Background: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the Reelin gene (RELN) are likely candidates to confer risk for autism. The objective of the present study is to investigate the association of RELN gene SNPs with autism.
Materials and methods: A total of 367 Chinese Han subjects were recruited, including 186 autism patients and 181 unrelated healthy controls. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and DNA sequencing methods were used to detect RELN gene polymorphisms. The association between SNPs and autism was analyzed in this study.
Results: The g.333509A>C in intron12 and g.504742G>A in exon60 were detected in the RELN gene and a significant association was found between the g.504742G>A polymorphism and autism. Allele and genotype frequencies for the g.504742G>A polymorphism in autistic patients were significantly different for healthy subjects. There was no significantly difference in g.333509A>C polymorphism and autism in the studied populations.
Conclusions: Our findings indicated that g.333509A>C was not significantly associated with autism. The g.504742G>A polymorphic variant in the RELN gene might affect subjects susceptibility toward autism in Chinese Han population.