International Journal of Molecular Sciences Article High Functioning Autism with Missense Mutations in Synaptotagmin-Like Protein 4 (SYTL4) and Transmembrane Protein 187 (TMEM187) Genes: SYTL4- Protein Modeling, Protein-Protein Interaction, Expression Profiling and MicroRNA Studies Syed K. Rafi 1,* , Alberto Fernández-Jaén 2 , Sara Álvarez 3, Owen W. Nadeau 4 and Merlin G. Butler 1,* 1 Departments of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and Pediatrics, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA 2 Department of Pediatric Neurology, Hospital Universitario Quirón, 28223 Madrid, Spain 3 Genomics and Medicine, NIM Genetics, 28108 Madrid, Spain 4 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA * Correspondence: rafi
[email protected] (S.K.R.);
[email protected] (M.G.B.); Tel.: +816-787-4366 (S.K.R.); +913-588-1800 (M.G.B.) Received: 25 March 2019; Accepted: 17 June 2019; Published: 9 July 2019 Abstract: We describe a 7-year-old male with high functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and maternally-inherited rare missense variant of Synaptotagmin-like protein 4 (SYTL4) gene (Xq22.1; c.835C>T; p.Arg279Cys) and an unknown missense variant of Transmembrane protein 187 (TMEM187) gene (Xq28; c.708G>T; p. Gln236His). Multiple in-silico predictions described in our study indicate a potentially damaging status for both X-linked genes. Analysis of predicted atomic threading models of the mutant and the native SYTL4 proteins suggest a potential structural change induced by the R279C variant which eliminates the stabilizing Arg279-Asp60 salt bridge in the N-terminal half of the SYTL4, affecting the functionality of the protein’s critical RAB-Binding Domain.