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Che F, Li C, Zhang L, Qian C, Mo L, Li B, Wu H, Wang L, Yang Y. Novel FOXP2 variant associated with speech and language dysfunction in a Chinese family and literature review. J Appl Genet 2024; 65:367-373. [PMID: 38418803 DOI: 10.1007/s13353-024-00849-0] [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: 01/23/2024] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Since its initial identification, the Forkhead Box P2 gene (FOXP2) has maintained its singular status as the archetypal monogenic determinant implicated in Mendelian forms of human speech and language impairments. Despite the passage of two decades subsequent to its discovery, extant literature remains disproportionately sparse with regard to case-specific instances and loci of mutational perturbations. The objective of the current investigation centers on furnishing an enriched delineation of both its clinical manifestations and its mutational heterogeneity. Clinical phenotypes and peripheral blood samples were assiduously amassed from familial subjects. Whole-exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing methodologies were deployed for the unambiguous identification of potential genetic variants and for corroborating their co-segregation within the family pedigree. An exhaustive review of published literature focusing on patients manifesting speech and language disorders consequent to FOXP2 genetic anomalies was also undertaken. The investigation yielded the identification of a novel heterozygous variant, c.661del (p.L221Ffs*41), localized within the FOXP2 gene in the proband, an inheritance from his symptomatic mother. The proband presented with an array of symptoms, encompassing dysarthric speech, deficits in instruction comprehension, and communicative impediments. In comparison, the mother exhibited attenuated symptoms, including rudimentary verbalization capabilities punctuated by pronounced stuttering and dysarthria. A comprehensive analysis of articles archived in the Human Gene Mutation Database (HGMD) classified under "DM" disclosed the existence of 74 patients inclusive of the subjects under current examination, sub-divided into 19 patients with null variants, 5 patients with missense variants, and 50 patients with gross deletions or complex genomic rearrangements. A conspicuous predominance of delayed speech, impoverished current verbal abilities, verbal comprehension deficits, and learning difficulties were observed in patients harboring null or missense FOXP2 variants, as compared to their counterparts with gross deletions or complex rearrangements. Developmental delays, hypotonia, and craniofacial aberrations were exclusive to the latter cohort. The elucidated findings augment the existing corpus of knowledge on the genetic architecture influencing both the proband and his mother within this specified familial context. Of critical importance, these discoveries furnish a robust molecular framework conducive to the prenatal diagnostic evaluations of prospective progeny within this familial lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengyu Che
- Shaanxi Institute for Pediatric Diseases, Xi'an Children's Hospital, Xi'an, China
| | - Chenhao Li
- Medical School of Chinese PLA, Beijing, China
| | - Liyu Zhang
- Shaanxi Institute for Pediatric Diseases, Xi'an Children's Hospital, Xi'an, China
| | - Chenxi Qian
- Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lidangzhi Mo
- Shaanxi Institute for Pediatric Diseases, Xi'an Children's Hospital, Xi'an, China
| | - Benchang Li
- Shaanxi Institute for Pediatric Diseases, Xi'an Children's Hospital, Xi'an, China
| | - Haibin Wu
- Shaanxi Institute for Pediatric Diseases, Xi'an Children's Hospital, Xi'an, China
| | - Lifang Wang
- Department of Child Health Care, Xi'an Children's Hospital, Xi'an, China.
| | - Ying Yang
- Shaanxi Institute for Pediatric Diseases, Xi'an Children's Hospital, Xi'an, China.
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Heim F, Scharff C, Fisher SE, Riebel K, Ten Cate C. Auditory discrimination learning and acoustic cue weighing in female zebra finches with localized FoxP1 knockdowns. J Neurophysiol 2024; 131:950-963. [PMID: 38629163 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00228.2023] [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: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 04/07/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Rare disruptions of the transcription factor FOXP1 are implicated in a human neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by autism and/or intellectual disability with prominent problems in speech and language abilities. Avian orthologues of this transcription factor are evolutionarily conserved and highly expressed in specific regions of songbird brains, including areas associated with vocal production learning and auditory perception. Here, we investigated possible contributions of FoxP1 to song discrimination and auditory perception in juvenile and adult female zebra finches. They received lentiviral knockdowns of FoxP1 in one of two brain areas involved in auditory stimulus processing, HVC (proper name) or CMM (caudomedial mesopallium). Ninety-six females, distributed over different experimental and control groups were trained to discriminate between two stimulus songs in an operant Go/Nogo paradigm and subsequently tested with an array of stimuli. This made it possible to assess how well they recognized and categorized altered versions of training stimuli and whether localized FoxP1 knockdowns affected the role of different features during discrimination and categorization of song. Although FoxP1 expression was significantly reduced by the knockdowns, neither discrimination of the stimulus songs nor categorization of songs modified in pitch, sequential order of syllables or by reversed playback were affected. Subsequently, we analyzed the full dataset to assess the impact of the different stimulus manipulations for cue weighing in song discrimination. Our findings show that zebra finches rely on multiple parameters for song discrimination, but with relatively more prominent roles for spectral parameters and syllable sequencing as cues for song discrimination.NEW & NOTEWORTHY In humans, mutations of the transcription factor FoxP1 are implicated in speech and language problems. In songbirds, FoxP1 has been linked to male song learning and female preference strength. We found that FoxP1 knockdowns in female HVC and caudomedial mesopallium (CMM) did not alter song discrimination or categorization based on spectral and temporal information. However, this large dataset allowed to validate different cue weights for spectral over temporal information for song recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Heim
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Language and Genetics Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics,Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Simon E Fisher
- Language and Genetics Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics,Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Katharina Riebel
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Carel Ten Cate
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands
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3
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Méndez JM, Dukes J, Cooper BG. Preparing to sing: respiratory patterns underlying motor readiness for song. J Neurophysiol 2022; 128:1646-1662. [PMID: 36416416 PMCID: PMC9762977 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00551.2021] [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: 12/29/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Evidence for motor preparation and planning comes from neural activity preceding neural commands to activate the effectors; such preparatory activity is observed in pallial areas controlling learned motor behaviors. Vocal learning in songbirds is an example of a learned, sequential motor behavior that is a respiratory motor act and where there is evidence for neuromuscular planning. Respiration is the foundation of vocalization, elucidating the neural control of song motor planning requires studying respiratory antecedents of song initiation. Despite the importance of respiration in song production, few studies have investigated respiratory antecedents of impending vocalizations. Therefore, we investigated respiratory patterns in male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) and Bengalese finches (Lonchura striata domestica) prior to, during, and following song bouts. In both species, compared with quiet respiration, song respiratory patterns were generated with higher amplitude, faster tempo, and ∼70% of the respiratory cycle is in the expiratory phase. In female-directed and isolation song, both species show a change in the respiratory tempo and the proportion of time spent inhaling prior to song. Following song, only zebra finches show systematic changes in respiratory patterns; they spend a greater proportion of the respiratory cycle in the expiratory phase for 1 s after song, which is likely due to hyperventilation during song. Accelerated respiratory rhythms before song may reflect the motor preparation for the upcoming song production; species differences in preparatory motor activity could be related to the degree to which motor planning is required; finally, song termination may be dictated by respiratory demands.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Motor planning for vocal production in birdsong manifests as an adaptation of respiratory characteristics prior to song. The songbird's respiratory system anticipates the upcoming song production by accelerating the respiratory tempo and increasing the proportion of time spent inhaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge M Méndez
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Minnesota State University, Mankato, Minnesota
| | - Jacqueline Dukes
- Department of Psychology, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas
| | - Brenton G Cooper
- Department of Psychology, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas
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4
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Vernes SC, Devanna P, Hörpel SG, Alvarez van Tussenbroek I, Firzlaff U, Hagoort P, Hiller M, Hoeksema N, Hughes GM, Lavrichenko K, Mengede J, Morales AE, Wiesmann M. The pale spear-nosed bat: A neuromolecular and transgenic model for vocal learning. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2022; 1517:125-142. [PMID: 36069117 PMCID: PMC9826251 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14884] [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] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Vocal learning, the ability to produce modified vocalizations via learning from acoustic signals, is a key trait in the evolution of speech. While extensively studied in songbirds, mammalian models for vocal learning are rare. Bats present a promising study system given their gregarious natures, small size, and the ability of some species to be maintained in captive colonies. We utilize the pale spear-nosed bat (Phyllostomus discolor) and report advances in establishing this species as a tractable model for understanding vocal learning. We have taken an interdisciplinary approach, aiming to provide an integrated understanding across genomics (Part I), neurobiology (Part II), and transgenics (Part III). In Part I, we generated new, high-quality genome annotations of coding genes and noncoding microRNAs to facilitate functional and evolutionary studies. In Part II, we traced connections between auditory-related brain regions and reported neuroimaging to explore the structure of the brain and gene expression patterns to highlight brain regions. In Part III, we created the first successful transgenic bats by manipulating the expression of FoxP2, a speech-related gene. These interdisciplinary approaches are facilitating a mechanistic and evolutionary understanding of mammalian vocal learning and can also contribute to other areas of investigation that utilize P. discolor or bats as study species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja C. Vernes
- School of BiologyUniversity of St AndrewsSt AndrewsUK,Neurogenetics of Vocal Communication GroupMax Planck Institute for PsycholinguisticsNijmegenThe Netherlands
| | - Paolo Devanna
- School of BiologyUniversity of St AndrewsSt AndrewsUK,Neurogenetics of Vocal Communication GroupMax Planck Institute for PsycholinguisticsNijmegenThe Netherlands
| | - Stephen Gareth Hörpel
- School of BiologyUniversity of St AndrewsSt AndrewsUK,Neurogenetics of Vocal Communication GroupMax Planck Institute for PsycholinguisticsNijmegenThe Netherlands,TUM School of Life SciencesTechnical University of MunichFreisingGermany
| | - Ine Alvarez van Tussenbroek
- School of BiologyUniversity of St AndrewsSt AndrewsUK,Neurogenetics of Vocal Communication GroupMax Planck Institute for PsycholinguisticsNijmegenThe Netherlands
| | - Uwe Firzlaff
- TUM School of Life SciencesTechnical University of MunichFreisingGermany
| | - Peter Hagoort
- Neurobiology of Language DepartmentMax Planck Institute for PsycholinguisticsNijmegenThe Netherlands
| | - Michael Hiller
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics, Faculty of Biosciences, Senckenberg Research Institute, Goethe‐UniversityFrankfurtGermany
| | - Nienke Hoeksema
- Neurogenetics of Vocal Communication GroupMax Planck Institute for PsycholinguisticsNijmegenThe Netherlands,Neurobiology of Language DepartmentMax Planck Institute for PsycholinguisticsNijmegenThe Netherlands
| | - Graham M. Hughes
- School of Biology and Environmental ScienceUniversity College DublinBelfieldIreland
| | - Ksenia Lavrichenko
- Neurogenetics of Vocal Communication GroupMax Planck Institute for PsycholinguisticsNijmegenThe Netherlands
| | - Janine Mengede
- Neurogenetics of Vocal Communication GroupMax Planck Institute for PsycholinguisticsNijmegenThe Netherlands
| | - Ariadna E. Morales
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics, Faculty of Biosciences, Senckenberg Research Institute, Goethe‐UniversityFrankfurtGermany
| | - Maximilian Wiesmann
- Department of Medical ImagingAnatomyRadboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition & Behavior, Center for Medical Neuroscience, Preclinical Imaging Center PRIME, Radboud Alzheimer CenterNijmegenThe Netherlands
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5
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Csillag A, Ádám Á, Zachar G. Avian models for brain mechanisms underlying altered social behavior in autism. Front Physiol 2022; 13:1032046. [PMID: 36388132 PMCID: PMC9650632 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.1032046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 08/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The current review is an update on experimental approaches in which birds serve as model species for the investigation of typical failure symptoms associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The discussion is focused on deficiencies of social behavior, from social interactions of domestic chicks, based on visual and auditory cues, to vocal communication in songbirds. Two groups of pathogenetic/risk factors are discussed: 1) non-genetic (environmental/epigenetic) factors, exemplified by embryonic exposure to valproic acid (VPA), and 2) genetic factors, represented by a list of candidate genes and signaling pathways of diagnostic or predictive value in ASD patients. Given the similarities of birds as experimental models to humans (visual orientation, vocal learning, social cohesions), avian models usefully contribute toward the elucidation of the neural systems and developmental factors underlying ASD, improving the applicability of preclinical results obtained on laboratory rodents. Furthermore, they may predict potential susceptibility factors worthy of investigation (both by animal studies and by monitoring human babies at risk), with potential therapeutic consequence.
