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Li ZH, Li B, Zhang XY, Zhu JN. Neuropeptides and Their Roles in the Cerebellum. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2332. [PMID: 38397008 PMCID: PMC10889816 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25042332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Although more than 30 different types of neuropeptides have been identified in various cell types and circuits of the cerebellum, their unique functions in the cerebellum remain poorly understood. Given the nature of their diffuse distribution, peptidergic systems are generally assumed to exert a modulatory effect on the cerebellum via adaptively tuning neuronal excitability, synaptic transmission, and synaptic plasticity within cerebellar circuits. Moreover, cerebellar neuropeptides have also been revealed to be involved in the neurogenetic and developmental regulation of the developing cerebellum, including survival, migration, differentiation, and maturation of the Purkinje cells and granule cells in the cerebellar cortex. On the other hand, cerebellar neuropeptides hold a critical position in the pathophysiology and pathogenesis of many cerebellar-related motor and psychiatric disorders, such as cerebellar ataxias and autism. Over the past two decades, a growing body of evidence has indicated neuropeptides as potential therapeutic targets to ameliorate these diseases effectively. Therefore, this review focuses on eight cerebellar neuropeptides that have attracted more attention in recent years and have significant potential for clinical application associated with neurodegenerative and/or neuropsychiatric disorders, including brain-derived neurotrophic factor, corticotropin-releasing factor, angiotensin II, neuropeptide Y, orexin, thyrotropin-releasing hormone, oxytocin, and secretin, which may provide novel insights and a framework for our understanding of cerebellar-related disorders and have implications for novel treatments targeting neuropeptide systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zi-Hao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Department of Physiology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China; (Z.-H.L.); (J.-N.Z.)
| | - Bin Li
- Women and Children’s Medical Research Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China
| | - Xiao-Yang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Department of Physiology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China; (Z.-H.L.); (J.-N.Z.)
- Institute for Brain Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Jing-Ning Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Department of Physiology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China; (Z.-H.L.); (J.-N.Z.)
- Institute for Brain Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
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Xi K, Cai SQ, Yan HF, Tian Y, Cai J, Yang XM, Wang JM, Xing GG. CSMD3 Deficiency Leads to Motor Impairments and Autism-Like Behaviors via Dysfunction of Cerebellar Purkinje Cells in Mice. J Neurosci 2023; 43:3949-3969. [PMID: 37037606 PMCID: PMC10219040 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1835-22.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 03/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with highly heritable heterogeneity. Mutations of CUB and sushi multiple domains 3 (CSMD3) gene have been reported in individuals with ASD. However, the underlying mechanisms of CSMD3 for the onset of ASD remain unexplored. Here, using male CSMD3 knock-out (CSMD3 -/-) mice, we found that genetic deletion of CSMD3 produced core autistic-like symptoms (social interaction deficits, restricted interests, and repetitive and stereotyped behaviors) and motor dysfunction in mice, indicating that the CSMD3 gene can be considered as a candidate for ASD. Moreover, we discovered that the ablation of CSMD3 in mice led to abnormal cerebellar Purkinje cell (PC) morphology in Crus I/II lobules, including aberrant developmental dendritogenesis and spinogenesis of PCs. Furthermore, combining in vivo fiber photometry calcium imaging and ex vivo electrophysiological recordings, we showed that the CSMD3 -/- mice exhibited an increased neuronal activity (calcium fluorescence signals) in PCs of Crus I/II lobules in response to movement activity, as well as an enhanced intrinsic excitability of PCs and an increase of excitatory rather than inhibitory synaptic input to the PCs, and an impaired long-term depression at the parallel fiber-PC synapse. These results suggest that CSMD3 plays an important role in the development of cerebellar PCs. Loss of CSMD3 causes abnormal PC morphology and dysfunction in the cerebellum, which may underlie the pathogenesis of motor deficits and core autistic-like symptoms in CSMD3 -/- mice. Our findings provide novel insight into the pathophysiological mechanisms by which CSMD3 mutations cause impairments in cerebellar function that may contribute to ASD.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with highly heritable heterogeneity. Advances in genomic analysis have contributed to numerous candidate genes for the risk of ASD. Recently, a novel giant gene CSMD3 encoding a protein with CUB and sushi multiple domains (CSMDs) has been identified as a candidate gene for ASD. However, the underlying mechanisms of CSMD3 for the onset of ASD remain largely unknown. Here, we unravel that loss of CSMD3 results in abnormal morphology, increased intrinsic excitabilities, and impaired synaptic plasticity in cerebellar PCs, subsequently leading to motor deficits and ASD-like behaviors in mice. These results provide novel insight into the pathophysiological mechanisms by which CSMD3 mutations cause impairments in cerebellar function that may contribute to ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Xi
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Beijing 100191, People's Republic of China
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, People's Republic of China
- Health Science Center, Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education of China and National Health Commission of China, Beijing 100191, People's Republic of China
| | - Si-Qing Cai
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Beijing 100191, People's Republic of China
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, People's Republic of China
- Health Science Center, Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education of China and National Health Commission of China, Beijing 100191, People's Republic of China
| | - Hui-Fang Yan
- Department of Pediatrics, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100034, People's Republic of China
| | - Yue Tian
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Beijing 100191, People's Republic of China
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, People's Republic of China
- Health Science Center, Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education of China and National Health Commission of China, Beijing 100191, People's Republic of China
| | - Jie Cai
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Beijing 100191, People's Republic of China
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, People's Republic of China
- Health Science Center, Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education of China and National Health Commission of China, Beijing 100191, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiao-Mei Yang
- Department of Human Anatomy and Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing-Min Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100034, People's Republic of China
| | - Guo-Gang Xing
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Beijing 100191, People's Republic of China
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, People's Republic of China
- Health Science Center, Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education of China and National Health Commission of China, Beijing 100191, People's Republic of China
- Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Henan 453002, People's Republic of China
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Zhang J, Ji G, Gao X, Guan J. Single-nucleus gene and gene set expression-based similarity network fusion identifies autism molecular subtypes. BMC Bioinformatics 2023; 24:142. [PMID: 37041460 PMCID: PMC10091652 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-023-05278-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that is highly phenotypically and genetically heterogeneous. With the accumulation of biological sequencing data, more and more studies shift to molecular subtype-first approach, from identifying molecular subtypes based on genetic and molecular data to linking molecular subtypes with clinical manifestation, which can reduce heterogeneity before phenotypic profiling. RESULTS In this study, we perform similarity network fusion to integrate gene and gene set expression data of multiple human brain cell types for ASD molecular subtype identification. Then we apply subtype-specific differential gene and gene set expression analyses to study expression patterns specific to molecular subtypes in each cell type. To demonstrate the biological and practical significance, we analyze the molecular subtypes, investigate their correlation with ASD clinical phenotype, and construct ASD molecular subtype prediction models. CONCLUSIONS The identified molecular subtype-specific gene and gene set expression may be used to differentiate ASD molecular subtypes, facilitating the diagnosis and treatment of ASD. Our method provides an analytical pipeline for the identification of molecular subtypes and even disease subtypes of complex disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junjie Zhang
- Department of Automation, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
| | - Guoli Ji
- Department of Automation, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
- National Institute for Data Science in Health and Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
| | - Xilin Gao
- Xiamen Humanity Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Xiamen, Fujian, China.
| | - Jinting Guan
- Department of Automation, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China.
- National Institute for Data Science in Health and Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China.
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Liu P, Zhao Y, Xiong W, Pan Y, Zhu M, Zhu X. Degradation of Perineuronal Nets in the Cerebellar Interpositus Nucleus Ameliorated Social Deficits in Shank3-deficient Mice. Neuroscience 2023; 511:29-38. [PMID: 36587867 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.12.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Perineuronal nets (PNNs) are structures that contain extracellular matrix chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan and surround the soma and dendrites of various neuronal cell types. They are involved in synaptic plasticity and undertake important physiological functions. Altered expression of PNNs has been demonstrated in the brains of autism-related animal models. However, the underlying mechanism is still unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that the PNNs in the cerebellum are involved in modulating social and repetitive/inflexible behaviors in Shank3B-/- mice, an established animal model of autism spectrum disorder. First, we performed wisteria floribunda agglutinin staining of the whole brain of Shank3B-/- mice, and found wisteria floribunda agglutinin-positive PNNs are significantly increased in the cerebellar interpositus nucleus (IntP) in Shank3B-/- mice compared to control littermates. After degradation of PNNs in the IntP by chondroitinase ABC, the repetitive behaviors of Shank3B-/- mice were decreased, while their social behaviors were ameliorated. These results suggested that PNNs homeostasis is involved in the regulation of social behavior, revealing a potential therapeutic strategy targeting PNNs in the IntP for the treatment of autism spectrum disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Liu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Yulu Zhao
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Wenchao Xiong
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.
| | - Yida Pan
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Minzhen Zhu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Xinhong Zhu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China; School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China; Research Center for Brain Health, Pazhou Lab, Guangzhou 510330, China.
