IDENTIFICATION OF SIGNIFICANT PATHWAYS RESPONSIBLE FOR AUTISM THROUGH MOLECULAR NETWORK ANALYSIS

Autism is a spectrum of developmental disorders characterized by impairments in social interaction, communication, often accompanied by stereotypical or repetitive behaviours. There are numerous hypotheses holding to the etiology and pathology of Autism but actual mechanism of the ailment is still unknown. Although a number of rare mutations and dosage abnormalities are specific to autism, these explain no more than 10% of all cases making the problem more complex. In this regard, shift from a narrow focus on individual candidate genes towards a broader view of affected protein networks and associated biological pathways have achieved the significant role. We have used network biology approach to identify important molecules and pathways which play significant role in autism through molecular interaction map (MIP) containing 248 nodes linked with 892 edges. Our studies elucidate the relationship between topological properties of MIP and the role played by molecules in biological systems. Further by applying the graph theory hub proteins were obtained and the pathways in which they are involved were analyzed. Our results showed link between many signalling pathways forming 22% in combination with other pathways like adherens junction. These insights provide useful clues in understanding how and to what extent each pathway is contributing in pathophysiology of this heterogeneous disorder.