# Generation and characterization of cerebellar granule neurons specific knockout mice of Golli-MBP

## TL;DR

This study created mice lacking Golli-MBP in cerebellar granule neurons and found no harmful effects on brain structure or behavior.

## Contribution

Generated a new conditional knockout mouse model to study Golli-MBP function in specific cell types.

## Key findings

- No morphological changes in cerebellar structure after Golli-MBP deletion in granule neurons.
- Behavioral tests showed no abnormalities in Golli-MBP knockout mice.
- The model can be used to study Golli-MBP effects in other CNS cells or immune system.

## Abstract

Golli–myelin basic proteins, encoded by the myelin basic protein gene, are widely expressed in neurons and oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system. Further, prior research has shown that Golli–myelin basic protein is necessary for myelination and neuronal maturation during central nervous system development. In this study, we established Golli–myelin basic protein-floxed mice to elucidate the cell-type-specific effects of Golli–myelin basic protein knockout through the generation of conditional knockout mice (Golli–myelin basic proteinsfl/fl; E3CreN), in which Golli–myelin basic proteins were specifically deleted in cerebellar granule neurons, where Golli–myelin basic proteins are expressed abundantly in wild-type mice. To investigate the role of Golli–myelin basic proteins in cerebellar granule neurons, we further performed histopathological analyses of these mice, with results indicating no morphological changes or degeneration of the major cellular components of the cerebellum. Furthermore, behavioral analysis showed that Golli–myelin basic proteinsfl/fl; E3CreN mice were healthy and did not display any abnormal behavior. These results suggest that the loss of Golli–myelin basic proteins in cerebellar granule neurons does not lead to cerebellar perturbations or behavioral abnormalities. This mouse model could therefore be employed to analyze the effect of Golli–myelin basic protein deletion in specific cell types of the central nervous system, such as other neuronal cells and oligodendrocytes, or in lymphocytes of the immune system.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11248-024-00382-0.