Role of Mouse Y-box protein 3 in locomotion and behavior.

• Main Author: Teo, Pei Wen.
• Other Authors: School of Biological Sciences
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: DRNTU::Science::Biological sciences::Human anatomy and physiology::Neurobiology
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/53787
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Mouse Y-box transcription factor 3 (MsY3), the mouse ortholog of canine ZO-1-associated nucleic acid-binding protein (ZONAB), was previously shown to interact with ZO-1. In this study, we generated MsY3-deficient mice to investigate its role in locomotion and behavior. Locomotion test on MsY3-deficient mice showed erratic movements that might possibly be indicative of cognitive impairment and anxiety. Because little is known about MsY3 in the brain, we now provide evidence on MsY3 protein expression in the different brain regions, and demonstrated its colocalization with the glial cells markers and also at the glial gap junctions by confocal immunofluorescence. Our findings suggest two possible roles of MsY3: 1) the ability to regulate the proliferation of GFAP-labeled astrocytes, 2) the ability to regulate connexins expression at the glial gap junctions. Our investigations also provide a novel finding of the colocalization of MsY3 with nestin, a neuron stem cell-like or progenitor marker at the site of postnatal neurogenesis. Since all the observations appeared to suggest a putative role of MsY3 in the brain, it is tempting to attribute the observed abnormalities in locomotion and behavior to the absence of MsY3 in the brain.