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Affiliation(s)
- András Csillag
- Department of Anatomy, Histology, and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
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6
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Transcriptional Profile of the Developing Subthalamic Nucleus. eNeuro 2022; 9:9/5/ENEURO.0193-22.2022. [PMID: 36257692 PMCID: PMC9581575 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0193-22.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The subthalamic nucleus (STN) is a small, excitatory nucleus that regulates the output of basal ganglia motor circuits. The functions of the STN and its role in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease are now well established. However, some basic characteristics like the developmental origin and molecular phenotype of neuronal subpopulations are still being debated. The classical model of forebrain development attributed the origin of STN within the diencephalon. Recent studies of gene expression patterns exposed shortcomings of the classical model. To accommodate these findings, the prosomeric model was developed. In this concept, STN develops within the hypothalamic primordium, which is no longer a part of the diencephalic primordium. This concept is further supported by the expression patterns of many transcription factors. It is interesting to note that many transcription factors involved in the development of the STN are also involved in the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorders. Thus, the study of neurodevelopmental disorders could provide us with valuable information on the roles of these transcription factors in the development and maintenance of STN phenotype. In this review, we summarize historical theories about the developmental origin of the STN and interpret the gene expression data within the prosomeric conceptual framework. Finally, we discuss the importance of neurodevelopmental disorders for the development of the STN and its potential role in the pathophysiology of neurodevelopmental disorders.
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7
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Bagrowski B. Perspectives for the application of neurogenetic research in programming Neurorehabilitation. Mol Aspects Med 2022; 91:101149. [PMID: 36253186 DOI: 10.1016/j.mam.2022.101149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Revised: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Certain genetic variants underlie the proper functioning of the nervous system. They affect the nervous system in all aspects - molecular, systemic, cognitive, computational and sensorimotor. The greatest changes in the nervous system take place in the process of its maturation in the period of psychomotor development, as well as during neurorehabilitation, the task of which is to rebuild damaged neuronal pathways, e.g. by facilitating movement or training cognitive functions. Certain genetic polymorphisms affect the effectiveness of the processes of reconstruction or restoration of neural structures, which is clearly reflected in the effects of neurorehabilitation. This review presents the perspectives for the application of neurogenetic research in programming neurorehabilitation by determining the relationship of as many as 16 different genetic polymorphisms with specific functions of importance in rehabilitation. Thanks to this broad view, it may be possible to predict the effectiveness of rehabilitation on the basis of genetic testing, which would significantly contribute to the development of personalized medicine and to the optimal management of medical services in healthcare systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bartosz Bagrowski
- Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Department of Mother and Child Health, Department of Practical Training in Obstetrics, Poland; Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinical Hospital of Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Rehabilitation Center for Children, Poland.
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8
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Medina CA, Vargas E, Munger SJ, Miller JE. Vocal changes in a zebra finch model of Parkinson's disease characterized by alpha-synuclein overexpression in the song-dedicated anterior forebrain pathway. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0265604. [PMID: 35507553 PMCID: PMC9067653 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Deterioration in the quality of a person's voice and speech is an early marker of Parkinson's disease (PD). In humans, the neural circuit that supports vocal motor control consists of a cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortico loop. The basal ganglia regions, striatum and globus pallidus, in this loop play a role in modulating the acoustic features of vocal behavior such as loudness, pitch, and articulatory rate. In PD, this area is implicated in pathogenesis. In animal models of PD, the accumulation of toxic aggregates containing the neuronal protein alpha-synuclein (αsyn) in the midbrain and striatum result in limb and vocal motor impairments. It has been challenging to study vocal impairments given the lack of well-defined cortico-basal ganglia circuitry for vocalization in rodent models. Furthermore, whether deterioration of voice quality early in PD is a direct result of αsyn-induced neuropathology is not yet known. Here, we take advantage of the well-characterized vocal circuits of the adult male zebra finch songbird to experimentally target a song-dedicated pathway, the anterior forebrain pathway, using an adeno-associated virus expressing the human wild-type αsyn gene, SNCA. We found that overexpression of αsyn in this pathway coincides with higher levels of insoluble, monomeric αsyn compared to control finches. Impairments in song production were also detected along with shorter and poorer quality syllables, which are the most basic unit of song. These vocal changes are similar to the vocal abnormalities observed in individuals with PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cesar A. Medina
- Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United State of America
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Eddie Vargas
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Stephanie J. Munger
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Julie E. Miller
- Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United State of America
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
- Department of Neurology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
- BIO5 Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America
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9
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Bokulić E, Medenica T, Knezović V, Štajduhar A, Almahariq F, Baković M, Judaš M, Sedmak G. The Stereological Analysis and Spatial Distribution of Neurons in the Human Subthalamic Nucleus. Front Neuroanat 2022; 15:749390. [PMID: 34970124 PMCID: PMC8712451 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2021.749390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The subthalamic nucleus (STN) is a small, ovoid structure, and an important site of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. Although the STN is a clinically important structure, there are many unresolved issues with regard to it. These issues are especially related to the anatomical subdivision, neuronal phenotype, neuronal composition, and spatial distribution. In this study, we have examined the expression pattern of 8 neuronal markers [nNOS, NeuN, parvalbumin (PV), calbindin (CB), calretinin (CR), FOXP2, NKX2.1, and PAX6] in the adult human STN. All of the examined markers, except CB, were present in the STN. To determine the neuronal density, we have performed stereological analysis on Nissl-stained and immunohistochemical slides of positive markers. The stereology data were also used to develop a three-dimensional map of the spatial distribution of neurons within the STN. The nNOS population exhibited the largest neuronal density. The estimated total number of nNOS STN neurons is 281,308 ± 38,967 (± 13.85%). The STN neuronal subpopulations can be divided into two groups: one with a neuronal density of approximately 3,300 neurons/mm3 and the other with a neuronal density of approximately 2,200 neurons/mm3. The largest density of STN neurons was observed along the ventromedial border of the STN and the density gradually decreased toward the dorsolateral border. In this study, we have demonstrated the presence of 7 neuronal markers in the STN, three of which were not previously described in the human STN. The human STN is a collection of diverse, intermixed neuronal subpopulations, and our data, as far as the cytoarchitectonics is concerned, did not support the tripartite STN subdivision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ema Bokulić
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia.,Centre of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Tila Medenica
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia.,Centre of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Vinka Knezović
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia.,Centre of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Andrija Štajduhar
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia.,Centre of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, Zagreb, Croatia.,School of Public Health "Andrija Štampar," University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Fadi Almahariq
- Centre of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, Zagreb, Croatia.,Department of Neurosurgery, Clinical Hospital "Dubrava," Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Marija Baković
- Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Miloš Judaš
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia.,Centre of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Goran Sedmak
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia.,Centre of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, Zagreb, Croatia
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Braden RO, Amor DJ, Fisher SE, Mei C, Myers CT, Mefford H, Gill D, Srivastava S, Swanson LC, Goel H, Scheffer IE, Morgan AT. Severe speech impairment is a distinguishing feature of FOXP1-related disorder. Dev Med Child Neurol 2021; 63:1417-1426. [PMID: 34109629 DOI: 10.1111/dmcn.14955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
AIM To delineate the speech and language phenotype of a cohort of individuals with FOXP1-related disorder. METHOD We administered a standardized test battery to examine speech and oral motor function, receptive and expressive language, non-verbal cognition, and adaptive behaviour. Clinical history and cognitive assessments were analysed together with speech and language findings. RESULTS Twenty-nine patients (17 females, 12 males; mean age 9y 6mo; median age 8y [range 2y 7mo-33y]; SD 6y 5mo) with pathogenic FOXP1 variants (14 truncating, three missense, three splice site, one in-frame deletion, eight cytogenic deletions; 28 out of 29 were de novo variants) were studied. All had atypical speech, with 21 being verbal and eight minimally verbal. All verbal patients had dysarthric and apraxic features, with phonological deficits in most (14 out of 16). Language scores were low overall. In the 21 individuals who carried truncating or splice site variants and small deletions, expressive abilities were relatively preserved compared with comprehension. INTERPRETATION FOXP1-related disorder is characterized by a complex speech and language phenotype with prominent dysarthria, broader motor planning and programming deficits, and linguistic-based phonological errors. Diagnosis of the speech phenotype associated with FOXP1-related dysfunction will inform early targeted therapy. What this paper adds Individuals with FOXP1-related disorder have a complex speech and language phenotype. Dysarthria, which impairs intelligibility, is the dominant feature of the speech profile. No participants were receiving speech therapy for dysarthria, but were good candidates for therapy Features of speech apraxia occur alongside persistent phonological errors. Language abilities are low overall; however, expressive language is a relative strength.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth O Braden
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology and Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - David J Amor
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology and Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,The Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Victorian Clinical Genetics Service, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Simon E Fisher
- Language and Genetics Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.,Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Cristina Mei
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Orygen and Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Candace T Myers
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Genetic Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Heather Mefford
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Genetic Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Deepak Gill
- TY Nelson Department of Neurology, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Lindsay C Swanson
- Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Himanshu Goel
- Hunter Genetics, John Hunter Hospital, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - Ingrid E Scheffer
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology and Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,The Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Austin Health, Heidelberg, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Angela T Morgan
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology and Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,The Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Victorian Clinical Genetics Service, Parkville, VIC, Australia
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11
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Mazumder TH, Alqahtani AM, Alqahtani T, Emran TB, A. Aldahish A, Uddin A. Analysis of Codon Usage of Speech Gene FoxP2 among Animals. BIOLOGY 2021; 10:biology10111078. [PMID: 34827071 PMCID: PMC8614651 DOI: 10.3390/biology10111078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Revised: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary We evaluated codon usage bias in the FoxP2 gene in fishes, birds, reptiles, and mammals. Fishes use C or G—ending codons, while birds, reptiles, and mammals employ T or A—ending codons. Apart from the nucleotide composition, natural selection and mutation pressure might influence the CUB. The ENC observed/ENC expected ratio demonstrated that mutation pressure influences FoxP2 codon usage patterns. Natural selection may have had a key influence in shaping the CUB, although mutation pressure may have played a minor role. FoxP2 gene codon usage is affected by the base composition under mutation bias. Abstract The protein-coding gene FoxP2 (fork head box protein P2) plays a major role in communication and evolutionary changes. The present study carried out a comprehensive codon usage bias analysis in the FoxP2 gene among a diverse group of animals including fishes, birds, reptiles, and mammals. We observed that in the genome of fishes for the FoxP2 gene, codons ending with C or G were most frequently used, while in birds, reptiles, and mammals, codons ending with T or A were most frequently used. A higher ENC value was observed for the FoxP2 gene indicating a lower CUB. Parity role two-bias plots suggested that apart from mutation pressure, other factors such as natural selection might have influenced the CUB. The frequency distribution of the ENC observed and ENC expected ratio revealed that mutation pressure plays a key role in the patterns of codon usage of FoxP2. Besides, correspondence analysis exposed the composition of the nucleobase under mutation bias affects the codon usage of the FoxP2 gene. However, neutrality plots revealed the major role of natural selection over mutation pressure in the CUB of FoxP2. In addition, the codon usage patterns for FoxP2 among the selected genomes suggested that nature has favored nearly all the synonymous codons for encoding the corresponding amino acid. The uniform usage of 12 synonymous codons for FoxP2 was observed among the species of birds. The amino acid usage frequency for FoxP2 revealed that the amino acids Leucine, Glutamine, and Serine were predominant over other amino acids among all the species of fishes, birds, reptiles, and mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ali M. Alqahtani
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, King Khalid University, Abha 62529, Saudi Arabia; (A.M.A.); (T.A.); (A.A.A.)
| | - Taha Alqahtani
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, King Khalid University, Abha 62529, Saudi Arabia; (A.M.A.); (T.A.); (A.A.A.)
| | - Talha Bin Emran
- Department of Pharmacy, BGC Trust University Bangladesh, Chittagong 4381, Bangladesh;
| | - Afaf A. Aldahish
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, King Khalid University, Abha 62529, Saudi Arabia; (A.M.A.); (T.A.); (A.A.A.)
