Roles of AUTS2 in development and evolution of the brain

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K14570
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Nerve anatomy/Neuropathology
• Research Institution: National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry
• Principal Investigator: HOSHINO MIKIO 国立研究開発法人国立精神・神経医療研究センター, 神経研究所 病態生化学研究部, 部長 (70301273)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 脳・神経 / 進化 / 精神疾患 / 遺伝子

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The AUTS2 gene is related to various disorders, such as autism, schizophrenia and language disability. We generated the conditional knockout mice for AUTS2 in the telencephalon. The number of synapses in vitro and in vivo was significantly affected in the cKO mice. Ultrasonic vocalization was also abnormal in the cKO mice. We identified the enhancer of the AUTS2 gene for the expression in the prefrontal cortex.

Free Research Field

神経化学