Publications by authors named "Yann Herault"

130 Publications

Droplet digital PCR or quantitative PCR for in-depth genomic and functional validation of genetically altered rodents.

Authors:
Loic Lindner Pauline Cayrou Thomas W Rosahl Esther Heather Zhou Marie-Christine Birling Yann Herault Guillaume Pavlovic

Methods 2021 Apr 7. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

PHENOMIN-Institut Clinique de la Souris, CELPHEDIA, CNRS, INSERM, Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch-Graffenstaden, Strasbourg, 67404, France. Electronic address:

Gene targeting and additive (random) transgenesis have proven to be powerful technologies with which to decipher the mammalian genome. With the advent of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, the ability to inactivate or modify the function of a gene has become even more accessible. However, the impact of each generated modification may be different from what was initially desired. Minimal validation of mutant alleles from genetically altered (GA) rodents remains essential to guarantee the interpretation of experimental results. The protocol described here combines design strategies for genomic and functional validation of genetically modified alleles with droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) or quantitative PCR (qPCR) for target DNA or mRNA quantification. In-depth analysis of the results obtained with GA models through the analysis of target DNA and mRNA quantification is also provided, to evaluate which pitfalls can be detected using these two methods, and we propose recommendations for the characterization of different type of mutant allele (knock-out, knock-in, conditional knock-out, FLEx, IKMC model or transgenic). Our results also highlight the possibility that mRNA expression of any mutated allele can be different from what might be expected in theory or according to common assumptions. For example, mRNA analyses on knock-out lines showed that nonsense-mediated mRNA decay is generally not achieved with a critical-exon approach. Likewise, comparison of multiple conditional lines crossed with the same CreER deleter showed that the inactivation outcome was very different for each conditional model. DNA quantification by ddPCR of G0 to G2 generations of transgenic rodents generated by pronuclear injection showed an unexpected variability, demonstrating that G1 generation rodents cannot be considered as established lines.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Download full-text PDF

 Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ymeth.2021.04.001DOI Listing
April 2021

A resource of targeted mutant mouse lines for 5,061 genes.

Authors:
Marie-Christine Birling Atsushi Yoshiki David J Adams Shinya Ayabe Arthur L Beaudet Joanna Bottomley Allan Bradley Steve D M Brown Antje Bürger Wendy Bushell Francesco Chiani Hsian-Jean Genie Chin Skevoulla Christou Gemma F Codner Francesco J DeMayo Mary E Dickinson Brendan Doe Leah Rae Donahue Martin D Fray Alessia Gambadoro Xiang Gao Marina Gertsenstein Alba Gomez-Segura Leslie O Goodwin Jason D Heaney Yann Hérault Martin Hrabe de Angelis Si-Tse Jiang Monica J Justice Petr Kasparek Ruairidh E King Ralf Kühn Ho Lee Young Jae Lee Zhiwei Liu K C Kent Lloyd Isabel Lorenzo Ann-Marie Mallon Colin McKerlie Terrence F Meehan Violeta Munoz Fuentes Stuart Newman Lauryl M J Nutter Goo Taeg Oh Guillaume Pavlovic Ramiro Ramirez-Solis Barry Rosen Edward J Ryder Luis A Santos Joel Schick John R Seavitt Radislav Sedlacek Claudia Seisenberger Je Kyung Seong William C Skarnes Tania Sorg Karen P Steel Masaru Tamura Glauco P Tocchini-Valentini Chi-Kuang Leo Wang Hannah Wardle-Jones Marie Wattenhofer-Donzé Sara Wells Michael V Wiles Brandon J Willis Joshua A Wood Wolfgang Wurst Ying Xu Lydia Teboul Stephen A Murray

Nat Genet 2021 04;53(4):416-419

The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME, USA.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Download full-text PDF

 Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41588-021-00825-yDOI Listing
April 2021

Pain behavior in SCN9A (Nav1.7) and SCN10A (Nav1.8) mutant rodent models.

Authors:
Yaping Xue Celeste Chidiac Yann Herault Claire Gaveriaux-Ruff

Neurosci Lett 2021 Mar 26;753:135844. Epub 2021 Mar 26.

Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC) Translational Medicine and Neurogenetics Department, Illkirch, France.

The two voltage gated sodium channels Nav1.7 and Nav1.8 are expressed in the peripheral nervous system and involved in various pain conditions including inflammatory and neuropathic pain. Rodent models bearing deletions or mutations of the corresponding genes, Scn9a and Scn10a, were created in order to understand the role of these channels in the pathophysiological mechanism underlying pain symptoms. This review summarizes the pain behavior profiles reported in Scn9a and Scn10a rodent models. The complete loss-of-function or knockout (KO) of Scn9a or Scn10a and the conditional KO (cKO) of Scn9a in specific cell populations were shown to decrease sensitivity to various pain stimuli. The Possum mutant mice bearing a dominant hypermorphic mutation in Scn10a revealed higher sensitivity to noxious stimuli. Several gain-of-function mutations were identified in patients with painful small fiber neuropathy. Future knowledge obtained from preclinical models bearing these mutations will allow understanding how these mutations affect pain. In addition, the review gives perspectives for creating models that better mimic patients' pain symptoms in view to developing novel analgesic strategies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Download full-text PDF

 Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2021.135844DOI Listing
March 2021

Multi-influential genetic interactions alter behaviour and cognition through six main biological cascades in Down syndrome mouse models.

Authors:
Arnaud Duchon Maria Del Mar Muñiz Moreno Sandra Martin Lorenzo Márcia Priscilla Silva de Souza Claire Chevalier Valérie Nalesso Hamid Meziane Paulo Loureiro de Sousa Vincent Noblet Jean-Paul Armspach Veronique Brault Yann Herault

Hum Mol Genet 2021 Mar 9. Epub 2021 Mar 9.

Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC), department of translational medicine and neurogenetics 1 rue Laurent Fries, 67404 Illkirch Graffenstaden, France.

Down syndrome (DS) is the most common genetic form of intellectual disability caused by the presence of an additional copy of human chromosome 21 (Hsa21). To provide novel insights into genotype-phenotype correlations, we used standardized behavioural tests, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and hippocampal gene expression to screen several DS mouse models for the mouse chromosome 16 region homologous to Hsa21. First, we unravelled several genetic interactions between different regions of chromosome 21 and how they contribute significantly to altering the outcome of the phenotypes in brain cognition, function and structure. Then, in-depth analysis of misregulated expressed genes involved in synaptic dysfunction highlighted 6 biological cascades centred around DYRK1A, GSK3β, NPY, SNARE, RHOA and NPAS4. Finally, we provide a novel vision of the existing altered gene-gene crosstalk and molecular mechanisms targeting specific hubs in DS models that should become central to better understanding of DS and improving the development of therapies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Download full-text PDF

 Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/hmg/ddab012DOI Listing
March 2021

Specific Susceptibility to COVID-19 in Adults with Down Syndrome.

