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Yang F, You H, Mizui T, Ishikawa Y, Takao K, Miyakawa T, Li X, Bai T, Xia K, Zhang L, Pang D, Xu Y, Zhu C, Kojima M, Lu B. Inhibiting proBDNF to mature BDNF conversion leads to ASD-like phenotypes in vivo. Mol Psychiatry 2024:10.1038/s41380-024-02595-5. [PMID: 38762692 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02595-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 04/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024]
Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) comprise a range of early age-onset neurodevelopment disorders with genetic heterogeneity. Most ASD related genes are involved in synaptic function, which is regulated by mature brain-derived neurotrophic factor (mBDNF) and its precursor proBDNF in a diametrically opposite manner: proBDNF inhibits while mBDNF potentiates synapses. Here we generated a knock-in mouse line (BDNFmet/leu) in which the conversion of proBDNF to mBDNF is attenuated. Biochemical experiments revealed residual mBDNF but excessive proBDNF in the brain. Similar to other ASD mouse models, the BDNFmet/leu mice showed reduced dendritic arborization, altered spines, and impaired synaptic transmission and plasticity in the hippocampus. They also exhibited ASD-like phenotypes, including stereotypical behaviors and deficits in social interaction. Moreover, the plasma proBDNF/mBDNF ratio was significantly increased in ASD patients compared to normal children in a case-control study. Thus, deficits in proBDNF to mBDNF conversion in the brain may contribute to ASD-like behaviors, and plasma proBDNF/mBDNF ratio may be a potential biomarker for ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Yang
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Basic and Translational Medicine Center, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, 100070, Beijing, China
- Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, 100070, Beijing, China
| | - He You
- Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, 100070, Beijing, China
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, China
| | - Toshiyuki Mizui
- Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST), Kawaguchi, 332-0012, Japan
| | - Yasuyuki Ishikawa
- Department of Systems Life Engineering, Maebashi Institute of Technology, Maebashi, 371-0816, Japan
| | - Keizo Takao
- Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST), Kawaguchi, 332-0012, Japan
- Life Science Research Center, University of Toyama, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan
- Department of Behavioral Physiology, Graduate School of Innovative Life Science, University of Toyama, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Miyakawa
- Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST), Kawaguchi, 332-0012, Japan
- Division of Systems Medical Science, Institute for Comprehensive Medical Science, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1192, Japan
| | - Xiaofei Li
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Basic and Translational Medicine Center, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, 100070, Beijing, China
- Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, 100070, Beijing, China
| | - Ting Bai
- Centre for Medical Genetics & Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Kun Xia
- Centre for Medical Genetics & Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Lingling Zhang
- Henan Key Laboratory of Child Brain Injury and Henan Pediatric Clinical Research Center, Institute of Neuroscience and the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China
| | - Dizhou Pang
- Center for Child Behavioral Development, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China
| | - Yiran Xu
- Henan Key Laboratory of Child Brain Injury and Henan Pediatric Clinical Research Center, Institute of Neuroscience and the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China
| | - Changlian Zhu
- Henan Key Laboratory of Child Brain Injury and Henan Pediatric Clinical Research Center, Institute of Neuroscience and the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China
| | - Masami Kojima
- Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST), Kawaguchi, 332-0012, Japan.
- Biomedical Department of Applied Bioscience, College of Bioscience and Chemistry, Kanazawa Institute of Technology (KIT), Ishikawa, 924-0838, Japan.
| | - Bai Lu
- Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, 100070, Beijing, China.
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, China.
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Zhang X, Wu X, Liu H, Song T, Jiang Y, He H, Yang S, Xie Y. Christianson syndrome: A novel splicing variant of SLC9A6 causes exon skipping in a Chinese boy and a literature review. J Clin Lab Anal 2021; 36:e24123. [PMID: 34791706 PMCID: PMC8761434 DOI: 10.1002/jcla.24123] [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: 09/17/2021] [Revised: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Variants in the endosomal solute carrier family 9 member A6 (SLC9A6)/(Na+ ,K+ )/H+ exchanger 6 (NHE6) gene have been linked to epilepsy, speech loss, truncal ataxia, hyperkinesia, and postnatal microcephaly. METHODS In the present study, we evaluated genetic alterations in a 3-year-old Chinese boy displayed features of epilepsy, psychomotor retardation, microcephaly, low body weight, difficulty in feeding, excessive movement, attention loss, ataxia, and cerebellar atrophy and his healthy family using WES method. The identified variant was further confirmed by Sanger sequencing method. Finally, minigene assays were used to verify whether the novel SLC9A6 intronic variant influenced the normal splicing of mRNA. RESULTS We identified a novel hemizygous splicing variant [NM_001042537.1: c.1463-1G>A] in SLC9A6 by trio-based exome sequencing. The minigene expression in vitro confirmed the splicing variant altered a consensus splice acceptor site of SLC9A6 intron 11, resulting in skipping over exon 12. CONCLUSIONS Our finding extends the catalog of pathogenic intronic variants affecting SLC9A6 pre-mRNA splicing and provides a basis for the genetic diagnosis of CS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoge Zhang
- Department of pediatrics, Northwest Women's and Children's Hospital, Xi'an, China
| | - Xiaofang Wu
- Department of pediatrics, Northwest Women's and Children's Hospital, Xi'an, China
| | - Hongli Liu
- Department of pediatrics, Northwest Women's and Children's Hospital, Xi'an, China
| | - Tingting Song
- Department of pediatrics, Northwest Women's and Children's Hospital, Xi'an, China
| | - Yongsheng Jiang
- Department of pediatrics, Northwest Women's and Children's Hospital, Xi'an, China
| | - Hanhan He
- Department of pediatrics, Northwest Women's and Children's Hospital, Xi'an, China
| | - Shaoqing Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Military Stomatology, Department of Oral Biology, School of Stomatology, Clinic of Oral Rare and Genetic Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yun Xie
- Department of clinical laboratory, Northwest Women's and Children's Hospital, Xi'an, China
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