| | - Arif Uddin
- Department of Zoology, Moinul Hoque Choudhury Memorial College, Hailakandi 788150, Assam, India
- Correspondence:
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12
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Santos-Terra J, Deckmann I, Fontes-Dutra M, Schwingel GB, Bambini-Junior V, Gottfried C. Transcription factors in neurodevelopmental and associated psychiatric disorders: A potential convergence for genetic and environmental risk factors. Int J Dev Neurosci 2021; 81:545-578. [PMID: 34240460 DOI: 10.1002/jdn.10141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Revised: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are a heterogeneous and highly prevalent group of psychiatric conditions marked by impairments in the nervous system. Their onset occurs during gestation, and the alterations are observed throughout the postnatal life. Although many genetic and environmental risk factors have been described in this context, the interactions between them challenge the understanding of the pathways associated with NDDs. Transcription factors (TFs)-a group of over 1,600 proteins that can interact with DNA, regulating gene expression through modulation of RNA synthesis-represent a point of convergence for different risk factors. In addition, TFs organize critical processes like angiogenesis, blood-brain barrier formation, myelination, neuronal migration, immune activation, and many others in a time and location-dependent way. In this review, we summarize important TF alterations in NDD and associated disorders, along with specific impairments observed in animal models, and, finally, establish hypotheses to explain how these proteins may be critical mediators in the context of genome-environment interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Júlio Santos-Terra
- Translational Research Group in Autism Spectrum Disorders (GETTEA), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Department of Biochemistry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,National Institute of Science and Technology on Neuroimmunomodulation (INCT-NIM), Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,School of Pharmacology and Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Autism Wellbeing And Research Development (AWARD) Institute, BR-UK-CA, Preston, UK
| | - Iohanna Deckmann
- Translational Research Group in Autism Spectrum Disorders (GETTEA), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Department of Biochemistry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,National Institute of Science and Technology on Neuroimmunomodulation (INCT-NIM), Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,School of Pharmacology and Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Autism Wellbeing And Research Development (AWARD) Institute, BR-UK-CA, Preston, UK
| | - Mellanie Fontes-Dutra
- Translational Research Group in Autism Spectrum Disorders (GETTEA), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Department of Biochemistry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,National Institute of Science and Technology on Neuroimmunomodulation (INCT-NIM), Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,School of Pharmacology and Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Autism Wellbeing And Research Development (AWARD) Institute, BR-UK-CA, Preston, UK
| | - Gustavo Brum Schwingel
- Translational Research Group in Autism Spectrum Disorders (GETTEA), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Department of Biochemistry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,National Institute of Science and Technology on Neuroimmunomodulation (INCT-NIM), Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,School of Pharmacology and Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Autism Wellbeing And Research Development (AWARD) Institute, BR-UK-CA, Preston, UK
| | - Victorio Bambini-Junior
- Translational Research Group in Autism Spectrum Disorders (GETTEA), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,National Institute of Science and Technology on Neuroimmunomodulation (INCT-NIM), Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,School of Pharmacology and Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Autism Wellbeing And Research Development (AWARD) Institute, BR-UK-CA, Preston, UK.,School of Pharmacology and Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK
| | - Carmem Gottfried
- Translational Research Group in Autism Spectrum Disorders (GETTEA), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Department of Biochemistry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,National Institute of Science and Technology on Neuroimmunomodulation (INCT-NIM), Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,School of Pharmacology and Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Autism Wellbeing And Research Development (AWARD) Institute, BR-UK-CA, Preston, UK
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13
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Xiao L, Merullo DP, Koch TMI, Cao M, Co M, Kulkarni A, Konopka G, Roberts TF. Expression of FoxP2 in the basal ganglia regulates vocal motor sequences in the adult songbird. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2617. [PMID: 33976169 PMCID: PMC8113549 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22918-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Disruption of the transcription factor FoxP2, which is enriched in the basal ganglia, impairs vocal development in humans and songbirds. The basal ganglia are important for the selection and sequencing of motor actions, but the circuit mechanisms governing accurate sequencing of learned vocalizations are unknown. Here, we show that expression of FoxP2 in the basal ganglia is vital for the fluent initiation and termination of birdsong, as well as the maintenance of song syllable sequencing in adulthood. Knockdown of FoxP2 imbalances dopamine receptor expression across striatal direct-like and indirect-like pathways, suggesting a role of dopaminergic signaling in regulating vocal motor sequencing. Confirming this prediction, we show that phasic dopamine activation, and not inhibition, during singing drives repetition of song syllables, thus also impairing fluent initiation and termination of birdsong. These findings demonstrate discrete circuit origins for the dysfluent repetition of vocal elements in songbirds, with implications for speech disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Xiao
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Devin P Merullo
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Therese M I Koch
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Mou Cao
- Department of Pediatrics, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Marissa Co
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | | | - Genevieve Konopka
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Todd F Roberts
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
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14
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Plata-Bello J, Fariña-Jerónimo H, Betancor I, Salido E. High Expression of FOXP2 Is Associated with Worse Prognosis in Glioblastoma. World Neurosurg 2021; 150:e253-e278. [PMID: 33689847 DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2021.02.132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2020] [Revised: 02/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE FOXP2 expression has been associated with the prognosis of some tumors, but the role of FOXP2 in glioblastoma remains unclear. The aim of the present work is to study the role of FOXP2 as a prognostic biomarker in glioblastoma. METHODS This is a retrospective observational case series study in which the expression of FOXP2 has been analyzed both at protein level (immunohistochemistry, n = 62) and at mRNA level (RNAseq, in a cohort of glioblastoma patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas [TCGA] database, n = 148). Other molecular and clinical data have also been included in the study, with special focus on miRNA expression data. Survival analysis using log-rank test and COX-regression have been used. Non-parametric statistical tests were also used to study differences between low and high FOXP2 expression groups. RESULTS Patients with a high expression of FOXP2 protein showed a worse prognosis than those patients with low expression in progression-free survival (hazard ratio 1.711; P = 0.034) and overall survival (hazard ratio 1.809; P = 0.014). These associations were still statistically significant in multivariate analysis. No prognostic association was found with FOXP2 RNA expression. Interestingly, 2 miRNAs that target FOXP2 (hsa-miR-181a-2-3p and hsa-miR-20a-3p) showed an interaction effect on overall survival with FOXP2 expression. A low level of these miRNA expression was associated with a significantly worse prognosis in patients with high FOXP2 RNA expression (log-rank test; P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Greater expression of FOXP2 at the protein level is associated with a worse prognosis. This protein expression may be regulated by the expression of specific miRNAs that target FOXP2 mRNA: hsa-miR-181a-2-3p and hsa-miR-20a-3p.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julio Plata-Bello
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Universitario de Canarias, S/C de Tenerife, Spain.
| | - Helga Fariña-Jerónimo
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Universitario de Canarias, S/C de Tenerife, Spain
| | - Isabel Betancor
- Department of Pathology, Hospital Universitario de Canarias, S/C de Tenerife, Spain
| | - Eduardo Salido
- Department of Pathology, Hospital Universitario de Canarias, S/C de Tenerife, Spain
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15
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Garcia-Oscos F, Koch TMI, Pancholi H, Trusel M, Daliparthi V, Co M, Park SE, Ayhan F, Alam DH, Holdway JE, Konopka G, Roberts TF. Autism-linked gene FoxP1 selectively regulates the cultural transmission of learned vocalizations. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabd2827. [PMID: 33536209 PMCID: PMC7857683 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abd2827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are characterized by impaired learning of social skills and language. Memories of how parents and other social models behave are used to guide behavioral learning. How ASD-linked genes affect the intertwined aspects of observational learning and behavioral imitation is not known. Here, we examine how disrupted expression of the ASD gene FOXP1, which causes severe impairments in speech and language learning, affects the cultural transmission of birdsong between adult and juvenile zebra finches. FoxP1 is widely expressed in striatal-projecting forebrain mirror neurons. Knockdown of FoxP1 in this circuit prevents juvenile birds from forming memories of an adult song model but does not interrupt learning how to vocally imitate a previously memorized song. This selective learning deficit is associated with potent disruptions to experience-dependent structural and synaptic plasticity in mirror neurons. Thus, FoxP1 regulates the ability to form memories essential to the cultural transmission of behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Garcia-Oscos
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - T M I Koch
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - H Pancholi
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - M Trusel
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - V Daliparthi
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - M Co
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - S E Park
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - F Ayhan
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - D H Alam
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - J E Holdway
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - G Konopka
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - T F Roberts
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
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16
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The influence of various regions of the FOXP2 sequence on its structure and DNA-binding function. Biosci Rep 2021; 41:227301. [PMID: 33319247 PMCID: PMC7789814 DOI: 10.1042/bsr20202128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
FOX proteins are a superfamily of transcription factors which share a DNA-binding domain referred to as the forkhead domain. Our focus is on the FOXP subfamily members, which are involved in language and cognition amongst other things. The FOXP proteins contain a conserved zinc finger and a leucine zipper motif in addition to the forkhead domain. The remainder of the sequence is predicted to be unstructured and includes an acidic C-terminal tail. In the present study, we aim to investigate how both the structured and unstructured regions of the sequence cooperate so as to enable FOXP proteins to perform their function. We do this by studying the effect of these regions on both oligomerisation and DNA binding. Structurally, the FOXP proteins appear to be comparatively globular with a high proportion of helical structure. The proteins multimerise via the leucine zipper, and the stability of the multimers is controlled by the unstructured interlinking sequence including the acid rich tail. FOXP2 is more compact than FOXP1, has a greater propensity to form higher order oligomers, and binds DNA with stronger affinity. We conclude that while the forkhead domain is necessary for DNA binding, the affinity of the binding event is attributable to the leucine zipper, and the unstructured regions play a significant role in the specificity of binding. The acid rich tail forms specific contacts with the forkhead domain which may influence oligomerisation and DNA binding, and therefore the acid rich tail may play an important regulatory role in FOXP transcription.
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17
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Rebelo MÂ, Gómez C, Gomes I, Poza J, Martins S, Maturana-Candelas A, Ruiz-Gómez SJ, Durães L, Sousa P, Figueruelo M, Rodríguez M, Pita C, Arenas M, Álvarez L, Hornero R, Pinto N, Lopes AM. Genome-Wide Scan for Five Brain Oscillatory Phenotypes Identifies a New QTL Associated with Theta EEG Band. Brain Sci 2020; 10:brainsci10110870. [PMID: 33218114 PMCID: PMC7698967 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10110870] [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: 10/15/2020] [Revised: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain waves, measured by electroencephalography (EEG), are a powerful tool in the investigation of neurophysiological traits and a noninvasive and cost-effective alternative in the diagnostic of some neurological diseases. In order to identify novel Quantitative Trait Loci (QTLs) for brain wave relative power (RP), we collected resting state EEG data in five frequency bands (δ, θ, α, β1, and β2) and genome-wide data in a cohort of 105 patients with late onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD), 41 individuals with mild cognitive impairment and 45 controls from Iberia, correcting for disease status. One novel association was found with an interesting candidate for a role in brain wave biology, CLEC16A (C-type lectin domain family 16), with a variant at this locus passing the adjusted genome-wide significance threshold after Bonferroni correction. This finding reinforces the importance of immune regulation in brain function. Additionally, at a significance cutoff value of 5 × 10−6, 18 independent association signals were detected. These signals comprise brain expression Quantitative Loci (eQTLs) in caudate basal ganglia, spinal cord, anterior cingulate cortex and hypothalamus, as well as chromatin interactions in adult and fetal cortex, neural progenitor cells and hippocampus. Moreover, in the set of genes showing signals of association with brain wave RP in our dataset, there is an overrepresentation of loci previously associated with neurological traits and pathologies, evidencing the pleiotropy of the genetic variation modulating brain function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Ângelo Rebelo
- IPATIMUP—Instituto de Patologia e Imunologia Molecular da Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (M.Â.R.); (I.G.); (S.M.); (A.M.L.)
- I3S—Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
| | - Carlos Gómez
- Grupo de Ingeniería Biomédica, Universidad de Valladolid, 47011 Valladolid, Spain; (J.P.); (A.M.-C.); (S.J.R.-G.); (R.H.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, (CIBER-BBN), 47011 Valladolid, Spain
- Correspondence: (C.G.); (N.P.)
| | - Iva Gomes
- IPATIMUP—Instituto de Patologia e Imunologia Molecular da Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (M.Â.R.); (I.G.); (S.M.); (A.M.L.)
- I3S—Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
| | - Jesús Poza
- Grupo de Ingeniería Biomédica, Universidad de Valladolid, 47011 Valladolid, Spain; (J.P.); (A.M.-C.); (S.J.R.-G.); (R.H.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, (CIBER-BBN), 47011 Valladolid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación en Matemáticas (IMUVA), Universidad de Valladolid, 47011 Valladolid, Spain
| | - Sandra Martins
- IPATIMUP—Instituto de Patologia e Imunologia Molecular da Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (M.Â.R.); (I.G.); (S.M.); (A.M.L.)
- I3S—Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
| | - Aarón Maturana-Candelas
- Grupo de Ingeniería Biomédica, Universidad de Valladolid, 47011 Valladolid, Spain; (J.P.); (A.M.-C.); (S.J.R.-G.); (R.H.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, (CIBER-BBN), 47011 Valladolid, Spain
| | - Saúl J. Ruiz-Gómez
- Grupo de Ingeniería Biomédica, Universidad de Valladolid, 47011 Valladolid, Spain; (J.P.); (A.M.-C.); (S.J.R.-G.); (R.H.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, (CIBER-BBN), 47011 Valladolid, Spain
| | - Luis Durães
- Associação Portuguesa de Familiares e Amigos de Doentes de Alzheimer, Delegação Norte, 4455-301 Lavra, Portugal; (L.D.); (P.S.)
| | - Patrícia Sousa
- Associação Portuguesa de Familiares e Amigos de Doentes de Alzheimer, Delegação Norte, 4455-301 Lavra, Portugal; (L.D.); (P.S.)
| | - Manuel Figueruelo
- Asociación de Familiares y Amigos de Enfermos de Alzheimer y otras demencias de Zamora, 49021 Zamora, Spain; (M.F.); (M.R.); (C.P.)
| | - María Rodríguez
- Asociación de Familiares y Amigos de Enfermos de Alzheimer y otras demencias de Zamora, 49021 Zamora, Spain; (M.F.); (M.R.); (C.P.)
| | - Carmen Pita
- Asociación de Familiares y Amigos de Enfermos de Alzheimer y otras demencias de Zamora, 49021 Zamora, Spain; (M.F.); (M.R.); (C.P.)
| | - Miguel Arenas
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Immunology, University of Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain;
| | | | - Roberto Hornero
- Grupo de Ingeniería Biomédica, Universidad de Valladolid, 47011 Valladolid, Spain; (J.P.); (A.M.-C.); (S.J.R.-G.); (R.H.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, (CIBER-BBN), 47011 Valladolid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación en Matemáticas (IMUVA), Universidad de Valladolid, 47011 Valladolid, Spain
| | - Nádia Pinto
- IPATIMUP—Instituto de Patologia e Imunologia Molecular da Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (M.Â.R.); (I.G.); (S.M.); (A.M.L.)