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Ribeiro S, Sherrard RM. Cerebellum and neurodevelopmental disorders: RORα is a unifying force. Front Cell Neurosci 2023; 17:1108339. [PMID: 37066074 PMCID: PMC10098020 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2023.1108339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Errors of cerebellar development are increasingly acknowledged as risk factors for neuro-developmental disorders (NDDs), such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and schizophrenia. Evidence has been assembled from cerebellar abnormalities in autistic patients, as well as a range of genetic mutations identified in human patients that affect the cerebellar circuit, particularly Purkinje cells, and are associated with deficits of motor function, learning and social behavior; traits that are commonly associated with autism and schizophrenia. However, NDDs, such as ASD and schizophrenia, also include systemic abnormalities, e.g., chronic inflammation, abnormal circadian rhythms etc., which cannot be explained by lesions that only affect the cerebellum. Here we bring together phenotypic, circuit and structural evidence supporting the contribution of cerebellar dysfunction in NDDs and propose that the transcription factor Retinoid-related Orphan Receptor alpha (RORα) provides the missing link underlying both cerebellar and systemic abnormalities observed in NDDs. We present the role of RORα in cerebellar development and how the abnormalities that occur due to RORα deficiency could explain NDD symptoms. We then focus on how RORα is linked to NDDs, particularly ASD and schizophrenia, and how its diverse extra-cerebral actions can explain the systemic components of these diseases. Finally, we discuss how RORα-deficiency is likely a driving force for NDDs through its induction of cerebellar developmental defects, which in turn affect downstream targets, and its regulation of extracerebral systems, such as inflammation, circadian rhythms, and sexual dimorphism.
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Deficits in Cerebellum-Dependent Learning and Cerebellar Morphology in Male and Female BTBR Autism Model Mice. NEUROSCI 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/neurosci3040045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, there has been increased interest in the role of the cerebellum in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To better understand the pathophysiological role of the cerebellum in ASD, it is necessary to have a variety of mouse models that have face validity for cerebellar disruption in humans. Here, we add to the literature on the cerebellum in mouse models of autism with the characterization of the cerebellum in the idiopathic BTBR T + Itpr3tf/J (BTBR) inbred mouse strain, which has behavioral phenotypes that are reminiscent of ASD in patients. When we examined both male and female BTBR mice in comparison to C57BL/6J (C57) controls, we noted that both sexes of BTBR mice showed motor coordination deficits characteristic of cerebellar dysfunction, but only the male mice showed differences in delay eyeblink conditioning, a cerebellum-dependent learning task that is known to be disrupted in ASD patients. Both male and female BTBR mice showed considerable expansion of, and abnormal foliation in, the cerebellum vermis—including a significant expansion of specific lobules in the anterior cerebellum. In addition, we found a slight but significant decrease in Purkinje cell density in both male and female BTBR mice, irrespective of the lobule. Finally, there was a marked reduction of Purkinje cell dendritic spine density in both male and female BTBR mice. These findings suggest that, for the most part, the BTBR mouse model phenocopies many of the characteristics of the subpopulation of ASD patients that have a hypertrophic cerebellum. We discuss the significance of strain differences in the cerebellum as well as the importance of this first effort to identify both similarities and differences between male and female BTBR mice with regard to the cerebellum.
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Chen Z, Long H, Guo J, Wang Y, He K, Tao C, Li X, Jiang K, Guo S, Pi Y. Autism-Risk Gene necab2 Regulates Psychomotor and Social Behavior as a Neuronal Modulator of mGluR1 Signaling. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:901682. [PMID: 35909444 PMCID: PMC9326220 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.901682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BackgroundDe novo deletion of the neuronal calcium-binding protein 2 (NECAB2) locus is associated with idiopathic autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The in vivo function of NECAB2 in the brain remains largely elusive.MethodsWe investigated the morphological and behavioral profiles of both necab2 knock-out and overexpression zebrafish models. The expression pattern and molecular role of necab2 were probed through a combination of in vitro and in vivo assays.ResultsWe show that Necab2 is a neuronal specific, cytoplasmic, and membrane-associated protein, abundantly expressed in the telencephalon, habenula, and cerebellum. Necab2 is distributed peri-synaptically in subsets of glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons. CRISPR/Cas9-generated necab2 knock-out zebrafish display normal morphology but exhibit a decrease in locomotor activity and thigmotaxis with impaired social interaction only in males. Conversely, necab2 overexpression yields behavioral phenotypes opposite to the loss-of-function. Proteomic profiling uncovers a role of Necab2 in modulating signal transduction of G-protein coupled receptors. Specifically, co-immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence, and confocal live-cell imaging suggest a complex containing NECAB2 and the metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (mGluR1). In vivo measurement of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate further substantiates that Necab2 promotes mGluR1 signaling.ConclusionsNecab2 regulates psychomotor and social behavior via modulating a signaling cascade downstream of mGluR1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zexu Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- National Demonstration Center for Experimental Biology Education, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Eye Institute and Department of Ophthalmology, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Myopia (Fudan University), Key Laboratory of Myopia, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Han Long
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- National Demonstration Center for Experimental Biology Education, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jianhua Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- National Demonstration Center for Experimental Biology Education, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yiran Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- National Demonstration Center for Experimental Biology Education, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- School of Clinical Medicine, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, Programs in Human Genetics and Biological Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Kezhe He
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- National Demonstration Center for Experimental Biology Education, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chenchen Tao
- School of Clinical Medicine, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- National Demonstration Center for Experimental Biology Education, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, Programs in Human Genetics and Biological Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Keji Jiang
- East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Su Guo
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, Programs in Human Genetics and Biological Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Su Guo,
| | - Yan Pi
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- National Demonstration Center for Experimental Biology Education, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Yan Pi,
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Serra I, Stravs A, Osório C, Oyaga MR, Schonewille M, Tudorache C, Badura A. Tsc1 Haploinsufficiency Leads to Pax2 Dysregulation in the Developing Murine Cerebellum. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:831687. [PMID: 35645731 PMCID: PMC9137405 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.831687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Tuberous sclerosis complex 1 (TSC1) is a tumor suppressor that promotes the inhibition of mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, and mutations in TSC1 lead to a rare complex disorder of the same name. Despite phenotype heterogeneity, up to 50% of TSC patients present with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Consequently, TSC models are often used to probe molecular and behavioral mechanisms of ASD development. Amongst the different brain areas proposed to play a role in the development of ASD, the cerebellum is commonly reported to be altered, and cerebellar-specific deletion of Tsc1 in mice is sufficient to induce ASD-like phenotypes. However, despite these functional changes, whether Tsc1 haploinsufficiency affects cerebellar development is still largely unknown. Given that the mTOR pathway is a master regulator of cell replication and migration, we hypothesized that dysregulation of this pathway would also disrupt the development of cell populations during critical periods of cerebellar development. Here, we used a mouse model of TSC to investigate gene and protein expression during embryonic and early postnatal periods of cerebellar development. We found that, at E18 and P7, mRNA levels of the cerebellar inhibitory interneuron marker paired box gene 2 (Pax2) were dysregulated. This dysregulation was accompanied by changes in the expression of mTOR pathway-related genes and downstream phosphorylation of S6. Differential gene correlation analysis revealed dynamic changes in correlated gene pairs across development, with an overall loss of correlation between mTOR- and cerebellar-related genes in Tsc1 mutants compared to controls. We corroborated the genetic findings by characterizing the mTOR pathway and cerebellar development on protein and cellular levels with Western blot and immunohistochemistry. We found that Pax2-expressing cells were largely unchanged at E18 and P1, while at P7, their number was increased and maturation into parvalbumin-expressing cells delayed. Our findings indicate that, in mice, Tsc1 haploinsufficiency leads to altered cerebellar development and that cerebellar interneuron precursors are particularly susceptible to mTOR pathway dysregulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ines Serra
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Ana Stravs
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Catarina Osório
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Maria Roa Oyaga
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | | | | | - Aleksandra Badura
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- *Correspondence: Aleksandra Badura,
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Soria-Ortiz MB, Reyes-Ortega P, Martínez-Torres A, Reyes-Haro D. A Functional Signature in the Developing Cerebellum: Evidence From a Preclinical Model of Autism. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:727079. [PMID: 34540842 PMCID: PMC8448387 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.727079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are pervasive neurodevelopmental conditions detected during childhood when delayed language onset and social deficits are observed. Children diagnosed with ASD frequently display sensorimotor deficits associated with the cerebellum, suggesting a dysfunction of synaptic circuits. Astroglia are part of the tripartite synapses and postmortem studies reported an increased expression of the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in the cerebellum of ASD patients. Astroglia respond to neuronal activity with calcium transients that propagate to neighboring cells, resulting in a functional response known as a calcium wave. This form of intercellular signaling is implicated in proliferation, migration, and differentiation of neural precursors. Prenatal exposure to valproate (VPA) is a preclinical model of ASD in which premature migration and excess of apoptosis occur in the internal granular layer (IGL) of the cerebellum during the early postnatal period. In this study we tested calcium wave propagation in the IGL of mice prenatally exposed to VPA. Sensorimotor deficits were observed and IGL depolarization evoked a calcium wave with astrocyte recruitment. The calcium wave propagation, initial cell recruitment, and mean amplitude of the calcium transients increased significantly in VPA-exposed mice compared to the control group. Astrocyte recruitment was significantly increased in the VPA model, but the mean amplitude of the calcium transients was unchanged. Western blot and histological studies revealed an increased expression of GFAP, higher astroglial density and augmented morphological complexity. We conclude that the functional signature of the IGL is remarkably augmented in the preclinical model of autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Berenice Soria-Ortiz
- Departamento de Neurobiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México-Campus Juriquilla, Querétaro, Mexico
| | - Pamela Reyes-Ortega
- Departamento de Neurobiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México-Campus Juriquilla, Querétaro, Mexico
| | - Ataúlfo Martínez-Torres
- Departamento de Neurobiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México-Campus Juriquilla, Querétaro, Mexico
| | - Daniel Reyes-Haro
- Departamento de Neurobiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México-Campus Juriquilla, Querétaro, Mexico
