Genetic variant of glutathione peroxidase 1 in autism

Genetic factors can contribute to autistic disorder (AD). Abnormal genes of oxidative stress pathways and increased oxidative stress have been reported in autism spectrum disorders. Polymorphisms of genes involved in glutathione metabolism, e.g. GSTP1 and GSTM1 are reportedly associated with autistic disorder. We investigated a GCG repeat polymorphism of a human glutathione peroxidase (GPX1) polyalanine repeat (ALA5, ALA6 and ALA7) in 103 trios of AD (probands and parents) using the transmission disequilibrium test. Significant transmission disequilibrium (p = 0.044) was found in the overall transmission of the three alleles. The ALA6 allele was under transmitted (p = 0.017). These results suggest that possessing this ALA6 allele may be protective for AD. Future study of interaction of the GPX1 GCG repeat and other gene polymorphisms such as the MnSOD ALA16 or the GPX1 Pro198Leu polymorphism in this cohort of AD families may shed light in whether the combination of the ALA6 allele with another polymorphism of antioxidant allele contributes to the increased oxidative stress in autism.