PreprintCited by 1Genetics and Neurodevelopmental DisordersAutism Spectrum Disorder ResearchEpilepsy research and treatment

Single-nucleus transcriptomics reveal disrupted pathways in the prefrontal cortex of Scn2a -deficient mice

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Yoo, Ye-Eun, Mandal, Purba, Tang, Zhengkuan, Zhang, Zaiyang, Zhang, Jingliang, Chen, Xiaoling, Robinson, Morgan, Eaton, Muriel +12 more·2025·bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)

Abstract

Truncating variants in SCN2A , which encodes the NaV1.2 sodium channel critical for action potential initiation and propagation, are associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and epilepsy. To investigate SCN2A deficiency–related phenotypes, we developed a preclinical mouse model with under 50% NaV1.2 expression, exhibiting neuronal hyperexcitability and social deficits. However, the neuronal populations and molecular alterations underlying these phenotypes at single-cell resolution have not been investigated. In this study, we conducted single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) of wild-type (WT), homozygous Scn2a -deficient (HOM) mice, and HOM mice with Scn2a restoration (HOM-FlpO) to examine the effects of Scn2a level on gene expression in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a critical brain region related to ASD development. Differential expression analysis in GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons between genotypes revealed gene expression enriched in neurotransmitter activity regulation and synapse organization. Lastly, snRNA-seq results in HOM-FlpO identified genes that were rescued after Scn2a restoration. These results reveal that reduced Scn2a expression disrupts RNA transcriptomes in multiple neuronal subtypes, providing insight into cell type–specific mechanisms underlying SCN2A -related disorders.

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Crossref · 10.1101/2025.09.16.676420

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. Troulé K , Petryszak R , Prete M , Cranley J , Harasty A , Tuong ZK , et al. CellPhoneDB v5: inferring cell-cell communication from single-cell multiomics data. Preprint at https://doiorg/1048550/arXiv231104567. 2023.
  2. 2019, Role of NKCC1 and KCC2 in Epilepsy: From Expression to Function, Front Neurol, 10, 1407

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Authors
Yoo, Y.-E., Mandal, P., Tang, Z., Zhang, Z., Zhang, J., Chen, X., Robinson, M., Eaton, M., Deming, B., Halurkar, M., Kothandaraman, H., Dabin, L. C., Jiang, B., Gao, H., Yuan, C., Lanman, N., Liu, Y., Kim, J., Baloni, P., & Yang, Y.
Affiliations
  • Purdue University West Lafayette (US)
  • Indiana University Indianapolis (US)
  • Indiana University School of Medicine
  • Davidson College (US)
Corresponding author
Yang, Yang
Venue
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
Publisher
openRxiv
Published
2025-09-17
OpenAlex
W4414369925
Cited by
1
References
74
Citations by year
2025: 1
Type
posted content
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed Central (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Funders
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (R01NS117585, R01NS123154)
  • Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center (Grant P30CA082709)
  • Purdue University Institute for Cancer Research (Grant P30CA023168)
  • Walther Cancer Foundation
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Epilepsy research and treatment
Keywords
SCN2A, Nav1.2 sodium channel, autism spectrum disorder, epilepsy, medial prefrontal cortex, neuronal hyperexcitability, social dysfunction, single-nucleus transcriptomics, GABAergic neurons, glutamatergic neurons, synaptic organization, neuronal transcriptome, gene rescue, mouse model

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