Behavioral assessment and gene expression changes in a mouse model with dysfunctional STAT1 signaling

Signal transduction via the Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 1 (STAT1) pathway is indispensable for mediating the intracellular effects of interferon-α (IFN-α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and other cytokines in the brain and, thereby, crucial for antiviral and antibacterial responses during potential life-threatening CNS infections. However, the role of STAT1 signaling beyond the known IFN-α and IFN-γ effects in immediate antimicrobial defense is highly context-dependent, and studies in the existing literature using STAT1-targeted mouse models under normal physiological conditions remain scarce.

Here, we characterized a STAT1 targeted-disruption mouse model in the absence of infectious stimuli by employing established behavioral testing paradigms and immunohistochemical stainings, as well as bulk hippocampal transcriptomic and proteomic analyses.

While we found neither overt behavioral alterations nor immunohistochemical changes with respect to microglial phagocytosis or proliferation, significant alterations were detected in gene and protein expression profiles implicated in neuroinflammatory processes and neuroprotection.

In summary, this study highlights the complex and context-dependent role of STAT1-mediated signaling even in the absence of any detectable behavioral and neuropathological changes.