Pluto Bioinformatics

GSE80803: Comparison of DEG between neonatal male and female mice age of P0 by CHD8 Asn2373LysfsX2 heterozygote mutation

Bulk RNA sequencing

CHD8, encoding a chromatin remodeling protein, is one of the most frequently mutated genes in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) 1-8. However, whether and how such mutations cause autistic behaviors remain unclear. Here we show that a human CHD8 mutation causes autistic-like behaviors and enhanced excitatory drive specifically in male mice. We found that knockin mice carrying a heterozygous frame-shift mutation in the Chd8 gene (Asn2373LysfsX2) identified in human individuals with ASDs (Chd8+/N2373K mice) display male-specific autistic-like behaviors. Gene transcript analysis shows that male and female Chd8+/N2373K neurons exhibit largely opposite changes in the levels of 29 mRNAs, nine of which correspond to known ASD-risk genes. These results suggest that a human CHD8 mutation causes male-specific autistic-like behaviors in mice in association with gender-specific differential changes in gene transcripts and excitatory drive in the brain. SOURCE: Eunjoon Kim (kime@kaist.ac.kr) - IBS/KAIST