Autism spectrum disorder: interaction of air pollution with the MET receptor tyrosine kinase gene.

Background: Independent studies report association of autism spectrum disorder with air pollution exposure and a functional promoter variant (rs1858830) in the MET receptor tyrosine kinase (MET) gene. Toxicologic data find altered brain Met expression in mice after prenatal exposure to a model air pollutant. Our objective was to investigate whether air pollution exposure and MET rs1858830 genotype interact to alter ASD risk. Methods: We studied 252 cases of autism spectrum disorder and 156 typically developing controls the Childhood Autism Risk from Genetics and the Environment Study. Air pollution exposure was assigned for local traffic-related sources and regional sources (particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and ozone). MET genotype was determined by direct re-sequencing. Results: Subjects with both MET rs1858830 CC genotype and high air pollutant exposures were at increased risk of autism spectrum disorder compared with subjects who had both the CG/GG genotypes and lower pollutant exposures. A statistical test of multiplicative interaction identified a statistically significant effect between NO2 and MET CC genotype (p=0.03) Conclusions: MET rs1858830 CC genotype and air pollutant exposure may interact to increase autism spectrum disorder risk.