- I3S—Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- Centro de Matemática da, Universidade do Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
- Correspondence: (C.G.); (N.P.)
| | - Alexandra M. Lopes
- IPATIMUP—Instituto de Patologia e Imunologia Molecular da Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (M.Â.R.); (I.G.); (S.M.); (A.M.L.)
- I3S—Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
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18
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Zhu Y, Mordaunt CE, Durbin-Johnson BP, Caudill MA, Malysheva OV, Miller JW, Green R, James SJ, Melnyk SB, Fallin MD, Hertz-Picciotto I, Schmidt RJ, LaSalle JM. Expression Changes in Epigenetic Gene Pathways Associated With One-Carbon Nutritional Metabolites in Maternal Blood From Pregnancies Resulting in Autism and Non-Typical Neurodevelopment. Autism Res 2020; 14:11-28. [PMID: 33159718 PMCID: PMC7894157 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Revised: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The prenatal period is a critical window for the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The relationship between prenatal nutrients and gestational gene expression in mothers of children later diagnosed with ASD or non-typical development (Non-TD) is poorly understood. Maternal blood collected prospectively during pregnancy provides insights into the effects of nutrition, particularly one-carbon metabolites, on gene pathways and neurodevelopment. Genome-wide transcriptomes were measured with microarrays in 300 maternal blood samples in Markers of Autism Risk in Babies-Learning Early Signs. Sixteen different one-carbon metabolites, including folic acid, betaine, 5'-methyltretrahydrofolate (5-MeTHF), and dimethylglycine (DMG) were measured. Differential expression analysis and weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA) were used to compare gene expression between children later diagnosed as typical development (TD), Non-TD and ASD, and to one-carbon metabolites. Using differential gene expression analysis, six transcripts (TGR-AS1, SQSTM1, HLA-C, and RFESD) were associated with child outcomes (ASD, Non-TD, and TD) with genome-wide significance. Genes nominally differentially expressed between ASD and TD significantly overlapped with seven high confidence ASD genes. WGCNA identified co-expressed gene modules significantly correlated with 5-MeTHF, folic acid, DMG, and betaine. A module enriched in DNA methylation functions showed a suggestive protective association with folic acid/5-MeTHF concentrations and ASD risk. Maternal plasma betaine and DMG concentrations were associated with a block of co-expressed genes enriched for adaptive immune, histone modification, and RNA processing functions. These results suggest that the prenatal maternal blood transcriptome is a sensitive indicator of gestational one-carbon metabolite status and changes relevant to children's later neurodevelopmental outcomes. LAY SUMMARY: Pregnancy is a time when maternal nutrition could interact with genetic risk for autism spectrum disorder. Blood samples collected during pregnancy from mothers who had a prior child with autism were examined for gene expression and nutrient metabolites, then compared to the diagnosis of the child at age three. Expression differences in gene pathways related to the immune system and gene regulation were observed for pregnancies of children with autism and non-typical neurodevelopment and were associated with maternal nutrients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yihui Zhu
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Genome Center, and Perinatal Origins of Disparities Center, University of California, Davis, California, USA.,MIND Institute, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Charles E Mordaunt
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Genome Center, and Perinatal Origins of Disparities Center, University of California, Davis, California, USA.,MIND Institute, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | | | - Marie A Caudill
- Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Olga V Malysheva
- Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Joshua W Miller
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - Ralph Green
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - S Jill James
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Arkansas Children's Research Institute, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
| | - Stepan B Melnyk
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Arkansas Children's Research Institute, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
| | - M Daniele Fallin
- Department of Mental Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Irva Hertz-Picciotto
- MIND Institute, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, USA.,Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Rebecca J Schmidt
- MIND Institute, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, USA.,Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Janine M LaSalle
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Genome Center, and Perinatal Origins of Disparities Center, University of California, Davis, California, USA.,MIND Institute, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, USA
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19
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An avian cortical circuit for chunking tutor song syllables into simple vocal-motor units. Nat Commun 2020; 11:5029. [PMID: 33024101 PMCID: PMC7538968 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18732-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2019] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
How are brain circuits constructed to achieve complex goals? The brains of young songbirds develop motor circuits that achieve the goal of imitating a specific tutor song to which they are exposed. Here, we set out to examine how song-generating circuits may be influenced early in song learning by a cortical region (NIf) at the interface between auditory and motor systems. Single-unit recordings reveal that, during juvenile babbling, NIf neurons burst at syllable onsets, with some neurons exhibiting selectivity for particular emerging syllable types. When juvenile birds listen to their tutor, NIf neurons are also activated at tutor syllable onsets, and are often selective for particular syllable types. We examine a simple computational model in which tutor exposure imprints the correct number of syllable patterns as ensembles in an interconnected NIf network. These ensembles are then reactivated during singing to train a set of syllable sequences in the motor network. Young songbirds learn to imitate their parents’ songs. Here, the authors find that, in baby birds, neurons in a brain region at the interface of auditory and motor circuits signal the onsets of song syllables during both tutoring and babbling, suggesting a specific neural mechanism for vocal imitation.
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20
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An Etiological Foxp2 Mutation Impairs Neuronal Gain in Layer VI Cortico-Thalamic Cells through Increased GABA B/GIRK Signaling. J Neurosci 2020; 40:8543-8555. [PMID: 33020214 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2615-19.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Revised: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
A rare mutation affecting the Forkhead-box protein P2 (FOXP2) transcription factor causes a severe monogenic speech and language disorder. Mice carrying an identical point mutation to that observed in affected patients (Foxp2+/R552H mice) display motor deficits and impaired synaptic plasticity in the striatum. However, the consequences of the mutation on neuronal function, in particular in the cerebral cortex, remain little studied. Foxp2 is expressed in a subset of Layer VI cortical neurons. Here, we used Ntsr1-EGFP mice to identify Foxp2+ neurons in the mouse auditory cortex ex vivo. We studied the functional impact of the R552H mutation on the morphologic and functional properties of Layer VI cortical neurons from Ntsr1-EGFP; Foxp2+/R552H male and female mice. The complexity of apical, but not basal dendrites was significantly lower in Foxp2+/R552H cortico-thalamic neurons than in control Foxp2+/+ neurons. Excitatory synaptic inputs, but not inhibitory synaptic inputs, were decreased in Foxp2+/R552H mice. In response, homeostatic mechanisms would be expected to increase neuronal gain, i.e., the conversion of a synaptic input into a firing output. However, the intrinsic excitability of Foxp2+ cortical neurons was lower in Foxp2+/R552H neurons. A-type and delayed-rectifier (DR) potassium currents, two putative transcriptional targets of Foxp2, were not affected by the mutation. In contrast, GABAB/GIRK signaling, another presumed target of Foxp2, was increased in mutant neurons. Blocking GIRK channels strongly attenuated the difference in intrinsic excitability between wild-type (WT) and Foxp2+/R552H neurons. Our results reveal a novel role for Foxp2 in the control of neuronal input/output homeostasis.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Mutations of the Forkhead-box protein 2 (FOXP2) gene in humans are the first known monogenic cause of a speech and language disorder. The Foxp2 mutation may directly affect neuronal development and function in neocortex, where Foxp2 is expressed. Brain imaging studies in patients with a heterozygous mutation in FOXP2 showed abnormalities in cortical language-related regions relative to the unaffected members of the same family. However, the role of Foxp2 in neocortical neurons is poorly understood. Using mice with a Foxp2 mutation equivalent to that found in patients, we studied functional modifications in auditory cortex neurons ex vivo We found that mutant neurons exhibit alterations of synaptic input and GABAB/GIRK signaling, reflecting a loss of neuronal homeostasis.
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21
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Liu Y, Konopka G. An integrative understanding of comparative cognition: lessons from human brain evolution. Integr Comp Biol 2020; 60:991-1006. [PMID: 32681799 PMCID: PMC7608741 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icaa109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
A comprehensive understanding of animal cognition requires the integration of studies on behavior, electrophysiology, neuroanatomy, development, and genomics. Although studies of comparative cognition are receiving increasing attention from organismal biologists, most current studies focus on the comparison of behaviors and anatomical structures to understand their adaptative values. However, to understand the most potentially complex cognitive program of the human brain a greater synthesis of a multitude of disciplines is needed. In this review, we start with extensive neuroanatomic comparisons between humans and other primates. One likely specialization of the human brain is the expansion of neocortex, especially in regions for high-order cognition (e.g., prefrontal cortex). We then discuss how such an expansion can be linked to heterochrony of the brain developmental program, resulting in a greater number of neurons and enhanced computational capacity. Furthermore, alteration of gene expression in the human brain has been associated with positive selection in DNA sequences of gene regulatory regions. These results not only imply that genes associated with brain development are a major factor in the evolution of cognition, but also that high-quality whole-genome sequencing and gene manipulation techniques are needed for an integrative and functional understanding of comparative cognition in non-model organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxiang Liu
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Genevieve Konopka
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
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22
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Li X, Han X, Tu X, Zhu D, Feng Y, Jiang T, Yang Y, Qu J, Chen JG. An Autism-Related, Nonsense Foxp1 Mutant Induces Autophagy and Delays Radial Migration of the Cortical Neurons. Cereb Cortex 2020; 29:3193-3208. [PMID: 30124790 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2018] [Revised: 07/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that has a strong genetic component. Disruptions of FOXP1, a transcription factor expressed in the developing cerebral cortex, were associated with ASD. FOXP1(R525X) is a de novo heterozygous mutation found in patients with autism and severe mental retardation. To explore the neuronal basis of FOXP1(R525X) in ASD, we created Foxp1(R521X), a mouse homolog of the human variant. Ectopic expression of Foxp1(R521X) led to cytoplasmic aggregates and activated macroautophagy in neuroblastoma N2a cells and the developing neuronal cells. Cortical neurons expressing Foxp1(R521X) exhibited delayed migration and altered dendritic morphology. As a control, mutant Y435X that was expressed diffusively in the cytoplasm did not induce autophagy and migration delay in the cortex. The embryonic cortical cells had a minimal activity of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) as assayed by a splicing-dependent NMD reporter. We hypothesize that the developing neuronal cells use autophagy but not NMD as a safeguard mechanism against nonsense mutant aggregates, resulting in impairment of the cortical development. This study suggests a novel mechanism other than heterozygous loss of FOXP1 for the development of ASD and may advance our understanding of the complex relationships between gene mutation and the related psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Li
- School of Ophthalmology and Optometry and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China.,State Key Laboratory of Optometry, Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China.,Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Optometry and Ophthalmology, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Xin Han
- School of Ophthalmology and Optometry and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China.,State Key Laboratory of Optometry, Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China.,Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Optometry and Ophthalmology, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Xiaomeng Tu
- School of Ophthalmology and Optometry and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China.,State Key Laboratory of Optometry, Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China.,Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Optometry and Ophthalmology, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Dan Zhu
- School of Ophthalmology and Optometry and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China.,State Key Laboratory of Optometry, Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China.,Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Optometry and Ophthalmology, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Yue Feng
- School of Ophthalmology and Optometry and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China.,State Key Laboratory of Optometry, Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China.,Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Optometry and Ophthalmology, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Tian Jiang
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, the Affiliated Wenling Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenling, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Youping Yang
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, the Affiliated Wenling Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenling, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Jia Qu
- School of Ophthalmology and Optometry and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China.,State Key Laboratory of Optometry, Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China.,Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Optometry and Ophthalmology, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Jie-Guang Chen
- School of Ophthalmology and Optometry and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China.,State Key Laboratory of Optometry, Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China.,Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Optometry and Ophthalmology, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China
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23
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Hacohen-Kleiman G, Moaraf S, Kapitansky O, Gozes I. Sex-and Region-Dependent Expression of the Autism-Linked ADNP Correlates with Social- and Speech-Related Genes in the Canary Brain. J Mol Neurosci 2020; 70:1671-1683. [PMID: 32926339 DOI: 10.1007/s12031-020-01700-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/05/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The activity-dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP) syndrome is an autistic-like disorder, instigated by mutations in ADNP. This syndrome is characterized by developmental delays, impairments in speech, motor function, abnormal hearing, and intellectual disabilities. In the Adnp-haploinsufficient mouse model, many of these impediments are evident, appearing in a sex-dependent manner. In zebra finch songbird (ZF; Taeniopygia guttata), an animal model used for song/language studies, ADNP mRNA most robust expression is observed in the cerebrum of young males, potentially corroborating with male ZF exclusive singing behavior and developed cerebral song system. Herein, we report a similar sex-dependent ADNP expression profile, with the highest expression in the cerebrum (qRT-PCR) in the brain of another songbird, the domesticated canary (Serinus canaria domestica). Additional analyses for the mRNA transcripts of the ADNP regulator, vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), sister gene ADNP2, and speech-related Forkhead box protein P2 (FoxP2) revealed multiple sex and brain region-dependent positive correlations between the genes (including ADNP). Parallel transcript expression patterns for FoxP2 and VIP were observed alongside specific FoxP2 increase in males compared with females as well as VIP/ADNP2 correlations. In spatial view, a sexually independent extensive form of expression was found for ADNP in the canary cerebrum (RNA in situ hybridization). The songbird cerebral mesopallium area stood out as a potentially high-expressing ADNP tissue, further strengthening the association of ADNP with sense integration and auditory memory formation, previously implicated in mouse and human.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gal Hacohen-Kleiman
- The Elton Laboratory for Neuroendocrinology, Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Sagol School of Neuroscience and Adams Super Center for Brain Studies, Tel Aviv University, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Department of Natural and Life Sciences, The Open University of Israel, 43107, Ra'anana, Israel
| | - Stan Moaraf
- Department of Natural and Life Sciences, The Open University of Israel, 43107, Ra'anana, Israel
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Oxana Kapitansky
- The Elton Laboratory for Neuroendocrinology, Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Sagol School of Neuroscience and Adams Super Center for Brain Studies, Tel Aviv University, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Illana Gozes
- The Elton Laboratory for Neuroendocrinology, Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Sagol School of Neuroscience and Adams Super Center for Brain Studies, Tel Aviv University, 69978, Tel Aviv, Israel.
