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The Correlation Between Vitamin D Receptor (VDR) Gene Polymorphisms and Autism: A Meta-analysis

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Abstract

Vitamin D receptor (VDR) polymorphisms are risk factors for autism. We performed a systematic meta-analysis to explore the relationship between VDR gene polymorphisms and autism. A literature review of articles from Pubmed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Springer was conducted up to January 28, 2019. The association between SNPs and autism was calculated using pooled odd ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Additionally, tests for heterogeneity, publication bias, and sensitivity were conducted. Six eligible studies with a total of 2001 participants (1045 cases and 956 controls) were included. Meta-analysis indicated that the “C” allele of the rs731236 gene, including C vs. T (OR = 1.3254, 95% CI = 1.0897–1.6122), CC vs. TT (OR = 2.0871, 95% CI = 1.3395–3.2519), and CC vs. TT + CT (OR = 1.9610, 95% CI = 1.2985–2.9615), might be a risk factor for autism. Moreover, the “G” allele of rs7975232 (G vs. T: OR = 0.8228, 95% CI = 0.6814–0.9934) was associated with a protective effect against the development of autism. No significant differences were found in the allele frequencies of rs11568820, rs1544410, and rs2228570 in the cases and controls. This meta-analysis revealed that both VDR rs731236 and rs7975232 were significantly associated with autism, whereas VDR rs11568820, rs1544410, and rs2228570 might not be correlated with the incidence of autism.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Shanghai Key Lab of Human Performance (Shanghai University of Sport) (Grant No. 11DZ2261100); Social Science Fund of Jiangsu Province (Grant No. 19TYD001); Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No. 2018B59514); and Hohai University Disciplinary Planning Program (Grant No. 1013–418246).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Physical Education and Training, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, 200438, China

    Hongchang Yang & Xueping Wu

  2. Department of Physical Education, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, China

    Hongchang Yang

  3. Shanghai Key Lab of Human Performance, Shanghai University of Sport, No. 399 Changhai Road, Yangpu District, Shanghai, 200438, China

    Xueping Wu

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  1. Hongchang Yang
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  2. Xueping Wu
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HY conceived and designed the research, acquired data, analyzed data, drafted the manuscript, and conducted the statistical analysis. XW conceived and designed the research, analyzed data, obtained funding, and revised manuscript for important intellectual content. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Xueping Wu.

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Yang, H., Wu, X. The Correlation Between Vitamin D Receptor (VDR) Gene Polymorphisms and Autism: A Meta-analysis. J Mol Neurosci 70, 260–268 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12031-019-01464-z

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