Dysregulation of Rho Gtpases in the Apix/Arhgef6 Mouse Model of X
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Zurich Open Repository and Archive University of Zurich Main Library Strickhofstrasse 39 CH-8057 Zurich www.zora.uzh.ch Year: 2011 Dysregulation of Rho GTPases in the Pix/Arhgef6 mouse model of X-linked intellectual disability is paralleled by impaired structural and synaptic plasticity and cognitive deficits Ramakers, G J A ; Wolfer, D ; Rosenberger, G ; Kuchenbecker, K ; Kreienkamp, H J ; Prange-Kiel, J ; Rune, G ; Richter, K ; Langnaese, K ; Masneuf, S ; Bösl, M R ; Fischer, K D ; Krugers, H J ; Lipp, H P ; van Galen, E ; Kutsche, K Abstract: Mutations in the ARHGEF6 gene, encoding the guanine nucleotide exchange factor PIX/Cool- 2 for the Rho GTPases Rac1 and Cdc42, cause X-linked intellectual disability (ID) in humans. We show here that Pix/Arhgef6 is primarily expressed in neuropil regions of the hippocampus. To study the role of Pix/Arhgef6 in neuronal development and plasticity and gain insight into the pathogenic mechanisms underlying ID, we generated Pix/Arhgef6-deficient mice. Gross brain structure in these mice appeared to be normal; however, analysis of Golgi-Cox-stained pyramidal neurons revealed an increase in both dendritic length and spine density in the hippocampus, accompanied by an overall loss in spine synapses. Early-phase long-term potentiation was reduced and long-term depression was increased in the CA1 hippocampal area of Pix/Arhgef6-deficient animals. Knockout animals exhibited impaired spatial and complex learning and less behavioral control in mildly stressful situations, suggesting that this model mimics the human ID phenotype. The structural and electrophysiological alterations in the hippocampus were accompanied by a significant reduction in active Rac1 and Cdc42, but not RhoA. In conclusion, we suggest that imbalance in activity of different Rho GTPases may underlie altered neuronal connectivity and impaired synaptic function and cognition in Pix/Arhgef6 knockout mice. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/hmg/ddr457 Posted at the Zurich Open Repository and Archive, University of Zurich ZORA URL: https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-56495 Journal Article Published Version Originally published at: Ramakers, G J A; Wolfer, D; Rosenberger, G; Kuchenbecker, K; Kreienkamp, H J; Prange-Kiel, J; Rune, G; Richter, K; Langnaese, K; Masneuf, S; Bösl, M R; Fischer, K D; Krugers, H J; Lipp, H P; van Galen, E; Kutsche, K (2011). Dysregulation of Rho GTPases in the Pix/Arhgef6 mouse model of X-linked intellectual disability is paralleled by impaired structural and synaptic plasticity and cognitive deficits. Human Molecular Genetics, 21(2):268-286. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/hmg/ddr457 Human Molecular Genetics, 2012, Vol. 21, No. 2 268–286 doi:10.1093/hmg/ddr457 Advance Access published on October 11, 2011 Dysregulation of Rho GTPases in the aPix/Arhgef6 mouse model of X-linked intellectual disability is paralleled by impaired structural and synaptic plasticity and cognitive deficits Ger J.A. Ramakers1,2,{, David Wolfer3,4,{, Georg Rosenberger5,{, Kerstin Kuchenbecker5, Hans-Ju¨ rgen Kreienkamp5, Janine Prange-Kiel6,{, Gabriele Rune6, Karin Richter7, Kristina Langnaese7, Sophie Masneuf3, Michael R. Bo¨ sl9,}, Klaus-Dieter Fischer7,8, Harm J. Krugers10, Hans-Peter Lipp2, Elly van Galen1 and Kerstin Kutsche5,∗ 1Department of Neurons and Networks, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, an Institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2Department of Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 3Institute of Anatomy and Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology (ZIHP), University of Zurich, Switzerland, 4Institute of Human Movement Sciences and Sport, ETH Zu¨rich, Switzerland, 5Institut fu¨r Humangenetik, Universita¨tsklinikum Hamburg- Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany, 6Institute of Anatomy I: Cellular Neurobiology, University Medical Center Hamburg- Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany, 7Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology and 8Division of Functional Genomics and Medical Toponomics at the Centre for Cellular Imaging and Innovative Disease Models, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany, 9Center for Molecular Neurobiology, Hamburg, Germany and 10Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, Center for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Received August 26, 2011; Revised and Accepted September 29, 2011 Mutations in the ARHGEF6 gene, encoding the guanine nucleotide exchange factor aPIX/Cool-2 for the Rho GTPases Rac1 and Cdc42, cause X-linked intellectual disability (ID) in humans. We show here that aPix/Arhgef6 is primarily expressed in neuropil regions of the hippocampus. To study the role of aPix/Arhgef6 in neuronal development and plasticity and gain insight into the pathogenic mechanisms underlying ID, we generated aPix/Arhgef6-deficient mice. Gross brain structure in these mice appeared to be normal; however, analysis of Golgi-Cox-stained pyramidal neurons revealed an increase in both dendritic length and spine density in the hippocampus, accompanied by an overall loss in spine synapses. Early-phase long-term potentiation was reduced and long-term depression was increased in the CA1 hippocampal area of aPix/Arhgef6-deficient animals. Knockout animals exhibited impaired spatial and complex learning and less behavioral control in mildly stressful situa- tions, suggesting that this model mimics the human ID phenotype. The structural and electrophysio- logical alterations in the hippocampus were accompanied by a significant reduction in active Rac1 and Cdc42, but not RhoA. In conclusion, we suggest that imbalance in activity of different Rho GTPases may underlie altered neuronal connectivity and impaired synaptic function and cognition in aPix/Arhgef6 knockout mice. ∗To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Institut fu¨r Humangenetik, Universita¨tsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Campus Forschung, Martinistraße 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany. Tel: +49 40741054597; Fax: +49 40741055138; Email: [email protected] †The authors wish it to be known that, in their opinion, the first three authors should be regarded as joint First Authors. ‡Present address: Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Texas, USA. }Present address: MPI of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany. Published by Oxford University Press 2011. Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/hmg/article-abstract/21/2/268/661872 by University of Zurich user on 02 August 2018 Human Molecular Genetics, 2012, Vol. 21, No. 2 269 Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/hmg/article-abstract/21/2/268/661872 by University of Zurich user on 02 August 2018 270 Human Molecular Genetics, 2012, Vol. 21, No. 2 INTRODUCTION demonstrated only in vitro and underlies a complex allosteric regulation (28–34). Rho GTPases belong to the family of small GTPases which act aPix/Arhgef6 transcripts have been detected in rat hippo- as molecular switches by cycling between an active, campal CA1–CA3 cell layers and ectopically GTP-bound and an inactive, GDP-bound state. The activity expressed aPix/Arhgef6 colocalizes with postsynaptic state of Rho GTPases is tightly controlled by positive and nega- density (PSD) -95 at postsynaptic densities of excitatory tive regulators. Guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) synapses in cultured neurons (35). Knockdown of aPix/ activate Rho proteins by mediating the exchange of GDP for Arhgef6 results in abnormal spine morphology in hippocampal GTP (1), whereas GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) stimulate organotypic slice cultures. The active form of Pak3 rescues the the low intrinsic GTP hydrolysis rate (2), thereby negatively phenotype induced by aPix/Arhgef6 downregulation, suggest- regulating Rho signaling. In the active state, Rho GTPases ing that aPix/Arhgef6 acts upstream of Pak3 in regulating exert their effect on various cellular functions. The most exten- spine morphogenesis and plasticity of synaptic networks (35). sively studied Rho GTPases Rac1, Cdc42 and RhoA are best To establish the role of the X-linked ID gene aPIX/ known for their role in controlling dynamics of the actin cyto- ARHGEF6 in vivo, we generated and characterized constitu- skeleton (3,4). Because actin filaments make up the structural tional aPix/Arhgef6 knockout mice. As we found aPix/ framework of dendrites, axons and dendritic spines, Rho signal- Arhgef6 to be highly expressed in the hippocampal formation ing pathways have been suggested to be critically important for and the hippocampus has a major role in learning and memory neurite outgrowth and branching, axon pathfinding and dendrit- (36), we studied synaptic morphology and long-term potenti- ic spine morphogenesis (5–9). ation (LTP) as well as hippocampus-dependent cognitive The importance of Rho-dependent signaling in neuronal behavior in aPix/Arhgef6-deficient mice. development and function has been highlighted by the identi- fication of mutations in Rho-linked genes causing intellectual disability (ID) in humans (10–12). ID is the most common RESULTS developmental disability in children and is defined by a a 2/Y global deficiency of cognitive abilities and adaptive skills Pix/Arhgef6 mice are viable and show no changes in (13). It has been proposed that patients with ID show a gross brain morphology deficit in neuronal network connectivity, resulting in abnormal The targeting strategy for aPix/Arhgef6 knockout mice was information processing (14). There is evidence that the cere- designed to abolish expression of aPix/Arhgef6 resulting in a