TY - JOUR
T1 - Global loss of Neuron-specific gene 1 causes alterations in motor coordination, increased anxiety, and diurnal hyperactivity in male mice
AU - Austin, Roman
AU - Chander, Praveen
AU - Zimmerman, Amber J
AU - Overby, Malene
AU - Digilio, Laura
AU - Yap, Chan Choo
AU - Linsenbardt, David N
AU - Müller, Heidi Kaastrup
AU - Weick, Jason P
N1 - © 2022 The Authors. Genes, Brain and Behavior published by International Behavioural and Neural Genetics Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
PY - 2022/7
Y1 - 2022/7
N2 - The Neuron-specific gene family (NSG1-3) consists of small endolysosomal proteins that are critical for trafficking multiple receptors and signaling molecules in neurons. NSG1 has been shown to play a critical role in AMPAR recycling from endosomes to plasma membrane during synaptic plasticity. However, to date nothing is known about whether NSG1 is required for normal behavior at an organismal level. Here we performed a battery of behavioral tests to determine whether loss of NSG1 would affect motor, cognitive, and/or affective behaviors, as well as circadian-related activity. Consistent with unique cerebellar expression of NSG1 among family members, we found that NSG1 was obligatory for motor coordination but not for gross motor function or learning. NSG1 knockout (KO) also altered performance across other behavioral modalities including anxiety-related and diurnal activity paradigms. Surprisingly, NSG1 KO did not cause significant impairments across all tasks within a given modality, but had specific effects within each modality. For instance, we found increases in anxiety-related behaviors in tasks with multiple stressors (e.g., elevation and exposure), but not those with a single main stressor (e.g., exposure). Interestingly, NSG1 KO animals displayed a significant increase in locomotor activity during subjective daytime, suggesting a possible impact on diurnal activity rhythms or vigilance. Surprisingly, loss of NSG1 had no effect on hippocampal-dependent learning despite previous studies showing deficits in CA1 long-term potentiation. Together, these findings do not support a role of NSG1 in hippocampal-dependent learning, but support a role in mediating proper neuronal function across amygdalar and cerebellar circuits.
AB - The Neuron-specific gene family (NSG1-3) consists of small endolysosomal proteins that are critical for trafficking multiple receptors and signaling molecules in neurons. NSG1 has been shown to play a critical role in AMPAR recycling from endosomes to plasma membrane during synaptic plasticity. However, to date nothing is known about whether NSG1 is required for normal behavior at an organismal level. Here we performed a battery of behavioral tests to determine whether loss of NSG1 would affect motor, cognitive, and/or affective behaviors, as well as circadian-related activity. Consistent with unique cerebellar expression of NSG1 among family members, we found that NSG1 was obligatory for motor coordination but not for gross motor function or learning. NSG1 knockout (KO) also altered performance across other behavioral modalities including anxiety-related and diurnal activity paradigms. Surprisingly, NSG1 KO did not cause significant impairments across all tasks within a given modality, but had specific effects within each modality. For instance, we found increases in anxiety-related behaviors in tasks with multiple stressors (e.g., elevation and exposure), but not those with a single main stressor (e.g., exposure). Interestingly, NSG1 KO animals displayed a significant increase in locomotor activity during subjective daytime, suggesting a possible impact on diurnal activity rhythms or vigilance. Surprisingly, loss of NSG1 had no effect on hippocampal-dependent learning despite previous studies showing deficits in CA1 long-term potentiation. Together, these findings do not support a role of NSG1 in hippocampal-dependent learning, but support a role in mediating proper neuronal function across amygdalar and cerebellar circuits.
KW - Animals
KW - Anxiety/genetics
KW - Endosomes/metabolism
KW - Hippocampus/metabolism
KW - Male
KW - Mice
KW - Mice, Knockout
KW - Neuronal Plasticity/physiology
KW - Neurons/metabolism
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85132637414&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/gbb.12816
DO - 10.1111/gbb.12816
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 35577358
SN - 1601-1848
VL - 21
JO - Genes, Brain and Behavior
JF - Genes, Brain and Behavior
IS - 6
M1 - e12816
ER -