Exploring the shared genetic basis between autism spectrum disorder and gastrointestinal disorders: a bioinformatic...

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with early-appearing social communication deficits and repetitive behaviors. ASD is associated with various comorbidities, including gastrointestinal (GI) conditions. This study aims to identify shared genetic mutations between ASD, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and celiac disease through bioinformatics, to uncover mechanisms contributing to GI issues in ASD patients. In this study, databases including DisGeNET, Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS) Catalog, and Ensembl were utilized to identify variation disease associations (VDAs) for ASD, celiac disease and IBD. Shared VDAs were identified using the Molbiotools website and validated by reviewing original articles and resources provided by the databases. In our screening 2367 VDAs found for ASD, 458 for Celiac disease and 1912 for IBD. However, search across these databases revealed only 3 shared VDAs among ASD, celiac disease and IBD. These shared VDAs were found in the Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), Myosin IXB (MYO9B), and Transcobalamin 2 (TCN2) genes. However, the association between the TCN2 gene and celiac disease was not confirmed during the validation process. In this study, we investigated the shared genetic basis between ASD and genetically defined GI disorders based on previously published papers. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into the shared genetic basis of these diseases; however, further investigations are needed to understand these genetic implications.