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24
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Co M, Anderson AG, Konopka G. FOXP transcription factors in vertebrate brain development, function, and disorders. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY 2020; 9:e375. [PMID: 31999079 PMCID: PMC8286808 DOI: 10.1002/wdev.375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Revised: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
FOXP transcription factors are an evolutionarily ancient protein subfamily coordinating the development of several organ systems in the vertebrate body. Association of their genes with neurodevelopmental disorders has sparked particular interest in their expression patterns and functions in the brain. Here, FOXP1, FOXP2, and FOXP4 are expressed in distinct cell type-specific spatiotemporal patterns in multiple regions, including the cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, basal ganglia, thalamus, and cerebellum. These varied sites and timepoints of expression have complicated efforts to link FOXP1 and FOXP2 mutations to their respective developmental disorders, the former affecting global neural functions and the latter specifically affecting speech and language. However, the use of animal models, particularly those with brain region- and cell type-specific manipulations, has greatly advanced our understanding of how FOXP expression patterns could underlie disorder-related phenotypes. While many questions remain regarding FOXP expression and function in the brain, studies to date have illuminated the roles of these transcription factors in vertebrate brain development and have greatly informed our understanding of human development and disorders. This article is categorized under: Nervous System Development > Vertebrates: General Principles Gene Expression and Transcriptional Hierarchies > Gene Networks and Genomics Nervous System Development > Vertebrates: Regional Development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marissa Co
- Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Ashley G Anderson
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Genevieve Konopka
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
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25
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Taylor MR, Roby CR, Elziny S, Duricy E, Taylor TM, Bowers JM. Age, but Not Sex, Modulates Foxp3 Expression in the Rat Brain across Development. Neuroscience 2020; 442:87-99. [PMID: 32599120 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.06.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Revised: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The interconnectivity between brain development and the immune system has become an area of interest for many neuroscientists. However, to date, a limited number of known immune mediators of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) have been found to influence the development of the central nervous system (CNS). FOXP3 is a well-established mediator of regulatory T-cells in the PNS. However, the expression pattern of FOXP3 in the CNS and the PNS throughout development is unknown. To fill this void, we have characterized, in several brain regions, the developmental profile of Foxp3 for both sexes using rats. We found different patterns of Foxp3 in the CNS and PNS. In the CNS, we found Foxp3 was ubiquitously expressed, with the levels of Foxp3 varying by brain region. We also found both Foxp3 mRNA and protein levels peak during embryonic development and then steadily decrease with a peak increase during adulthood. In adulthood, the protein but not mRNA increases to the equivalent levels found at the embryonic stage of life. In the PNS, Foxp3 protein levels were low embryonically and increased steadily over the life of the animal with maximal levels reached in adulthood. Patterns observed for both the PNS and CNS were similar in males and females across all developmental timepoints. Our novel findings have implications for understanding how the neural immune system impacts neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Makenzlie R Taylor
- School of Neuroscience, 1981 Kraft Drive, ILSB, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0913, USA
| | - Clinton R Roby
- School of Neuroscience, 1981 Kraft Drive, ILSB, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0913, USA
| | - Soad Elziny
- School of Neuroscience, 1981 Kraft Drive, ILSB, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0913, USA
| | - Erin Duricy
- School of Neuroscience, 1981 Kraft Drive, ILSB, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0913, USA
| | - Tina M Taylor
- School of Neuroscience, 1981 Kraft Drive, ILSB, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0913, USA
| | - J Michael Bowers
- School of Neuroscience, 1981 Kraft Drive, ILSB, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0913, USA.
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26
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Kosubek-Langer J, Scharff C. Dynamic FoxP2 levels in male zebra finches are linked to morphology of adult-born Area X medium spiny neurons. Sci Rep 2020; 10:4787. [PMID: 32179863 PMCID: PMC7075913 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-61740-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 02/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The transcription factor FOXP2 is crucial for the formation and function of cortico-striatal circuits. FOXP2 mutations are associated with specific speech and language impairments. In songbirds, experimentally altered FoxP2 expression levels in the striatal song nucleus Area X impair vocal learning and song production. Overall FoxP2 protein levels in Area X are low in adult zebra finches and decrease further with singing. However, some Area X medium spiny neurons (MSNs) express FoxP2 at high levels (FoxP2high MSNs) and singing does not change this. Because Area X receives many new neurons throughout adulthood, we hypothesized that the FoxP2high MSNs are newly recruited neurons, not yet integrated into the local Area X circuitry and thus not active during singing. Contrary to our expectation, FoxP2 protein levels did not predict whether new MSNs were active during singing, assayed via immediate early gene expression. However, new FoxP2high MSNs had more complex dendrites, higher spine density and more mushroom spines than new FoxP2low MSNs. In addition, FoxP2 expression levels correlated positively with nucleus size of new MSNs. Together, our data suggest that dynamic FoxP2 levels in new MSNs shape their morphology during maturation and their incorporation into a neural circuit that enables the maintenance and social modulation of adult birdsong.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Kosubek-Langer
- Department of Animal Behavior, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Constance Scharff
- Department of Animal Behavior, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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27
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Lovell PV, Wirthlin M, Kaser T, Buckner AA, Carleton JB, Snider BR, McHugh AK, Tolpygo A, Mitra PP, Mello CV. ZEBrA: Zebra finch Expression Brain Atlas-A resource for comparative molecular neuroanatomy and brain evolution studies. J Comp Neurol 2020; 528:2099-2131. [PMID: 32037563 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2019] [Revised: 01/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
An in-depth understanding of the genetics and evolution of brain function and behavior requires a detailed mapping of gene expression in functional brain circuits across major vertebrate clades. Here we present the Zebra finch Expression Brain Atlas (ZEBrA; www.zebrafinchatlas.org, RRID: SCR_012988), a web-based resource that maps the expression of genes linked to a broad range of functions onto the brain of zebra finches. ZEBrA is a first of its kind gene expression brain atlas for a bird species and a first for any sauropsid. ZEBrA's >3,200 high-resolution digital images of in situ hybridized sections for ~650 genes (as of June 2019) are presented in alignment with an annotated histological atlas and can be browsed down to cellular resolution. An extensive relational database connects expression patterns to information about gene function, mouse expression patterns and phenotypes, and gene involvement in human diseases and communication disorders. By enabling brain-wide gene expression assessments in a bird, ZEBrA provides important substrates for comparative neuroanatomy and molecular brain evolution studies. ZEBrA also provides unique opportunities for linking genetic pathways to vocal learning and motor control circuits, as well as for novel insights into the molecular basis of sex steroids actions, brain dimorphisms, reproductive and social behaviors, sleep function, and adult neurogenesis, among many fundamental themes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter V Lovell
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Morgan Wirthlin
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Taylor Kaser
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Alexa A Buckner
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Julia B Carleton
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Brian R Snider
- Center for Spoken Language Understanding, Institute on Development and Disability, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Anne K McHugh
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | | | - Partha P Mitra
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York
| | - Claudio V Mello
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon
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28
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Fischer J, Hammerschmidt K. Towards a new taxonomy of primate vocal production learning. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190045. [PMID: 31735147 PMCID: PMC6895554 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The extent to which vocal learning can be found in nonhuman primates is key to reconstructing the evolution of speech. Regarding the adjustment of vocal output in relation to auditory experience (vocal production learning in the narrow sense), effects on the ontogenetic trajectory of vocal development as well as adjustment to group-specific call features have been found. Yet, a comparison of the vocalizations of different primate genera revealed striking similarities in the structure of calls and repertoires in different species of the same genus, indicating that the structure of nonhuman primate vocalizations is highly conserved. Thus, modifications in relation to experience only appear to be possible within relatively tight species-specific constraints. By contrast, comprehension learning may be extremely rapid and open-ended. In conjunction, these findings corroborate the idea of an ancestral independence of vocal production and auditory comprehension learning. To overcome the futile debate about whether or not vocal production learning can be found in nonhuman primates, we suggest putting the focus on the different mechanisms that may mediate the adjustment of vocal output in response to experience; these mechanisms may include auditory facilitation and learning from success. This article is part of the theme issue 'What can animal communication teach us about human language?'
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Fischer
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Kellnerweg 4, Göttingen, Niedersachsen 37077, Germany
- Department of Primate Cognition, Georg August University Göttingen, Göttingen, Niedersachsen, Germany
- Leibniz Science Campus Primate Cognition, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Kurt Hammerschmidt
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Kellnerweg 4, Göttingen, Niedersachsen 37077, Germany
- Leibniz Science Campus Primate Cognition, Göttingen, Germany
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29
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Differential Song Deficits after Lentivirus-Mediated Knockdown of FoxP1, FoxP2, or FoxP4 in Area X of Juvenile Zebra Finches. J Neurosci 2019; 39:9782-9796. [PMID: 31641053 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1250-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Revised: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations in the transcription factors FOXP1 and FOXP2 are associated with speech impairments. FOXP1 is additionally linked to cognitive deficits, as is FOXP4. These FoxP proteins are highly conserved in vertebrates and expressed in comparable brain regions, including the striatum. In male zebra finches, experimental manipulation of FoxP2 in Area X, a striatal song nucleus essential for vocal production learning, affects song development, adult song production, dendritic spine density, and dopamine-regulated synaptic transmission of striatal neurons. We previously showed that, in the majority of Area X neurons FoxP1, FoxP2, and FoxP4 are coexpressed, can dimerize and multimerize with each other and differentially regulate the expression of target genes. These findings raise the possibility that FoxP1, FoxP2, and FoxP4 (FoxP1/2/4) affect neural function differently and in turn vocal learning. To address this directly, we downregulated FoxP1 or FoxP4 in Area X of juvenile zebra finches and compared the resulting song phenotypes with the previously described inaccurate and incomplete song learning after FoxP2 knockdown. We found that experimental downregulation of FoxP1 and FoxP4 led to impaired song learning with partly similar features as those reported for FoxP2 knockdowns. However, there were also specific differences between the groups, leading us to suggest that specific features of the song are differentially impacted by developmental manipulations of FoxP1/2/4 expression in Area X.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We compared the effects of experimentally reduced expression of the transcription factors FoxP1, FoxP2, and FoxP4 in a striatal song nucleus, Area X, on vocal production learning in juvenile male zebra finches. We show, for the first time, that these temporally and spatially precise manipulations of the three FoxPs affect spectral and temporal song features differentially. This is important because it raises the possibility that the different FoxPs control different aspects of vocal learning through combinatorial gene expression or by acting in different microcircuits within Area X. These results are consistent with the deleterious effects of human FOXP1 and FOXP2 mutations on speech and language and add FOXP4 as a possible candidate gene for vocal disorders.
