mTOR Signaling Disruption and Its Association with the Development of Autism Spectrum Disorder

• Published in: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2023-02, Vol.28 (4), p.1889
• Main Authors: Thomas, Shilu Deepa, Jha, Niraj Kumar, Ojha, Shreesh, Sadek, Bassem
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 1-Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase; AKT protein; Alzheimer's disease; Animal diseases; Animal models; Animals; Autism; autism spectrum disorder; Autism Spectrum Disorder - drug therapy; Autophagy; Behavior; Biological activity; Biosynthesis; Cell growth; Cellular signal transduction; Circadian rhythm; Communication; Development and progression; Disruption; fragile X; Fragile X syndrome; Genetic disorders; Growth factors; Health aspects; Intellectual disabilities; Irregularities; Keywords; Kinases; Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1 - metabolism; Microbiota; Mutation; Neurodevelopmental disorders; Pathogenesis; Pervasive developmental disorders; Phenotypes; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases - metabolism; Phosphorylation; Phosphotransferases; PI3K/Akt/mTOR; Protein synthesis; Proteins; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt - metabolism; PTEN; PTEN protein; Review; Signal Transduction; Social factors; Social interaction; Stereotyped behavior; TOR protein; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases - metabolism; Tuberous sclerosis; Tuberous Sclerosis Complex 1; Tuberous Sclerosis Complex 2
• ISSN: 1420-3049; 1420-3049
• DOI: 10.3390/molecules28041889

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication along with repetitive stereotypic behaviors. Currently, there are no specific biomarkers for diagnostic screening or treatments available for autistic patients. Numerous genetic disorders are associated with high prevalence of ASD, including tuberous sclerosis complex, phosphatase and tensin homolog, and fragile X syndrome. Preclinical investigations in animal models of these diseases have revealed irregularities in the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway as well as ASD-related behavioral defects. Reversal of the downstream molecular irregularities, associated with mTOR hyperactivation, improved the behavioral deficits observed in the preclinical investigations. Plant bioactive molecules have shown beneficial pre-clinical evidence in ASD treatment by modulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. In this review, we summarize the involvement of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway as well as the genetic alterations of the pathway components and its critical impact on the development of the autism spectrum disorder. Mutations in negative regulators of mTORC1, such as TSC1, TSC2, and PTEN, result in ASD-like phenotypes through the disruption of the mTORC1-mediated signaling. We further discuss the various naturally occurring phytoconstituents that have been identified to be bioactive and modulate the pathway to prevent its disruption and contribute to beneficial therapeutic effects in ASD.