Sex differences in gene expression with galactosylceramide treatment in Cln3Δex7/8 mice.

• Main Authors: Joelle Makoukji, Sally El-Sitt, Nadine J Makhoul, Jihane Soueid, Humam Kadara, Rose-Mary Boustany
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2020-01-01
• Series: PLoS ONE
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0239537

<h4>Background</h4>CLN3 disease is caused by mutations in the CLN3 gene. The purpose of this study is to discern global expression patterns reflecting therapeutic targets in CLN3 disease.<h4>Methods</h4>Differential gene expression in vehicle-exposed mouse brain was determined after intraperitoneal vehicle/Galactosylceramide (GalCer) injections for 40 weeks with GeneChip Mouse Genome 430 2.0 arrays.<h4>Results</h4>Analysis identified 66 genes in male and 30 in female brains differentially expressed in GalCer-treated versus vehicle-exposed Cln3Δex7/8 mice. Gene ontology revealed aberrations of biological function including developmental, cellular, and behavioral processes. GalCer treatment altered pathways of long-term potentiation/depression, estrogen signaling, synaptic vesicle cycle, ErbB signaling, and prion diseases in males, but prolactin signaling, selenium compound metabolism and steroid biosynthesis in females. Gene-gene network analysis highlighted networks functionally pertinent to GalCer treatment encompassing motor dysfunction, neurodegeneration, memory disorder, inflammation and astrogliosis in males, and, cataracts, inflammation, astrogliosis, and anxiety in females.<h4>Conclusions</h4>This study sheds light on global expression patterns following GalCer treatment of Cln3Δex7/8 mice. Understanding molecular effects of GalCer on mouse brain gene expression, paves the way for personalized strategies for treating this debilitating disease in humans.