Ciliopathy is differentially distributed in the brain of a Bardet-Biedl syndrome mouse model.

Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a genetically heterogeneous inherited human disorder displaying a pleotropic phenotype. Many of the symptoms characterized in the human disease have been reproduced in animal models carrying deletions or knock-in mutations of genes causal for the disorder. Thinning of...

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Main Authors: Khristofor Agassandian, Milan Patel, Marianna Agassandian, Karina E Steren, Kamal Rahmouni, Val C Sheffield, J Patrick Card
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2014-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0093484&type=printable
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author Khristofor Agassandian
Milan Patel
Marianna Agassandian
Karina E Steren
Kamal Rahmouni
Val C Sheffield
J Patrick Card
author_facet Khristofor Agassandian
Milan Patel
Marianna Agassandian
Karina E Steren
Kamal Rahmouni
Val C Sheffield
J Patrick Card
author_sort Khristofor Agassandian
collection DOAJ
description Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a genetically heterogeneous inherited human disorder displaying a pleotropic phenotype. Many of the symptoms characterized in the human disease have been reproduced in animal models carrying deletions or knock-in mutations of genes causal for the disorder. Thinning of the cerebral cortex, enlargement of the lateral and third ventricles, and structural changes in cilia are among the pathologies documented in these animal models. Ciliopathy is of particular interest in light of recent studies that have implicated primary neuronal cilia (PNC) in neuronal signal transduction. In the present investigation, we tested the hypothesis that areas of the brain responsible for learning and memory formation would differentially exhibit PNC abnormalities in animals carrying a deletion of the Bbs4 gene (Bbs4-/-). Immunohistochemical localization of adenylyl cyclase-III (ACIII), a marker restricted to PNC, revealed dramatic alterations in PNC morphology and a statistically significant reduction in number of immunopositive cilia in the hippocampus and amygdala of Bbs4-/- mice compared to wild type (WT) littermates. Western blot analysis confirmed the decrease of ACIII levels in the hippocampus and amygdala of Bbs4-/- mice, and electron microscopy demonstrated pathological alterations of PNC in the hippocampus and amygdala. Importantly, no neuronal loss was found within the subregions of amygdala and hippocampus sampled in Bbs4-/- mice and there were no statistically significant alterations of ACIII immunopositive cilia in other areas of the brain not known to contribute to the BBS phenotype. Considered with data documenting a role of cilia in signal transduction these findings support the conclusion that alterations in cilia structure or neurochemical phenotypes may contribute to the cognitive deficits observed in the Bbs4-/- mouse mode.
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spelling doaj-art-25fbfe19f7224e81908ac952865571ea2025-08-20T03:00:32ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032014-01-0194e9348410.1371/journal.pone.0093484Ciliopathy is differentially distributed in the brain of a Bardet-Biedl syndrome mouse model.Khristofor AgassandianMilan PatelMarianna AgassandianKarina E SterenKamal RahmouniVal C SheffieldJ Patrick CardBardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a genetically heterogeneous inherited human disorder displaying a pleotropic phenotype. Many of the symptoms characterized in the human disease have been reproduced in animal models carrying deletions or knock-in mutations of genes causal for the disorder. Thinning of the cerebral cortex, enlargement of the lateral and third ventricles, and structural changes in cilia are among the pathologies documented in these animal models. Ciliopathy is of particular interest in light of recent studies that have implicated primary neuronal cilia (PNC) in neuronal signal transduction. In the present investigation, we tested the hypothesis that areas of the brain responsible for learning and memory formation would differentially exhibit PNC abnormalities in animals carrying a deletion of the Bbs4 gene (Bbs4-/-). Immunohistochemical localization of adenylyl cyclase-III (ACIII), a marker restricted to PNC, revealed dramatic alterations in PNC morphology and a statistically significant reduction in number of immunopositive cilia in the hippocampus and amygdala of Bbs4-/- mice compared to wild type (WT) littermates. Western blot analysis confirmed the decrease of ACIII levels in the hippocampus and amygdala of Bbs4-/- mice, and electron microscopy demonstrated pathological alterations of PNC in the hippocampus and amygdala. Importantly, no neuronal loss was found within the subregions of amygdala and hippocampus sampled in Bbs4-/- mice and there were no statistically significant alterations of ACIII immunopositive cilia in other areas of the brain not known to contribute to the BBS phenotype. Considered with data documenting a role of cilia in signal transduction these findings support the conclusion that alterations in cilia structure or neurochemical phenotypes may contribute to the cognitive deficits observed in the Bbs4-/- mouse mode.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0093484&type=printable
spellingShingle Khristofor Agassandian
Milan Patel
Marianna Agassandian
Karina E Steren
Kamal Rahmouni
Val C Sheffield
J Patrick Card
Ciliopathy is differentially distributed in the brain of a Bardet-Biedl syndrome mouse model.
PLoS ONE
title Ciliopathy is differentially distributed in the brain of a Bardet-Biedl syndrome mouse model.
title_full Ciliopathy is differentially distributed in the brain of a Bardet-Biedl syndrome mouse model.
title_fullStr Ciliopathy is differentially distributed in the brain of a Bardet-Biedl syndrome mouse model.
title_full_unstemmed Ciliopathy is differentially distributed in the brain of a Bardet-Biedl syndrome mouse model.
title_short Ciliopathy is differentially distributed in the brain of a Bardet-Biedl syndrome mouse model.
title_sort ciliopathy is differentially distributed in the brain of a bardet biedl syndrome mouse model
url https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0093484&type=printable
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