin sociality and friendship, revealing a likely pathway underpinning the transition from normality to psychopathology.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Psychology, National University of Singapore, S117570, Singapore. Electronic address: annecsl@u.nus.edu.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chong
authors.affiliation: Lab of Immunogenetics, Dept. of Medical Sciences, University of Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Malavasi
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Psychology, Hebrew University, Israel.
authors.forename: Salomon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Israel
authors.affiliation: Genome Institute of Singapore, S138672, Singapore.
authors.forename: Chiea Chuen
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Khor
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Statistics & Applied Probability, National University of Singapore, S117570, Singapore.
authors.forename: Von Bing
authors.initials: VB
authors.lastname: Yap
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Psychology, National University of Singapore, S117570, Singapore.
authors.forename: Mikhail
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Monakhov
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Economics, National University of Singapore, S117570, Singapore.
authors.forename: Soo Hong
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Chew
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Paediatrics, National University of Singapore, S119228, Singapore.
authors.forename: Poh San
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Psychology, National University of Singapore, S117570, Singapore. Electronic address: rpebstein@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Richard P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Ebstein
mesh_terms: D036541:ADP-ribosyl Cyclase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D051997:ADP-ribosyl Cyclase 1 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends; D058851:GPI-Linked Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000097:blood; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci; D066107:Social Skills; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D058851:GPI-Linked Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D010121:Oxytocin; D036541:ADP-ribosyl Cyclase; C087521:ADP-ribosyl cyclase 2; C498154:CD38 protein, human; D051997:ADP-ribosyl Cyclase 1
keywords: Autism quotient; CD157; CD38 expression; Friendship; Human social affiliation; Oxytocin