RNA-seq of PV+ interneurons in WT and Cox6a2-/- mice to unravel the molecular signaling that contributes to the increase in oxidative stress and metabolic dysregulation following Cox6a2 knockout.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid-containing (GABAergic) interneurons are the major source of inhibition in the mammalian brain. They control the output of principal neurons, shaping brain oscillations and maintaining excitation/inhibition balance. PV+ interneurons play a major role in the regulation of the excitatory/inhibitory balance in the cortex. One gene of the oxidative phosphorylation machinery shows particularly specific expression in PV+ interneurons, Cox6a2. The gene codes for the isoform 2 of the subunit Cox6a in cytochrome c oxidase, also known as complex IV (CIV), of oxidative phosphorylation. Cox6a2 had been shown to regulate the generation of energy in the heart and skeletal muscle to meet the high energy demands. To unravel the molecular signaling that contributes to the increase in oxidative stress and metabolic dysregulation following Cox6a2 knockout, we sorted PV+ interneurons from wild-type and Cox6a2-/- mice using the PV-EGFP transgenic mouse line and compared the neuronal transcriptome between the two phenotypes by RNA sequencing. We noted significant transcriptional changes in Cox6a2-/- PV+ interneurons relative to WT. Thus, we found deregulated expression of a number of genes that are involved in synaptic transmission and cellular metabolism.