Mouse models of 22q11 deletion syndrome

22q11 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) is caused by an interstitial chromosomal microdeletion that encompasses about 40 genes. It is the most common of the microdeletion syndromes. The clinical phenotype, which is complex and variable, includes specific congenital defects of the cardiovascular system, craniofacies, and immune system. In early childhood, patients manifest cognitive impairment, behavioral disorders, and delays in motor development and language acquisition. Adult patients have a high risk for developing serious psychiatric disorders, especially schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder. The great majority of patients have an identical or near identical chromosomal deletion, and genotype-phenotype correlations have not been established. Indeed, little progress was made toward resolving the complex clinical phenotype until the deletion was successfully modeled in the mouse. In recent years, through a variety of mouse mutants that carry multigene and single gene mutations, we have learned that mutation in a single gene, Tbx1, is responsible for most of the congenital defects seen in the mouse models and in patients. We now face a greater challenge as we attempt to use the mouse to address the pathogenesis of the behavioral and psychiatric disorders associated with 22q11DS. Significant progress has already been made, and recent studies in the mouse suggest that several genes from the deleted region affect behavior and might contribute to disease burden in patients.