Authors:
Tomer Illouz Arya Biragyn Milana Frenkel-Morgenstern Orly Weissberg Alessandro Gorohovski Eugene Merzon Ilan Green Florencia Iulita Lisi Flores-Aguilar Maria Del Mar Dierssen Sotos Ilario De Toma Hefziba Lifshitz Stylianos E Antonarakis Eugene Yu Yann Herault Marie-Claude Potier Alexandra Botté Randall Roper Benjamin Sredni Ronit Sarid Jacqueline London William Mobley Andre Strydom Eitan Okun

Neuromolecular Med 2021 Mar 4. Epub 2021 Mar 4.

The Leslie and Susan Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, 5290002, Ramat-Gan, Israel.

The current SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, which causes COVID-19, is particularly devastating for individuals with chronic medical conditions, in particular those with Down Syndrome (DS) who often exhibit a higher prevalence of respiratory tract infections, immune dysregulation and potential complications. The incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is much higher in DS than in the general population, possibly increasing further the risk of COVID-19 infection and its complications. Here we provide a biological overview with regard to specific susceptibility of individuals with DS to SARS-CoV-2 infection as well as data from a recent survey on the prevalence of COVID-19 among them. We see an urgent need to protect people with DS, especially those with AD, from COVID-19 and future pandemics and focus on developing protective measures, which also include interventions by health systems worldwide for reducing the negative social effects of long-term isolation and increased periods of hospitalization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Download full-text PDF

 Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12017-021-08651-5DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7929736PMC
March 2021

Identifying causative mechanisms linking early-life stress to psycho-cardio-metabolic multi-morbidity: The EarlyCause project.

Authors:
Nicole Mariani Alessandra Borsini Charlotte A M Cecil Janine F Felix Sylvain Sebert Annamaria Cattaneo Esther Walton Yuri Milaneschi Guy Cochrane Clara Amid Jeena Rajan Juliette Giacobbe Yolanda Sanz Ana Agustí Tania Sorg Yann Herault Jouko Miettunen Priyanka Parmar Nadia Cattane Vincent Jaddoe Jyrki Lötjönen Carme Buisan Miguel A González Ballester Gemma Piella Josep L Gelpi Femke Lamers Brenda W J H Penninx Henning Tiemeier Malte von Tottleben Rainer Thiel Katharina F Heil Marjo-Riitta Järvelin Carmine Pariante Isabelle M Mansuy Karim Lekadir

PLoS One 2021 21;16(1):e0245475. Epub 2021 Jan 21.

Departament de Matemàtiques i Informàtica, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.

Introduction: Depression, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes are among the major non-communicable diseases, leading to significant disability and mortality worldwide. These diseases may share environmental and genetic determinants associated with multimorbid patterns. Stressful early-life events are among the primary factors associated with the development of mental and physical diseases. However, possible causative mechanisms linking early life stress (ELS) with psycho-cardio-metabolic (PCM) multi-morbidity are not well understood. This prevents a full understanding of causal pathways towards the shared risk of these diseases and the development of coordinated preventive and therapeutic interventions.

Methods And Analysis: This paper describes the study protocol for EarlyCause, a large-scale and inter-disciplinary research project funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. The project takes advantage of human longitudinal birth cohort data, animal studies and cellular models to test the hypothesis of shared mechanisms and molecular pathways by which ELS shapes an individual's physical and mental health in adulthood. The study will research in detail how ELS converts into biological signals embedded simultaneously or sequentially in the brain, the cardiovascular and metabolic systems. The research will mainly focus on four biological processes including possible alterations of the epigenome, neuroendocrine system, inflammatome, and the gut microbiome. Life-course models will integrate the role of modifying factors as sex, socioeconomics, and lifestyle with the goal to better identify groups at risk as well as inform promising strategies to reverse the possible mechanisms and/or reduce the impact of ELS on multi-morbidity development in high-risk individuals. These strategies will help better manage the impact of multi-morbidity on human health and the associated risk.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Download full-text PDF

 Source
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0245475PLOS
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7819604PMC
January 2021

Targeting the RHOA pathway improves learning and memory in adult Kctd13 and 16p11.2 deletion mouse models.

Authors:
Sandra Martin Lorenzo Valérie Nalesso Claire Chevalier Marie-Christine Birling Yann Herault

Mol Autism 2021 01 13;12(1). Epub 2021 Jan 13.

Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, Institut de Génétique Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire - UMR 7104 - U1258, IGBMC, 1 rue Laurent Fries, 67404, Illkirch Cedex, France.

Background: Gene copy number variants play an important role in the occurrence of neurodevelopmental disorders. Particularly, the deletion of the 16p11.2 locus is associated with autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, and several other features. Earlier studies highlighted the implication of Kctd13 genetic imbalance in 16p11.2 deletion through the regulation of the RHOA pathway.

Methods: Here, we generated a new mouse model with a small deletion of two key exons in Kctd13. Then, we targeted the RHOA pathway to rescue the cognitive phenotypes of the Kctd13 and 16p11.2 deletion mouse models in a pure genetic background. We used a chronic administration of fasudil (HA1077), an inhibitor of the Rho-associated protein kinase, for six weeks in mouse models carrying a heterozygous inactivation of Kctd13, or the deletion of the entire 16p11.2 BP4-BP5 homologous region.

Results: We found that the small Kctd13 heterozygous deletion induced a cognitive phenotype similar to the whole deletion of the 16p11.2 homologous region, in the Del/+ mice. We then showed that chronic fasudil treatment can restore object recognition memory in adult heterozygous mutant mice for Kctd13 and for 16p11.2 deletion. In addition, learning and memory improvement occurred in parallel to change in the RHOA pathway.

Limitations: The Kcdt13 mutant line does not recapitulate all the phenotypes found in the 16p11.2 Del/+ model. In particular, the locomotor activity was not altered at 12 and 18 weeks of age and the object location memory was not defective in 18-week old mutants. Similarly, the increase in locomotor activity was not modified by the treatment in the 16p11.2 Del/+ mouse model, suggesting that other loci were involved in such defects. Rescue was observed only after four weeks of treatment but no long-term experiment has been carried out so far. Finally, we did not check the social behaviour, which requires working in another hybrid genetic background.

