Transgenic mice overexpressing miR-137 in the brain show schizophrenia-associated behavioral deficits and transcriptome profiles.

ABSTRACT: Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder characterized by positive and negative symptoms and cognitive deficits. The exact cause of schizophrenia is still unknown, but substantial evidence indicates that it has a genetic component. Genome wide association studies demonstrate variants within miR-137 host gene are a risk factor for schizophrenia. However, the direct relationship between the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and the dosage of miR-137 remains unclear. Therefore, in this study, we generated transgenic mice overexpressing miR-137 (miR-137 Tg mice) with the neuron-specific Thy-1 promoter and examined schizophrenia-related phenotypes in these mice. Overexpression of miR-137 was observed in various brain regions of the miR-137 Tg mice, with down-regulation of putative miR-137 targets

SUBMITTER: Arakawa Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6667145 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature