Neural transcriptome of constitutional Pten dysfunction in mice and its relevance to human idiopathic autism spectrum disorder

AK Tilot, G Bebek, F Niazi, JB Altemus, T Romigh… - Molecular …, 2016 - nature.com
AK Tilot, G Bebek, F Niazi, JB Altemus, T Romigh, TW Frazier, C Eng
Molecular psychiatry, 2016nature.com
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition with a clear, but
heterogeneous, genetic component. Germline mutations in the tumor suppressor Pten are a
well-established risk factor for ASD with macrocephaly, and conditional Pten mouse models
have impaired social behavior and brain development. Some mutations observed in patients
disrupt the normally balanced nuclear-cytoplasmic localization of the Pten protein, and we
developed the Pten m3m4 model to study the effects of a cytoplasm-predominant Pten. In …
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition with a clear, but heterogeneous, genetic component. Germline mutations in the tumor suppressor Pten are a well-established risk factor for ASD with macrocephaly, and conditional Pten mouse models have impaired social behavior and brain development. Some mutations observed in patients disrupt the normally balanced nuclear-cytoplasmic localization of the Pten protein, and we developed the Pten m3m4 model to study the effects of a cytoplasm-predominant Pten. In this model, germline mislocalization of Pten causes inappropriate social behavior with intact learning and memory, a profile reminiscent of high-functioning ASD. These animals also exhibit histological evidence of neuroinflammation and expansion of glial populations by 6 weeks of age. We hypothesized that the neural transcriptome of this model would be altered in a manner that could inform human idiopathic ASD, a constitutional condition. Using total RNA sequencing, we found progressive disruption of neural gene expression in Pten m3m4 mice from 2–6 weeks of age, involving both immune and synaptic pathways. These alterations include downregulation of many highly coexpressed human ASD-susceptibility genes. Comparison with a human cortical development coexpression network revealed that genes disrupted in Pten m3m4 mice were enriched in the same areas as those of human ASD. Although Pten-related ASD is relatively uncommon, our observations suggest that the Pten m3m4 model recapitulates multiple molecular features of human ASD, and that Pten operates far upstream of common pathways within ASD pathogenesis.
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