Conclusion: These findings confirm KCTD13 as one target gene causing cognitive deficits in 16p11.2 deletion patients, and the relevance of the RHOA pathway as a therapeutic path for 16p11.2 deletion. In addition, they reinforce the contribution of other gene(s) involved in cognitive defects found in the 16p11.2 models in older mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Download full-text PDF

 Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13229-020-00405-7DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7805198PMC
January 2021

Mouse mutant phenotyping at scale reveals novel genes controlling bone mineral density.

Authors:
Anna L Swan Christine Schütt Jan Rozman Maria Del Mar Muñiz Moreno Stefan Brandmaier Michelle Simon Stefanie Leuchtenberger Mark Griffiths Robert Brommage Piia Keskivali-Bond Harald Grallert Thomas Werner Raffaele Teperino Lore Becker Gregor Miller Ala Moshiri John R Seavitt Derek D Cissell Terrence F Meehan Elif F Acar Christopher J Lelliott Ann M Flenniken Marie-France Champy Tania Sorg Abdel Ayadi Robert E Braun Heather Cater Mary E Dickinson Paul Flicek Juan Gallegos Elena J Ghirardello Jason D Heaney Sylvie Jacquot Connor Lally John G Logan Lydia Teboul Jeremy Mason Nadine Spielmann Colin McKerlie Stephen A Murray Lauryl M J Nutter Kristian F Odfalk Helen Parkinson Jan Prochazka Corey L Reynolds Mohammed Selloum Frantisek Spoutil Karen L Svenson Taylor S Vales Sara E Wells Jacqueline K White Radislav Sedlacek Wolfgang Wurst K C Kent Lloyd Peter I Croucher Helmut Fuchs Graham R Williams J H Duncan Bassett Valerie Gailus-Durner Yann Herault Ann-Marie Mallon Steve D M Brown Philipp Mayer-Kuckuk Martin Hrabe de Angelis

PLoS Genet 2020 12 28;16(12):e1009190. Epub 2020 Dec 28.

German Mouse Clinic, Institute of Experimental Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health GmbH, Neuherberg, Germany.

The genetic landscape of diseases associated with changes in bone mineral density (BMD), such as osteoporosis, is only partially understood. Here, we explored data from 3,823 mutant mouse strains for BMD, a measure that is frequently altered in a range of bone pathologies, including osteoporosis. A total of 200 genes were found to significantly affect BMD. This pool of BMD genes comprised 141 genes with previously unknown functions in bone biology and was complementary to pools derived from recent human studies. Nineteen of the 141 genes also caused skeletal abnormalities. Examination of the BMD genes in osteoclasts and osteoblasts underscored BMD pathways, including vesicle transport, in these cells and together with in silico bone turnover studies resulted in the prioritization of candidate genes for further investigation. Overall, the results add novel pathophysiological and molecular insight into bone health and disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Download full-text PDF

 Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1009190DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7822523PMC
December 2020

Mechanism of cystathionine-β-synthase inhibition by disulfiram: The role of bis(N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate)-copper(II).

Authors:
Karim Zuhra Theodora Panagaki Elisa B Randi Fiona Augsburger Marc Blondel Gaelle Friocourt Yann Herault Csaba Szabo

Biochem Pharmacol 2020 12 7;182:114267. Epub 2020 Oct 7.

Chair of Pharmacology, Department of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland. Electronic address:

Background: Hydrogen sulfide (HS) is an endogenous mammalian gasotransmitter. Cystathionine β-synthase (CBS), cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE) and 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase (3-MST) are the principal enzymes responsible for its biogenesis. A recent yeast screen suggested that disulfiram (a well-known inhibitor of aldehyde dehydrogenase and a clinically used drug in the treatment of alcoholism) may inhibit CBS in a cell-based environment. However, prior studies have not observed any direct inhibition of CBS by disulfiram. We investigated the potential role of bioconversion of disulfiram to bis(N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate)-copper(II) complex (CuDDC) in the inhibitory effect of disulfiram on HS production and assessed its effect in two human cell types with high CBS expression: HCT116 colon cancer cells and Down syndrome (DS) fibroblasts.

Methods: HS production from recombinant human CBS, CSE and 3-MST was measured using the fluorescent HS probe AzMC. Mouse liver homogenate (a rich source of CBS) was also employed to measure HS biosynthesis. The interaction of copper with accessible protein cysteine residues was evaluated using the DTNB method. Cell proliferation and viability were measured using the BrdU and MTT methods. Cellular bioenergetics was evaluated by Extracellular Flux Analysis.

Results: While disulfiram did not exert any significant direct inhibitory effect on any of the HS-producing enzymes, its metabolite, CuDDC was a potent inhibitor of CBS and CSE. The mode of its action is likely related to the complexed copper molecule. In cell-based systems, the effects of disulfiram were variable. In colon cancer cells, no significant effect of disulfiram was observed on HS production or proliferation or viability. In contrast, in DS fibroblasts, disulfiram inhibited HS production and improved proliferation and viability. Copper, on its own, failed to have any effects on either cell type, likely due to its low cell penetration. CuDDC inhibited HS production in both cell types studied and exerted the functional effects that would be expected from a CBS inhibitor: inhibition of cell proliferation of cancer cells and a bell-shaped effect (stimulation of proliferation at low concentration and inhibition of these responses at higher concentration) in DS cells. Control experiments using a chemical HS donor showed that, in addition to inhibiting CBS and CSE, part of the biological effects of CuDDC relates to a direct reaction with HS, which occurs through its complexed copper.

Conclusions: Disulfiram, via its metabolite CuDDC acts as an inhibitor of CBS and a scavenger of HS, which, in turn, potently suppresses HS levels in various cell types. Inhibition of HS biosynthesis may explain some of the previously reported actions of disulfiram and CuDDC in vitro and in vivo. Disulfiram or CuDDC may be considered as potential agents for the experimental therapy of various pathophysiological conditions associated with HS overproduction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Download full-text PDF

 Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bcp.2020.114267DOI Listing
December 2020

Reliable and robust droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) and RT-ddPCR protocols for mouse studies.

Authors:
Loic Lindner Pauline Cayrou Sylvie Jacquot Marie-Christine Birling Yann Herault Guillaume Pavlovic

Methods 2020 Jul 25. Epub 2020 Jul 25.

PHENOMIN-Institut Clinique de la Souris, CELPHEDIA, CNRS, INSERM, Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch-Graffenstaden, Strasbourg 67404, France. Electronic address:

Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) is a recent method developed for the quantification of nucleic acids sequences. It is an evolution of PCR methodology incorporating two principal differences: a PCR reaction is performed in thousands of water-oil emulsion droplets and fluorescence is measured at the end of PCR amplification. It leads to the precise and reproducible quantification of DNA and RNA sequences. Here, we present quantitative methods for DNA and RNA analysis using Bio-Rad QX100 or QX200 systems, respectively. The aim of these methods is to provide useful molecular tools for validating genetically altered animal models such as those subject to CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, as well for expression or CNV studies. A standard procedure for simultaneous DNA and RNA extraction adapted for mouse organs is also described. These methods were initially designed for mouse studies but also work for samples from other species like rat or human. In our lab, thousands of samples and hundreds of target genes from genetically altered lines were examined using these methods. This large dataset was analyzed to evaluate technical optimizations and limitations. Finally, we propose additional recommendations to be included in dMIQE (Minimum information for publication of quantitative digital PCR experiments) guidelines when using ddPCR instruments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Download full-text PDF

 Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ymeth.2020.07.004DOI Listing
July 2020

Introduction to Mammalian Genome Special Issue: Epigenetics.

Authors:
Johannes Beckers Raffaele Teperino Yann Hérault Martin Hrabé de Angelis

Mamm Genome 2020 06;31(5-6):117-118

Institute of Experimental Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München GmbH, Neuherberg, Germany.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Download full-text PDF

 Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00335-020-09843-3DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7368862PMC
June 2020

Author Correction: A Small Compound Targeting Prohibitin with Potential Interest for Cognitive Deficit Rescue in Aging mice and Tau Pathology Treatment.

Authors:
Anne-Cécile Guyot Charlotte Leuxe Clémence Disdier Nassima Oumata Narciso Costa Gwenaëlle Le Roux Paloma F Varela Arnaud Duchon Jean Baptiste Charbonnier Yann Herault Serena Pavoni Hervé Galons Emile Andriambeloson Stéphanie Wagner Laurent Meijer Amie K Lund Aloïse Mabondzo

Sci Rep 2020 Jul 3;10(1):10983. Epub 2020 Jul 3.

Service de Pharmacologie et d'Immunoanalyse, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay, F-91191, Gif-sur Yvette, France.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Download full-text PDF

 Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-67127-xDOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7335037PMC
July 2020

BAHD1 haploinsufficiency results in anxiety-like phenotypes in male mice.

Authors:
Renaud Pourpre Laurent Naudon Hamid Meziane Goran Lakisic Luc Jouneau Hugo Varet Rachel Legendre Olivia Wendling Mohammed Selloum Caroline Proux Jean-Yves Coppée Yann Herault Hélène Bierne

PLoS One 2020 14;15(5):e0232789. Epub 2020 May 14.

Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Micalis Institute, Jouy-en-Josas, France.

BAHD1 is a heterochomatinization factor recently described as a component of a multiprotein complex associated with histone deacetylases HDAC1/2. The physiological and patho-physiological functions of BAHD1 are not yet well characterized. Here, we examined the consequences of BAHD1 deficiency in the brains of male mice. While Bahd1 knockout mice had no detectable defects in brain anatomy, RNA sequencing profiling revealed about 2500 deregulated genes in Bahd1-/- brains compared to Bahd1+/+ brains. A majority of these genes were involved in nervous system development and function, behavior, metabolism and immunity. Exploration of the Allen Brain Atlas and Dropviz databases, assessing gene expression in the brain, revealed that expression of the Bahd1 gene was limited to a few territories and cell subtypes, particularly in the hippocampal formation, the isocortex and the olfactory regions. The effect of partial BAHD1 deficiency on behavior was then evaluated on Bahd1 heterozygous male mice, which have no lethal or metabolic phenotypes. Bahd1+/- mice showed anxiety-like behavior and reduced prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle response. Altogether, these results suggest that BAHD1 plays a role in chromatin-dependent gene regulation in a subset of brain cells and support recent evidence linking genetic alteration of BAHD1 to psychiatric disorders in a human patient.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Download full-text PDF

 Source
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0232789PLOS
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7224496PMC
July 2020

Variability in Genome Editing Outcomes: Challenges for Research Reproducibility and Clinical Safety.

Authors:
Lydia Teboul Yann Herault Sara Wells Waseem Qasim Guillaume Pavlovic

Mol Ther 2020 06 20;28(6):1422-1431. Epub 2020 Mar 20.

Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, IGBMC, PHENOMIN-Institut Clinique de la Souris, Celphedia, Strasbourg 67404, France. Electronic address:

Genome editing tools have already revolutionized biomedical research and are also expected to have an important impact in the clinic. However, their extensive use in research has revealed much unpredictability, both off and on target, in the outcome of their application. We discuss the challenges associated with this unpredictability, both for research and in the clinic. For the former, an extensive validation of the model is essential. For the latter, potential unpredicted activity does not preclude the use of these tools but requires that molecular evidence to underpin the relevant risk:benefit evaluation is available. Safe and successful clinical application will also depend on the mode of delivery and the cellular context.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Download full-text PDF

 Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ymthe.2020.03.015DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7264426PMC
June 2020

PATHBIO: an international training program for precision mouse phenotyping.

Authors:
Jesus Ruberte Paul N Schofield Cord Brakebusch Peter Vogel Yann Herault Guillem Gracia Colin McKerlie Martin Hrabĕ de Angelis Michael Hagn John P Sundberg

Mamm Genome 2020 02 22;31(1-2):49-53. Epub 2020 Feb 22.

The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME, USA.

Design and production of genetically engineered mouse strains by individual research laboratories, research teams, large-scale consortia, and the biopharmaceutical industry have magnified the need for qualified personnel to identify, annotate, and validate (phenotype) these potentially new mouse models of human disease. The PATHBIO project has been recently established and funded by the European Union's ERASMUS+ Knowledge Alliance program to address the current shortfall in formally trained personnel. A series of teaching workshops will be given by experts on anatomy, histology, embryology, imaging, and comparative pathology to increase the availability of individuals with formal training to contribute to this important niche of Europe's biomedical research enterprise. These didactic and hands-on workshops are organized into three modules: (1) embryology, anatomy, histology, and the anatomical basis of imaging, (2) image-based phenotyping, and (3) pathology. The workshops are open to all levels of participants from recent graduates to Ph.D., M.D., and veterinary scientists. Participation is available on a competitive basis at no cost for attending. The first series of Workshop Modules was held in 2019 and these will continue for the next 2 years.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Download full-text PDF

 Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00335-020-09829-1DOI Listing
February 2020

Preface.

Authors:
Dierssen Mara Herault Yann

Prog Brain Res 2020 ;251:xv

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Download full-text PDF

 Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0079-6123(20)30015-7DOI Listing
December 2020

Modeling Down syndrome in animals from the early stage to the 4.0 models and next.

Authors:
Maria Del Mar Muñiz Moreno Véronique Brault Marie-Christine Birling Guillaume Pavlovic Yann Herault

Prog Brain Res 2020 22;251:91-143. Epub 2019 Oct 22.

Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Illkirch, France; Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, PHENOMIN Institut Clinique de la Souris, Illkirch, France. Electronic address:

The genotype-phenotype relationship and the physiopathology of Down Syndrome (DS) have been explored in the last 20 years with more and more relevant mouse models. From the early age of transgenesis to the new CRISPR/CAS9-derived chromosomal engineering and the transchromosomic technologies, mouse models have been key to identify homologous genes or entire regions homologous to the human chromosome 21 that are necessary or sufficient to induce DS features, to investigate the complexity of the genetic interactions that are involved in DS and to explore therapeutic strategies. In this review we report the new developments made, how genomic data and new genetic tools have deeply changed our way of making models, extended our panel of animal models, and increased our understanding of the neurobiology of the disease. But even if we have made an incredible progress which promises to make DS a curable condition, we are facing new research challenges to nurture our knowledge of DS pathophysiology as a neurodevelopmental disorder with many comorbidities during ageing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Download full-text PDF

 Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/bs.pbr.2019.08.001DOI Listing
December 2020

The Deep Genome Project.

Authors:
K C Kent Lloyd David J Adams Gareth Baynam Arthur L Beaudet Fatima Bosch Kym M Boycott Robert E Braun Mark Caulfield Ronald Cohn Mary E Dickinson Michael S Dobbie Ann M Flenniken Paul Flicek Sanjeev Galande Xiang Gao Anne Grobler Jason D Heaney Yann Herault Martin Hrabě de Angelis James R Lupski Stanislas Lyonnet Ann-Marie Mallon Fabio Mammano Calum A MacRae Roderick McInnes Colin McKerlie Terrence F Meehan Stephen A Murray Lauryl M J Nutter Yuichi Obata Helen Parkinson Michael S Pepper Radislav Sedlacek Je Kyung Seong Toshihiko Shiroishi Damian Smedley Glauco Tocchini-Valentini David Valle Chi-Kuang Leo Wang Sara Wells Jacqueline White Wolfgang Wurst Ying Xu Steve D M Brown

Genome Biol 2020 02 3;21(1):18. Epub 2020 Feb 3.

Medical Research Council Harwell Institute (Mammalian Genetics Unit and Mary Lyon Centre), Harwell, Oxfordshire, OX11 0RD, UK.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Download full-text PDF

 Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13059-020-1931-9DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6996159PMC
February 2020

Human and mouse essentiality screens as a resource for disease gene discovery.

Authors:
Pilar Cacheiro Violeta Muñoz-Fuentes Stephen A Murray Mary E Dickinson Maja Bucan Lauryl M J Nutter Kevin A Peterson Hamed Haselimashhadi Ann M Flenniken Hugh Morgan Henrik Westerberg Tomasz Konopka Chih-Wei Hsu Audrey Christiansen Denise G Lanza Arthur L Beaudet Jason D Heaney Helmut Fuchs Valerie Gailus-Durner Tania Sorg Jan Prochazka Vendula Novosadova Christopher J Lelliott Hannah Wardle-Jones Sara Wells Lydia Teboul Heather Cater Michelle Stewart Tertius Hough Wolfgang Wurst Radislav Sedlacek David J Adams John R Seavitt Glauco Tocchini-Valentini Fabio Mammano Robert E Braun Colin McKerlie Yann Herault Martin Hrabě de Angelis Ann-Marie Mallon K C Kent Lloyd Steve D M Brown Helen Parkinson Terrence F Meehan Damian Smedley

Nat Commun 2020 01 31;11(1):655. Epub 2020 Jan 31.

Clinical Pharmacology, William Harvey Research Institute, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK.

The identification of causal variants in sequencing studies remains a considerable challenge that can be partially addressed by new gene-specific knowledge. Here, we integrate measures of how essential a gene is to supporting life, as inferred from viability and phenotyping screens performed on knockout mice by the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium and essentiality screens carried out on human cell lines. We propose a cross-species gene classification across the Full Spectrum of Intolerance to Loss-of-function (FUSIL) and demonstrate that genes in five mutually exclusive FUSIL categories have differing biological properties. Most notably, Mendelian disease genes, particularly those associated with developmental disorders, are highly overrepresented among genes non-essential for cell survival but required for organism development. After screening developmental disorder cases from three independent disease sequencing consortia, we identify potentially pathogenic variants in genes not previously associated with rare diseases. We therefore propose FUSIL as an efficient approach for disease gene discovery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Download full-text PDF

 Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-14284-2DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6994715PMC
January 2020

A Small Compound Targeting Prohibitin with Potential Interest for Cognitive Deficit Rescue in Aging mice and Tau Pathology Treatment.

Authors:
Anne-Cécile Guyot Charlotte Leuxe Clémence Disdier Nassima Oumata Narciso Costa Gwenaëlle Le Roux Paloma F Varela Arnaud Duchon Jean Baptiste Charbonnier Yann Herault Serena Pavoni Hervé Galons Emile Andriambeloson Stéphanie Wagner Laurent Meijer Amie K Lund Aloïse Mabondzo

Sci Rep 2020 01 24;10(1):1143. Epub 2020 Jan 24.

Service de Pharmacologie et d'Immunoanalyse, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay, F-91191, Gif-sur Yvette, France.

Neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, are characterized by increased protein aggregation in the brain, progressive neuronal loss, increased inflammation, and neurogenesis impairment. We analyzed the effects of a new purine derivative drug, PDD005, in attenuating mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, using both in vivo and in vitro models. We show that PDD005 is distributed to the brain and can rescue cognitive deficits associated with aging in mice. Treatment with PDD005 prevents impairment of neurogenesis by increasing sex-determining region Y-box 2, nestin, and also enhances synaptic function through upregulation of synaptophysin and postsynaptic density protein 95. PDD005 treatment also reduced neuro-inflammation by decreasing interleukin-1β expression, activation of astrocytes, and microglia. We identified prohibitin as a potential target in mediating the therapeutic effects of PDD005 for the treatment of cognitive deficit in aging mice. Additionally, in the current study, glycogen synthase kinase appears to attenuate tau pathology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Download full-text PDF

 Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-57560-3DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6981120PMC
January 2020

High-throughput discovery of genetic determinants of circadian misalignment.

Authors:
Tao Zhang Pancheng Xie Yingying Dong Zhiwei Liu Fei Zhou Dejing Pan Zhengyun Huang Qiaocheng Zhai Yue Gu Qingyu Wu Nobuhiko Tanaka Yuichi Obata Allan Bradley Christopher J Lelliott Lauryl M J Nutter Colin McKerlie Ann M Flenniken Marie-France Champy Tania Sorg Yann Herault Martin Hrabe De Angelis Valerie Gailus Durner Ann-Marie Mallon Steve D M Brown Terry Meehan Helen E Parkinson Damian Smedley K C Kent Lloyd Jun Yan Xiang Gao Je Kyung Seong Chi-Kuang Leo Wang Radislav Sedlacek Yi Liu Jan Rozman Ling Yang Ying Xu

PLoS Genet 2020 01 13;16(1):e1008577. Epub 2020 Jan 13.

Cambridge-Suda Genomic Resource Center, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases, Medical college of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China.

Circadian systems provide a fitness advantage to organisms by allowing them to adapt to daily changes of environmental cues, such as light/dark cycles. The molecular mechanism underlying the circadian clock has been well characterized. However, how internal circadian clocks are entrained with regular daily light/dark cycles remains unclear. By collecting and analyzing indirect calorimetry (IC) data from more than 2000 wild-type mice available from the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (IMPC), we show that the onset time and peak phase of activity and food intake rhythms are reliable parameters for screening defects of circadian misalignment. We developed a machine learning algorithm to quantify these two parameters in our misalignment screen (SyncScreener) with existing datasets and used it to screen 750 mutant mouse lines from five IMPC phenotyping centres. Mutants of five genes (Slc7a11, Rhbdl1, Spop, Ctc1 and Oxtr) were found to be associated with altered patterns of activity or food intake. By further studying the Slc7a11tm1a/tm1a mice, we confirmed its advanced activity phase phenotype in response to a simulated jetlag and skeleton photoperiod stimuli. Disruption of Slc7a11 affected the intercellular communication in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, suggesting a defect in synchronization of clock neurons. Our study has established a systematic phenotype analysis approach that can be used to uncover the mechanism of circadian entrainment in mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Download full-text PDF

 Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1008577DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6980734PMC
January 2020

Optimizing PCR for Mouse Genotyping: Recommendations for Reliable, Rapid, Cost Effective, Robust and Adaptable to High-Throughput Genotyping Protocol for Any Type of Mutation.

Authors:
Sylvie Jacquot Nathalie Chartoire Françoise Piguet Yann Hérault Guillaume Pavlovic

Curr Protoc Mouse Biol 2019 Dec;9(4):e65

Institut Clinique de la Souris, PHENOMIN-ICS, Illkirch, France.

Genotyping consists of searching for a DNA sequence variation localized at a well-defined locus in the genome. It is an essential step in animal research because it allows the identification of animals that will be bred to generate and maintain a colony, euthanized to control the available space in the animal facility, or used in experiment protocols. Here we describe polymerase chain reaction (PCR) genotyping protocols for fast, sensitive, easy, and cost-effective characterization of mouse genotype. We discuss optimization of parameters to improve the reliability of each assay and propose recommendations for enhancing reproducibility and reducing the occurrence of inconclusive genotyping. All steps required for efficient genotyping are presented: tissue collection; sample verification and direct DNA lysis; establishment of a robust genotyping strategy with reliable, rapid, and cost-effective assays; and finally, transition to high-throughput automatized PCR, including mix miniaturization and automation. © 2019 The Authors. Basic Protocol 1: Tissue sampling methods and procedure Basic Protocol 2: Sample verification and DNA lysis Basic Protocol 3: Design of a genotyping strategy Basic Protocol 4: Moving to high-throughput genotyping.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Download full-text PDF

 Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cpmo.65DOI Listing
December 2019

The Human-Specific BOLA2 Duplication Modifies Iron Homeostasis and Anemia Predisposition in Chromosome 16p11.2 Autism Individuals.

Authors:
Giuliana Giannuzzi Paul J Schmidt Eleonora Porcu Gilles Willemin Katherine M Munson Xander Nuttle Rachel Earl Jacqueline Chrast Kendra Hoekzema Davide Risso Katrin Männik Pasquelena De Nittis Ethan D Baratz Yann Herault Xiang Gao Caroline C Philpott Raphael A Bernier Zoltan Kutalik Mark D Fleming Evan E Eichler Alexandre Reymond

Am J Hum Genet 2019 11 24;105(5):947-958. Epub 2019 Oct 24.

Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland.

Human-specific duplications at chromosome 16p11.2 mediate recurrent pathogenic 600 kbp BP4-BP5 copy-number variations, which are among the most common genetic causes of autism. These copy-number polymorphic duplications are under positive selection and include three to eight copies of BOLA2, a gene involved in the maturation of cytosolic iron-sulfur proteins. To investigate the potential advantage provided by the rapid expansion of BOLA2, we assessed hematological traits and anemia prevalence in 379,385 controls and individuals who have lost or gained copies of BOLA2: 89 chromosome 16p11.2 BP4-BP5 deletion carriers and 56 reciprocal duplication carriers in the UK Biobank. We found that the 16p11.2 deletion is associated with anemia (18/89 carriers, 20%, p = 4e-7, OR = 5), particularly iron-deficiency anemia. We observed similar enrichments in two clinical 16p11.2 deletion cohorts, which included 6/63 (10%) and 7/20 (35%) unrelated individuals with anemia, microcytosis, low serum iron, or low blood hemoglobin. Upon stratification by BOLA2 copy number, our data showed an association between low BOLA2 dosage and the above phenotypes (8/15 individuals with three copies, 53%, p = 1e-4). In parallel, we analyzed hematological traits in mice carrying the 16p11.2 orthologous deletion or duplication, as well as Bola2 and Bola2 animals. The Bola2-deficient mice and the mice carrying the deletion showed early evidence of iron deficiency, including a mild decrease in hemoglobin, lower plasma iron, microcytosis, and an increased red blood cell zinc-protoporphyrin-to-heme ratio. Our results indicate that BOLA2 participates in iron homeostasis in vivo, and its expansion has a potential adaptive role in protecting against iron deficiency.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Download full-text PDF

 Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajhg.2019.09.023DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6849090PMC
November 2019

Long-lasting correction of in vivo LTP and cognitive deficits of mice modelling Down syndrome with an α5-selective GABA inverse agonist.

Authors:
Arnaud Duchon Agnès Gruart Christelle Albac Benoît Delatour Javier Zorrilla de San Martin José María Delgado-García Yann Hérault Marie-Claude Potier

Br J Pharmacol 2020 03 9;177(5):1106-1118. Epub 2020 Jan 9.

Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.

Background And Purpose: Excessive GABAergic inhibition contributes to cognitive dysfunctions in Down syndrome (DS). Selective negative allosteric modulators (NAMs) of α5-containing GABA receptors such as the α5 inverse agonist (α5IA) restore learning and memory deficits in Ts65Dn mice, a model of DS. In this study we have assessed the long-lasting effects of α5IA on in vivo LTP and behaviour in Ts65Dn mice.

Experimental Approach: We made in vivo LTP recordings for six consecutive days in freely moving Ts65Dn mice and their wild-type littermates, treated with vehicle or α5IA. In parallel, Ts65Dn mice were assessed by various learning and memory tests (Y maze, Morris water maze, or the novel object recognition) for up to 7 days, following one single injection of α5IA or vehicle.

Key Results: LTP was not evoked in vivo in Ts65Dn mice at hippocampal CA3-CA1 synapses. However, this deficit was sustainably reversed for at least six consecutive days following a single injection of α5IA. This long-lasting effect of α5IA was also observed when assessing working and long-term memory deficits in Ts65Dn mice.

Conclusion And Implications: We show for the first time in vivo LTP deficits in Ts65Dn mice. These deficits were restored for at least 6 days following acute treatment with α5IA and might be the substrate for the long-lasting pharmacological effects of α5IA on spatial working and long-term recognition and spatial memory tasks. Our results demonstrate the relevance of negative allosteric modulators of α5-containing GABA receptors to the treatment of cognitive deficits associated with DS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Download full-text PDF

 Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bph.14903DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7042104PMC
March 2020

Soft windowing application to improve analysis of high-throughput phenotyping data.

Authors:
Hamed Haselimashhadi Jeremy C Mason Violeta Munoz-Fuentes Federico López-Gómez Kolawole Babalola Elif F Acar Vivek Kumar Jacqui White Ann M Flenniken Ruairidh King Ewan Straiton John Richard Seavitt Angelina Gaspero Arturo Garza Audrey E Christianson Chih-Wei Hsu Corey L Reynolds Denise G Lanza Isabel Lorenzo Jennie R Green Juan J Gallegos Ritu Bohat Rodney C Samaco Surabi Veeraragavan Jong Kyoung Kim Gregor Miller Helmult Fuchs Lillian Garrett Lore Becker Yeon Kyung Kang David Clary Soo Young Cho Masaru Tamura Nobuhiko Tanaka Kyung Dong Soo Alexandr Bezginov Ghina Bou About Marie-France Champy Laurent Vasseur Sophie Leblanc Hamid Meziane Mohammed Selloum Patrick T Reilly Nadine Spielmann Holger Maier Valerie Gailus-Durner Tania Sorg Masuya Hiroshi Obata Yuichi Jason D Heaney Mary E Dickinson Wurst Wolfgang Glauco P Tocchini-Valentini Kevin C Kent Lloyd Colin McKerlie Je Kyung Seong Herault Yann Martin Hrabé de Angelis Steve D M Brown Damian Smedley Paul Flicek Ann-Marie Mallon Helen Parkinson Terrence F Meehan

Bioinformatics 2020 03;36(5):1492-1500

European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK.

Motivation: High-throughput phenomic projects generate complex data from small treatment and large control groups that increase the power of the analyses but introduce variation over time. A method is needed to utlize a set of temporally local controls that maximizes analytic power while minimizing noise from unspecified environmental factors.

Results: Here we introduce 'soft windowing', a methodological approach that selects a window of time that includes the most appropriate controls for analysis. Using phenotype data from the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (IMPC), adaptive windows were applied such that control data collected proximally to mutants were assigned the maximal weight, while data collected earlier or later had less weight. We applied this method to IMPC data and compared the results with those obtained from a standard non-windowed approach. Validation was performed using a resampling approach in which we demonstrate a 10% reduction of false positives from 2.5 million analyses. We applied the method to our production analysis pipeline that establishes genotype-phenotype associations by comparing mutant versus control data. We report an increase of 30% in significant P-values, as well as linkage to 106 versus 99 disease models via phenotype overlap with the soft-windowed and non-windowed approaches, respectively, from a set of 2082 mutant mouse lines. Our method is generalizable and can benefit large-scale human phenomic projects such as the UK Biobank and the All of Us resources.

Availability And Implementation: The method is freely available in the R package SmoothWin, available on CRAN http://CRAN.R-project.org/package=SmoothWin.

Supplementary Information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Download full-text PDF

 Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/bioinformatics/btz744DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7115897PMC
March 2020

Oligogenic Effects of 16p11.2 Copy-Number Variation on Craniofacial Development.

Authors:
Yuqi Qiu Thomas Arbogast Sandra Martin Lorenzo Hongying Li Shih C Tang Ellen Richardson Oanh Hong Shawn Cho Omar Shanta Timothy Pang Christina Corsello Curtis K Deutsch Claire Chevalier Erica E Davis Lilia M Iakoucheva Yann Herault Nicholas Katsanis Karen Messer Jonathan Sebat

Cell Rep 2019 09;28(13):3320-3328.e4

Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Beyster Center for Genomics of Psychiatric Diseases, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Institute for Genomic Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA. Electronic address:

A copy-number variant (CNV) of 16p11.2 encompassing 30 genes is associated with developmental and psychiatric disorders, head size, and body mass. The genetic mechanisms that underlie these associations are not understood. To determine the influence of 16p11.2 genes on development, we investigated the effects of CNV on craniofacial structure in humans and model organisms. We show that deletion and duplication of 16p11.2 have "mirror" effects on specific craniofacial features that are conserved between human and rodent models of the CNV. By testing dosage effects of individual genes on the shape of the mandible in zebrafish, we identify seven genes with significant effects individually and find evidence for others when genes were tested in combination. The craniofacial phenotypes of 16p11.2 CNVs represent a model for studying the effects of genes on development, and our results suggest that the associated facial gestalts are attributable to the combined effects of multiple genes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Download full-text PDF

 Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2019.08.071DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6988705PMC
September 2019

Genetic quality assurance and genetic monitoring of laboratory mice and rats: FELASA Working Group Report.

Authors:
Fernando Benavides Thomas Rülicke Jan-Bas Prins James Bussell Ferdinando Scavizzi Paolo Cinelli Yann Herault Dirk Wedekind

Lab Anim 2020 Apr 20;54(2):135-148. Epub 2019 Aug 20.

Institute of Laboratory Animal Science, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.

Genetic quality assurance (QA), including genetic monitoring (GeMo) of inbred strains and background characterization (BC) of genetically altered (GA) animal models, should be an essential component of any QA programme in laboratory animal facilities. Genetic quality control is as important for ensuring the validity of the animal model as health and microbiology monitoring are. It should be required that studies using laboratory rodents, mainly mice and rats, utilize genetically defined animals. This paper, presented by the FELASA Working Group on Genetic Quality Assurance and Genetic Monitoring of Laboratory Murines, describes the objectives of and available methods for genetic QA programmes in rodent facilities. The main goals of any genetic QA programme are: (a) to verify the authenticity and uniformity of inbred stains and substrains, thus ensuring a genetically reliable colony maintenance; (b) to detect possible genetic contamination; and (c) to precisely describe the genetic composition of GA lines. While this publication focuses mainly on mouse and rat genetic QA, the principles will apply to other rodent species some of which are briefly mentioned within the context of inbred and outbred stocks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Download full-text PDF

 Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0023677219867719DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7160752PMC
April 2020

HENA, heterogeneous network-based data set for Alzheimer's disease.

Authors:
Elena Sügis Jerome Dauvillier Anna Leontjeva Priit Adler Valerie Hindie Thomas Moncion Vincent Collura Rachel Daudin Yann Loe-Mie Yann Herault Jean-Charles Lambert Henning Hermjakob Tal Pupko Jean-Christophe Rain Ioannis Xenarios Jaak Vilo Michel Simonneau Hedi Peterson

Sci Data 2019 08 14;6(1):151. Epub 2019 Aug 14.

Quretec Ltd., Ülikooli 6a, 51003, Tartu, Estonia.

Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia are the top cause for disabilities in later life and various types of experiments have been performed to understand the underlying mechanisms of the disease with the aim of coming up with potential drug targets. These experiments have been carried out by scientists working in different domains such as proteomics, molecular biology, clinical diagnostics and genomics. The results of such experiments are stored in the databases designed for collecting data of similar types. However, in order to get a systematic view of the disease from these independent but complementary data sets, it is necessary to combine them. In this study we describe a heterogeneous network-based data set for Alzheimer's disease (HENA). Additionally, we demonstrate the application of state-of-the-art graph convolutional networks, i.e. deep learning methods for the analysis of such large heterogeneous biological data sets. We expect HENA to allow scientists to explore and analyze their own results in the broader context of Alzheimer's disease research.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Download full-text PDF

 Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41597-019-0152-0DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6694132PMC
August 2019

Ultrasound-Guided Approaches to Improve Orthotopic Mouse Xenograft Models for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Authors:
Ghina Bou About Emilie Thiebault Marie Wattenhofer-Donzé Hugues Jacobs Alain Guimond Tania Sorg Eric Robinet Thomas F Baumert Laurent Monassier Yann Herault

Curr Protoc Mouse Biol 2019 Jun 30;9(2):e62. Epub 2019 May 30.

Institut Clinique de la Souris, PHENOMIN-ICS, Illkirch, France.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide. While curative approaches for early stage HCC exist, effective treatment options for advanced HCC are lacking. Furthermore, there are no efficient chemopreventive strategies to limit HCC development once cirrhosis is established. One challenge for drug development is unsatisfactory animal models. In this article, we describe an orthotopic xenograft mouse model of human liver cancer cell lines through image-guided injection into the liver. This technique provides a less invasive yet highly efficient approach to engraft human HCC into mouse liver. Similarly, image-guided injections are used to deliver chemotherapeutics locally, enabling reduction in potential systemic adverse effects, while reducing the required dose for a therapeutic effect. In summary, this image-guided strategy provides a novel and convenient approach to improve current HCC mouse models. © 2019 The Authors. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Download full-text PDF

 Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cpmo.62DOI Listing
June 2019

TUBG1 missense variants underlying cortical malformations disrupt neuronal locomotion and microtubule dynamics but not neurogenesis.

Authors:
Ekaterina L Ivanova Johan G Gilet Vadym Sulimenko Arnaud Duchon Gabrielle Rudolf Karen Runge Stephan C Collins Laure Asselin Loic Broix Nathalie Drouot Peggy Tilly Patrick Nusbaum Alexandre Vincent William Magnant Valerie Skory Marie-Christine Birling Guillaume Pavlovic Juliette D Godin Binnaz Yalcin Yann Hérault Pavel Dráber Jamel Chelly Maria-Victoria Hinckelmann

Nat Commun 2019 05 13;10(1):2129. Epub 2019 May 13.

Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, 67400, Illkirch, France.

De novo heterozygous missense variants in the γ-tubulin gene TUBG1 have been linked to human malformations of cortical development associated with intellectual disability and epilepsy. Here, we investigated through in-utero electroporation and in-vivo studies, how four of these variants affect cortical development. We show that TUBG1 mutants affect neuronal positioning, disrupting the locomotion of new-born neurons but without affecting progenitors' proliferation. We further demonstrate that pathogenic TUBG1 variants are linked to reduced microtubule dynamics but without major structural nor functional centrosome defects in subject-derived fibroblasts. Additionally, we developed a knock-in Tubg1 mouse model and assessed consequences of the mutation. Although centrosomal positioning in bipolar neurons is correct, they fail to initiate locomotion. Furthermore, Tubg1 animals show neuroanatomical and behavioral defects and increased epileptic cortical activity. We show that Tubg1 mice partially mimic the human phenotype and therefore represent a relevant model for further investigations of the physiopathology of cortical malformations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Download full-text PDF

 Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-10081-8DOI Listing
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6513894PMC
May 2019