CTNNB1 in neurodevelopmental disorders

Wenting Zhuang; Tong Ye; Wei Wang; Weihong Song; Tao Tan

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1143328

CTNNB1 in neurodevelopmental disorders

Front Psychiatry. 2023 Mar 16:14:1143328. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1143328. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Wenting Zhuang¹, Tong Ye¹, Wei Wang^{1

2}, Weihong Song¹, Tao Tan^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health), Key Laboratory of Alzheimer's Disease of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Aging, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
² Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.

Abstract

CTNNB1 is the gene that encodes β-catenin which acts as a key player in the Wnt signaling pathway and regulates cellular homeostasis. Most CTNNB1-related studies have been mainly focused on its role in cancer. Recently, CTNNB1 has also been found involved in neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), such as intellectual disability, autism, and schizophrenia. Mutations of CTNNB1 lead to the dysfunction of the Wnt signaling pathway that regulates gene transcription and further disturbs synaptic plasticity, neuronal apoptosis, and neurogenesis. In this review, we discuss a wide range of aspects of CTNNB1 and its physiological and pathological functions in the brain. We also provide an overview of the most recent research regarding CTNNB1 expression and its function in NDDs. We propose that CTNNB1 would be one of the top high-risk genes for NDDs. It could also be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of NDDs.

Keywords: CTNNB1; autism spectrum disorder; intellectual disability; neurodevelopmental disorders; schizophrenia; β-catenin.

Publication types

Review