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30
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De Stefani E, De Marco D. Language, Gesture, and Emotional Communication: An Embodied View of Social Interaction. Front Psychol 2019; 10:2063. [PMID: 31607974 PMCID: PMC6769117 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2019] [Accepted: 08/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Spoken language is an innate ability of the human being and represents the most widespread mode of social communication. The ability to share concepts, intentions and feelings, and also to respond to what others are feeling/saying is crucial during social interactions. A growing body of evidence suggests that language evolved from manual gestures, gradually incorporating motor acts with vocal elements. In this evolutionary context, the human mirror mechanism (MM) would permit the passage from “doing something” to “communicating it to someone else.” In this perspective, the MM would mediate semantic processes being involved in both the execution and in the understanding of messages expressed by words or gestures. Thus, the recognition of action related words would activate somatosensory regions, reflecting the semantic grounding of these symbols in action information. Here, the role of the sensorimotor cortex and in general of the human MM on both language perception and understanding is addressed, focusing on recent studies on the integration between symbolic gestures and speech. We conclude documenting some evidence about MM in coding also the emotional aspects conveyed by manual, facial and body signals during communication, and how they act in concert with language to modulate other’s message comprehension and behavior, in line with an “embodied” and integrated view of social interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Doriana De Marco
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Neuroscienze, Parma, Italy
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31
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Lieberman P. The antiquity and evolution of the neural bases of rhythmic activity. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2019; 1453:114-124. [PMID: 31368158 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2019] [Revised: 06/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The evolution of the anatomy and neural circuits that regulate the rhythm of speech can be traced back to the Devonian age, 400 million years ago. Epigenetic processes 100 million years later modified these circuits. Natural selection on similar genetic processes occurred during the evolution of archaic hominins and humans. The lungs and larynx-anatomy that produces the rhythmic fundamental frequency patterns of speech-have a deep evolutionary history. Neural circuits linking the cortex, basal ganglia, and other subcortical structures plan, sequence, and execute motor as well as cognitive acts. These neural circuits generate the rhythm of speech, singing, and chanting. The human form of the transcription factor FOXP2 increased synaptic connectivity and plasticity in basal ganglia circuits, enhancing motor control and cognitive and linguistic capabilities in humans as well as Neanderthals. The archeological record also suggests that Neanderthals passed spoken language. Homologous circuits existed in amphibians. In songbirds, the avian form of FOXP2 acted on similar neural circuits allowing birds to learn and produce new songs. Current studies point to natural selection on genetic events enhancing these and other neural circuits to yield fully human rhythmic speech, and motor, cognitive, and linguistic capabilities, rather than the saltation proposed by Noam Chomsky.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Lieberman
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
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Caporale AL, Gonda CM, Franchini LF. Transcriptional Enhancers in the FOXP2 Locus Underwent Accelerated Evolution in the Human Lineage. Mol Biol Evol 2019; 36:2432-2450. [PMID: 31359064 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msz173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2018] [Revised: 04/26/2019] [Accepted: 07/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Unique human features such as complex language are the result of molecular evolutionary changes that modified developmental programs of our brain. The human-specific evolution of the forkhead box P2 (FOXP2) gene coding region has been linked to the emergence of speech and language in the human kind. However, little is known about how the expression of FOXP2 is regulated and if its regulatory machinery evolved in a lineage-specific manner in humans. In order to identify FOXP2 regulatory regions containing human-specific changes we used databases of human accelerated non-coding sequences or HARs. We found that the topologically associating domain (TAD) determined using developing human cerebral cortex containing the FOXP2 locus includes two clusters of 12 HARs, placing the locus occupied by FOXP2 among the top regions showing fast acceleration rates in non-coding regions in the human genome. Using in vivo enhancer assays in zebrafish, we found that at least five FOXP2-HARs behave as transcriptional enhancers throughout different developmental stages. In addition, we found that at least two FOXP2-HARs direct the expression of the reporter gene EGFP to foxP2 expressing regions and cells. Moreover, we uncovered two FOXP2-HARs showing reporter expression gain of function in the nervous system when compared with the chimpanzee ortholog sequences. Our results indicate that regulatory sequences in the FOXP2 locus underwent a human-specific evolutionary process suggesting that the transcriptional machinery controlling this gene could have also evolved differentially in the human lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfredo Leandro Caporale
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular (INGEBI), Consejo de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Catalina M Gonda
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular (INGEBI), Consejo de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Lucía Florencia Franchini
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular (INGEBI), Consejo de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Argyropoulos GPD, Watkins KE, Belton-Pagnamenta E, Liégeois F, Saleem KS, Mishkin M, Vargha-Khadem F. Neocerebellar Crus I Abnormalities Associated with a Speech and Language Disorder Due to a Mutation in FOXP2. CEREBELLUM (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2019; 18:309-319. [PMID: 30460543 PMCID: PMC6517346 DOI: 10.1007/s12311-018-0989-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Bilateral volume reduction in the caudate nucleus has been established as a prominent brain abnormality associated with a FOXP2 mutation in affected members of the 'KE family', who present with developmental orofacial and verbal dyspraxia in conjunction with pervasive language deficits. Despite the gene's early and prominent expression in the cerebellum and the evidence for reciprocal cerebellum-basal ganglia connectivity, very little is known about cerebellar abnormalities in affected KE members. Using cerebellum-specific voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and volumetry, we provide converging evidence from subsets of affected KE members scanned at three time points for grey matter (GM) volume reduction bilaterally in neocerebellar lobule VIIa Crus I compared with unaffected members and unrelated controls. We also show that right Crus I volume correlates with left and total caudate nucleus volumes in affected KE members, and that right and total Crus I volumes predict the performance of affected members in non-word repetition and non-verbal orofacial praxis. Crus I also shows bilateral hypo-activation in functional MRI in the affected KE members relative to controls during non-word repetition. The association of Crus I with key aspects of the behavioural phenotype of this FOXP2 point mutation is consistent with recent evidence of cerebellar involvement in complex motor sequencing. For the first time, specific cerebello-basal ganglia loops are implicated in the execution of complex oromotor sequences needed for human speech.
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Affiliation(s)
- G P D Argyropoulos
- Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychiatry Section, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, 30 Guilford Street, London, WC1N 1EH, UK
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - K E Watkins
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - E Belton-Pagnamenta
- Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychiatry Section, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, 30 Guilford Street, London, WC1N 1EH, UK
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - F Liégeois
- Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychiatry Section, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, 30 Guilford Street, London, WC1N 1EH, UK
| | - K S Saleem
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - M Mishkin
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - F Vargha-Khadem
- Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychiatry Section, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, 30 Guilford Street, London, WC1N 1EH, UK.
- Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children National Health Foundation Trust, London, UK.
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Friocourt F, Kozulin P, Belle M, Suárez R, Di‐Poï N, Richards LJ, Giacobini P, Chédotal A. Shared and differential features of Robo3 expression pattern in amniotes. J Comp Neurol 2019; 527:2009-2029. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.24648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2018] [Revised: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Peter Kozulin
- The Queensland Brain Institute The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Morgane Belle
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS Institut de la Vision Paris France
| | - Rodrigo Suárez
- The Queensland Brain Institute The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Nicolas Di‐Poï
- Research Program in Developmental Biology, Institute of Biotechnology University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
| | - Linda J. Richards
- The Queensland Brain Institute The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
- The School of Biomedical Sciences The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Paolo Giacobini
- University of Lille, UMR‐S 1172, Centre de Recherche Jean‐Pierre AUBERT Lille France
- Laboratory of Development and Plasticity of the Neuroendocrine Brain INSERM, UMR‐S 1172 Lille France
- FHU 1,000 Days for Health School of Medicine Lille France
| | - Alain Chédotal
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS Institut de la Vision Paris France
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Medvedeva VP, Rieger MA, Vieth B, Mombereau C, Ziegenhain C, Ghosh T, Cressant A, Enard W, Granon S, Dougherty JD, Groszer M. Altered social behavior in mice carrying a cortical Foxp2 deletion. Hum Mol Genet 2019; 28:701-717. [PMID: 30357341 PMCID: PMC6381386 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddy372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2018] [Revised: 09/30/2018] [Accepted: 10/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic disruptions of the forkhead box transcription factor FOXP2 in humans cause an autosomal-dominant speech and language disorder. While FOXP2 expression pattern are highly conserved, its role in specific brain areas for mammalian social behaviors remains largely unknown. Here we studied mice carrying a homozygous cortical Foxp2 deletion. The postnatal development and gross morphological architecture of mutant mice was indistinguishable from wildtype (WT) littermates. Unbiased behavioral profiling of adult mice revealed abnormalities in approach behavior towards conspecifics as well as in the reciprocal responses of WT interaction partners. Furthermore mutant mice showed alterations in acoustical parameters of ultrasonic vocalizations, which also differed in function of the social context. Cell type-specific gene expression profiling of cortical pyramidal neurons revealed aberrant regulation of genes involved in social behavior. In particular Foxp2 mutants showed the downregulation of Mint2 (Apba2), a gene involved in approach behavior in mice and autism spectrum disorder in humans. Taken together these data demonstrate that cortical Foxp2 is required for normal social behaviors in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vera P Medvedeva
- Inserm, Institut du Fer à Moulin, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Michael A Rieger
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Beate Vieth
- Anthropology & Human Genomics, Department of Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Cédric Mombereau
- Inserm, Institut du Fer à Moulin, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Christoph Ziegenhain
- Anthropology & Human Genomics, Department of Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Tanay Ghosh
- Inserm, Institut du Fer à Moulin, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Arnaud Cressant
- Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR, Orsay, France
| | - Wolfgang Enard
- Anthropology & Human Genomics, Department of Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Sylvie Granon
- Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR, Orsay, France
| | - Joseph D Dougherty
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Matthias Groszer
- Inserm, Institut du Fer à Moulin, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
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Castells-Nobau A, Eidhof I, Fenckova M, Brenman-Suttner DB, Scheffer-de Gooyert JM, Christine S, Schellevis RL, van der Laan K, Quentin C, van Ninhuijs L, Hofmann F, Ejsmont R, Fisher SE, Kramer JM, Sigrist SJ, Simon AF, Schenck A. Conserved regulation of neurodevelopmental processes and behavior by FoxP in Drosophila. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0211652. [PMID: 30753188 PMCID: PMC6372147 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0211652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2019] [Accepted: 01/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
FOXP proteins form a subfamily of evolutionarily conserved transcription factors involved in the development and functioning of several tissues, including the central nervous system. In humans, mutations in FOXP1 and FOXP2 have been implicated in cognitive deficits including intellectual disability and speech disorders. Drosophila exhibits a single ortholog, called FoxP, but due to a lack of characterized mutants, our understanding of the gene remains poor. Here we show that the dimerization property required for mammalian FOXP function is conserved in Drosophila. In flies, FoxP is enriched in the adult brain, showing strong expression in ~1000 neurons of cholinergic, glutamatergic and GABAergic nature. We generate Drosophila loss-of-function mutants and UAS-FoxP transgenic lines for ectopic expression, and use them to characterize FoxP function in the nervous system. At the cellular level, we demonstrate that Drosophila FoxP is required in larvae for synaptic morphogenesis at axonal terminals of the neuromuscular junction and for dendrite development of dorsal multidendritic sensory neurons. In the developing brain, we find that FoxP plays important roles in α-lobe mushroom body formation. Finally, at a behavioral level, we show that Drosophila FoxP is important for locomotion, habituation learning and social space behavior of adult flies. Our work shows that Drosophila FoxP is important for regulating several neurodevelopmental processes and behaviors that are related to human disease or vertebrate disease model phenotypes. This suggests a high degree of functional conservation with vertebrate FOXP orthologues and established flies as a model system for understanding FOXP related pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Castells-Nobau
- Department of Human Genetics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Ilse Eidhof
- Department of Human Genetics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Michaela Fenckova
- Department of Human Genetics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | | | - Jolanda M. Scheffer-de Gooyert
- Department of Human Genetics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Sheren Christine
- Department of Human Genetics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Rosa L. Schellevis
- Department of Human Genetics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Kiran van der Laan
- Department of Human Genetics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Christine Quentin
- Genetics, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lisa van Ninhuijs
- Department of Human Genetics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Falko Hofmann
- Department of Human Genetics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Radoslaw Ejsmont
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG), Dresden, Germany
| | - Simon E. Fisher
- Language and Genetics Department, Max Planck Institute of Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Jamie M. Kramer
- Department of Human Genetics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Stephan J. Sigrist
- Genetics, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anne F. Simon
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Annette Schenck
- Department of Human Genetics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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Atypical Auditory Brainstem Response and Protein Expression Aberrations Related to ASD and Hearing Loss in the Adnp Haploinsufficient Mouse Brain. Neurochem Res 2019; 44:1494-1507. [PMID: 30659505 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-019-02723-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Revised: 01/07/2019] [Accepted: 01/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Autism is a wide spread neurodevelopmental disorder with growing morbidity rates, affecting more boys than girls worldwide. Activity-dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP) was recently recognized as a leading gene accounted for 0.17% of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) cases globally. Respectively, mutations in the human ADNP gene (ADNP syndrome), cause multi-system body dysfunctions with apparent ASD-related traits, commencing as early as childhood. The Adnp haploinsufficient (Adnp+/-) mouse model was researched before in relations to Alzheimer's disease and autism. Adnp+/- mice suffer from deficient social memory, vocal and motor impediments, irregular tooth eruption and short stature, all of which corresponds with reported phenotypes in patients with the ADNP syndrome. Recently, a more elaborated description of the ADNP syndrome was published, presenting impediments such as hearing disabilities in > 10% of the studied children. Irregular auditory brainstem response (ABR) has been connected to ASD-related cases and has been suggested as a potential hallmark for autism, allowing diagnosis of ASD risk and early intervention. Herein, we present detriment hearing in the Adnp+/- mice with atypical ABR and significant protein expression irregularities that coincides with ASD and hearing loss studies in the brain.
