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Na ES, De Jesús-Cortés H, Martinez-Rivera A, Kabir ZD, Wang J, Ramesh V, Onder Y, Rajadhyaksha AM, Monteggia LM, Pieper AA. D-cycloserine improves synaptic transmission in an animal model of Rett syndrome. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0183026. [PMID: 28813484 PMCID: PMC5559075 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0183026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2017] [Accepted: 07/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Rett syndrome (RTT), a leading cause of intellectual disability in girls, is predominantly caused by mutations in the X-linked gene MECP2. Disruption of Mecp2 in mice recapitulates major features of RTT, including neurobehavioral abnormalities, which can be reversed by re-expression of normal Mecp2. Thus, there is reason to believe that RTT could be amenable to therapeutic intervention throughout the lifespan of patients after the onset of symptoms. A common feature underlying neuropsychiatric disorders, including RTT, is altered synaptic function in the brain. Here, we show that Mecp2tm1.1Jae/y mice display lower presynaptic function as assessed by paired pulse ratio, as well as decreased long term potentiation (LTP) at hippocampal Schaffer–collateral-CA1 synapses. Treatment of Mecp2tm1.1Jae/y mice with D-cycloserine (DCS), an FDA-approved analog of the amino acid D-alanine with antibiotic and glycinergic activity, corrected the presynaptic but not LTP deficit without affecting deficient hippocampal BDNF levels. DCS treatment did, however, partially restore lower BDNF levels in the brain stem and striatum. Thus, treatment with DCS may mitigate the severity of some of the neurobehavioral symptoms experienced by patients with Rett syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa S. Na
- Department of Psychology & Philosophy, Texas Woman’s University, Denton, TX, United States of America
| | - Héctor De Jesús-Cortés
- Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Arlene Martinez-Rivera
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States of America
- Weill Cornell Autism Research Program, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Zeeba D. Kabir
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States of America
- Weill Cornell Autism Research Program, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Jieqi Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, United States of America
| | - Vijayashree Ramesh
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States of America
| | - Yasemin Onder
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States of America
| | - Anjali M. Rajadhyaksha
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States of America
- Weill Cornell Autism Research Program, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States of America
- Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States of America
- * E-mail: (AMR); (LMM); (AAP)
| | - Lisa M. Monteggia
- Department of Neuroscience, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States of America
- * E-mail: (AMR); (LMM); (AAP)
| | - Andrew A. Pieper
- Weill Cornell Autism Research Program, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States of America
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, United States of America
- Department of Neurology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, United States of America
- Department of Free Radical and Radiation Biology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, United States of America
- Department of Veterans Affairs, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, United States of America
- Pappajohn Biomedical Institute, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, United States of America
- * E-mail: (AMR); (LMM); (AAP)
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