| First Author | Castagna C | Year | 2019 |
| Journal | Cell Mol Neurobiol | Volume | 39 |
| Issue | 6 | Pages | 833-856 |
| PubMed ID | 31098770 | Mgi Jnum | J:294479 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6456488 | Doi | 10.1007/s10571-019-00683-7 |
| Citation | Castagna C, et al. (2019) Decreased Expression of Synaptophysin 1 (SYP1 Major Synaptic Vesicle Protein p38) and Contactin 6 (CNTN6/NB3) in the Cerebellar Vermis of reln Haplodeficient Mice. Cell Mol Neurobiol 39(6):833-856 |
| abstractText | Reeler heterozygous mice (reln(+/-)) are seemingly normal but haplodeficient in reln, a gene implicated in autism. Structural/neurochemical alterations in the reln(+/-) brain are subtle and difficult to demonstrate. Therefore, the usefulness of these mice in translational research is still debated. As evidence implicated several synapse-related genes in autism and the cerebellar vermis is structurally altered in the condition, we have investigated the expression of synaptophysin 1 (SYP1) and contactin 6 (CNTN6) within the vermis of reln(+/-) mice. Semi-thin plastic sections of the vermis from adult mice of both sexes and different genotypes (reln(+/-) and reln(+/+)) were processed with an indirect immunofluorescence protocol. Immunofluorescence was quantified on binary images and statistically analyzed. Reln(+/-) males displayed a statistically significant reduction of 11.89% in the expression of SYP1 compared to sex-matched wild-type animals, whereas no differences were observed between reln(+/+) and reln(+/-) females. In reln(+/-) male mice, reductions were particularly evident in the molecular layer: 10.23% less SYP1 than reln(+/+) males and 5.84% < reln(+/+) females. In reln(+/-) females, decrease was 9.84% versus reln(+/+) males and 5.43% versus reln(+/+) females. Both reln(+/-) males and females showed a stronger decrease in CNTN6 expression throughout all the three cortical layers of the vermis: 17-23% in the granular layer, 24-26% in the Purkinje cell layer, and 9-14% in the molecular layer. Altogether, decrease of vermian SYP1 and CNTN6 in reln(+/-) mice displayed patterns compatible with the structural modifications of the autistic cerebellum. Therefore, these mice may be a good model in translational studies. |
