PRJNA417966
FoxG1 function in hippocampus
The forkhead box transcription factor FoxG1 is known to influence forebrain development by determining regional brain specification as well as by regulating expansion of neuronal progenitors and timing of their differentiation. In the adult brain, FoxG1 is expressed in cortex and hippocampus. In the latter it is involved in postnatal neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus by influencing maintenance of the progenitor pool as well as survival and maturation of postmitotic neurons. In humans, haploinsufficiency of FoxG1 causes the congenital version of the Rett syndrome, a progressive neurologic developmental disorder. We use FoxG1 mutant mice to screen for global changes in mRNA expression after partial loss of FoxG1 protein in hippocampi of six week-old mice. Data analysis points to a specific function for FoxG1 in adult hippocampus besides its known involvement in dentate gyrus neurogenesis. We analyse transcriptional changes in the different CA-fields and show that especially the CA-1 field is influenced by lack of FOXG1 protein. Furthermore, data analysis shows altered expression of genes that have also been implicated in the classical form of the Rett syndrome and other autism spectrum disorders.