Essential role for InSyn1 in dystroglycan complex integrity and cognitive behaviors in mice
Abstract
Human mutations in the dystroglycan complex (DGC) result in not only muscular dystrophy but also cognitive impairments. However, the molecular architecture critical for the synaptic organization of the DGC in neurons remains elusive. Here we report Inhibitory Synaptic protein 1 (InSyn1) is a critical component of the DGC whose loss alters the composition of the GABAergic synapses, excitatory/inhibitory balance in vitro and in vivo, and cognitive behavior. Association of InSyn1 with DGC subunits is required for InSyn1 synaptic localization. InSyn1 null neurons also show a significant reduction in DGC and GABA receptor distribution as well as abnormal neuronal network activity. Moreover, InSyn1 null mice exhibit elevated neuronal firing patterns in the hippocampus and deficits in fear conditioning memory. Our results support the dysregulation of the DGC at inhibitory synapses and altered neuronal network activity and specific cognitive tasks via loss of a novel component, InSyn1.
Data availability
All data generated or analysed during this study are included in the manuscript and supporting files.
Article and author information
Author details
Funding
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NS102456)
- Scott Soderling
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (HL127181)
- Purushothama Rao Tata
The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.
Ethics
Animal experimentation: All procedures were conducted with a protocol (#A224-17-09) approved by the Duke University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) in accordance with the US National Institutes of Health guidelines.
Copyright
© 2019, Uezu et al.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.
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