Molecular analysis of the CNTN4 knockout mice

接触蛋白4（Cntn4）是轴突相关粘附分子免疫球蛋白超家族的成员。最近，在几项关于自闭症谱系障碍的研究中检测到了CNTN 4的拷贝数变异。为了探索Cntn4的剂量效应，我们产生了具有Cntn4靶向破坏的小鼠。基因敲除（KO）小鼠是存活的和可生育的，并且发育正常。基因敲除小鼠的前额叶皮层和嗅球的微阵列分析显示，与野生型小鼠相比，数百个基因的表达水平发生了变化。

Contactin 4(Cntn4) is a member of the immunoglobulin super family of axon associated adhesion molecule. Recently, copy number variations of CNTN4 have been detected in several studies on autism spectrum disorders. To explore the dosage effect of Cntn4, we generated mice with targeted disruption of Cntn4. The knockout(KO) mice were viable and fertile and developed normally. Microarray analyses of the prefrontal cortex and olfactory bulb of KO mice revealed several hundred genes with altered expression levels in comparison with the wild type mice.