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Stoodley CJ, Tsai PT. Adaptive Prediction for Social Contexts: The Cerebellar Contribution to Typical and Atypical Social Behaviors. Annu Rev Neurosci 2021; 44:475-493. [PMID: 34236892 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-neuro-100120-092143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Social interactions involve processes ranging from face recognition to understanding others' intentions. To guide appropriate behavior in a given context, social interactions rely on accurately predicting the outcomes of one's actions and the thoughts of others. Because social interactions are inherently dynamic, these predictions must be continuously adapted. The neural correlates of social processing have largely focused on emotion, mentalizing, and reward networks, without integration of systems involved in prediction. The cerebellum forms predictive models to calibrate movements and adapt them to changing situations, and cerebellar predictive modeling is thought to extend to nonmotor behaviors. Primary cerebellar dysfunction can produce social deficits, and atypical cerebellar structure and function are reported in autism, which is characterized by social communication challenges and atypical predictive processing. We examine the evidence that cerebellar-mediated predictions and adaptation play important roles in social processes and argue that disruptions in these processes contribute to autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine J Stoodley
- Departments of Neuroscience and Psychology, American University, Washington, DC 20016, USA
| | - Peter T Tsai
- Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience, Psychiatry, and Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, USA;
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Rudolph S, Guo C, Pashkovski SL, Osorno T, Gillis WF, Krauss JM, Nyitrai H, Flaquer I, El-Rifai M, Datta SR, Regehr WG. Cerebellum-Specific Deletion of the GABA A Receptor δ Subunit Leads to Sex-Specific Disruption of Behavior. Cell Rep 2021; 33:108338. [PMID: 33147470 PMCID: PMC7700496 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Revised: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Granule cells (GCs) of the cerebellar input layer express high-affinity δ GABAA subunit-containing GABAA receptors (δGABAARs) that respond to ambient GABA levels and context-dependent neuromodulators like steroids. We find that GC-specific deletion of δGABAA (cerebellar [cb] δ knockout [KO]) decreases tonic inhibition, makes GCs hyperexcitable, and in turn, leads to differential activation of cb output regions as well as many cortical and subcortical brain areas involved in cognition, anxiety-like behaviors, and the stress response. Cb δ KO mice display deficits in many behaviors, but motor function is normal. Strikingly, δGABAA deletion alters maternal behavior as well as spontaneous, stress-related, and social behaviors specifically in females. Our findings establish that δGABAARs enable the cerebellum to control diverse behaviors not previously associated with the cerebellum in a sex-dependent manner. These insights may contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms that underlie behavioral abnormalities in psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders that display a gender bias. Rudolph et al. show that deletion of the neuromodulator and hormone-sensitive δGABAA receptor subunit from cerebellar granule cells results in anxiety-like behaviors and female-specific deficits in social behavior and maternal care. δGABAA deletion is associated with hyperexcitability of the cerebellar input layer and altered activation of many stress-related brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Rudolph
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Chong Guo
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Stan L Pashkovski
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Tomas Osorno
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Winthrop F Gillis
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jeremy M Krauss
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Hajnalka Nyitrai
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Isabella Flaquer
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Mahmoud El-Rifai
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | | | - Wade G Regehr
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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12
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van der Heijden ME, Gill JS, Sillitoe RV. Abnormal Cerebellar Development in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Dev Neurosci 2021; 43:181-190. [PMID: 33823515 PMCID: PMC8440334 DOI: 10.1159/000515189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) comprise a group of heterogeneous neurodevelopmental conditions characterized by impaired social interactions and repetitive behaviors with symptom onset in early infancy. The genetic risks for ASD have long been appreciated: concordance of ASD diagnosis may be as high as 90% for monozygotic twins and 30% for dizygotic twins, and hundreds of mutations in single genes have been associated with ASD. Nevertheless, only 5-30% of ASD cases can be explained by a known genetic cause, suggesting that genetics is not the only factor at play. More recently, several studies reported that up to 40% of infants with cerebellar hemorrhages and lesions are diagnosed with ASD. These hemorrhages are overrepresented in severely premature infants, who are born during a period of highly dynamic cerebellar development that encompasses an approximately 5-fold size expansion, an increase in structural complexity, and remarkable rearrangements of local neural circuits. The incidence of ASD-causing cerebellar hemorrhages during this window supports the hypothesis that abnormal cerebellar development may be a primary risk factor for ASD. However, the links between developmental deficits in the cerebellum and the neurological dysfunctions underlying ASD are not completely understood. Here, we discuss key processes in cerebellar development, what happens to the cerebellar circuit when development is interrupted, and how impaired cerebellar function leads to social and cognitive impairments. We explore a central question: Is cerebellar development important for the generation of the social and cognitive brain or is the cerebellum part of the social and cognitive brain itself?
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Affiliation(s)
- Meike E. van der Heijden
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Jason S. Gill
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
- Section of Pediatric Neurology and Developmental Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Roy V. Sillitoe
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Program in Developmental Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Development, Disease Models & Therapeutics Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
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13
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Behesti H, Kocabas A, Buchholz DE, Carroll TS, Hatten ME. Altered temporal sequence of transcriptional regulators in the generation of human cerebellar granule cells. eLife 2021; 10:67074. [PMID: 34842137 PMCID: PMC8687658 DOI: 10.7554/elife.67074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Brain development is regulated by conserved transcriptional programs across species, but little is known about the divergent mechanisms that create species-specific characteristics. Among brain regions, human cerebellar histogenesis differs in complexity compared with nonhuman primates and rodents, making it important to develop methods to generate human cerebellar neurons that closely resemble those in the developing human cerebellum. We report a rapid protocol for the derivation of the human ATOH1 lineage, the precursor of excitatory cerebellar neurons, from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). Upon transplantation into juvenile mice, hPSC-derived cerebellar granule cells migrated along glial fibers and integrated into the cerebellar cortex. By Translational Ribosome Affinity Purification-seq, we identified an unexpected temporal shift in the expression of RBFOX3 (NeuN) and NEUROD1, which are classically associated with differentiated neurons, in the human outer external granule layer. This molecular divergence may enable the protracted development of the human cerebellum compared to mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hourinaz Behesti
- Laboratory of Developmental Neurobiology, Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Arif Kocabas
- Laboratory of Developmental Neurobiology, Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - David E Buchholz
- Laboratory of Developmental Neurobiology, Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Thomas S Carroll
- Bioinformatics Resource Center, Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Mary E Hatten
- Laboratory of Developmental Neurobiology, Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkUnited States
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14
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Grange P. Topology of the mesoscale connectome of the mouse brain. COMPUTATIONAL AND MATHEMATICAL BIOPHYSICS 2020. [DOI: 10.1515/cmb-2020-0106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The wiring diagram of the mouse brain has recently been mapped at a mesoscopic scale in the Allen Mouse Brain Connectivity Atlas. Axonal projections from brain regions were traced using green fluoresent proteins. The resulting data were registered to a common three-dimensional reference space. They yielded a matrix of connection strengths between 213 brain regions. Global features such as closed loops formed by connections of similar intensity can be inferred using tools from persistent homology. We map the wiring diagram of the mouse brain to a simplicial complex (filtered by connection strengths). We work out generators of the first homology group. Some regions, including nucleus accumbens, are connected to the entire brain by loops, whereas no region has non-zero connection strength to all brain regions. Thousands of loops go through the isocortex, the striatum and the thalamus. On the other hand, medulla is the only major brain compartment that contains more than 100 loops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pascal Grange
- Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University , Department of Physics , Suzhou , China
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15
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Ashitha SNM, Ramachandra NB. Integrated Functional Analysis Implicates Syndromic and Rare Copy Number Variation Genes as Prominent Molecular Players in Pathogenesis of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Neuroscience 2020; 438:25-40. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.04.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2019] [Revised: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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16
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Xiao R, Zhong H, Li X, Ma Y, Zhang R, Wang L, Zang Z, Fan X. Abnormal Cerebellar Development Is Involved in Dystonia-Like Behaviors and Motor Dysfunction of Autistic BTBR Mice. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:231. [PMID: 32318573 PMCID: PMC7154340 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.00231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Motor control and learning impairments are common complications in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Abnormal cerebellar development during critical phases may disrupt these motor functions and lead to autistic motor dysfunction. However, the underlying mechanisms behind these impairments are not clear. Here, we utilized BTBR T+ Itprtf/J (BTBR) mice, an animal model of autism, to investigate the involvement of abnormal cerebellar development in motor performance. We found BTBR mice exhibited severe dystonia-like behavior and motor coordination or motor learning impairments. The onset of these abnormal movements coincided with the increased proliferation of granule neurons and enhanced foliation, and Purkinje cells displayed morphological hypotrophy with increased dendritic spine formation but suppressed maturation. The migration of granule neurons seemed unaffected. Transcriptional analyses confirmed the differential expression of genes involved in abnormal neurogenesis and revealed TRPC as a critical regulator in proliferation and synaptic formation. Taken together, these findings indicate that abnormal cerebellar development is closely related to dystonia-like behavior and motor dysfunction of BTBR mice and that TRPC may be a novel risk gene for ASD that may participate in the pathological process of autistic movement disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Xiao
- Department of Military Cognitive Psychology, School of Psychology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Hongyu Zhong
- Department of Military Cognitive Psychology, School of Psychology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xin Li
- Department of Military Cognitive Psychology, School of Psychology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yuanyuan Ma
- Department of Military Cognitive Psychology, School of Psychology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China.,Department of Basic Nursing, School of Nursing, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Ruiyu Zhang
- Department of Military Cognitive Psychology, School of Psychology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Lian Wang
- Department of Military Cognitive Psychology, School of Psychology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Zhenle Zang
- Department of Military Cognitive Psychology, School of Psychology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xiaotang Fan
- Department of Military Cognitive Psychology, School of Psychology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
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17
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Are Steroid Hormones Dysregulated in Autistic Girls? Diseases 2020; 8:diseases8010006. [PMID: 32183287 PMCID: PMC7151154 DOI: 10.3390/diseases8010006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Revised: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Evidence of altered cholesterol and steroid hormones in autism is increasing. However, as boys are more often affected, evidence mainly relates to autistic males, whereas evidence for affected autistic girls is sparse. Therefore, a comprehensive gas chromatography mass spectrometry-based steroid hormone metabolite analysis was conducted from autistic girls. Results show increased levels of several steroid hormones, especially in the class of androgens in autistic girls such as testosterone or androstenediol. The increase of the majority of steroid hormones in autistic girls is probably best explained multifactorially by a higher substrate provision in line with the previously developed cholesterol hypothesis of autism.
