The hippocampus is a brain area central for cognition. Mutations in the human SOX2 transcription factor cause neurodevelopmental defects, leading to intellectual disability and seizures, together with hippocampal dysplasia. We generated an allelic series of Sox2 conditional mutations in mouse, deleting Sox2 at different developmental stages. Late Sox2 deletion (from E11.5, via Nestin-Cre) affects only postnatal hippocampal development; earlier deletion (from E10.5, Emx1-Cre) significantly reduces the dentate gyrus (DG), and the earliest deletion (from E9.5, FoxG1-Cre) causes drastic abnormalities, with almost complete absence of the DG. We identify a set of functionally interconnected genes (Gli3, Wnt3a, Cxcr4, p73 and Tbr2), known to play essential roles in hippocampal embryogenesis, which are downregulated in early Sox2 mutants, and (Gli3 and Cxcr4) directly controlled by SOX2; their downregulation provides plausible molecular mechanisms contributing to the defect. Electrophysiological studies of the Emx1-Cre mouse model reveal altered excitatory transmission in CA1 and CA3 regions.

Mercurio, S., Alberti, C., Serra, L., Meneghini, S., Berico, P., Bertolini, J., et al. (2021). An early Sox2-dependent gene expression programme required for hippocampal dentate gyrus development. OPEN BIOLOGY, 11(2) [10.1098/rsob.200339].

An early Sox2-dependent gene expression programme required for hippocampal dentate gyrus development

Mercurio S.
;
Serra L.;Meneghini S.;Bertolini J.;Becchetti A.;Nicolis S. K.
2021

Abstract

The hippocampus is a brain area central for cognition. Mutations in the human SOX2 transcription factor cause neurodevelopmental defects, leading to intellectual disability and seizures, together with hippocampal dysplasia. We generated an allelic series of Sox2 conditional mutations in mouse, deleting Sox2 at different developmental stages. Late Sox2 deletion (from E11.5, via Nestin-Cre) affects only postnatal hippocampal development; earlier deletion (from E10.5, Emx1-Cre) significantly reduces the dentate gyrus (DG), and the earliest deletion (from E9.5, FoxG1-Cre) causes drastic abnormalities, with almost complete absence of the DG. We identify a set of functionally interconnected genes (Gli3, Wnt3a, Cxcr4, p73 and Tbr2), known to play essential roles in hippocampal embryogenesis, which are downregulated in early Sox2 mutants, and (Gli3 and Cxcr4) directly controlled by SOX2; their downregulation provides plausible molecular mechanisms contributing to the defect. Electrophysiological studies of the Emx1-Cre mouse model reveal altered excitatory transmission in CA1 and CA3 regions.
Articolo in rivista - Articolo scientifico
gene regulation; mouse genetic models; Sox; Sox2; transcription factors;
English
2021
11
2
200339
open
Mercurio, S., Alberti, C., Serra, L., Meneghini, S., Berico, P., Bertolini, J., et al. (2021). An early Sox2-dependent gene expression programme required for hippocampal dentate gyrus development. OPEN BIOLOGY, 11(2) [10.1098/rsob.200339].
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10281/362440
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