Autism Genetic Complexity Comes to Light

Researchers say genes located in a large chromosomal aberration associated with autism interact with each other to modulate the variable symptoms of the disease. A Penn State–led team tested the role of these genes individually and in tandem by reducing the amount of the genes expressed in a fruit fly model. Their study (“ Pervasive Genetic Interactions Modulate Neurodevelopmental Defects of the Autism-Associated 16p11.2 Deletion in Drosophila melanogaster ”),  w