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18
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Identification of De Novo JAK2 and MAPK7 Mutations Related to Autism Spectrum Disorder Using Whole-Exome Sequencing in a Chinese Child and Adolescent Trio-Based Sample. J Mol Neurosci 2019; 70:219-229. [PMID: 31838722 PMCID: PMC7018782 DOI: 10.1007/s12031-019-01456-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with high phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity. Whole-exome sequencing studies have shown that de novo single-nucleotide variations (SNVs) play an important role in sporadic ASD. The present study aimed to search for de novo SNVs using whole-exome sequencing in 59 unrelated Chinese ASD sporadic trios, and found 24 genes (including five reported ASD candidate genes CACNA1D, ACHE, YY1, TTN, and FBXO11) with de novo harmful SNVs. Five genes (CACNA1D, JAK2, ACHE, MAPK7, and PRKAG2) classified as “medium-confidence” genes were found to be related to ASD using the Phenolyzer gene analysis tool, which predicts the correlation between the candidate genes and the ASD phenotype. De novo SNVs in JAK2, MAPK7, and PRKAG2 were first found in ASD. Both JAK2 and MAPK7 were involved in the regulation of the MAPK signaling pathway. Gene co-expression and inter-gene interaction networks were constructed and gene expression data in different brain regions were further extracted, revealing that JAK2 and MAPK7 genes were associated with certain previously reported ASD genes and played an important role in early brain development. The findings of this study suggest that the aforementioned five reported ASD genes and JAK2 and MAPK7 may be related to ASD susceptibility. Further investigations of expression studies in cellular and animal models are needed to explore the mechanism underlying the involvement of JAK2 and MAPK7 in ASD.
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19
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Li J, Wang GZ. Application of Computational Biology to Decode Brain Transcriptomes. GENOMICS PROTEOMICS & BIOINFORMATICS 2019; 17:367-380. [PMID: 31655213 PMCID: PMC6943780 DOI: 10.1016/j.gpb.2019.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2018] [Revised: 02/21/2019] [Accepted: 03/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The rapid development of high-throughput sequencing technologies has generated massive valuable brain transcriptome atlases, providing great opportunities for systematically investigating gene expression characteristics across various brain regions throughout a series of developmental stages. Recent studies have revealed that the transcriptional architecture is the key to interpreting the molecular mechanisms of brain complexity. However, our knowledge of brain transcriptional characteristics remains very limited. With the immense efforts to generate high-quality brain transcriptome atlases, new computational approaches to analyze these high-dimensional multivariate data are greatly needed. In this review, we summarize some public resources for brain transcriptome atlases and discuss the general computational pipelines that are commonly used in this field, which would aid in making new discoveries in brain development and disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Guang-Zhong Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
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20
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Wang C, Pan YH, Wang Y, Blatt G, Yuan XB. Segregated expressions of autism risk genes Cdh11 and Cdh9 in autism-relevant regions of developing cerebellum. Mol Brain 2019; 12:40. [PMID: 31046797 PMCID: PMC6498582 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-019-0461-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Results of recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and whole genome sequencing (WGS) highlighted type II cadherins as risk genes for autism spectrum disorders (ASD). To determine whether these cadherins may be linked to the morphogenesis of ASD-relevant brain regions, in situ hybridization (ISH) experiments were carried out to examine the mRNA expression profiles of two ASD-associated cadherins, Cdh9 and Cdh11, in the developing cerebellum. During the first postnatal week, both Cdh9 and Cdh11 were expressed at high levels in segregated sub-populations of Purkinje cells in the cerebellum, and the expression of both genes was declined as development proceeded. Developmental expression of Cdh11 was largely confined to dorsal lobules (lobules VI/VII) of the vermis as well as the lateral hemisphere area equivalent to the Crus I and Crus II areas in human brains, areas known to mediate high order cognitive functions in adults. Moreover, in lobules VI/VII of the vermis, Cdh9 and Cdh11 were expressed in a complementary pattern with the Cdh11-expressing areas flanked by Cdh9-expressing areas. Interestingly, the high level of Cdh11 expression in the central domain of lobules VI/VII was correlated with a low level of expression of the Purkinje cell marker calbindin, coinciding with a delayed maturation of Purkinje cells in the same area. These findings suggest that these two ASD-associated cadherins may exert distinct but coordinated functions to regulate the wiring of ASD-relevant circuits in the cerebellum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunlei Wang
- Hussman Institute for Autism, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Yi-Hsuan Pan
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (Ministry of Education and Shanghai), Institute of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Science and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, People's Republic of China
| | - Yue Wang
- Hussman Institute for Autism, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Gene Blatt
- Hussman Institute for Autism, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Xiao-Bing Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics (Ministry of Education and Shanghai), Institute of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Science and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, People's Republic of China. .,Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
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21
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Smith REW, Avery JA, Wallace GL, Kenworthy L, Gotts SJ, Martin A. Sex Differences in Resting-State Functional Connectivity of the Cerebellum in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Front Hum Neurosci 2019; 13:104. [PMID: 31024276 PMCID: PMC6460665 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is more prevalent in males than females, but the underlying neurobiology of this sex bias remains unclear. Given its involvement in ASD, its role in sensorimotor, cognitive, and socio-affective processes, and its developmental sensitivity to sex hormones, the cerebellum is a candidate for understanding this sex difference. The current study used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate sex-dependent differences in cortico-cerebellar organization in ASD. We collected resting-state fMRI scans from 47 females (23 ASD, 24 controls) and 120 males (56 ASD, 65 controls). Using a measure of global functional connectivity (FC), we ran a linear mixed effects analysis to determine whether there was a sex-by-diagnosis interaction in resting-state FC. Subsequent seed-based analyses from the resulting clusters were run to clarify the global connectivity effects. Two clusters in the bilateral cerebellum exhibited a diagnosis-by-sex interaction in global connectivity. These cerebellar clusters further showed a pattern of interaction with regions in the cortex, including bilateral fusiform, middle occipital, middle frontal, and precentral gyri, cingulate cortex, and precuneus. Post hoc tests revealed a pattern of cortico-cerebellar hyperconnectivity in ASD females and a pattern of hypoconnectivity in ASD males. Furthermore, cortico-cerebellar FC in females more closely resembled that of control males than that of control females. These results shed light on the sex-specific pathophysiology of ASD and are indicative of potentially divergent neurodevelopmental trajectories for each sex. This sex-dependent, aberrant cerebellar connectivity in ASD might also underlie some of the motor and/or socio-affective difficulties experienced by members of this population, but the symptomatic correlate(s) of these brain findings remain unknown. Clinical Trial Registration: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, NIH Clinical Study Protocol 10-M-0027 (ZIA MH002920-09) identifier #NCT01031407
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel E W Smith
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Jason A Avery
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Gregory L Wallace
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Lauren Kenworthy
- Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Stephen J Gotts
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Alex Martin
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
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22
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Clifford H, Dulneva A, Ponting CP, Haerty W, Becker EBE. A gene expression signature in developing Purkinje cells predicts autism and intellectual disability co-morbidity status. Sci Rep 2019; 9:485. [PMID: 30679692 PMCID: PMC6346046 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-37284-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2016] [Accepted: 11/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disease whose underpinning molecular mechanisms and neural substrates are subject to intense scrutiny. Interestingly, the cerebellum has emerged as one of the key brain regions affected in ASD. However, the genetic and molecular mechanisms that link the cerebellum to ASD, particularly during development, remain poorly understood. To gain insight into the genetic and molecular mechanisms that might link the cerebellum to ASD, we analysed the transcriptome dynamics of a developing cell population highly enriched for Purkinje cells of the mouse cerebellum across multiple timepoints. We identified a single cluster of genes whose expression is positively correlated with development and which is enriched for genes associated with ASD. This ASD-associated gene cluster was specific to developing Purkinje cells and not detected in the mouse neocortex during the same developmental period, in which we identified a distinct temporally regulated ASD gene module. Furthermore, the composition of ASD risk genes within the two distinct clusters was significantly different in their association with intellectual disability (ID), consistent with the existence of genetically and spatiotemporally distinct endophenotypes of ASD. Together, our findings define a specific cluster of ASD genes that is enriched in developing PCs and predicts co-morbidity status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harry Clifford
- MRC Functional Genomics Unit, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PT, United Kingdom
| | - Anna Dulneva
- MRC Functional Genomics Unit, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PT, United Kingdom
| | - Chris P Ponting
- MRC Functional Genomics Unit, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PT, United Kingdom
| | - Wilfried Haerty
- MRC Functional Genomics Unit, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PT, United Kingdom. .,Earlham Institute, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UG, United Kingdom.