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Schatton A, Agoro J, Mardink J, Leboulle G, Scharff C. Identification of the neurotransmitter profile of AmFoxP expressing neurons in the honeybee brain using double-label in situ hybridization. BMC Neurosci 2018; 19:69. [PMID: 30400853 PMCID: PMC6219247 DOI: 10.1186/s12868-018-0469-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Accepted: 10/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND FoxP transcription factors play crucial roles for the development and function of vertebrate brains. In humans the neurally expressed FOXPs, FOXP1, FOXP2, and FOXP4 are implicated in cognition, including language. Neural FoxP expression is specific to particular brain regions but FoxP1, FoxP2 and FoxP4 are not limited to a particular neuron or neurotransmitter type. Motor- or sensory activity can regulate FoxP2 expression, e.g. in the striatal nucleus Area X of songbirds and in the auditory thalamus of mice. The DNA-binding domain of FoxP proteins is highly conserved within metazoa, raising the possibility that cellular functions were preserved across deep evolutionary time. We have previously shown in bee brains that FoxP is expressed in eleven specific neuron populations, seven tightly packed clusters and four loosely arranged groups. RESULTS The present study examined the co-expression of honeybee FoxP (AmFoxP) with markers for glutamatergic, GABAergic, cholinergic and monoaminergic transmission. We found that AmFoxP could co-occur with any one of those markers. Interestingly, AmFoxP clusters and AmFoxP groups differed with respect to homogeneity of marker co-expression; within a cluster, all neurons co-expressed the same neurotransmitter marker, within a group co-expression varied. We also assessed qualitatively whether age or housing conditions providing different sensory and motor experiences affected the AmFoxP neuron populations, but found no differences. CONCLUSIONS Based on the neurotransmitter homogeneity we conclude that AmFoxP neurons within the clusters might have a common projection and function whereas the AmFoxP groups are more diverse and could be further sub-divided. The obtained information about the neurotransmitters co-expressed in the AmFoxP neuron populations facilitated the search of similar neurons described in the literature. These comparisons revealed e.g. a possible function of AmFoxP neurons in the central complex. Our findings provide opportunities to focus future functional studies on invertebrate FoxP expressing neurons. In a broader context, our data will contribute to the ongoing efforts to discern in which cases relationships between molecular and phenotypic signatures are linked evolutionary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Schatton
- Department of Animal Behavior, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustraße 6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Julia Agoro
- Department of Animal Behavior, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustraße 6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Department of Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 28-30, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Janis Mardink
- Department of Animal Behavior, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustraße 6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Gérard Leboulle
- Department of Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 28-30, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Constance Scharff
- Department of Animal Behavior, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustraße 6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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Zhang S, Zhao J, Guo Z, Jones JA, Liu P, Liu H. The Association Between Genetic Variation in FOXP2 and Sensorimotor Control of Speech Production. Front Neurosci 2018; 12:666. [PMID: 30294257 PMCID: PMC6158330 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 09/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Significant advances have been made in understanding the role of auditory feedback in sensorimotor integration for speech production. The neurogenetic basis of this feedback-based control process, however, remains largely unknown. Mutations of FOXP2 gene in humans are associated with severe deficits in speech motor behavior. The present study examined the associations between a FOXP2 common variant, rs6980093 (A/G), and the behavioral and event-related potential (ERP) responses to -50 and -200 cents pitch perturbations during vocal production in a sample of 133 Chinese adults. Behaviorally, the GG genotype was associated with significantly smaller vocal compensations for -200 cents perturbations relative to the AA and AG genotypes. Furthermore, both the AA and AG genotypes exhibited significant positive correlations between the degree of vocal compensation for -50 and -200 cents perturbations and the variability of normal voice fundamental frequency, whereas no such correlation existed for the GG genotype. At the cortical level, significantly larger P2 responses to -200 cents perturbations were associated with the GG genotype as compared to the AA and AG genotypes due to increased left-lateralized activity in the superior, middle, and inferior frontal gyrus, precentral gyrus, anterior cingulate cortex, middle temporal gyrus, and insula. The neurobehavioral responses to -50 cents perturbations, however, did not vary as a function of genotype. These findings present the first neurobehavioral evidence for an association between FOXP2 genetic variant and auditory-motor integration for vocal pitch regulation. The differential effects of FOXP2 genotypes at rs6980093 may reflect their influences on the weighting of feedback and feedforward control of speech production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siyun Zhang
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiangli Zhao
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhiqiang Guo
- Department of Computer Science and Technology, Zhuhai College of Jilin University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Jeffery A Jones
- Department of Psychology, Laurier Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Peng Liu
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hanjun Liu
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
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Braccioli L, Vervoort SJ, Adolfs Y, Heijnen CJ, Basak O, Pasterkamp RJ, Nijboer CH, Coffer PJ. FOXP1 Promotes Embryonic Neural Stem Cell Differentiation by Repressing Jagged1 Expression. Stem Cell Reports 2018; 9:1530-1545. [PMID: 29141232 PMCID: PMC5688236 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2017.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2017] [Revised: 10/13/2017] [Accepted: 10/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutations in FOXP1 have been linked to neurodevelopmental disorders including intellectual disability and autism; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain ill-defined. Here, we demonstrate with RNA and chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing that FOXP1 directly regulates genes controlling neurogenesis. We show that FOXP1 is expressed in embryonic neural stem cells (NSCs), and modulation of FOXP1 expression affects both neuron and astrocyte differentiation. Using a murine model of cortical development, FOXP1-knockdown in utero was found to reduce NSC differentiation and migration during corticogenesis. Furthermore, transplantation of FOXP1-knockdown NSCs in neonatal mice after hypoxia-ischemia challenge demonstrated that FOXP1 is also required for neuronal differentiation and functionality in vivo. FOXP1 was found to repress the expression of Notch pathway genes including the Notch-ligand Jagged1, resulting in inhibition of Notch signaling. Finally, blockade of Jagged1 in FOXP1-knockdown NSCs rescued neuronal differentiation in vitro. Together, these data support a role for FOXP1 in regulating embryonic NSC differentiation by modulating Notch signaling. FOXP1 promotes astrocyte and neuronal differentiation of NSCs in vitro FOXP1 promotes neuronal differentiation of NSCs in vivo FOXP1 transcriptionally regulates pro-neural genes and represses Notch pathway genes FOXP1 promotes neuronal differentiation by limiting Jagged1 expression
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Braccioli
- Laboratory of Neuroimmunology and Developmental Origins of Disease (NIDOD), University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht 3508 AB, the Netherlands; Center for Molecular Medicine and Regenerative Medicine Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht 3584 CT, the Netherlands
| | - Stephin J Vervoort
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Regenerative Medicine Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht 3584 CT, the Netherlands
| | - Youri Adolfs
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht 3584 CX, the Netherlands
| | - Cobi J Heijnen
- Laboratory of Neuroimmunology, Department of Symptom Research, Division of Internal Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Onur Basak
- Hubrecht Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CT Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - R Jeroen Pasterkamp
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht 3584 CX, the Netherlands
| | - Cora H Nijboer
- Laboratory of Neuroimmunology and Developmental Origins of Disease (NIDOD), University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht 3508 AB, the Netherlands.
| | - Paul J Coffer
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Regenerative Medicine Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht 3584 CT, the Netherlands.
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Fong WL, Kuo HY, Wu HL, Chen SY, Liu FC. Differential and Overlapping Pattern of Foxp1 and Foxp2 Expression in the Striatum of Adult Mouse Brain. Neuroscience 2018; 388:214-223. [PMID: 30031127 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2018.07.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2018] [Revised: 07/04/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Genetic mutations of FOXP1 and FOXP2 are associated with neurodevelopmental diseases. It is important to characterize the cell types that express Foxp1 and Foxp2 in the brain. Foxp1 and Foxp2 are expressed at high levels in the striatum of mouse brains. There are two populations of striatal projection neurons (SPNs), dopamine D1 receptor (D1R)-expressing striatonigral neurons and D2 receptor (D2R)-expressing striatopallidal neurons. In addition to SPNs, there are different types of striatal interneurons. Here, we quantitatively analyze the expression pattern of Foxp1 and Foxp2 with respect to specific cell types of projection neurons and interneurons in the striatum of adult mouse brains. Double immunostaining and in situ hybridization showed that Foxp1 and Foxp2 were specifically expressed in SPNs, but not in interneurons. For Foxp1, 50-57% of Foxp1-positive neurons co-expressed D1R mRNA, and 45-52% of Foxp1-positive neurons co-expressed D2R mRNA in the striatum at rostrocaudal levels. For Foxp2, 65-77% of Foxp2-positive neurons co-expressed D1R mRNA, and 21-26% of Foxp2-positive neurons co-expressed D2R mRNA in the striatum at rostrocaudal levels. Neither Foxp1 nor Foxp2 was found to co-localize with parvalbumin, somatostatin, nNOS, calretinin and ChAT in interneurons of the striatum. Moreover, none of parvalbumin-, somatostatin-, nNOS-, and calretinin-positive interneurons co-expressed Foxp1 or Foxp2 in the cerebral cortex. As Foxp1 and Foxp2 can form heterodimers for transcriptional regulation, the differential and overlapping expression pattern of Foxp1 and Foxp2 in SPNs implicates coordinate and distinct roles of Foxp1 and Foxp2 in developmental construction and physiologic functions of striatal circuits in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weng Lam Fong
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 11221, Taiwan
| | - Hsiao-Ying Kuo
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 11221, Taiwan
| | - Hsiao-Lin Wu
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 11221, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Yun Chen
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 11221, Taiwan
| | - Fu-Chin Liu
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 11221, Taiwan; Brain Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 11221, Taiwan.
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42
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Morris G, Stoychev S, Naicker P, Dirr HW, Fanucchi S. The forkhead domain hinge-loop plays a pivotal role in DNA binding and transcriptional activity of FOXP2. Biol Chem 2018; 399:881-893. [DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2018-0185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2018] [Accepted: 04/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Forkhead box (FOX) proteins are a ubiquitously expressed family of transcription factors that regulate the development and differentiation of a wide range of tissues in animals. The FOXP subfamily members are the only known FOX proteins capable of forming domain-swapped forkhead domain (FHD) dimers. This is proposed to be due to an evolutionary mutation (P539A) that lies in the FHD hinge loop, a key region thought to fine-tune DNA sequence specificity in the FOX transcription factors. Considering the importance of the hinge loop in both the dimerisation mechanism of the FOXP FHD and its role in tuning DNA binding, a detailed investigation into the implications of mutations within this region could provide important insight into the evolution of the FOX family. Isothermal titration calorimetry and hydrogen exchange mass spectroscopy were used to study the thermodynamic binding signature and changes in backbone dynamics of FOXP2 FHD DNA binding. Dual luciferase reporter assays were performed to study the effect that the hinge-loop mutation has on FOXP2 transcriptional activity in vivo. We demonstrate that the change in dynamics of the hinge-loop region of FOXP2 alters the energetics and mechanism of DNA binding highlighting the critical role of hinge loop mutations in regulating DNA binding characteristics of the FOX proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gavin Morris
- Protein Structure-Function Research Unit, School of Molecular and Cell Biology , University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Ave, Braamfontein , 2050 Johannesburg, Gauteng , South Africa
| | - Stoyan Stoychev
- CSIR Biosciences, CSIR, Meiring Naude Road , Brummeria, 0001 Pretoria, Gauteng , South Africa
| | - Previn Naicker
- CSIR Biosciences, CSIR, Meiring Naude Road , Brummeria, 0001 Pretoria, Gauteng , South Africa
| | - Heini W. Dirr
- Protein Structure-Function Research Unit, School of Molecular and Cell Biology , University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Ave, Braamfontein , 2050 Johannesburg, Gauteng , South Africa
| | - Sylvia Fanucchi
- Protein Structure-Function Research Unit, School of Molecular and Cell Biology , University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Ave, Braamfontein , 2050 Johannesburg, Gauteng , South Africa
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43
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Schatton A, Mendoza E, Grube K, Scharff C. FoxP in bees: A comparative study on the developmental and adult expression pattern in three bee species considering isoforms and circuitry. J Comp Neurol 2018. [PMID: 29536541 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Mutations in the transcription factors FOXP1, FOXP2, and FOXP4 affect human cognition, including language. The FoxP gene locus is evolutionarily ancient and highly conserved in its DNA-binding domain. In Drosophila melanogaster FoxP has been implicated in courtship behavior, decision making, and specific types of motor-learning. Because honeybees (Apis mellifera, Am) excel at navigation and symbolic dance communication, they are a particularly suitable insect species to investigate a potential link between neural FoxP expression and cognition. We characterized two AmFoxP isoforms and mapped their expression in the brain during development and in adult foragers. Using a custom-made antiserum and in situ hybridization, we describe 11 AmFoxP expressing neuron populations. FoxP was expressed in equivalent patterns in two other representatives of Apidae; a closely related dwarf bee and a bumblebee species. Neural tracing revealed that the largest FoxP expressing neuron cluster in honeybees projects into a posterior tract that connects the optic lobe to the posterior lateral protocerebrum, predicting a function in visual processing. Our data provide an entry point for future experiments assessing the function of FoxP in eusocial Hymenoptera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Schatton
- Institute for Animal Behavior, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Ezequiel Mendoza
- Institute for Animal Behavior, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Kathrin Grube
- Institute for Animal Behavior, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Constance Scharff
- Institute for Animal Behavior, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, 14195, Germany
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44
