The effects of maternal immune activation on the behaviour of mice lacking vesicular zinc
Date
2020-09-15
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Abstract
Zinc is an important part of the structure and functioning of the brain. It helps in the development of neurons and synaptic connections as well as neural transmission. Within the brain, zinc transporter 3 (ZnT3) is important for the uptake of zinc into vesicles. Loss of vesicular zinc has been shown to produce neurodevelopmental disorder-like behaviour, such as decreased social interaction, and increased anxiety- and repetitive-like behaviour. We were interested in assessing the effects of maternal immune activation (MIA) on the behaviour of mice lacking vesicular zinc. MIA has been identified as an environmental factor for neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and schizophrenia (SZ), in offspring, which occurs during pregnancy when the mother’s immune system reacts to the exposure to viruses or infectious diseases. To evaluate the interaction effect of a genetic factor (ZnT3 knockout (KO) mice) and environmental factor (MIA induced polyI:C), we expected to observe an increased susceptibility of developing ASD- and SZ-like phenotype in ZnT3 KO MIA-offspring. We hypothesized that this phenotype would be more severe in ZnT3 KO, and more severe in male ZnT3 KO MIA-offspring than female mice. MIA induction during gestation showed ASD- and SZ-like phenotype only in certain behavioural tests. ZnT3 KO mice did not show enhanced ASD- and SZ-like phenotype compared to WT mice. The behavioural phenotype was more significant in male mice than female offspring. These results suggest that loss of vesicular zinc does not increase susceptibility to develop ASD- and SZ-like features in the behaviours examined here.
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Keywords
zinc, maternal immune activation, ZnT3, polyI:C, vesicular zinc, mice, autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia
Citation
Sandoval, K. C. (2020). The effects of maternal immune activation on the behaviour of mice lacking vesicular zinc (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.