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NATURE
[1] Transgenic monkeys could aid study of autism *PRESS
BRIEFING*
Genetically modified monkeys that overexpress a gene associated with autism-like
behaviours in humans and that can pass the modification to their offspring are reported
in Nature this week. The transgenic monkeys and their offspring displayed behavioural
changes, including altered social interaction. The findings demonstrate the feasibility of
using genetically engineered non-human primates to study neurodevelopmental
disorders.
One of the major challenges for the study of autism spectrum disorders is the lack of
animal models that can faithfully reproduce symptoms of autism found in human patients.
Although much progress has been made with rodent models, non-human-primate
models, which could represent better models of these complex disorders, have remained
unavailable.
Zilong Qiu and colleagues developed a primate model of MECP2 duplication syndrome,
a childhood disorder that shares core symptoms with autism spectrum disorders. They
generated eight lentivirus-based transgenic cynomolgus monkeys that overexpress the
autism-related human gene MECP2 in the brain. The transgenic monkeys’ cognitive
functions were largely normal, but the authors observed various behavioural changes,
including increased repetitive motor behaviours, increased anxiety-related behaviours
and decreased social interaction. In addition, the authors show germline transmission of
the transgene to offspring of one of the male transgenic monkeys; these offspring also
showed reduced social interactions when tested in pairs.
The work could contribute to the development of therapeutic strategies to treat the
symptoms of autism spectrum disorders, the authors suggest.
PRESS BRIEFING
**Please note that a telephone press briefing will take place UNDER STRICT EMBARGO on Thursday
21 January at 1400 London time (GMT) / 0900 US Eastern Time.** Researchers Zilong Qiu and Muming Poo will discuss the study. This will be followed by a Q&A session.
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ARTICLE DETAILS
DOI: 10.1038/nature16533
Corresponding Author:
Zilong Qiu
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
Email: zqiu@ion.ac.cn Tel: +86 21 5492 1806
Please link to the article in online versions of your report (the URL will go live after the embargo ends):
http://nature.com/articles/doi:10.1038/nature16533