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Rodenas-Cuadrado PM, Mengede J, Baas L, Devanna P, Schmid TA, Yartsev M, Firzlaff U, Vernes SC. Mapping the distribution of language related genes FoxP1, FoxP2, and CntnaP2 in the brains of vocal learning bat species. J Comp Neurol 2018; 526:1235-1266. [PMID: 29297931 PMCID: PMC5900884 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2017] [Revised: 11/07/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Genes including FOXP2, FOXP1, and CNTNAP2, have been implicated in human speech and language phenotypes, pointing to a role in the development of normal language‐related circuitry in the brain. Although speech and language are unique to humans a comparative approach is possible by addressing language‐relevant traits in animal systems. One such trait, vocal learning, represents an essential component of human spoken language, and is shared by cetaceans, pinnipeds, elephants, some birds and bats. Given their vocal learning abilities, gregarious nature, and reliance on vocalizations for social communication and navigation, bats represent an intriguing mammalian system in which to explore language‐relevant genes. We used immunohistochemistry to detail the distribution of FoxP2, FoxP1, and Cntnap2 proteins, accompanied by detailed cytoarchitectural histology in the brains of two vocal learning bat species; Phyllostomus discolor and Rousettus aegyptiacus. We show widespread expression of these genes, similar to what has been previously observed in other species, including humans. A striking difference was observed in the adult P. discolor bat, which showed low levels of FoxP2 expression in the cortex that contrasted with patterns found in rodents and nonhuman primates. We created an online, open‐access database within which all data can be browsed, searched, and high resolution images viewed to single cell resolution. The data presented herein reveal regions of interest in the bat brain and provide new opportunities to address the role of these language‐related genes in complex vocal‐motor and vocal learning behaviors in a mammalian model system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro M Rodenas-Cuadrado
- Neurogenetics of Vocal Communication Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, 6500 AH, The Netherlands
| | - Janine Mengede
- Neurogenetics of Vocal Communication Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, 6500 AH, The Netherlands
| | - Laura Baas
- Neurogenetics of Vocal Communication Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, 6500 AH, The Netherlands
| | - Paolo Devanna
- Neurogenetics of Vocal Communication Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, 6500 AH, The Netherlands
| | - Tobias A Schmid
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, California, 94720
| | - Michael Yartsev
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, California, 94720.,Department of Bioengineering, UC Berkeley, 306 University of California, Berkeley, California, 94720
| | - Uwe Firzlaff
- Department Tierwissenschaften, Lehrstuhl für Zoologie, TU München, München, 85354, Germany
| | - Sonja C Vernes
- Neurogenetics of Vocal Communication Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, 6500 AH, The Netherlands.,Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Nijmegen, 6525 EN, The Netherlands
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45
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Burkett ZD, Day NF, Kimball TH, Aamodt CM, Heston JB, Hilliard AT, Xiao X, White SA. FoxP2 isoforms delineate spatiotemporal transcriptional networks for vocal learning in the zebra finch. eLife 2018; 7:30649. [PMID: 29360038 PMCID: PMC5826274 DOI: 10.7554/elife.30649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2017] [Accepted: 01/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Human speech is one of the few examples of vocal learning among mammals yet ~half of avian species exhibit this ability. Its neurogenetic basis is largely unknown beyond a shared requirement for FoxP2 in both humans and zebra finches. We manipulated FoxP2 isoforms in Area X, a song-specific region of the avian striatopallidum analogous to human anterior striatum, during a critical period for song development. We delineate, for the first time, unique contributions of each isoform to vocal learning. Weighted gene coexpression network analysis of RNA-seq data revealed gene modules correlated to singing, learning, or vocal variability. Coexpression related to singing was found in juvenile and adult Area X whereas coexpression correlated to learning was unique to juveniles. The confluence of learning and singing coexpression in juvenile Area X may underscore molecular processes that drive vocal learning in young zebra finches and, by analogy, humans. Songbirds, much like in humans, have a critical period in youth when they are best at learning vocal communication skills. In birds, this is when they learn a song they will use later in life as a courtship song. In humans, this is when language skills are most easily learned. After this critical period ends, it is much harder for people to learn languages, and for certain bird species to learn their song. When birds sing every morning, the activity of a gene called FoxP2 drops, which causes a coordinated change in the activity of thousands of other genes. It is suspected that FoxP2 – and the changes it causes – could be a part of the molecular basis for vocal learning. FoxP2 is also known to play a role in speech in humans, and both birds and humans have a long and a short version of this gene. Previous research has shown that when the long version of the gene was altered so its activity would no longer decrease when birds were singing, the birds failed to learn their song. Moreover, humans with a mutation in the long version have problems with their speech. However, until now, it was not known if modifications to the short version had the same effect. Burkett et al. investigated whether there was a noticeable pattern in the effects of FoxP2 before and after the critical period in a songbird. The analysis found that during the critical period, a set of genes changed together as young birds learned to sing. This particular pattern disappeared as the birds aged and the critical period ended. Burkett et al. confirmed that when birds had the long version of FoxP2 altered, they were less able to learn. However, changing the short version of FoxP2 had little effect on learning but led to changes in the birds’ song. The genetic pathways identified in the experiments are known to be present in many different species, including humans. Related pathways have also been found to play a role in non-vocal learning in organisms as distantly related as rats and snails. This suggests that they could be acting as a blueprint for learning new skills. Few treatments for language impairments have been developed so far due to poor understanding of the molecular basis for vocal communication. The findings of this study could help to create new treatments for speech problems in people, such as children with autism or people with mutated versions of FoxP2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary Daniel Burkett
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States.,Interdepartmental Program in Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Nancy F Day
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Todd Haswell Kimball
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States.,Physiological Science Master's Degree Program, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Caitlin M Aamodt
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States.,Interdepartmental Program in Neuroscience, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Jonathan B Heston
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States.,Interdepartmental Program in Neuroscience, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Austin T Hilliard
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, Stanford, United States
| | - Xinshu Xiao
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States.,Interdepartmental Program in Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Stephanie A White
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States.,Interdepartmental Program in Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States.,Interdepartmental Program in Neuroscience, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States
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46
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Shi Z, Piccus Z, Zhang X, Yang H, Jarrell H, Ding Y, Teng Z, Tchernichovski O, Li X. miR-9 regulates basal ganglia-dependent developmental vocal learning and adult vocal performance in songbirds. eLife 2018; 7:29087. [PMID: 29345619 PMCID: PMC5800847 DOI: 10.7554/elife.29087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
miR-9 is an evolutionarily conserved miRNA that is abundantly expressed in Area X, a basal ganglia nucleus required for vocal learning in songbirds. Here, we report that overexpression of miR-9 in Area X of juvenile zebra finches impairs developmental vocal learning, resulting in a song with syllable omission, reduced similarity to the tutor song, and altered acoustic features. miR-9 overexpression in juveniles also leads to more variable song performance in adulthood, and abolishes social context-dependent modulation of song variability. We further show that these behavioral deficits are accompanied by downregulation of FoxP1 and FoxP2, genes that are known to be associated with language impairments, as well as by disruption of dopamine signaling and widespread changes in the expression of genes that are important in circuit development and functions. These findings demonstrate a vital role for miR-9 in basal ganglia function and vocal communication, suggesting that dysregulation of miR-9 in humans may contribute to language impairments and related neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhimin Shi
- Neuroscience Center of Excellence, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, New Orleans, United States
| | - Zoe Piccus
- Neuroscience Center of Excellence, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, New Orleans, United States
| | - Xiaofang Zhang
- Neuroscience Center of Excellence, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, New Orleans, United States
| | - Huidi Yang
- Neuroscience Center of Excellence, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, New Orleans, United States
| | - Hannah Jarrell
- Neuroscience Center of Excellence, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, New Orleans, United States
| | - Yan Ding
- Neuroscience Center of Excellence, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, New Orleans, United States
| | - Zhaoqian Teng
- Neuroscience Center of Excellence, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, New Orleans, United States
| | | | - XiaoChing Li
- Neuroscience Center of Excellence, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, New Orleans, United States
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Herrero MJ, Gitton Y. The untold stories of the speech gene, the FOXP2 cancer gene. Genes Cancer 2018; 9:11-38. [PMID: 29725501 PMCID: PMC5931254 DOI: 10.18632/genesandcancer.169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2018] [Accepted: 04/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
FOXP2 encodes a transcription factor involved in speech and language acquisition. Growing evidence now suggests that dysregulated FOXP2 activity may also be instrumental in human oncogenesis, along the lines of other cardinal developmental transcription factors such as DLX5 and DLX6 [1-4]. Several FOXP familymembers are directly involved during cancer initiation, maintenance and progression in the adult [5-8]. This may comprise either a pro-oncogenic activity or a deficient tumor-suppressor role, depending upon cell types and associated signaling pathways. While FOXP2 is expressed in numerous cell types, its expression has been found to be down-regulated in breast cancer [9], hepatocellular carcinoma [8] and gastric cancer biopsies [10]. Conversely, overexpressed FOXP2 has been reported in multiple myelomas, MGUS (Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance), several subtypes of lymphomas [5,11], as well as in neuroblastomas [12] and ERG fusion-negative prostate cancers [13]. According to functional evidences reported in breast cancer [9] and survey of recent transcriptomic and proteomic analyses of different tumor biopsies, we postulate that FOXP2 dysregulation may play a main role throughout cancer initiation and progression. In some cancer conditions, FOXP2 levels are now considered as a critical diagnostic marker of neoplastic cells, and in many situations, they even bear strong prognostic value [5]. Whether FOXP2 may further become a therapeutic target is an actively explored lead. Knowledge reviewed here may help improve our understanding of FOXP2 roles during oncogenesis and provide cues for diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Jesus Herrero
- Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's National Medical Center, NW, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Yorick Gitton
- Sorbonne University, INSERM, CNRS, Vision Institute Research Center, Paris, France
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48
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Mackevicius EL, Fee MS. Building a state space for song learning. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2017; 49:59-68. [PMID: 29268193 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2017.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2017] [Revised: 11/05/2017] [Accepted: 12/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The songbird system has shed light on how the brain produces precisely timed behavioral sequences, and how the brain implements reinforcement learning (RL). RL is a powerful strategy for learning what action to produce in each state, but requires a unique representation of the states involved in the task. Songbird RL circuitry is thought to operate using a representation of each moment within song syllables, consistent with the sparse sequential bursting of neurons in premotor cortical nucleus HVC. However, such sparse sequences are not present in very young birds, which sing highly variable syllables of random lengths. Here, we review and expand upon a model for how the songbird brain could construct latent sequences to support RL, in light of new data elucidating connections between HVC and auditory cortical areas. We hypothesize that learning occurs via four distinct plasticity processes: 1) formation of 'tutor memory' sequences in auditory areas; 2) formation of appropriately-timed latent HVC sequences, seeded by inputs from auditory areas spontaneously replaying the tutor song; 3) strengthening, during spontaneous replay, of connections from HVC to auditory neurons of corresponding timing in the 'tutor memory' sequence, aligning auditory and motor representations for subsequent song evaluation; and 4) strengthening of connections from premotor neurons to motor output neurons that produce the desired sounds, via well-described song RL circuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Lambert Mackevicius
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 46-5133 Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Michale Sean Fee
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 46-5133 Cambridge, MA, USA.
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49
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Abstract
The post-genomic era is an exciting time for researchers interested in the biology of speech and language. Substantive advances in molecular methodologies have opened up entire vistas of investigation that were not previously possible, or in some cases even imagined. Speculations concerning the origins of human cognitive traits are being transformed into empirically addressable questions, generating specific hypotheses that can be explicitly tested using data collected from both the natural world and experimental settings. In this article, I discuss a number of promising lines of research in this area. For example, the field has begun to identify genes implicated in speech and language skills, including not just disorders but also the normal range of abilities. Such genes provide powerful entry points for gaining insights into neural bases and evolutionary origins, using sophisticated experimental tools from molecular neuroscience and developmental neurobiology. At the same time, sequencing of ancient hominin genomes is giving us an unprecedented view of the molecular genetic changes that have occurred during the evolution of our species. Synthesis of data from these complementary sources offers an opportunity to robustly evaluate alternative accounts of language evolution. Of course, this endeavour remains challenging on many fronts, as I also highlight in the article. Nonetheless, such an integrated approach holds great potential for untangling the complexities of the capacities that make us human.
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50
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FOXP2 variation in great ape populations offers insight into the evolution of communication skills. Sci Rep 2017; 7:16866. [PMID: 29203828 PMCID: PMC5715162 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-16844-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2017] [Accepted: 11/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The gene coding for the forkhead box protein P2 (FOXP2) is associated with human language disorders. Evolutionary changes in this gene are hypothesized to have contributed to the emergence of speech and language in the human lineage. Although FOXP2 is highly conserved across most mammals, humans differ at two functional amino acid substitutions from chimpanzees, bonobos and gorillas, with an additional fixed substitution found in orangutans. However, FOXP2 has been characterized in only a small number of apes and no publication to date has examined the degree of natural variation in large samples of unrelated great apes. Here, we analyzed the genetic variation in the FOXP2 coding sequence in 63 chimpanzees, 11 bonobos, 48 gorillas, 37 orangutans and 2 gibbons and observed undescribed variation in great apes. We identified two variable polyglutamine microsatellites in chimpanzees and orangutans and found three nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms, one in chimpanzees, one in gorillas and one in orangutans with derived allele frequencies of 0.01, 0.26 and 0.29, respectively. Structural and functional protein modeling indicate a biochemical effect of the substitution in orangutans, and because of its presence solely in the Sumatran orangutan species, the mutation may be associated with reported population differences in vocalizations.
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