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Changes in social behaviour with alterations of MAPK3 and KCTD13/CUL3 pathways in two new outbred rat models for the 16p11.2 syndromes with autism spectrum disorders [Sprague Dawley]

ABSTRACT: Copy number variations (CNVs) of the human 16p11.2 locus are associated with several developmental/neurocognitive syndromes. Particularly, deletion and duplication of this genetic interval are found in patients with autism spectrum disorders, intellectual disability and other psychiatric traits. The high gene density associated with the region and the strong phenotypic variability of incomplete penetrance, make the study of the 16p11.2 syndromes extremely complex. To systematically study the effect of 16p11.2 CNVs and identify candidate genes and molecular mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology, mouse models were generated previously and showed learning and memory, and to some extent social deficits. To go further in understanding the social deficits caused by 16p11.2 syndromes, we engineered deletion and duplication of the homologous region to the human 16p11.2 genetic interval in two rat outbred strains, Sprague Dawley (SD) and Long Evans (LE). The 16p11.2 rat models displayed convergent defects in social behaviour and only a few cognitive defects. Interestingly major pathways affecting MAPK3 and CUL3 were found altered in the rat 16p11.2 models with additional changes in males compared to females. Altogether, the consequences of the 16p11.2 genetic region dosage on social behaviour are now found in three different species: humans, mice and rats. In addition, the rat models pointed to sexual dimorphism, with lower severity of phenotypes in rat females compared to male mutants. This phenomenon is also observed in humans. We are convinced that the two rat models will be key to further investigating social behaviour and understanding the brain mechanisms and specific brain regions that are key to controlling social behaviour.

ORGANISM(S): Rattus norvegicus

PROVIDER: GSE224935 | GEO | 2023/02/16

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Background: Chromosomal 16p11.2 deletions and duplications are genomic disorders which are characterized by neurobehavioral abnormalities, obesity, congenital abnormalities and so on. However, the prenatal phenotypes of 16p11.2 copy number variations (CNVs) are still not well described till now. This study aimed to provide an elaborate summary of intrauterine phenotypic features for such genomic disorders. Methods: Twenty prenatal amniotic fluid samples diagnosed with 16p11.2 microdeletions/microduplications were obtained from pregnant women who opted for invasive prenatal testing. Karyotypic analysis and chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) were performed in parallel. The pregnancy outcomes and health conditions after birth for all cases were followed up. Meanwhile, we made a pooled analysis on the prenatal phenotypes for the published cases carrying 16p11.2 CNVs. Results: 20 fetuses (20/20884, 0.10%) with 16p11.2 CNVs were identified: five 16p11.2 BP2-BP3 deletion, ten 16p11.2 BP4-BP5 deletion and five 16p11.2 BP4-BP5 duplication. Abnormal ultrasound findings were recorded in ten participants with 16p11.2 deletions.Various degrees of intrauterine phenotypic features, ranging from normal to abnormal, were observed. No ultrasound abnormalities were observed for all 16p11.2 duplication cases during the pregnancy period. For 16p11.2 deletions, eleven cases terminated their pregnancies. For 16p11.2 duplications, four cases gave birth to healthy neonates except one was lost to follow up. Conclusions: Diverse prenatal phenotypes were presented in 16p11.2 CNVs, ranging from normal to abnormal. For 16p11.2 BP4-BP5 deletion, the most common structural and non-structural abnormalities were the abnormality of the vertebral column or rib and thickened nuchal translucency, respectively. 16p11.2 BP2-BP3 deletion might be closely associated with fetal growth restriction and single umbilical artery. No representative ultrasound findings for 16p11.2 duplication were observed till now. Considering the variable expressivity and incomplete penetrance of 16p11.2 CNVs, long term follow up after birth should be carried out for these cases. We identified 20 fetuses carrying the 16p11.2 microdeletions and microduplications using chromosomal microarray analysis. And diverse prenatal phenotypes and the critical genes involved in the deleted/duplicated regions were described in this study.

Project description:A group of postnatal neurodevelopmental disorders collectively referred to as MeCP2 disorders are caused by aberrations in the gene encoding methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MECP2). Loss of MeCP2 function causes Rett syndrome (RTT), whereas increased MeCP2 dosage causes MECP2 duplication or triplication syndromes. MeCP2 acts as a transcriptional repressor, however, the gene expression changes observed in the hypothalamus and cerebellum of MeCP2 disorder mouse models suggest that MeCP2 can also upregulate gene expression. In this study, we compared gene expression changes in the amygdalae of mice lacking MeCP2 (Mecp2-null) and mice overexpressing MeCP2 (MECP2-TG). We chose the amygdala because it is a neuroanatomical region implicated in the control of anxiety and social behavior, two prominent phenotypes in MECP2-TG mice, and hypothesized that transcriptional profiling of this particular brain region may reveal expression changes relevant to heightened anxiety-like behavior and abnormal social behavior. A total of 1,060 genes were altered in opposite directions in both MeCP2 mouse models compared with wild-type littermates, with ~60% up-regulated and ~40% down-regulated. Interestingly, we found a significant enrichment of anxiety- and/or social behavior-related genes among the differentially expressed genes. To determine whether these genes contribute to the anxiety and social behavior phenotypes in MECP2-TG mice, we performed genetic and pharmacologic studies and found that a reduction in Crh suppresses anxiety-like behavior, and a reduction in Oprm1 improves social approach behavior. These studies suggest that MeCP2 impacts molecular pathways involved in anxiety and social behavior, and provide insight into potential therapies for MeCP2 disorders. This study is published in Nature Genetics http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ng.1066. Total amygdala RNA samples were collected from Mecp2-null male mice (n=4), MECP2-transgenic male mice (n=5), and their wild type male littermates at 6 weeks of age (n=4, n=5 for each group respectively).

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Changes in social behaviour with alterations of MAPK3 and KCTD13/CUL3 pathways in two new outbred rat models for the 16p11.2 syndromes with autism spectrum disorders [Sprague Dawley]

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