The effect of background strain on the behavioral phenotypes of the MDGA2 mouse model of autism spectrum disorder.

The membrane-associated mucin (MAM) domain containing glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor 2 protein single knock-out mice (MDGA2 ) are models of ASD. We examined the behavioral phenotypes of male and female MDGA2 and wildtype mice on C57BL6/NJ and C57BL6/N backgrounds at 2 months of age and measured MDGA2, neuroligin 1 and neuroligin 2 levels at 7 months. Mice on the C57BL6/NJ background performed better than those on the C57BL6/N background in visual ability and in learning and memory performance in the Morris water maze and differed in measures of motor behavior and anxiety. Mice with the MDGA2 genotype differed from WT mice in motor, social and repetitive behavior and anxiety, but most of these effects involved interactions between MDGA2 genotype and background strain. The background strain also influenced MDGA2 levels and NLGN2 association in MDGA2 mice. Our findings emphasize the importance of the background strain used in studies of genetically modified mice.