GSE171931
Transcriptome analysis of memantine-treated Shank2 wild-type and knock-out mice
Shank2 is an excitatory postsynaptic scaffolding protein strongly implicated in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Shank2-mutant mice with a homozygous deletion of exons 6 and 7 show decreased NMDA receptor (NMDAR) functions and autistic-like behaviors in juvenile (~postnatal day or P21) and adult (> P56) stages that are rescued by NMDAR activation. These mice, however, show an opposite change increased NMDAR functions—at ~P14, and NMDAR suppression by early and chronic memantine treatment during P7–21 prevents NMDAR hypofunction and autistic-like behaviors at juvenile (~P21) and adult (~P56) stages. To explore molecular mechanisms underlying the long-lasting effects of early memantine treatment, we performed RNA-Seq analysis of forebrains from wild-type and Shank2-mutant mice early and chronically treated with vehicle or memantine. Memantine-treated Shank2-mutant mice showed upregulations of chromatin-related genes and downregulations of mitochondria- and ribosome-related genes. In addition, vehicle-treated Shank2-mutant mice showed transcriptomic patterns that are largely opposite to those observed in ASD, as supported by the expression patterns of ASD-risk/related genes and cell-type-specific genes. These patterns, likely representing compensatory changes, were weakened by early memantine treatment. These results suggest that early chronic memantine treatment in Shank2-mutant mice alters chromatin- and mitochondria/ribosome-related gene expressions and weakens anti-ASD transcriptomic patterns. Overall design: Forebrain transcriptome of memantine-, vehicle-treated Shank2 wild-type and knock-out mice