| | - Esther B E Becker
- MRC Functional Genomics Unit, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PT, United Kingdom.
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23
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Garcia VB, Abbinanti MD, Harris-Warrick RM, Schulz DJ. Effects of Chronic Spinal Cord Injury on Relationships among Ion Channel and Receptor mRNAs in Mouse Lumbar Spinal Cord. Neuroscience 2018; 393:42-60. [PMID: 30282002 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2018.09.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2018] [Revised: 09/22/2018] [Accepted: 09/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes widespread changes in gene expression of the spinal cord, even in the undamaged spinal cord below the level of the lesion. Less is known about changes in the correlated expression of genes after SCI. We investigated gene co-expression networks among voltage-gated ion channel and neurotransmitter receptor mRNA levels using quantitative RT-PCR in longitudinal slices of the mouse lumbar spinal cord in control and chronic SCI animals. These longitudinal slices were made from the ventral surface of the cord, thus forming slices relatively enriched in motor neurons or interneurons. We performed absolute quantitation of mRNA copy number for 50 ion channel or receptor transcripts from each sample, and used multiple correlation analyses to detect patterns in correlated mRNA levels across all pairs of genes. The majority of channels and receptors changed in expression as a result of chronic SCI, but did so differently across slice levels. Furthermore, motor neuron-enriched slices experienced an overall loss of correlated channel and receptor expression, while interneuron slices showed a dramatic increase in the number of positively correlated transcripts. These correlation profiles suggest that spinal cord injury induces distinct changes across cell types in the organization of gene co-expression networks for ion channels and transmitter receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginia B Garcia
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Matthew D Abbinanti
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca NY 14853, USA
| | | | - David J Schulz
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.
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24
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Badura A, Verpeut JL, Metzger JW, Pereira TD, Pisano TJ, Deverett B, Bakshinskaya DE, Wang SSH. Normal cognitive and social development require posterior cerebellar activity. eLife 2018; 7:36401. [PMID: 30226467 PMCID: PMC6195348 DOI: 10.7554/elife.36401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2018] [Accepted: 09/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive and social capacities require postnatal experience, yet the pathways by which experience guides development are unknown. Here we show that the normal development of motor and nonmotor capacities requires cerebellar activity. Using chemogenetic perturbation of molecular layer interneurons to attenuate cerebellar output in mice, we found that activity of posterior regions in juvenile life modulates adult expression of eyeblink conditioning (paravermal lobule VI, crus I), reversal learning (lobule VI), persistive behavior and novelty-seeking (lobule VII), and social preference (crus I/II). Perturbation in adult life altered only a subset of phenotypes. Both adult and juvenile disruption left gait metrics largely unaffected. Contributions to phenotypes increased with the amount of lobule inactivated. Using an anterograde transsynaptic tracer, we found that posterior cerebellum made strong connections with prelimbic, orbitofrontal, and anterior cingulate cortex. These findings provide anatomical substrates for the clinical observation that cerebellar injury increases the risk of autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra Badura
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, United States.,Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, United States.,Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jessica L Verpeut
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, United States.,Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, United States
| | - Julia W Metzger
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, United States.,Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, United States
| | - Talmo D Pereira
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, United States.,Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, United States
| | - Thomas J Pisano
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, United States.,Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, United States.,Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, United States
| | - Ben Deverett
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, United States.,Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, United States.,Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, United States
| | - Dariya E Bakshinskaya
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, United States.,Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, United States
| | - Samuel S-H Wang
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, United States.,Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, United States
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25
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Mladenova D, Barry G, Konen LM, Pineda SS, Guennewig B, Avesson L, Zinn R, Schonrock N, Bitar M, Jonkhout N, Crumlish L, Kaczorowski DC, Gong A, Pinese M, Franco GR, Walkley CR, Vissel B, Mattick JS. Adar3 Is Involved in Learning and Memory in Mice. Front Neurosci 2018; 12:243. [PMID: 29719497 PMCID: PMC5914295 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2018] [Accepted: 03/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The amount of regulatory RNA encoded in the genome and the extent of RNA editing by the post-transcriptional deamination of adenosine to inosine (A-I) have increased with developmental complexity and may be an important factor in the cognitive evolution of animals. The newest member of the A-I editing family of ADAR proteins, the vertebrate-specific ADAR3, is highly expressed in the brain, but its functional significance is unknown. In vitro studies have suggested that ADAR3 acts as a negative regulator of A-I RNA editing but the scope and underlying mechanisms are also unknown. Meta-analysis of published data indicates that mouse Adar3 expression is highest in the hippocampus, thalamus, amygdala, and olfactory region. Consistent with this, we show that mice lacking exon 3 of Adar3 (which encodes two double stranded RNA binding domains) have increased levels of anxiety and deficits in hippocampus-dependent short- and long-term memory formation. RNA sequencing revealed a dysregulation of genes involved in synaptic function in the hippocampi of Adar3-deficient mice. We also show that ADAR3 transiently translocates from the cytoplasm to the nucleus upon KCl-mediated activation in SH-SY5Y cells. These results indicate that ADAR3 contributes to cognitive processes in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dessislava Mladenova
- Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- St. Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Guy Barry
- Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- St. Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Lyndsey M. Konen
- Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Centre for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- St. Vincent's Centre for Applied Medical Research (AMR), Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Sandy S. Pineda
- Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- St. Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Boris Guennewig
- Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- St. Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Lotta Avesson
- Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Raphael Zinn
- Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Centre for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- St. Vincent's Centre for Applied Medical Research (AMR), Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Nicole Schonrock
- Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- St. Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Maina Bitar
- Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- St. Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Nicky Jonkhout
- Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- St. Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Lauren Crumlish
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | | | - Andrew Gong
- Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Mark Pinese
- Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- St. Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Gloria R. Franco
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Carl R. Walkley
- St. Vincent's Institute of Medical Research, Department of Medicine, St. Vincent's Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia
| | - Bryce Vissel
- Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Centre for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- St. Vincent's Centre for Applied Medical Research (AMR), Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - John S. Mattick
- Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- St. Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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26
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Cerebellar anatomical alterations and attention to eyes in autism. Sci Rep 2017; 7:12008. [PMID: 28931838 PMCID: PMC5607223 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-11883-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2017] [Accepted: 08/29/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The cerebellum is implicated in social cognition and is likely to be involved in the pathophysiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The goal of our study was to explore cerebellar morphology in adults with ASD and its relationship to eye contact, as measured by fixation time allocated on the eye region using an eye-tracking device. Two-hundred ninety-four subjects with ASD and controls were included in our study and underwent a structural magnetic resonance imaging scan. Global segmentation and cortical parcellation of the cerebellum were performed. A sub-sample of 59 subjects underwent an eye tracking protocol in order to measure the fixation time allocated to the eye region. We did not observe any difference in global cerebellar volumes between ASD patients and controls; however, regional analyses found a decrease of the volume of the right anterior cerebellum in subjects with ASD compared to controls. There were significant correlations between fixation time on eyes and the volumes of the vermis and Crus I. Our results suggest that cerebellar morphology may be related to eye avoidance and reduced social attention. Eye tracking may be a promising neuro-anatomically based stratifying biomarker of ASD.
