FADS1-FADS2 and ELOVL2 gene polymorphisms in susceptibility to autism spectrum disorders in Chinese children

BACKGROUD: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a complex group of neurodevelopmental disorders with a genetic basis. The role of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) and the occurrence of autism has been the focus of many recent studies. The present study investigates whether genetic variants of the fatty acid desaturase (FADS) 1/2 and elongation of very long-chain fatty acids protein (ELOVL) 2 genes, which are involved in LC-PUFA metabolism, are associated with ASD risk. METHODS: A cohort of 243 ASD patients and 243 unrelated healthy controls were enrolled in this case control study. Sixteen tag single nucleotide polymorphisms from the FADS1–2 and ELOVL2 genes were genotyped using the Sequenom Mass Array. RESULTS: There were significant differences in allelic distribution of FADS2 rs526126 (OR = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.42–0.72, p(FDR) < 0.05) between autistic children and controls. FADS2 rs526126 and ELOVL2 rs10498676 were associated with decreased ASD risk in recessive model (OR = 0.07, 95% CI = 0.02–0.22, p(FDR) < 0.01; OR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.35–0.89, p(FDR) = 0.042), while ELOVL2 rs17606561, rs3756963, and rs9468304 were associated with increased ASD risk in overdominant model (OR = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.12–2.36, p(FDR) = 0.036; OR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.14–2.37, p(FDR) = 0.039; OR = 1.75, 95% CI = 1.22–2.50, p(FDR) = 0.017). The A/A genotype of rs10498676 was correlated with a decline in the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised communication (verbal and nonverbal) domain. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide evidence of an association between FADS2 and ELOVL2 polymorphisms and ASD susceptibility in Chinese children. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12888-018-1868-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.