Mutations in the X-linked cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 (CDKL5) gene have been identified in neurodevelopmental disorders including atypical Rett syndrome (RTT), autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), and early infantile epileptic encephalopathy. The biological function of CDKL5 and its role in the etiology of these disorders, however, remain unclear. Here we report the development of a unique knockout mouse model of CDKL5-related disorders and demonstrate that mice lacking CDKL5 show autistic-like deficits in social interaction, as well as impairments in motor control and fear memory. Neurophysiological recordings reveal alterations in event-related potentials (ERPs) similar to those observed in RTT and ASDs. Moreover, kinome profiling uncovers disruption of multiple signal transduction pathways, including the AKTmammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) cascade, upon Cdkl5 loss-of-function. These data demonstrate that CDKL5 regulates signal transduction pathways and mediates autistic-like phenotypes and together establish a causal role for Cdkl5 loss-of-function in neurodevelopmental disorders.C yclin-dependent kinase-like 5 (CDKL5) is an X-linked gene associated with early infantile epileptic encephalopathy 2 (EIEE2) (1), atypical Rett syndrome (RTT) (2), and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) (3, 4). Patients with CDKL5 mutations display a heterogenous array of clinical phenotypes, the most prominent of which include early-onset seizures, intellectual disability, and autistic features (5).CDKL5 is a serine/threonine (S/T) kinase that is highly expressed in the brain (6). In vitro studies have demonstrated that CDKL5 may mediate the phosphorylation of methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) (7), DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) (8), and netrin-G1 ligand (NGL-1) (9). RNAi-mediated knockdown studies show that CDKL5 can regulate neuronal outgrowth and synapse stability (9, 10). Despite these proposed functions, the exact role of CDKL5 in the phosphorylation of MeCP2 (7, 11) and in dendritic outgrowth (9, 10) remains unclear, and thus requires further investigation. The limited understanding of CDKL5 function and its associated signal transduction pathways has hindered the development of therapeutics for CDKL5-related disorders. Current treatments focus on managing symptoms and reducing seizure frequency, but have limited effectiveness (12).To investigate the function of CDKL5 in a disease model and identify potential avenues of therapeutic intervention, we developed a Cdkl5 knockout mouse. We found that mice lacking CDKL5 show autistic-like behavioral abnormalities, deficits in neural circuit communication, and alterations in multiple signal transduction pathways. We establish a causal link between Cdkl5 loss-of-function and disease-related phenotypes and identify the AKT-mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway as a unique candidate for targeted therapeutic intervention of CDKL5-related disorders.
ResultsGeneration of Cdkl5 Knockout Mice. To investigate the pathophysiology underlying CDKL5-related disorders, we generated ...