Mice lacking alpha1,3-fucosyltransferase IX demonstrate disappearance of Lewis x structure in brain and increased anxiety-like behaviors

• Published in: Glycobiology (Oxford) Vol. 17; no. 1; pp. 1 - 9
• Main Authors: Kudo, Takashi, Fujii, Takashi, Ikegami, Shiro, Inokuchi, Kaoru, Takayama, Yuko, Ikehara, Yuzuru, Nishihara, Shoko, Togayachi, Akira, Takahashi, Satoru, Tachibana, Kouichi, Yuasa, Shigeki, Narimatsu, Hisashi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01.01.2007
• Subjects: Amygdala - metabolism; Animals; Anxiety Disorders - genetics; Anxiety Disorders - metabolism; Behavior, Animal - physiology; Brain - metabolism; Brain Chemistry; Calbindins; Carbohydrates - analysis; Embryo, Mammalian; Fucosyltransferases - genetics; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; Glycolipids - chemistry; Glycolipids - metabolism; Glycoproteins - chemistry; Glycoproteins - metabolism; Learning; Lewis X Antigen - analysis; Male; Memory; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; S100 Calcium Binding Protein G - metabolism
• ISSN: 0959-6658

The 3-fucosyl-N-acetyllactosamine [Lewis x (Le(x)), CD15, SSEA-1] carbohydrate structure is expressed on several glycolipids, glycoproteins, and proteoglycans of the nervous system and has been implicated in cell-cell recognition, neurite outgrowth, and neuronal migration during development. To characterize the functional role of Le(x) carbohydrate structure in vivo, we have generated mutant mice that lack alpha1,3-fucosyltransferase IX (Fut9(-/-)). Fut9(-/-) mice were unable to synthesize the Le(x) structure carried on glycoproteins and glycolipids in embryonic and adult brain. However, no obvious pathological differences between wild-type and Fut9(-/-) mice were found in brain. In behavioral tests, Fut9(-/-) mice exhibited increased anxiety-like responses in dark-light preference and in elevated plus maze tests. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that the number of calbindin-positive neurons was decreased in the basolateral amygdala in Fut9(-/-) mice. These observations indicated that the carbohydrates synthesized by Fut9 play critical roles in functional regulations of interneurons in the amygdalar subdivisions and suggested a role for the Le(x) structure in some aspects of emotional behavior in mice.