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Published on: December 7, 2018
The critical role of ASD-related gene CNTNAP3 in regulating synaptic development and social behavior in mice
Da-Li Tong1, Rui-Guo Chen2, Yu-Lan Lu3
1Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China; The College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Abstract:
Accumulated genetic evidences indicate that the contactin associated protein-like (CNTNAP) family is implicated in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). In this study, we identified genetic mutations in the CNTNAP3 gene from Chinese Han ASD cohorts and Simons Simplex Collections. We found that CNTNAP3 interacted with synaptic adhesion proteins Neuroligin1 and Neuroligin2, as well as scaffolding proteins PSD95 and Gephyrin. Significantly, we found that CNTNAP3 played an opposite role in controlling the development of excitatory and inhibitory synapses in vitro and in vivo, in which ASD mutants exhibited loss-of-function effects. In this study, we showed that the male Cntnap3-null mice exhibited deficits in social interaction, spatial learning and prominent repetitive behaviors. These evidences elucidate the pivotal role of CNTNAP3 in synapse development and social behaviors, providing mechanistic insights into ASD.
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