Autism-like behaviors in male mice with a Pcdh19 deletion

Mol Brain. 2019 Nov 20;12(1):95. doi: 10.1186/s13041-019-0519-3.

Abstract

Mutations in protocadherin 19 (PCDH19), which is on the X-chromosome, cause the brain disease Epilepsy in Females with Mental Retardation (EFMR). EFMR is also often associated with autism-like symptoms. In mice and humans, epilepsy occurs only in heterozygous females who have a mixture of PCDH19 wild-type (WT) and mutant cells caused by random X-inactivation; it does not occur in hemizygous PCDH19 mutant males. This unique inheritance pattern strongly suggests the underlying disease mechanism operates via interference between WT and mutant cells rather than being a result of complete loss of PCDH19 functions. Although it remains unclear whether the other symptoms of EFMR also conform to this unique genotype-phenotype relationship, PCDH19 mutant males were recently reported to demonstrate autism-like symptoms. We, therefore, used a Pcdh19 knockout (KO) mouse model to ask whether a complete lack of PCDH19 causes autism-like behaviors. Consistent with the autism observed in EFMR females, we found Pcdh19 heterozygous KO female mice (with mosaic expression of PCDH19) show defects in sociability in the 3-chamber test. Surprisingly, hemizygous Pcdh19 KO male mice (without any PCDH19 expression) exhibit impaired sociability in the 3-chamber test and reduced social interactions in the reciprocal social interaction test. We also observed that, compared to WT mice, mutant mice display more repetitive behaviors, including self-grooming and rearing. These findings indicate that hemizygous Pcdh19 KO male mice show autism-like phenotypes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Autistic Disorder / genetics*
  • Behavior, Animal*
  • Cadherins / genetics*
  • Female
  • Gene Deletion*
  • Male
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Protocadherins
  • Social Behavior

Substances

  • Cadherins
  • Pcdh19 protein, mouse
  • Protocadherins