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27
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Noto T, Barnagian D, Castro JB. Genome-scale investigation of olfactory system spatial heterogeneity. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0178087. [PMID: 28542411 PMCID: PMC5443560 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0178087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2016] [Accepted: 05/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The early olfactory system is organized in parallel, with numerous, specialized subsystems established by the modular and topographic projections of sensory inputs. While these anatomical sub-systems are in many cases demarcated by well-known marker genes, we stand to learn considerably more about their possible functional specializations from comprehensive, genome-scale descriptions of their molecular anatomy. Here, we leverage the resources of the Allen Brain Atlas (ABA)—a spatially registered compendium of gene expression for the mouse brain—to investigate the early olfactory system’s genomic anatomy. We cluster thousands of genes across thousands of voxels in the ABA to derive several novel parcellations of the olfactory system, and concomitantly discover novel sets of enriched, subregion-specific genes that can serve as a starting point for future inquiry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Torben Noto
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Derrick Barnagian
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Jason B. Castro
- Neuroscience Program, Bates College, Lewiston, Maine, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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28
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Berkowicz SR, Giousoh A, Bird PI. Neurodevelopmental MACPFs: The vertebrate astrotactins and BRINPs. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2017; 72:171-181. [PMID: 28506896 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2017.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2016] [Revised: 04/27/2017] [Accepted: 05/11/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Astrotactins (ASTNs) and Bone morphogenetic protein/retinoic acid inducible neural-specific proteins (BRINPs) are two groups of Membrane Attack Complex/Perforin (MACPF) superfamily proteins that show overlapping expression in the developing and mature vertebrate nervous system. ASTN(1-2) and BRINP(1-3) genes are found at conserved loci in humans that have been implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). Here we review the tissue distribution and cellular localization of these proteins, and discuss recent studies that provide insight into their structure and interactions. We highlight the genetic relationships and co-expression of Brinps and Astns; and review recent knock-out mouse phenotypes that indicate a possible overlap in protein function between ASTNs and BRINPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan R Berkowicz
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, 3800, Australia.
| | - Aminah Giousoh
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, 3800, Australia
| | - Phillip I Bird
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, 3800, Australia
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29
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Mahfouz A, Huisman SMH, Lelieveldt BPF, Reinders MJT. Brain transcriptome atlases: a computational perspective. Brain Struct Funct 2017; 222:1557-1580. [PMID: 27909802 PMCID: PMC5406417 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-016-1338-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2016] [Accepted: 11/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
The immense complexity of the mammalian brain is largely reflected in the underlying molecular signatures of its billions of cells. Brain transcriptome atlases provide valuable insights into gene expression patterns across different brain areas throughout the course of development. Such atlases allow researchers to probe the molecular mechanisms which define neuronal identities, neuroanatomy, and patterns of connectivity. Despite the immense effort put into generating such atlases, to answer fundamental questions in neuroscience, an even greater effort is needed to develop methods to probe the resulting high-dimensional multivariate data. We provide a comprehensive overview of the various computational methods used to analyze brain transcriptome atlases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed Mahfouz
- Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
- Delft Bioinformatics Laboratory, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands.
| | - Sjoerd M H Huisman
- Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Delft Bioinformatics Laboratory, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Boudewijn P F Lelieveldt
- Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Delft Bioinformatics Laboratory, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Marcel J T Reinders
- Delft Bioinformatics Laboratory, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
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30
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Igelström KM, Webb TW, Graziano MSA. Functional Connectivity Between the Temporoparietal Cortex and Cerebellum in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Cereb Cortex 2017; 27:2617-2627. [PMID: 27073219 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhw079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The neural basis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is not yet understood. ASD is marked by social deficits and is strongly associated with cerebellar abnormalities. We studied the organization and cerebellar connectivity of the temporoparietal junction (TPJ), an area that plays a crucial role in social cognition. We applied localized independent component analysis to resting-state fMRI data from autistic and neurotypical adolescents to yield an unbiased parcellation of the bilateral TPJ into 11 independent components (ICs). A comparison between neurotypical and autistic adolescents showed that the organization of the TPJ was not significantly altered in ASD. Second, we used the time courses of the TPJ ICs as spatially unbiased "seeds" for a functional connectivity analysis applied to voxels within the cerebellum. We found that the cerebellum contained a fine-grained, lateralized map of the TPJ. The connectivity of the TPJ subdivisions with cerebellar zones showed one striking difference in ASD. The right dorsal TPJ showed markedly less connectivity with the left Crus II. Disturbed cerebellar input to this key region for cognition and multimodal integration may contribute to social deficits in ASD. The findings might also suggest that the right TPJ and/or left Crus II are potential targets for noninvasive brain stimulation therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kajsa M Igelström
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute.,Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Taylor W Webb
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute.,Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Michael S A Graziano
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute.,Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
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31
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The Role of the Pediatric Cerebellum in Motor Functions, Cognition, and Behavior: A Clinical Perspective. Neuroimaging Clin N Am 2017; 26:317-29. [PMID: 27423796 DOI: 10.1016/j.nic.2016.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
This article discusses the contribution of the pediatric cerebellum to locomotion, ocular motor control, speech articulation, cognitive function, and behavior modulation. Hypotheses on cerebellar function are discussed. Clinical features in patients with cerebellar disorders are outlined. Cerebellar abnormalities in cognitive and behavioral disorders are detailed.
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32
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Liu D, Zhao L, Chen Y, Wang Z, Xu J, Li Y, Lei C, Hu S, Niu M, Jiang Y. Comparison of the general co-expression landscapes between human and mouse. Brief Bioinform 2017; 19:811-820. [DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbx024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Di Liu
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Linna Zhao
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Yang Chen
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Zhaoyang Wang
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Jing Xu
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Ying Li
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Changgui Lei
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Simeng Hu
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Miaomiao Niu
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Yongshuai Jiang
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
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33
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Moussa HN, Sibai BM, Blackwell SC, Leon MG, Hylin MJ, Redell JB, Liu Y, Dash PK, Longo M. Contribution of maternal hypertension to autism etiology in a murine model; cerebellar gene expression. FUTURE NEUROLOGY 2017. [DOI: 10.2217/fnl-2016-0011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Aim: To study the contribution of maternal hypertension to autism spectrum disorders’ (ASD) phenotype, and gene expression, in a murine model. Materials & methods: To examine the effects of maternal hypertension, we used a well-described transgenic mouse model lacking functional endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS or NOS3). Behavioral testing was performed on male offspring between 8 and 10 weeks of age. Cerebella underwent shotgun transcriptome RNA sequencing. Differentially expressed genes were examined for Gene Ontology enrichment. 2-way-RM-ANOVA, 1-way-ANOVA and Student's t-test were used for statistical analysis. Results & conclusion: Our findings revealed that a deficit in social behavior, the hallmark of ASD, is differentially present in offspring born to hypertensive mothers. Novel ASD-related genes were differentially expressed in the cerebellum, implicating its possible role in ASD etiology. Condensation: Altered uterine environment resulting from maternal hypertension contributes to ASD phenotype, and modifies expression of novel ASD-related genes in cerebella of eNOS heterozygous offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hind N Moussa
- Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UT Health), Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Baha M Sibai
- Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UT Health), Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Sean C Blackwell
- Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UT Health), Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Mateo G Leon
- Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UT Health), Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Michael J Hylin
- Neurobiology & Anatomy, McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UT Health), Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - John B Redell
- Neurobiology & Anatomy, McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UT Health), Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Yin Liu
- Neurobiology & Anatomy, McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UT Health), Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Pramod K Dash
- Neurobiology & Anatomy, McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UT Health), Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Monica Longo
- Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UT Health), Houston, TX 77030, USA
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34
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Zhang C, Shen Y. A Cell Type-Specific Expression Signature Predicts Haploinsufficient Autism-Susceptibility Genes. Hum Mutat 2017; 38:204-215. [PMID: 27860035 PMCID: PMC5865588 DOI: 10.1002/humu.23147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2016] [Revised: 11/12/2016] [Accepted: 11/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies have identified many genes with rare de novo mutations in autism, but a limited number of these have been conclusively established as disease-susceptibility genes due to the lack of recurrence and confounding background mutations. Such extreme genetic heterogeneity severely limits recurrence-based statistical power even in studies with a large sample size. Here, we use cell-type specific expression profiles to differentiate mutations in autism patients from those in unaffected siblings. We report a gene expression signature in different neuronal cell types shared by genes with likely gene-disrupting (LGD) mutations in autism cases. This signature reflects haploinsufficiency of risk genes enriched in transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulators, with the strongest positive associations with specific types of neurons in different brain regions, including cortical neurons, cerebellar granule cells, and striatal medium spiny neurons. When used to prioritize genes with a single LGD mutation in cases, a D-score derived from the signature achieved a precision of 40% as compared with the 15% baseline with a minimal loss in sensitivity. An ensemble model combining D-score with mutation intolerance metrics from Exome Aggregation Consortium further improved the precision to 60%, resulting in 117 high-priority candidates. These prioritized lists can facilitate identification of additional autism-susceptibility genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaolin Zhang
- Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York NY
10032, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia
University, New York NY 10032, USA
- Center for Motor Neuron Biology and Disease, Columbia University,
New York NY 10032, USA
| | - Yufeng Shen
- Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York NY
10032, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University, New York
NY 10032, USA
- JP Sulzberger Genome Center, Columbia University, New York NY 10032,
USA
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35
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Peter S, De Zeeuw CI, Boeckers TM, Schmeisser MJ. Cerebellar and Striatal Pathologies in Mouse Models of Autism Spectrum Disorder. ADVANCES IN ANATOMY, EMBRYOLOGY, AND CELL BIOLOGY 2017; 224:103-119. [PMID: 28551753 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-52498-6_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition with a strong genetic component. To date, several hundred different genetic mutations have been identified to play a role in its aetiology. The heterogeneity of genetic abnormalities combined with the different brain regions where aberrations are found makes the search for causative mechanisms a daunting task. Even within a limited number of brain regions, a myriad of different neural circuit dysfunctions may lead to ASD. Here, we review mouse models that incorporate mutations of ASD risk genes causing pathologies in the cerebellum and striatum and highlight the vulnerability of related circuit dysfunctions within these brain regions in ASD pathophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saša Peter
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. .,Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Chris I De Zeeuw
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Tobias M Boeckers
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Michael J Schmeisser
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany. .,Division of Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany. .,Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany.
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36
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Abstract
Autism is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder whose origins are not well understood. Cerebellar involvement has been implicated in the pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorders with increasing evidence from both clinical studies and animal models supporting an important role for cerebellar dysfunction in autism spectrum disorders. This article discusses the various cerebellar contributions to autism spectrum disorders. Both clinical and preclinical studies are discussed and future research directions highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter T Tsai
- University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
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37
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Peter S, ten Brinke MM, Stedehouder J, Reinelt CM, Wu B, Zhou H, Zhou K, Boele HJ, Kushner SA, Lee MG, Schmeisser MJ, Boeckers TM, Schonewille M, Hoebeek FE, De Zeeuw CI. Dysfunctional cerebellar Purkinje cells contribute to autism-like behaviour in Shank2-deficient mice. Nat Commun 2016; 7:12627. [PMID: 27581745 PMCID: PMC5025785 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 134] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2016] [Accepted: 07/19/2016] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Loss-of-function mutations in the gene encoding the postsynaptic scaffolding protein SHANK2 are a highly penetrant cause of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) involving cerebellum-related motor problems. Recent studies have implicated cerebellar pathology in the aetiology of ASD. Here we evaluate the possibility that cerebellar Purkinje cells (PCs) represent a critical locus of ASD-like pathophysiology in mice lacking Shank2. Absence of Shank2 impairs both PC intrinsic plasticity and induction of long-term potentiation at the parallel fibre to PC synapse. Moreover, inhibitory input onto PCs is significantly enhanced, most prominently in the posterior lobe where simple spike (SS) regularity is most affected. Using PC-specific Shank2 knockouts, we replicate alterations of SS regularity in vivo and establish cerebellar dependence of ASD-like behavioural phenotypes in motor learning and social interaction. These data highlight the importance of Shank2 for PC function, and support a model by which cerebellar pathology is prominent in certain forms of ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saša Peter
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam 1105 CA, Netherlands
| | | | | | - Claudia M. Reinelt
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Ulm 89081, Germany
| | - Bin Wu
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam 3000 DR, Netherlands
| | - Haibo Zhou
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam 3000 DR, Netherlands
| | - Kuikui Zhou
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam 3000 DR, Netherlands
| | - Henk-Jan Boele
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam 3000 DR, Netherlands
| | - Steven A. Kushner
- Department of Psychiatry, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam 3000 DR, Netherlands
| | - Min Goo Lee
- Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 120–752, Korea
| | - Michael J. Schmeisser
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Ulm 89081, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University, Ulm 89081, Germany
| | - Tobias M. Boeckers
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Ulm 89081, Germany
| | | | - Freek E. Hoebeek
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam 3000 DR, Netherlands
| | - Chris I. De Zeeuw
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam 1105 CA, Netherlands
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam 3000 DR, Netherlands
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38
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Analysis of spatial-temporal gene expression patterns reveals dynamics and regionalization in developing mouse brain. Sci Rep 2016; 6:19274. [PMID: 26786896 PMCID: PMC4726224 DOI: 10.1038/srep19274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2015] [Accepted: 12/10/2015] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Allen Brain Atlas (ABA) provides a valuable resource of spatial/temporal gene expressions in mammalian brains. Despite rich information extracted from this database, current analyses suffer from several limitations. First, most studies are either gene-centric or region-centric, thus are inadequate to capture the superposition of multiple spatial-temporal patterns. Second, standard tools of expression analysis such as matrix factorization can capture those patterns but do not explicitly incorporate spatial dependency. To overcome those limitations, we proposed a computational method to detect recurrent patterns in the spatial-temporal gene expression data of developing mouse brains. We demonstrated that regional distinction in brain development could be revealed by localized gene expression patterns. The patterns expressed in the forebrain, medullary and pontomedullary, and basal ganglia are enriched with genes involved in forebrain development, locomotory behavior, and dopamine metabolism respectively. In addition, the timing of global gene expression patterns reflects the general trends of molecular events in mouse brain development. Furthermore, we validated functional implications of the inferred patterns by showing genes sharing similar spatial-temporal expression patterns with Lhx2 exhibited differential expression in the embryonic forebrains of Lhx2 mutant mice. These analysis outcomes confirm the utility of recurrent expression patterns in studying brain development.
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39
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Mosconi MW, Wang Z, Schmitt LM, Tsai P, Sweeney JA. The role of cerebellar circuitry alterations in the pathophysiology of autism spectrum disorders. Front Neurosci 2015; 9:296. [PMID: 26388713 PMCID: PMC4555040 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2015.00296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2015] [Accepted: 08/06/2015] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The cerebellum has been repeatedly implicated in gene expression, rodent model and post-mortem studies of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). How cellular and molecular anomalies of the cerebellum relate to clinical manifestations of ASD remains unclear. Separate circuits of the cerebellum control different sensorimotor behaviors, such as maintaining balance, walking, making eye movements, reaching, and grasping. Each of these behaviors has been found to be impaired in ASD, suggesting that multiple distinct circuits of the cerebellum may be involved in the pathogenesis of patients' sensorimotor impairments. We will review evidence that the development of these circuits is disrupted in individuals with ASD and that their study may help elucidate the pathophysiology of sensorimotor deficits and core symptoms of the disorder. Preclinical studies of monogenetic conditions associated with ASD also have identified selective defects of the cerebellum and documented behavioral rescues when the cerebellum is targeted. Based on these findings, we propose that cerebellar circuits may prove to be promising targets for therapeutic development aimed at rescuing sensorimotor and other clinical symptoms of different forms of ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew W Mosconi
- Clinical Child Psychology Program and Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies, University of Kansas Lawrence, KS, USA ; Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities, University of Texas Southwestern Dallas, TX, USA ; Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Dallas, TX, USA ; Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Zheng Wang
- Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities, University of Texas Southwestern Dallas, TX, USA ; Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Lauren M Schmitt
- Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities, University of Texas Southwestern Dallas, TX, USA ; Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Peter Tsai
- Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities, University of Texas Southwestern Dallas, TX, USA ; Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Dallas, TX, USA ; Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Dallas, TX, USA ; Department of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics, University of Texas Southwestern Dallas, TX, USA ; Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Dallas, TX, USA
| | - John A Sweeney
- Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities, University of Texas Southwestern Dallas, TX, USA ; Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Dallas, TX, USA ; Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Dallas, TX, USA
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Kloth AD, Badura A, Li A, Cherskov A, Connolly SG, Giovannucci A, Bangash MA, Grasselli G, Peñagarikano O, Piochon C, Tsai PT, Geschwind DH, Hansel C, Sahin M, Takumi T, Worley PF, Wang SSH. Cerebellar associative sensory learning defects in five mouse autism models. eLife 2015; 4:e06085. [PMID: 26158416 PMCID: PMC4512177 DOI: 10.7554/elife.06085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2014] [Accepted: 07/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensory integration difficulties have been reported in autism, but their underlying brain-circuit mechanisms are underexplored. Using five autism-related mouse models, Shank3+/ΔC, Mecp2(R308/Y), Cntnap2-/-, L7-Tsc1 (L7/Pcp2(Cre)::Tsc1(flox/+)), and patDp(15q11-13)/+, we report specific perturbations in delay eyeblink conditioning, a form of associative sensory learning requiring cerebellar plasticity. By distinguishing perturbations in the probability and characteristics of learned responses, we found that probability was reduced in Cntnap2-/-, patDp(15q11-13)/+, and L7/Pcp2(Cre)::Tsc1(flox/+), which are associated with Purkinje-cell/deep-nuclear gene expression, along with Shank3+/ΔC. Amplitudes were smaller in L7/Pcp2(Cre)::Tsc1(flox/+) as well as Shank3+/ΔC and Mecp2(R308/Y), which are associated with granule cell pathway expression. Shank3+/ΔC and Mecp2(R308/Y) also showed aberrant response timing and reduced Purkinje-cell dendritic spine density. Overall, our observations are potentially accounted for by defects in instructed learning in the olivocerebellar loop and response representation in the granule cell pathway. Our findings indicate that defects in associative temporal binding of sensory events are widespread in autism mouse models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander D Kloth
- Department of Molecular Biology and Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, United States
| | - Aleksandra Badura
- Department of Molecular Biology and Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, United States
| | - Amy Li
- Department of Molecular Biology and Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, United States
| | - Adriana Cherskov
- Department of Molecular Biology and Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, United States
| | - Sara G Connolly
- Department of Molecular Biology and Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, United States
| | - Andrea Giovannucci
- Department of Molecular Biology and Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, United States
| | - M Ali Bangash
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
| | - Giorgio Grasselli
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States
| | - Olga Peñagarikano
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Claire Piochon
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States
| | - Peter T Tsai
- The F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Daniel H Geschwind
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Christian Hansel
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States
| | - Mustafa Sahin
- The F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | | | - Paul F Worley
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States
| | - Samuel S-H Wang
- Department of Molecular Biology and Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, United States
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Grange P, Menashe I, Hawrylycz M. Cell-type-specific neuroanatomy of cliques of autism-related genes in the mouse brain. Front Comput Neurosci 2015; 9:55. [PMID: 26074809 PMCID: PMC4448060 DOI: 10.3389/fncom.2015.00055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2014] [Accepted: 04/25/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Two cliques of genes identified computationally for their high co-expression in the mouse brain according to the Allen Brain Atlas, and for their enrichment in genes related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), have recently been shown to be highly co-expressed in the cerebellar cortex, compared to what could be expected by chance. Moreover, the expression of these cliques of genes is not homogeneous across the cerebellar cortex, and it has been noted that their expression pattern seems to highlight the granular layer. However, this observation was only made by eye, and recent advances in computational neuroanatomy allow to rank cell types in the mouse brain (characterized by their transcriptome profiles) according to the similarity between their spatial density profiles and the spatial expression profiles of the cliques. We establish by Monte Carlo simulation that with probability at least 99%, the expression profiles of the two cliques are more similar to the density profile of granule cells than 99% of the expression of cliques containing the same number of genes (Purkinje cells also score above 99% in one of the cliques). Thresholding the expression profiles shows that the signal is more intense in the granular layer. Finally, we work out pairs of cell types whose combined expression profiles are more similar to the expression profiles of the cliques than any single cell type. These pairs predominantly consist of one cortical pyramidal cell and one cerebellar cell (which can be either a granule cell or a Purkinje cell).
