Journal
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
Volume 93, Issue 5-6, Pages 225-237Publisher
ELSEVIER GMBH, URBAN & FISCHER VERLAG
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejcb.2013.11.001
Keywords
Actin; Formin; Spir-1; Fmn-2; Mouse genetics; Nervous system; Emotional learning; Fear conditioning
Categories
Funding
- Bavarian Genome Research Network (BayGene)
- German Research Foundation (DFG) [SPP 1464]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Spir proteins nucleate actin filaments at vesicle membranes and facilitate intracellular transport processes. The mammalian genome encodes two Spit proteins, namely Spir-1 and Spir-2. While the mouse spir-2 gene has a rather broad expression pattern, high levels of spir-1 expression are restricted to the nervous system, oocytes, and testis. Spir-1 mutant mice generated by a gene trap method have been employed to address Spir-1 function during mouse development and in adult mouse tissues, with a specific emphasis on viability, reproduction, and the nervous system. The gene trap cassette disrupts Spir-1 expression between the N-terminal KIND domain and the WH2 domain cluster. Spir-1 mutant mice are viable and were born in a Mendelian ratio. In accordance with the redundant function of Spir-1 and Spir2 in oocyte maturation, spir-1 mutant mice are fertile. The overall brain anatomy of spir-1 mutant mice is not altered and visual and motor functions of the mice remain normal. Microscopic analysis shows a slight reduction in the number of dendritic spines on cortical neurons. Detailed behavioral studies of the spir-1 mutant mice, however, unveiled a very specific and highly significant phenotype in terms of fear learning in male mice. In contextual and cued fear conditioning experiments the male spir-1 mutant mice display increased fear memory when compared to their control littermates. Our data point toward a particular function of the vesicle associated Spir-1 actin organizer in neuronal circuits determining fear behavior. (C) 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available