ORIGINAL RESEARCH published: 09 October 2019 doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2019.00241 A TBR1-K228E Mutation Induces Tbr1 Upregulation, Altered Cortical Distribution of Interneurons, Increased Inhibitory Synaptic Transmission, and Autistic-Like Behavioral Deficits in Mice Chaehyun Yook 1, Kyungdeok Kim 1, Doyoun Kim 2, Hyojin Kang 3, Sun-Gyun Kim 2, Eunjoon Kim 1,2* and Soo Young Kim 4* 1Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, South Korea, 2Center for Synaptic Brain Dysfunctions, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon, South Korea, 3Division of National 4 Edited by: Supercomputing, Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI), Daejeon, South Korea, College of Se-Young Choi, Pharmacy, Yeongnam University, Gyeongsan, South Korea Seoul National University, South Korea Mutations in Tbr1, a high-confidence ASD (autism spectrum disorder)-risk gene Reviewed by: encoding the transcriptional regulator TBR1, have been shown to induce diverse Carlo Sala, Institute of Neuroscience (CNR), Italy ASD-related molecular, synaptic, neuronal, and behavioral dysfunctions in mice. Lin Mei, However, whether Tbr1 mutations derived from autistic individuals cause similar Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve dysfunctions in mice remains unclear. Here we generated and characterized mice University, United States carrying the TBR1-K228E de novo mutation identified in human ASD and identified *Correspondence: various ASD-related phenotypes. In heterozygous mice carrying this mutation Eunjoon Kim =K228E (Tbr1C mice), levels of the TBR1-K228E protein, which is unable to bind target
[email protected] =K228E Soo Young Kim DNA, were strongly increased. RNA-Seq analysis of the Tbr1C embryonic brain
[email protected] indicated significant changes in the expression of genes associated with neurons, =K228E astrocytes, ribosomes, neuronal synapses, and ASD risk.