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Affiliation(s)
- Pascal Grange
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University Suzhou, China
| | - Idan Menashe
- Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer-Sheva, Israel
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Babaei S, Mahfouz A, Hulsman M, Lelieveldt BPF, de Ridder J, Reinders M. Hi-C Chromatin Interaction Networks Predict Co-expression in the Mouse Cortex. PLoS Comput Biol 2015; 11:e1004221. [PMID: 25965262 PMCID: PMC4429121 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1004221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2014] [Accepted: 03/03/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The three dimensional conformation of the genome in the cell nucleus influences important biological processes such as gene expression regulation. Recent studies have shown a strong correlation between chromatin interactions and gene co-expression. However, predicting gene co-expression from frequent long-range chromatin interactions remains challenging. We address this by characterizing the topology of the cortical chromatin interaction network using scale-aware topological measures. We demonstrate that based on these characterizations it is possible to accurately predict spatial co-expression between genes in the mouse cortex. Consistent with previous findings, we find that the chromatin interaction profile of a gene-pair is a good predictor of their spatial co-expression. However, the accuracy of the prediction can be substantially improved when chromatin interactions are described using scale-aware topological measures of the multi-resolution chromatin interaction network. We conclude that, for co-expression prediction, it is necessary to take into account different levels of chromatin interactions ranging from direct interaction between genes (i.e. small-scale) to chromatin compartment interactions (i.e. large-scale). Regulatory elements can target genes over large genomic distances through long-range chromatin interactions. These interactions arise as a result of the three-dimensional (3D) conformation of chromosomes in the cell nucleus. This 3D conformation can also result in the co-localization of co-regulated genes. To investigate this, we asked whether genome-wide chromatin interactions can predict co-expression patterns of genes. To address this question, we characterized 3D interactions between genes, captured by Hi-C measurements, by a network, termed chromatin interaction network (CIN). We applied scale-aware topological measures to the network to comprehensively characterize the chromatin interactions at different scales, ranging from direct interaction between gene pairs to chromatin compartment interactions. We then used multi-scale chromatin interactions to predict spatial co-expression patterns in the mouse cortex. The results show that the prediction performance improves when scale-aware topological measures of the multi-resolution chromatin interaction network are used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sepideh Babaei
- Delft Bioinformatics Lab, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Ahmed Mahfouz
- Delft Bioinformatics Lab, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
- Division of Image Processing, Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Marc Hulsman
- Delft Bioinformatics Lab, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
- Department of Clinical Genetics, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Boudewijn P. F. Lelieveldt
- Division of Image Processing, Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department of Intelligent Systems, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Jeroen de Ridder
- Delft Bioinformatics Lab, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
- * E-mail: (JDR); (MR)
| | - Marcel Reinders
- Delft Bioinformatics Lab, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
- * E-mail: (JDR); (MR)
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Abstract
Cerebellar research has focused principally on adult motor function. However, the cerebellum also maintains abundant connections with nonmotor brain regions throughout postnatal life. Here we review evidence that the cerebellum may guide the maturation of remote nonmotor neural circuitry and influence cognitive development, with a focus on its relationship with autism. Specific cerebellar zones influence neocortical substrates for social interaction, and we propose that sensitive-period disruption of such internal brain communication can account for autism's key features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel S-H Wang
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute and Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
| | - Alexander D Kloth
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute and Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Aleksandra Badura
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute and Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
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44
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Ling MHT, Poh CL. A predictor for predicting Escherichia coli transcriptome and the effects of gene perturbations. BMC Bioinformatics 2014; 15:140. [PMID: 24884349 PMCID: PMC4038595 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2105-15-140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2013] [Accepted: 05/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background A means to predict the effects of gene over-expression, knockouts, and environmental stimuli in silico is useful for system biologists to develop and test hypotheses. Several studies had predicted the expression of all Escherichia coli genes from sequences and reported a correlation of 0.301 between predicted and actual expression. However, these do not allow biologists to study the effects of gene perturbations on the native transcriptome. Results We developed a predictor to predict transcriptome-scale gene expression from a small number (n = 59) of known gene expressions using gene co-expression network, which can be used to predict the effects of over-expressions and knockdowns on E. coli transcriptome. In terms of transcriptome prediction, our results show that the correlation between predicted and actual expression value is 0.467, which is similar to the microarray intra-array variation (p-value = 0.348), suggesting that intra-array variation accounts for a substantial portion of the transcriptome prediction error. In terms of predicting the effects of gene perturbation(s), our results suggest that the expression of 83% of the genes affected by perturbation can be predicted within 40% of error and the correlation between predicted and actual expression values among the affected genes to be 0.698. With the ability to predict the effects of gene perturbations, we demonstrated that our predictor has the potential to estimate the effects of varying gene expression level on the native transcriptome. Conclusion We present a potential means to predict an entire transcriptome and a tool to estimate the effects of gene perturbations for E. coli, which will aid biologists in hypothesis development. This study forms the baseline for future work in using gene co-expression network for gene expression prediction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maurice H T Ling
- School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang Ave, Singapore, Singapore.
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Cell-type-based model explaining coexpression patterns of genes in the brain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014; 111:5397-402. [PMID: 24706869 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1312098111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Spatial patterns of gene expression in the vertebrate brain are not independent, as pairs of genes can exhibit complex patterns of coexpression. Two genes may be similarly expressed in one region, but differentially expressed in other regions. These correlations have been studied quantitatively, particularly for the Allen Atlas of the adult mouse brain, but their biological meaning remains obscure. We propose a simple model of the coexpression patterns in terms of spatial distributions of underlying cell types and establish its plausibility using independently measured cell-type-specific transcriptomes. The model allows us to predict the spatial distribution of cell types in the mouse brain.
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Gaiteri C, Ding Y, French B, Tseng GC, Sibille E. Beyond modules and hubs: the potential of gene coexpression networks for investigating molecular mechanisms of complex brain disorders. GENES, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR 2014; 13:13-24. [PMID: 24320616 PMCID: PMC3896950 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 186] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2013] [Revised: 09/25/2013] [Accepted: 11/10/2013] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
In a research environment dominated by reductionist approaches to brain disease mechanisms, gene network analysis provides a complementary framework in which to tackle the complex dysregulations that occur in neuropsychiatric and other neurological disorders. Gene-gene expression correlations are a common source of molecular networks because they can be extracted from high-dimensional disease data and encapsulate the activity of multiple regulatory systems. However, the analysis of gene coexpression patterns is often treated as a mechanistic black box, in which looming 'hub genes' direct cellular networks, and where other features are obscured. By examining the biophysical bases of coexpression and gene regulatory changes that occur in disease, recent studies suggest it is possible to use coexpression networks as a multi-omic screening procedure to generate novel hypotheses for disease mechanisms. Because technical processing steps can affect the outcome and interpretation of coexpression networks, we examine the assumptions and alternatives to common patterns of coexpression analysis and discuss additional topics such as acceptable datasets for coexpression analysis, the robust identification of modules, disease-related prioritization of genes and molecular systems and network meta-analysis. To accelerate coexpression research beyond modules and hubs, we highlight some emerging directions for coexpression network research that are especially relevant to complex brain disease, including the centrality-lethality relationship, integration with machine learning approaches and network pharmacology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris Gaiteri
- . Modeling, Analysis and Theory Group, Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle WA, USA
| | - Ying Ding
- . Carnegie Mellon-University of Pittsburgh PhD Program in Computational Biology, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Beverly French
- . Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - George C. Tseng
- . Department of Biostatistics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Etienne Sibille
- . Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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