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Molecular Autism
Published in: Molecular Autism 1/2018

Open Access 01-12-2018 | Research

Impairment of social behaviors in Arhgef10 knockout mice

Authors: Dai-Hua Lu, Hsiao-Mei Liao, Chia-Hsiang Chen, Huang-Ju Tu, Houng-Chi Liou, Susan Shur-Fen Gau, Wen-Mei Fu

Published in: Molecular Autism | Issue 1/2018

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Abstract

Background

Impaired social interaction is one of the essential features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Our previous copy number variation (CNV) study discovered a novel deleted region associated with ASD. One of the genes included in the deleted region is ARHGEF10. A missense mutation of ARHGEF10 has been reported to be one of the contributing factors in several diseases of the central nervous system. However, the relationship between the loss of ARHGEF10 and the clinical symptoms of ASD is unclear.

Methods

We generated Arhgef10 knockout mice as a model of ASD and characterized the social behavior and the biochemical changes in the brains of the knockout mice.

Results

Compared with their wild-type littermates, the Arhgef10-depleted mice showed social interaction impairment, hyperactivity, and decreased depression-like and anxiety-like behavior. Behavioral measures of learning in the Morris water maze were not affected by Arhgef10 deficiency. Moreover, neurotransmitters including serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine were significantly increased in different brain regions of the Arhgef10 knockout mice. In addition, monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) decreased in several brain regions.

Conclusions

These results suggest that ARHGEF10 is a candidate risk gene for ASD and that the Arhgef10 knockout model could be a tool for studying the mechanisms of neurotransmission in ASD.

Trial registration

Animal studies were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of National Taiwan University (IACUC 20150023). Registered 1 August 2015.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
Impairment of social behaviors in Arhgef10 knockout mice
Authors
Dai-Hua Lu
Hsiao-Mei Liao
Chia-Hsiang Chen
Huang-Ju Tu
Houng-Chi Liou
Susan Shur-Fen Gau
Wen-Mei Fu
Publication date
01-12-2018
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Molecular Autism / Issue 1/2018
Electronic ISSN: 2040-2392
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13229-018-0197-5

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