Directly linked to them, the exosomal complex genes are also involved in the maturation and degradation of various types of RNA, and thereby can play an important role in epigenetic regulation. The exosomal complex modulates the activity of mitochondrial genes, regulating their expression using microRNAs
[20][13].
Genes of the N-oligosaccharyltransferase complex are crucial for cell development and survival. Congenital glycosylation disorders (CDG) are a heterogeneous group of congenital metabolic diseases with multisystem clinical lesions
[25,26,27,28][14][15][16][17] due to mutations in N-linked glycosylation genes, that may also affect CNS and, thus, contribute to epilepsy
[29][18]. Multiple mannosyltransferase genes are also located in this gene cluster (
Figure 4), and their aberrant activity is associated with a very rare subtype of CDG, accompanied by several forms of early-onset epileptic encephalopathies
[30,31][19][20].
3.2. The mTOR Signaling Pathway
The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is a key signaling system regulating cell growth, development, proliferation and motility. Like mitochondrial genes, mutations within the mTOR pathway genes are the commonest cause of epilepsy, often accompanying focal cortical dysplasia (PCD) and other cortical malformations
[8,11,36][8][10][21]. MTOR functions as a serine/threonine protein kinase forming two main complexes, mTORC1 and mTORC2. MTOR acts as a protein tyrosine kinase that promotes the activation of insulin receptors and insulin-like growth factor receptors
[37][22].
Notably, the mTOR system is associated with glutamate signaling, Ca
++ genes and the mitochondrial compartment (
Figure 2). Furthermore, the mTOR pathway is controlled by multiple other mechanisms, including the methyl CpG-binding protein 2 gene (
MECP2), an epigenetic regulator with several important functions in the brain
[42][23]. De novo mutations of X-linked
MECP2 are the main cause of Rett syndrome often involving epileptic symptoms
[43][24].
MECP2 mutations in humans with Rett syndrome are associated with impaired regulation of nucleolin, rRNA transcripts, and mTOR signaling through participation in post-transcriptional processing of certain microRNAs
[44,45][25][26].
Another important mTOR regulator involved in epilepsy is dual specificity tyrosine-phosphorylation-regulated kinase 1A (DYRK1A), an inhibitor of mTORC1. In contrast, its overexpression increases phosphorylation and activity of both TSC1 and TSC2, whereas increased phosphorylation of S6K1 and 4E-BP1 is observed in
DYRK1A knockdown cancer cells—the effect inhibited by the mTOR-inhibiting drug rapamycin
[46,47][27][28]. A deficiency in ubiquitin protein ligase E3A (UBE3A) also modulates the mTOR system activity, elevating levels of TSC2 responsible for inhibiting mTOR, hence hyperactivating the mTORC1-S6K1 pathway
[48][29].
3.3. Transcription Factors and Chromatin Remodeling Genes
As shown in
Figure 4, genes of the mTOR pathway, such as
MECP2 and
DYRK1A, also interact with other genes, including the gene of the CREB binding protein (CREBBP), a critical cellular epigenetic regulator and a common transcription factor that specifically binds to DNA upstream of the 5′ ends of genes to initiate the landing of RNA polymerase, thereby exerting its regulatory effects. Although some tumor-related transcription factors can participate in the pathogenesis of neurological diseases, the transcription factor genes have not been viewed as classical epilepsy-associated genes, and their putative role in epilepsy merits further scrutiny
[51][30]. In the present study,
CREBBP has emerged as one of the central hub genes of the generated epilepsy PPI network (
Figure 1).
REST (RE1 silencing transcription factor) is an important transcriptional repressor that silences target genes through epigenetic remodeling, thereby regulating neurogenesis, differentiation and the expression of specific genes controlling brain development. REST, like CREBBP, regulates numerous target genes that encode neuronal receptors, ion channels, neuropeptides and synaptic proteins, key for synaptic plasticity and vesicular transport
[52,54,57][31][32][33]. Not surprisingly, REST and CREBBP are both prominently present in the epilepsy PPI network generated here (
Figure 1).
CRFs play a crucial role in epigenetic regulation, determining the activity of transcription factors by forming open sections of DNA for their landing. Chromatin remodeling is an ATP- and actin-dependent process, and may therefore be directly linked to the mitochondrial and cytoskeleton gene clusters
[62][34] implicated in epilepsy by the analyses (
Figure 1).
3.4. Cytoskeleton and Cell Division
In epileptic brain, cytoskeletal disruption is often viewed as being secondary to aberrant neuronal activity. However, mounting data indicate that cytoskeletal and cell division genes are critical factors in the pathogenesis of epilepsy, as well as neuronal migration disorders and channelopathies
[66,67][35][36]. The cell cycle genes are also involved in neuronal migration and proliferation, and are closely related to cytoskeletal function as well. For instance, commonly causing epilepsy, mutations in tubulin coding genes
[68,69][37][38] are responsible for a wide range of brain malformations secondary to abnormal neuronal migration, manifesting as motor disorders, mental retardation and epilepsy
[70][39]. Moreover, tubulin is an important protein for the transport of the gamma aminobutyric acid A (GABA-A) receptors and for formation of peroxisomes
[69,71,72][38][40][41].