NEXMIF/KIDLIA 敲除小鼠表现出自闭症样行为、记忆缺陷以及突触形成和功能障碍。
NEXMIF/KIDLIA Knock-out Mouse Demonstrates Autism-Like Behaviors, Memory Deficits, and Impairments in Synapse Formation and Function.
机构信息
Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215.
Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139.
出版信息
J Neurosci. 2020 Jan 2;40(1):237-254. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0222-19.2019. Epub 2019 Nov 8.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disability that demonstrates impaired social interactions, communication deficits, and restrictive and repetitive behaviors. ASD has a strong genetic basis and many ASD-associated genes have been discovered thus far. Our previous work has shown that loss of expression of the X-linked gene is implicated in patients with autistic features and intellectual disability (ID). To further determine the causal role of the gene in the disorder, and to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the pathology, we have generated a NEXMIF knock-out (KO) mouse. We find that male NEXMIF KO mice demonstrate reduced sociability and communication, elevated repetitive grooming behavior, and deficits in learning and memory. Loss of expression results in a significant decrease in synapse density and synaptic protein expression. Consistently, male KO animals show aberrant synaptic function as measured by excitatory miniatures and postsynaptic currents in the hippocampus. These findings indicate that NEXMIF KO mice recapitulate the phenotypes of the human disorder. The NEXMIF KO mouse model will be a valuable tool for studying the complex mechanisms involved in ASD and for the development of novel therapeutics for this disorder. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by behavioral phenotypes. Based on our previous work, which indicated the loss of NEXMIF/KIDLIA was associated with ASD, we generated NEXMIF knock-out (KO) mice. The NEXMIF KO mice demonstrate autism-like behaviors including deficits in social interaction, increased repetitive self-grooming, and impairments in communication and in learning and memory. The KO neurons show reduced synapse density and a suppression in synaptic transmission, indicating a role for NEXMIF in regulating synapse development and function. The NEXMIF KO mouse faithfully recapitulates the human disorder, and thus serves as an animal model for future investigation of the NEXMIF-dependent neurodevelopmental disorders.
自闭症谱系障碍 (ASD) 是一种异质性神经发育障碍,表现为社交互动受损、沟通缺陷以及限制和重复行为。ASD 具有很强的遗传基础,迄今为止已经发现了许多与 ASD 相关的基因。我们之前的工作表明,X 连锁基因 的表达缺失与具有自闭症特征和智力障碍 (ID) 的患者有关。为了进一步确定该基因在该疾病中的因果作用,并了解病理背后的细胞和分子机制,我们生成了 NEXMIF 敲除 (KO) 小鼠。我们发现,雄性 NEXMIF KO 小鼠表现出社交能力和沟通能力下降、重复性梳理行为增加以及学习和记忆能力缺陷。 表达缺失导致突触密度和突触蛋白表达显著减少。一致地,雄性 KO 动物表现出异常的突触功能,如海马中的兴奋性微小体和突触后电流测量所示。这些发现表明,NEXMIF KO 小鼠再现了人类疾病的表型。NEXMIF KO 小鼠模型将成为研究 ASD 涉及的复杂机制以及为这种疾病开发新型治疗方法的有价值的工具。自闭症谱系障碍 (ASD) 是一种异质性神经发育障碍,其特征在于行为表型。基于我们之前的工作,表明 NEXMIF/KIDLIA 的缺失与 ASD 有关,我们生成了 NEXMIF 敲除 (KO) 小鼠。NEXMIF KO 小鼠表现出类似自闭症的行为,包括社交互动减少、重复性自我梳理增加、沟通和学习记忆受损。KO 神经元显示突触密度降低和突触传递抑制,表明 NEXMIF 在调节突触发育和功能方面的作用。NEXMIF KO 小鼠忠实地再现了人类疾病,因此可作为未来研究 NEXMIF 依赖性神经发育障碍的动物模型。