Developmental profiling of ASD-related shank3 transcripts and their differential regulation by valproic acid in zebrafish

• DOI: 10.1007/s00427-016-0561-4
• Publication Date: 2016-08-25T22:56:24Z
• Authors: Chun-xue Liu; Xiao-lan Peng; Chun-chun Hu; Chun-yang Li; Qiang Li; Xiu Xu
• Keywords: Postsynaptic density; Developmental Biology; Valproic Acid

SHANK3 is a scaffolding protein that binds to various synaptic proteins at the postsynaptic density (PSD) of excitatory glutamatergic synapses. not only strongly implicated in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) but also plays critical role human Phelan-McDermid syndrome (22q13.3 deletion syndrome). Accumulated experimental evidence demonstrates zebrafish model system useful for studying functions ASD-related gene during early development. However, many basic features shank3 transcript expression remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated temporal, spatial, and isoform-specific patterns development on basis previous researches differential effects each after exposure valproic acid (VPA), an ASD-associated drug. At first, observed both shank3a shank3b were barely expressed very ages (before 24 h post-fertilization (hpf)), whereas their levels increased mainly enriched nervous hpf. Secondly, all six transcripts gradually first 7 hpf then decreased. Subsequently, they exhibited second increasing peak between 1 month (mpf) adulthood. Thirdly, VPA treatment affected shank3. In particular, mRNA those isoforms contain SAM domain significantly increased, level which contained ANK without was To conclude, our findings support molecular diversity provide framework understand function zebrafish.