Neuronal cytoskeletal gene dysregulation drives mechanical hypersensitivity in Rett Syndrome

This study investigated mechanisms of peripheral sensory abnormalities in Rett Syndrome using a MeCP2 knockout rat. Dramatic changes in peripheral innervation by DRG sensory neurons were observed in the knockout rats that strongly correlated with modality-specific sensory dysfunction. The cell-autonomous effect of MeCP2 mutation in DRG neurons disrupt axon growth mechanisms leading to the altered cutaneous innervation density. We performed RNA-Seq to compare the transcriptome of MeCP2 KO DRGs with that derived from wildtype littermates. This revealed profound impact of MeCP2 loss on axon growth regulatory pathways in sensory neurons. The findings will have significant impact on our understanding of sensory dysfunctions in Rett syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorders at large. Comparison of dorsal root ganglia transcriptome of MeCP2 knockout rat and their wildtype littermates