Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Rai1 Haploinsufficiency Is Associated with Social Abnormalities in Mice

2017; Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute; Volume: 6; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.3390/biology6020025

2079-7737

Nalini R. Rao, Clemer Abad, Irene Cuadrado Pérez, Anand K. Srivastava, Juan I. Young, Katherina Walz,

RNA regulation and disease

Background: Autism is characterized by difficulties in social interaction, communication, and repetitive behaviors; with different degrees of severity in each of the core areas. Haploinsufficiency and point mutations of RAI1 are associated with Smith-Magenis syndrome (SMS), a genetic condition that scores within the autism spectrum range for social responsiveness and communication, and is characterized by neurobehavioral abnormalities, intellectual disability, developmental delay, sleep disturbance, and self-injurious behaviors. Methods: To investigate the relationship between Rai1 and social impairment, we evaluated the Rai1+/− mice with a battery of tests to address social behavior in mice. Results: We found that the mutant mice showed diminished interest in social odors, abnormal submissive tendencies, and increased repetitive behaviors when compared to wild type littermates. Conclusions: These findings suggest that Rai1 contributes to social behavior in mice, and prompt it as a candidate gene for the social behaviors observed in Smith-Magenis Syndrome patients.