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Morphological analysis of dentate granule neurons in the mouse model of Fragile‐X syndrome
Author(s) -
Nahirney Patrick Charles,
Eadie Brennan,
Prescott Jason,
Christie Brian
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.24.1_supplement.643.6
Subject(s) - dendritic spine , fragile x syndrome , fmr1 , dentate gyrus , knockout mouse , neuroscience , hippocampal formation , biology , golgi apparatus , fragile x , microbiology and biotechnology , endoplasmic reticulum , genetics , gene
Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most commonly inherited form of mental retardation and is characterized by the absence of the expression of the fragile‐X mental retardation protein (FMRP) from the Fmr1 gene. It is postulated that dendritic spine abnormalities may underlie intellectual impairment in FXS. The current research was conducted to investigate the morphological changes associated with FXS specifically within the dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus. Animals were genotyped and the brains from Fmr1 knockout (KO) mice and wild‐type (WT) littermates were processed for Golgi‐Cox staining and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Dendrites of dentate granule neurons from the molecular layer were examined and their spines quantified. Golgi‐Cox analysis by light microscopy revealed fewer spines in the DG of the mouse model of FXS. TEM data analysis showed a trend towards fewer spine apparati in dendritic spines and increased thin spines in Fmr1 KO mice. These data indicate that there are fewer dendritic spines which may be less mature in appearance in the DG of the mouse model of FXS, contrasting findings from other regions of the brain (e.g., visual cortex). These results provide new data on the structure‐function relationship between dendritic spine abnormalities and intellectual impairment in FXS.