Analysis of Treatment Efficacy and Molecular and Cellular Outcomes In
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Analysis of Treatment Efficacy and Molecular and Cellular Outcomes in Mouse Models of Congenital Epilepsy and Intellectual Disability. Karagh Loring BSc. (Biomedical Science) Hons. Intellectual Disability Laboratory Primary Supervisor: A/Prof Cheryl Shoubridge External Supervisor: A/Prof Quenten Schwarz Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Discipline of Paediatrics, Adelaide Medical School Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences The University of Adelaide 2020 2 Contents List of Tables .......................................................................................................................... 6 List of Figures ......................................................................................................................... 8 Abstract ................................................................................................................................. 11 Thesis Format ....................................................................................................................... 13 Thesis Declaration ................................................................................................................ 14 Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................ 15 List of Abbreviations ............................................................................................................ 18 Chapter One: The Aristaless-related homeobox gene: understanding its role in intellectual disability and seizures and the search for effective treatments ................................................. 20 1.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 21 1.2 ARX & neurodevelopmental disorders ........................................................................... 22 1.2.1 The Aristaless-related homeobox gene .................................................................... 22 1.2.2 Mutations in ARX ..................................................................................................... 23 1.2.3 Expanded polyalanine tract mutations ..................................................................... 24 1.2.4 Current treatments for seizures in ARX patients ...................................................... 30 1.3 ARX & interneurons ....................................................................................................... 31 1.3.1 Interneuron function ................................................................................................ 31 1.3.2 Interneuron migration .............................................................................................. 32 1.3.3 Interneuron subtypes ................................................................................................ 35 1.3.4 ARX & interneuron migration and function ................................................................ 37 1.4 Arx mouse models ........................................................................................................... 45 1.4.1 Expanded polyalanine tract mutations ..................................................................... 45 1.4.2 Other Arx mouse models .......................................................................................... 50 1.4.3 Benefits and limitations of mouse models for research ........................................... 53 1.5 Exogenous steroids as a treatment for infantile spasms and seizures ............................. 55 1.6 Concluding remarks ........................................................................................................ 59 1.7 Project overview ............................................................................................................. 60 Chapter Two: Materials and Methods ...................................................................................... 62 2.1 General reagents ............................................................................................................. 63 2.2 Animals ........................................................................................................................... 63 2.2.1 Animal husbandry .................................................................................................... 63 2.2.2 Drug preparation and injections ............................................................................... 64 2.2.3 Genotyping ............................................................................................................... 66 2.2.4 Behavioural analyses ............................................................................................... 70 2.2.5 Seizure monitoring and analysis .............................................................................. 76 2.2.6 Animal dissections and tissue collection ................................................................. 77 2.2.7 Statistical analysis .................................................................................................... 77 3 2.3 Gene expression analysis ................................................................................................ 78 2.3.1 RNA extraction ........................................................................................................ 78 2.3.2 RNA sequencing ...................................................................................................... 78 2.3.3 RNA sequencing validation ..................................................................................... 79 2.3.4 Gene enrichment analysis ........................................................................................ 83 2.4 Immunofluorescence ....................................................................................................... 84 2.4.1 Tissue sectioning ..................................................................................................... 84 2.4.2 Immunofluorescence ................................................................................................ 84 2.4.3 Microscopy .............................................................................................................. 85 2.4.4 Interneuron analysis ................................................................................................. 85 2.4.5 Statistical analysis .................................................................................................... 85 Chapter Three: Short-term 17β-estradiol treatment alleviates the seizure phenotype but not behavioural outcomes in PA1 and PA2 mouse models. ........................................................... 87 3.1 Abstract ........................................................................................................................... 90 3.2 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 91 3.3.1 Optimisation of drug preparation and injections ..................................................... 94 3.4 Results............................................................................................................................. 96 3.4.1 Estradiol treatment trial strategy .............................................................................. 96 3.4.2 Estradiol treatment reduces seizure frequency and severity in PA mutant mice. .... 98 3.4.3 Estradiol treatment does not improve mortality in PA mutant mice ..................... 104 3.4.4 Body and tissue weights are unaffected by estradiol in PA mutant mice .............. 107 3.4.5 Behavioural deficits are present in PA mutant mice prior to seizure onset, and do not improve with estradiol treatment. ............................................................................. 112 3.5 Discussion ..................................................................................................................... 133 3.5.1 Reproducibility of phenotypic outcomes in different mouse models .................... 133 3.5.2 Relating behavioural testing to patient phenotypes ............................................... 134 3.5.3 No change to the survival of mice with estradiol treatment .................................. 136 3.5.4 Behavioural deficits are present prior to seizure onset .......................................... 136 3.5.5 Estradiol and cognition and behaviour .................................................................. 138 3.5.6 Reproducibility of behaviour testing outcomes ..................................................... 139 3.5.7 Side effects of estradiol treatment ......................................................................... 142 3.6 Study outcomes ............................................................................................................. 143 Chapter Four: The deregulated transcriptome in PA1 and PA2 Arx mutant mice is not restored by early postnatal 17β-estradiol treatment. ............................................................................. 144 4.1 Abstract ......................................................................................................................... 146 4.2 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 147 4.3 Results........................................................................................................................... 150 4.3.1 PA1 and PA2 mice have a deregulated cortical