Loss of protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor delta PTPRD increases the number of cortical neurons, impairs synaptic function and induces autistic-like behaviors in adult mice

TL;DR

Reduced levels of the PTPRD protein in mice lead to more brain neurons, impaired brain cell communication, and behaviors similar to autism in adulthood.

Contribution

This study reveals long-term effects of PTPRD loss on cortical development and behavior in mice.

Findings

Loss of Ptprd increases excitatory neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex in adult mice.

Ptprd deficiency impairs both excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission in the cortex.

Ptprd+/- or Ptprd-/- mice show autistic-like behaviors without memory or anxiety issues.

Abstract

The brain cortex is responsible for many higher-level cognitive functions. Disruptions during cortical development have long-lasting consequences on brain function and are associated with the etiology of brain disorders. We previously found that the protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor delta Ptprd, which is genetically associated with several human neurodevelopmental disorders, is essential to cortical brain development. Loss of Ptprd expression induced an aberrant increase of excitatory neurons in embryonic and neonatal mice by hyper-activating the pro-neurogenic receptors TrkB and PDGFRβ in neural precursor cells. However, whether these alterations have long-lasting consequences in adulthood remains unknown.

Here, we found that in Ptprd+/- or Ptprd-/- mice, the developmental increase of excitatory neurons persists through adulthood, affecting excitatory synaptic function in the medial prefrontal cortex. Likewise, heterozygosity or homozygosity for Ptprd also induced an increase of inhibitory cortical GABAergic neurons and impaired inhibitory synaptic transmission. Lastly, Ptprd+/- or Ptprd-/- mice displayed autistic-like behaviors and no learning and memory impairments or anxiety.

These results indicate that loss of Ptprd has long-lasting effects on cortical neuron number and synaptic function that may aberrantly impact ASD-like behaviors.

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