Proteomic alterations in G72/G30 transgenic mice

G72/G30 is a primate-specific gene locus encoding the LG72 protein. Although linkage and association studies have consistently correlated the G72/G30 locus with major psychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, the function of the LG72 protein remains largely elusive. To investigate the role of the LG72 protein in vivo we generated transgenic mice (G72Tg) harboring the whole human G72/G30 locus. Interestingly, G72Tg mice exhibited a series of behavioral phenotype alterations relevant to major psychiatric disorders. To assess the effects of the G72 protein at the proteome level, we compared G72Tg and wild type mice with two different quantitative proteomics approaches, in vivo 15 N metabolic labeling and 2D-gel electrophoresis. We found a number of differentially expressed proteins involved in oxidative stress and myelination processes and confirmed selected alterations with immunoassays. Our data shed light on the role of the LG72 protein in brain circuits and reveal pathways relevant to pathomechanisms of psychiatric disorders.