Beatriz Robinson

All Publications

• Loss of ASD-related molecule Cntnap2 affects colonic motility in mice. Frontiers in neuroscience Robinson, B. G., Oster, B. A., Robertson, K., Kaltschmidt, J. A. 2023; 17: 1287057

  Abstract

  Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are highly prevalent among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but the molecular link between ASD and GI dysfunction remains poorly understood. The enteric nervous system (ENS) is critical for normal GI motility and has been shown to be altered in mouse models of ASD and other neurological disorders. Contactin-associated protein-like 2 (Cntnap2) is an ASD-related synaptic cell-adhesion molecule important for sensory processing. In this study, we examine the role of Cntnap2 in GI motility by characterizing Cntnap2's expression in the ENS and assessing GI function in Cntnap2 mutant mice. We find Cntnap2 expression predominately in enteric sensory neurons. We further assess in vivo and ex vivo GI motility in Cntnap2 mutants and show altered transit time and colonic motility patterns. The overall organization of the ENS appears undisturbed. Our results suggest that Cntnap2 plays a role in GI function and may provide a molecular link between ASD and GI dysfunction.

  View details for DOI 10.3389/fnins.2023.1287057

  View details for PubMedID 38027494

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC10665486

• Loss of ASD-Related Molecule Cntnap2 Affects Colonic Motility in Mice. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology Robinson, B. G., Oster, B. A., Robertson, K., Kaltschmidt, J. A. 2023

  Abstract

  Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are highly prevalent among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but the molecular link between ASD and GI dysfunction remains poorly understood. The enteric nervous system (ENS) is critical for normal GI motility and has been shown to be altered in mouse models of ASD and other neurological disorders. Contactin-associated protein-like 2 (Cntnap2) is an ASD-related synaptic cell-adhesion molecule important for sensory processing. In this study, we examine the role of Cntnap2 in GI motility by characterizing Cntnap2's expression in the ENS and assessing GI function in Cntnap2 mutant mice. We find Cntnap2 expression predominately in enteric sensory neurons. We further assess in-vivo and ex-vivo GI motility in Cntnap2 mutants and show altered transit time and colonic motility patterns. The overall organization of the ENS appears undisturbed. Our results suggest that Cntnap2 plays a role in GI function and may provide a molecular link between ASD and GI dysfunction.

  View details for DOI 10.1101/2023.04.17.537221

  View details for PubMedID 37131706

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC10153124

• Examining Sex Differences in the Human Placental Transcriptome During the First Fetal Androgen Peak. Reproductive sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) Braun, A. E., Muench, K. L., Robinson, B. G., Wang, A., Palmer, T. D., Winn, V. D. 2020

  Abstract

  Sex differences in human placenta exist from early pregnancy to term, however, it is unclear whether these differences are driven solely by sex chromosome complement or are subject to differential sex hormonal regulation. Here, we survey the human chorionic villus (CV) transcriptome for sex-linked signatures from 11 to 16 gestational weeks, corresponding to the first window of increasing testis-derived androgen production in male fetuses. Illumina HiSeq RNA sequencing was performed on Lexogen Quantseq 3' libraries derived from CV biopsies (n=11 females, n=12 males). Differential expression (DE) was performed to identify sex-linked transcriptional signatures, followed by chromosome mapping, pathway analysis, predicted protein interaction, and post-hoc linear regressions to identify transcripts that trend over time. We observe 322 transcripts DE between male and female CV from 11 to 16weeks, with 22 transcripts logFC >1. Contrary to our predictions, the difference between male and female expression of DE autosomal genes was more pronounced at the earlier gestational ages. In females, we found selective upregulation of extracellular matrix components, along with a number of X-linked genes. In males, DE transcripts centered on chromosome 19, with mitochondrial, immune, and pregnancy maintenance-related transcripts upregulated. Among the highest differentially expressed autosomal genes were CCRL2, LGALS13, and LGALS14, which are known to regulate immune cell interactions. Our results provide insight into sex-linked gene expression in late first and early second trimester developing human placentaand lay the groundwork to understand the mechanistic origins of sex differencesin prenataldevelopment.

  View details for DOI 10.1007/s43032-020-00355-8

  View details for PubMedID 33150487