Autism-linked NLGN3 is a key regulator of gonadotropin-releasing hormone deficiency.

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) deficiency (GD) is a disorder characterized by absent or delayed puberty, with largely unknown genetic causes. The purpose of this study was to obtain and exploit gene expression profiles of GnRH neurons during development to unveil novel biological mechanisms and genetic determinants underlying GD. Here, we combined bioinformatic analyses of immortalized and primary embryonic GnRH neuron transcriptomes with exome sequencing from GD patients to identify candidate genes implicated in the pathogenesis of GD. Among differentially expressed and filtered transcripts, we found loss-of-function (LoF) variants of the autism-linked neuroligin 3 (NLGN3) gene in two unrelated patients co-presenting with GD and neurodevelopmental traits. We demonstrated that NLGN3 is upregulated in maturing GnRH neurons and that NLGN3 wild-type, but not mutant, protein promotes neuritogenesis when overexpressed in developing GnRH cells. Our data represent proof of principle that this complementary approach can identify new candidate GD genes and demonstrate that LoF NLGN3 variants can contribute to GD. This novel genotype-phenotype correlation implies common genetic mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental disorders, such as GD and autistic spectrum disorder. © 2023. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Citation

Roberto Oleari, Antonella Lettieri, Stefano Manzini, Alyssa Paganoni, Valentina André, Paolo Grazioli, Marco Busnelli, Paolo Duminuco, Antonio Vitobello, Christophe Philippe, Varoona Bizaoui, Helen L Storr, Federica Amoruso, Fani Memi, Valeria Vezzoli, Valentina Massa, Peter Scheiffele, Sasha R Howard, Anna Cariboni. Autism-linked NLGN3 is a key regulator of gonadotropin-releasing hormone deficiency. Disease models & mechanisms. 2023 Mar 01;16(3)

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PMID: 36810932

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