Mapping pathological phenotypes in a mouse model of CDKL5 disorder

PLoS One. 2014 May 16;9(5):e91613. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0091613. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Mutations in cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 (CDKL5) cause early-onset epileptic encephalopathy, a neurodevelopmental disorder with similarities to Rett Syndrome. Here we describe the physiological, molecular, and behavioral phenotyping of a Cdkl5 conditional knockout mouse model of CDKL5 disorder. Behavioral analysis of constitutive Cdkl5 knockout mice revealed key features of the human disorder, including limb clasping, hypoactivity, and abnormal eye tracking. Anatomical, physiological, and molecular analysis of the knockout uncovered potential pathological substrates of the disorder, including reduced dendritic arborization of cortical neurons, abnormal electroencephalograph (EEG) responses to convulsant treatment, decreased visual evoked responses (VEPs), and alterations in the Akt/rpS6 signaling pathway. Selective knockout of Cdkl5 in excitatory and inhibitory forebrain neurons allowed us to map the behavioral features of the disorder to separable cell-types. These findings identify physiological and molecular deficits in specific forebrain neuron populations as possible pathological substrates in CDKL5 disorder.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Analysis of Variance
  • Animals
  • Blotting, Western
  • Dendrites / pathology
  • Disease Models, Animal*
  • Electroencephalography
  • Epileptic Syndromes
  • Evoked Potentials, Visual / physiology
  • Eye Movements / physiology
  • Fluorescent Antibody Technique
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Mice
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Phenotype*
  • Prosencephalon / pathology*
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / genetics*
  • Rett Syndrome / genetics*
  • Rett Syndrome / pathology*
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Signal Transduction / physiology*
  • Spasms, Infantile / genetics*
  • Spasms, Infantile / pathology*
  • Statistics, Nonparametric

Substances

  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • CDKL5 protein, human

Supplementary concepts

  • CDKL5 deficiency disorder