Brevican-deficient mice display impaired hippocampal CA1 long-term potentiation but show no obvious deficits in learning and memory.
Brevican is a brain-specific proteoglycan which is found in specialized extracellular matrix structures called perineuronal nets. Brevican increases the invasiveness of glioma cells in vivo and has been suggested to play a role in central nervous system fiber tract development. To study the role of brevican in the development and function of the brain, we generated mice lacking a functional brevican gene. These mice are viable and fertile and have a normal life span. Brain anatomy was normal, although alterations in the expression of neurocan were detected. Perineuronal nets formed but appeared to be less prominent in mutant than in wild-type mice. Brevican-deficient mice showed significant deficits in the maintenance of hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP). However, no obvious impairment of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission was found, suggesting a complex cause for the LTP defect. Detailed behavioral analysis revealed no statistically significant deficits in learning and memory. These data indicate that brevican is not crucial for brain development but has restricted structural and functional roles.
Brakebusch
Cord
C
Department of Molecular Medicine, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, 82152 Martinsried, Germany.
Seidenbecher
Constanze I
CI
Asztely
Fredrik
F
Rauch
Uwe
U
Matthies
Henry
H
Meyer
Hannelore
H
Krug
Manfred
M
Böckers
Tobias M
TM
Zhou
Xiaohong
X
Kreutz
Michael R
MR
Montag
Dirk
D
Gundelfinger
Eckart D
ED
Fässler
Reinhard
R
D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D058581:Brevican; D011508:Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycans / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D004594:Electrophysiology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism*; D007858:Learning; D037181:Lectins, C-Type; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning; D008568:Memory; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008957:Models, Genetic; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000473:pathology; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D013569:Synapses / Q000473:pathology; D013997:Time Factors
C553057:Bcan protein, mouse; D058581:Brevican; D011508:Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycans; D037181:Lectins, C-Type; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins