Wnt pathway anomalies in developing amygdalae of Turner syndrome-like mice

Abstract

Certain neurobehavioral deficiencies associated with Turner Syndrome have been attributed to brain volumetric abnormalities, particularly of the amygdala. Haplo-insufficiency of a non-dosage compensated gene or genes on the X chromosome has been hypothesized to be the cause of the neuroanatomical defect. We examined gene expression levels of 6,628 genes in developing amygdalae of late-stage embryos of a mouse model for Turner Syndrome. In total, 161 genes show significant differences in expression level between TS and normal female amygdala. In silico pathway analysis of both X-linked and autosomal mis-regulated genes suggests that modulation of Wnt signaling is a critical factor in the normal growth and development of the amygdala.