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Facial dysmorphology is a hallmark of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS). Nearly all affected individuals have facial features characteristic of the syndrome: a vertically long face with broad nasal bridge, narrow palpebral fissures and mild micrognathia, sometimes accompanied by facial skeletal and oropharyngeal anomalies. Despite the frequency of craniofacial dysmorphology due to 22q11.2 deletion, there is still incomplete understanding of the contribution of individual 22q11 genes to craniofacial and oropharyngeal development. We asked whether homozygous or heterozygous loss of function of single 22q11 genes compromises craniofacial and/or oropharyngeal morphogenesis related to these 22q11DS phenotypes. We found that Ranbp1, a 22q11DS gene that mediates nucleocytoplasmic protein trafficking, is a dosage-dependent modulator of craniofacial development. Ranbp1−/− embryos have variably penetrant facial phenotypes, including altered facial morphology and cleft palate. This 22q11DS-related dysmorphology is particularly evident in the midline of the facial skeleton, as evidenced by a robustly quantifiable dysmorphology of the vomer, an unpaired facial midline bone. 22q11DS-related oropharyngeal phenotypes reflect Ranbp1 function in both the cranial neural crest and cranial ectoderm based upon tissue-selective Ranbp1 deletion. Analyses of genetic interaction show that Ranbp1 mutation disrupts BMP signaling-dependent midline gene expression and BMP-mediated craniofacial and cranial skeletal morphogenesis. Finally, midline defects that parallel those in Ranbp1 mutant mice are observed at similar frequencies in the LgDel 22q112DS mouse model. Apparently, Ranbp1 is a modulator of craniofacial development, and in the context of broader 22q11 deletion, Ranbp1 mutant phenotypes mirror key aspects of 22q11DS midline facial anomalies.

22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (22q11DS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with cranial nerve anomalies and disordered oropharyngeal function, including pediatric dysphagia. Using the LgDel 22q11DS mouse model, we investigated whether sensory neuron differentiation in the trigeminal ganglion (CNgV), which is essential for normal orofacial function, is disrupted. We did not detect changes in cranial placode cell translocation or neural crest migration at early stages of LgDel CNgV development. However, as the ganglion coalesces, proportions of placode-derived LgDel CNgV cells increase relative to neural crest cells. In addition, local aggregation of placode-derived cells increases and aggregation of neural crest-derived cells decreases in LgDel CNgV. This change in cell-cell relationships was accompanied by altered proliferation of placode-derived cells at embryonic day (E)9.5, and premature neurogenesis from neural crest-derived precursors, reflected by an increased frequency of asymmetric neurogenic divisions for neural crest-derived precursors by E10.5. These early differences in LgDel CNgV genesis prefigure changes in sensory neuron differentiation and gene expression by postnatal day 8, when early signs of cranial nerve dysfunction associated with pediatric dysphagia are observed in LgDel mice. Apparently, 22q11 deletion destabilizes CNgV sensory neuron genesis and differentiation by increasing variability in cell-cell interaction, proliferation and sensory neuron differentiation. This early developmental divergence and its consequences may contribute to oropharyngeal dysfunction, including suckling, feeding and swallowing disruptions at birth, and additional orofacial sensory/motor deficits throughout life., Summary: Altered proportions, distribution, timing and modes of division for trigeminal ganglion progenitors prefigure divergent trigeminal sensory neuron differentiation and oropharyngeal dysfunction in the LgDel mouse model of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

Under-connectivity between cerebral cortical association areas may underlie cognitive deficits in neurodevelopmental disorders, including the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS). Using the LgDel 22q11DS mouse model, we assessed cellular, molecular, and developmental origins of under-connectivity and its consequences for cognitive function. Diminished 22q11 gene dosage reduces long-distance projections, limits axon and dendrite growth, and disrupts mitochondrial and synaptic integrity in layer 2/3 but not 5/6 projection neurons (PNs). Diminished dosage of Txnrd2, a 22q11 gene essential for reactive oxygen species catabolism in brain mitochondria, recapitulates these deficits in WT layer 2/3 PNs; Txnrd2 re-expression in LgDel layer 2/3 PNs rescues them. Anti-oxidants reverse LgDel- or Txnrd2-related layer 2/3 mitochondrial, circuit, and cognitive deficits. Accordingly, Txnrd2-mediated oxidative stress reduces layer 2/3 connectivity and impairs cognition in the context of 22q11 deletion. Anti-oxidant restoration of mitochondrial integrity, cortical connectivity, and cognitive behavior defines oxidative stress as a therapeutic target in neurodevelopmental disorders.

We compared apparent origins, cellular diversity and regulation of initial axon growth for differentiating cranial sensory neurons. We assessed the molecular and cellular composition of the developing olfactory and otic placodes, and cranial sensory ganglia to evaluate contributions of ectodermal placode versus neural crest at each site. Special sensory neuron populations-the olfactory and otic placodes, as well as those in vestibulo-acoustic ganglion- are entirely populated with cells expressing cranial placode-associated, rather than neural crest-associated markers. The remaining cranial sensory ganglia are a mosaic of cells that express placode-associated as well as neural crest-associated markers. We found two distinct populations of neural crest in the cranial ganglia: the first, as expected, is labeled by Wnt1:Cre mediated recombination. The second is not labeled by Wnt1:Cre recombination, and expresses both Sox10 and FoxD3. These populations-Wnt1:Cre recombined, and Sox10/Foxd3-expressing- are proliferatively distinct from one another. Together, the two neural crest-associated populations are substantially more proliferative than their placode-associated counterparts. Nevertheless, the apparently placode- and neural crest-associated populations are similarly sensitive to altered signaling that compromises cranial morphogenesis and differentiation. Acute disruption of either Fibroblast growth factor (Fgf) or Retinoic acid (RA) signaling alters axon growth and cell death, but does not preferentially target any of the three distinct populations. Apparently, mosaic derivation and diversity of precursors and early differentiating neurons, modulated uniformly by local signals, supports early cranial sensory neuron differentiation and growth.

DiGeorge/22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (22q11DS) is a common genetic microdeletion syndrome that underlies several neurodevelopmental disorders including autism, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and schizophrenia. In addition to cognitive impairments, those with 22q11DS have disrupted feeding and swallowing from birth onward. This perinatal dysphagia significantly compromises nutritional status, impairs appropriate weight gain, and can lead to life threatening aspiration-based infections. Appropriately timed excitation and inhibition of brainstem hypoglossal motor neurons, which innervate tongue muscles, is essential for proper feeding and swallowing. In this study we have examined changes in hypoglossal motor neuron function in the LgDel mouse model of 22q11DS. Hypoglossal motor neurons from LgDel mouse pups have action potentials with afterhyperpolarizations, mediated by a large conductance charybdotoxin-sensitive Ca-activated K current, that are significantly shorter in duration and greater in magnitude than those in wild-type pups. In addition, the amplitude, but not frequency, of glutamatergic excitatory glutamatergic postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) is diminished, and GABAergic, but not glycinergic, neurotransmission to hypoglossal motor neurons was reduced in LgDel animals. These observations provide a foundation for understanding the neurological changes in hypoglossal motor neuron function and their contribution to swallowing abnormalities that occur in DiGeorge/22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome.