PUBLICATION

High-throughput functional analysis of autism genes in zebrafish identifies convergence in dopaminergic and neuroimmune pathways

Authors
Weinschutz Mendes, H., Neelakantan, U., Liu, Y., Fitzpatrick, S.E., Chen, T., Wu, W., Pruitt, A., Jin, D.S., Jamadagni, P., Carlson, M., Lacadie, C.M., Enriquez, K.D., Li, N., Zhao, D., Ijaz, S., Sakai, C., Szi, C., Rooney, B., Ghosh, M., Nwabudike, I., Gorodezky, A., Chowdhury, S., Zaheer, M., McLaughlin, S., Fernandez, J.M., Wu, J., Eilbott, J.A., Vander Wyk, B., Rihel, J., Papademetris, X., Wang, Z., Hoffman, E.J.
ID
ZDB-PUB-230319-34
Date
2023
Source
Cell Reports   42: 112243112243 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Chen, Tianying, Fitzpatrick, Sarah E., Ghosh, Marcus, Hoffman, Ellen, Rihel, Jason
Keywords
CP: Neuroscience, autism spectrum disorder, dopaminergic neurons, genetics, microglia, neurodevelopment, zebrafish
Datasets
GEO:GSE205578
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder*/genetics
  • Autistic Disorder*/genetics
  • Brain
  • Brain Mapping
  • Zebrafish/genetics
PubMed
36933215 Full text @ Cell Rep.
Abstract
Advancing from gene discovery in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) to the identification of biologically relevant mechanisms remains a central challenge. Here, we perform parallel in vivo functional analysis of 10 ASD genes at the behavioral, structural, and circuit levels in zebrafish mutants, revealing both unique and overlapping effects of gene loss of function. Whole-brain mapping identifies the forebrain and cerebellum as the most significant contributors to brain size differences, while regions involved in sensory-motor control, particularly dopaminergic regions, are associated with altered baseline brain activity. Finally, we show a global increase in microglia resulting from ASD gene loss of function in select mutants, implicating neuroimmune dysfunction as a key pathway relevant to ASD biology.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Show all Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping