Hippocampal gene expression signature in autistic BTBR mice. Mus musculus

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by a high degree of genetic heterogeneity. Genomic studies identified common pathological processes underlying the heterogeneous clinical manifestations of ASD, and transcriptome analyses revealed that gene networks involved in synapse development, neuronal activity and immune function are deregulated in ASD. Mouse models provide unique tools to investigate the neurobiological basis of ASD. Here we used the BTBR (BTBR T+ Itpr3tf/J) ASD mouse model to identify conserved ASD-related molecular signatures. Overall design: Gene expression in the BTBR mouse hippocampus was measured by microarrays and compared to the gene expression profile of C57Bl6/J controls (5 months old, n= 4 mice per group).

自闭症谱系障碍（Autism spectrum disorders, ASD）以极高的遗传异质性为特征。基因组研究已明确ASD异质性临床表现背后的共同病理过程，转录组学分析（transcriptome analyses）则显示，参与突触发育、神经元活动及免疫功能的基因网络在ASD中存在表达失调。小鼠模型为探究ASD的神经生物学基础提供了独特的研究工具。本研究采用BTBR（BTBR T+ Itpr3tf/J）自闭症小鼠模型，以鉴定保守的ASD相关分子特征。总体实验设计：通过微阵列（microarrays）技术检测BTBR小鼠海马体的基因表达水平，并与C57Bl6/J对照组（5月龄，每组n=4只小鼠）的基因表达谱进行对比。