Ankyrin-G regulates neurogenesis and Wnt signaling by altering the subcellular localization of ß-catenin.

Ankyrin-G is a scaffolding protein required for the formation of the axon initial segment in neurons. Recent genome-wide association studies and whole-exome sequencing have identified ANK3, the gene coding for ankyrin-G, to be a risk gene for multiple neuropsychiatric disorders, such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder. Here, we describe a novel role for ankyrin-G in neural progenitor proliferation in the developing cortex. We found that ankyrin-G regulates canonical Wnt signaling by altering the subcellular localization and availability of ß-catenin in proliferating cells. Ankyrin-G loss-of-function increases ß-catenin levels in the nucleus, thereby promoting neural progenitor proliferation. Importantly, abnormalities in proliferation can be rescued by reducing Wnt pathway signaling. Taken together, these results suggest that ankyrin-G is required for proper brain development.

Genomic survey of prepulse inhibition in mouse chromosome substitution strains.

Prepulse inhibition (PPI) is a measure of sensorimotor gating, a pre-attentional inhibitory brain mechanism that filters extraneous stimuli. Prepulse inhibition is correlated with measures of cognition and executive functioning, and is considered an endophenotype of schizophrenia and other psychiatric illnesses in which patients show PPI impairments. As a first step toward identifying genes that regulate PPI, we performed a quantitative trait locus (QTL) screen of PPI phenotypes in a panel of mouse chromosome substitution strains (CSSs). We identified five CSSs with altered PPI compared with the host C57BL/6J strain: CSS-4 exhibited decreased PPI, whereas CSS-10, -11, -16 and -Y exhibited higher PPI compared with C57BL/6J. These data indicate that A/J chromosomes 4, 10, 11, 16 and Y harbor at least one QTL region that modulates PPI in these CSSs. Quantitative trait loci for the acoustic startle response were identified on seven chromosomes. Like PPI, habituation of the startle response is also disrupted in schizophrenia, and in the present study CSS-7 and -8 exhibited deficits in startle habituation. Linkage analysis of an F(2) intercross identified a highly significant QTL for PPI on chromosome 11 between positions 101.5 and 114.4 Mb (peak LOD = 4.54). Future studies will map the specific genes contributing to these QTLs using congenic strains and other genomic approaches. Identification of genes that modulate PPI will provide insight into the neural mechanisms underlying sensorimotor gating, as well as the psychopathology of disorders characterized by gating deficits.

Temporal ontogeny of circuit activation prior to the onset of seizure susceptibility in EL/Suz mice.

The EL/Suz (EL) mouse is a model of multifactorial temporal lobe epilepsy in which seizures begin around 90 days of age, but can be hastened through increased exposure to human handling. In order to better understand seizure etiology in this mouse strain relative to seizure-resistant control mice, the present study examined region-specific neuronal activation in response to non-seizure-inducing handling implemented before the onset of seizure susceptibility. Immediate-early gene (cFos) expression emerged in EL mice by postnatal day (PND) 21 in the primary motor cortex, progressed to the locus ceruleus and prefrontal cortex by PND 35, and appeared in the hippocampus and amygdala by PND 70, as mice neared the age of onset for seizure susceptibility. Thus, mirroring the pattern observed during the course of a seizure, specific brain regions were differentially recruited to a neural network for seizure predisposition before the onset of seizure susceptibility. This developmental pattern of early and transient neural activation represents an important window for the study of causal mechanisms of seizure susceptibility following exposure to environmental triggers.