Brainnetome Center and National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; School of Artificial Intelligence, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.
College of Computer Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 211106, China.
Neurobiol Dis. 2022 Oct 15;173:105838. doi: 10.1016/j.nbd.2022.105838. Epub 2022 Aug 17.
Transgenic animal models with homologous etiology provide a promising way to pursue the neurobiological substrates of the behavioral deficits in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Gain-of-function mutations of MECP2 cause MECP2 duplication syndrome, a severe neurological disorder with core symptoms of ASD. However, abnormal brain developments underlying the autistic-like behavioral deficits of MECP2 duplication syndrome are rarely investigated. To this end, a human MECP2 duplication (MECP2-DP) rat model was created by the bacterial artificial chromosome transgenic method. Functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with high-field were performed on 16 male MECP2-DP rats and 15 male wildtype rats at postnatal 28 days, 42 days, and 56 days old. Multimodal fusion analyses guided by locomotor-relevant metrics and social novelty time separately were applied to identify abnormal brain networks associated with diverse behavioral deficits induced by MECP2 duplication. Aberrant functional developments of a core network primarily composed of the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) and retrosplenial cortex (RSP) were detected to associate with diverse behavioral phenotypes in MECP2-DP rats. Altered developments of gray matter volume were detected in the hippocampus and thalamus. We conclude that gain-of-function mutations of MECP2 induce aberrant functional activities in the default-mode-like network and aberrant volumetric changes in the brain, resulting in autistic-like behavioral deficits. Our results gain critical insights into the biomarker of MECP2 duplication syndrome and the neurobiological underpinnings of the behavioral deficits in ASD.
具有同源病因的转基因动物模型为研究自闭症谱系障碍(ASD)行为缺陷的神经生物学基础提供了一种有前途的方法。MECP2 的功能获得性突变导致 MECP2 重复综合征,这是一种严重的神经发育障碍,具有 ASD 的核心症状。然而,MECP2 重复综合征自闭症样行为缺陷的异常大脑发育很少被研究。为此,通过细菌人工染色体转基因方法创建了人类 MECP2 重复(MECP2-DP)大鼠模型。对 16 只雄性 MECP2-DP 大鼠和 15 只雄性野生型大鼠在出生后 28 天、42 天和 56 天进行功能和结构磁共振成像(MRI)。应用基于运动相关指标和社会新颖性时间的多模态融合分析,分别识别与 MECP2 重复诱导的多种行为缺陷相关的异常脑网络。检测到主要由背内侧前额叶皮层(dmPFC)和后扣带回皮层(RSP)组成的核心网络的异常功能发育,与 MECP2-DP 大鼠的多种行为表型相关。还检测到海马体和丘脑的灰质体积发生改变。我们得出结论,MECP2 的功能获得性突变导致默认模式样网络的异常功能活动和大脑的体积变化,导致自闭症样行为缺陷。我们的研究结果深入了解了 MECP2 重复综合征的生物标志物和 ASD 行为缺陷的神经生物学基础。