Family-based association study of ZNF804A polymorphisms and autism in a Han Chinese population

Abstract

Background: Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder with high heritability. Zinc finger protein 804A (ZNF804A) was suggested to play important roles in neurodevelopment. Previous studies indicated that single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs1344706 in ZNF804A was strongly associated with schizophrenia and might influence social interaction. Only one study explored the significance of ZNF804A polymorphisms in autism, which discovered that rs7603001 was nominally associated with autism. Moreover, no previous study investigated the association between ZNF804A and autism in a Han Chinese population. Here, we investigated whether these two SNPs (rs1344706 and rs7603001) in ZNF804A contribute to the risk of autism in a Han Chinese population. Methods: We performed a family-based association study in 640 Han Chinese autism trios. Sanger sequencing was used for sample genotyping. Then, single marker association analyses were conducted using the family-based association test (FBAT) program. Results: No significant association was found between the two SNPs (rs1344706 and rs7603001) in ZNF804A and autism (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Our findings suggested that rs1344706 and rs7603001 in ZNF804A might not be associated with autism in a Han Chinese population.