Gene prevents autism in mice

By Will Boggs

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – The absence of a gene called
Pten in mice results in a condition that is similar to autism
in humans, according to a report in the journal Neuron.

The gene is part of a biochemical pathway that has been
linked to cancer formation. Therefore, anticancer drugs that
target this pathway may also have a role in treating autism.

Dr. Luis F. Parada from the University of Texas
Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, and colleagues used
various lab techniques to delete Pten in the brains of mice and
investigated the effects of the deletion.

Mutant mice exhibited a distinct pattern of behavioral
abnormalities reminiscent of autism, the authors report,
including defects in social interaction, maternal care, and
sexual behavior.

Increased activity in response to sensory stimuli and
sporadic seizures were also apparent in mutant mice, the
results indicate, but mutant mice performed better than normal
mice on a repetitive test of motor coordination.

Lab testing showed that Pten deletion caused changes in the
structure of nerve cells.

While the findings are certainly provocative, “it should be
emphasized that it is a mouse model and that the relationship
between mouse behaviors and human behaviors is very difficult
to establish,” Parada told Reuters Health.

Whether or not the findings have direct relevance to
autism, “the experimental results described are intriguing and
represent an important entry point to understanding the role of
Pten in “mature nerve cells of the brain and how it relates to
behavioral disorders, note Dr. Joy M. Greer and Dr. Anthony
Wynshaw-Boris from the University of California San Diego
School of Medicine, La Jolla, in a related commentary.

SOURCE: Neuron, May 14 2006.