Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress contribute to cognitive and motor impairment in FOXP1 syndrome.

Jing Wang, Henning Fröhlich, Felipe Bodaleo Torres, Rangel Leal Silva, Gernot Poschet, Amit Agarwal, Gudrun A Rappold

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2022 Feb 22

filter terms:

FOXP1 syndrome caused by haploinsufficiency of the forkhead box protein P1 (FOXP1) gene is a neurodevelopmental disorder that manifests motor dysfunction, intellectual disability, autism, and language impairment. In this study, we used a Foxp1 +/- mouse model to address whether cognitive and motor deficits in FOXP1 syndrome are associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress. Here, we show that genes with a role in mitochondrial biogenesis and dynamics (e.g., Foxo1, Pgc-1α, Tfam, Opa1, and Drp1) were dysregulated in the striatum of Foxp1 +/- mice at different postnatal stages. Furthermore, these animals exhibit a reduced mitochondrial membrane potential and complex I activity, as well as decreased expression of the antioxidants superoxide dismutase 2 (Sod2) and glutathione (GSH), resulting in increased oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation. These features can explain the reduced neurite branching, learning and memory, endurance, and motor coordination that we observed in these animals. Taken together, we provide strong evidence of mitochondrial dysfunction in Foxp1 +/- mice, suggesting that insufficient energy supply and excessive oxidative stress underlie the cognitive and motor impairment in FOXP1 deficiency. Copyright © 2022 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

Citation

Jing Wang, Henning Fröhlich, Felipe Bodaleo Torres, Rangel Leal Silva, Gernot Poschet, Amit Agarwal, Gudrun A Rappold. Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress contribute to cognitive and motor impairment in FOXP1 syndrome. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2022 Feb 22;119(8)