Genome-wide association studies have identified SNPs within the human FTO gene that display a strong association with obesity. Individuals homozygous for the at-risk rs9939609 A allele weigh ~3kg more. Loss of function and/or expression of FTO in mice leads to increased energy expenditure and a lean phenotype. We show here that ubiquitous overexpression of Fto leads to a dose-dependent increase in body and fat mass, irrespective of whether mice are fed a standard or high fat diet. The increased body mass results primarily from increased food intake. Glucose intolerance develops with increased Fto expression on a high fat diet. This study provides the first direct evidence that increased Fto expression causes obesity in mice.

We identified two novel mouse mutants with abnormal head-shaking behavior and neural tube defects during the course of independent ENU mutagenesis experiments. The heterozygous and homozygous mutants exhibit defects in the orientation of sensory hair cells in the organ of Corti, indicating a defect in planar cell polarity. The homozygous mutants exhibit severe neural tube defects as a result of failure to initiate neural tube closure. We show that these mutants, spin cycle and crash, carry independent missense mutations within the coding region of Celsr1, encoding a large protocadherin molecule [1]. Celsr1 is one of three mammalian homologs of Drosophila flamingo/starry night, which is essential for the planar cell polarity pathway in Drosophila together with frizzled, dishevelled, prickle, strabismus/van gogh, and rhoA. The identification of mouse mutants of Celsr1 provides the first evidence for the function of the Celsr family in planar cell polarity in mammals and further supports the involvement of a planar cell polarity pathway in vertebrate neurulation.

SummaryThe most well-described example of an inherited speech and language disorder is that observed in the multigenerational KE family, caused by a heterozygous missense mutation in the FOXP2 gene [1]. Affected individuals are characterized by deficits in the learning and production of complex orofacial motor sequences underlying fluent speech and display impaired linguistic processing for both spoken and written language [2]. The FOXP2 transcription factor is highly similar in many vertebrate species, with conserved expression in neural circuits related to sensorimotor integration and motor learning [3, 4]. In this study, we generated mice carrying an identical point mutation to that of the KE family, yielding the equivalent arginine-to-histidine substitution in the Foxp2 DNA-binding domain. Homozygous R552H mice show severe reductions in cerebellar growth and postnatal weight gain but are able to produce complex innate ultrasonic vocalizations. Heterozygous R552H mice are overtly normal in brain structure and development. Crucially, although their baseline motor abilities appear to be identical to wild-type littermates, R552H heterozygotes display significant deficits in species-typical motor-skill learning, accompanied by abnormal synaptic plasticity in striatal and cerebellar neural circuits.

SummaryThe development of the mammalian brain is dependent on extensive neuronal migration. Mutations in mice and humans that affect neuronal migration result in abnormal lamination of brain structures with associated behavioral deficits. Here, we report the identification of a hyperactive N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU)-induced mouse mutant with abnormalities in the laminar architecture of the hippocampus and cortex, accompanied by impaired neuronal migration. We show that the causative mutation lies in the guanosine triphosphate (GTP) binding pocket of α-1 tubulin (Tuba1) and affects tubulin heterodimer formation. Phenotypic similarity with existing mouse models of lissencephaly led us to screen a cohort of patients with developmental brain anomalies. We identified two patients with de novo mutations in TUBA3, the human homolog of Tuba1. This study demonstrates the utility of ENU mutagenesis in the mouse as a means to discover the basis of human neurodevelopmental disorders.

By screening N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea-mutagenized animals for alterations in rhythms of wheel-running activity, we identified a mouse mutation, after hours (Afh). The mutation, a Cys(358)Ser substitution in Fbxl3, an F-box protein with leucine-rich repeats, results in long free-running rhythms of about 27 hours in homozygotes. Circadian transcriptional and translational oscillations are attenuated in Afh mice. The Afh allele significantly affected Per2 expression and delayed the rate of Cry protein degradation in Per2::Luciferase tissue slices. Our in vivo and in vitro studies reveal a central role for Fbxl3 in mammalian circadian timekeeping.

As the human genome project approaches completion, the challenge for mammalian geneticists is to develop approaches for the systematic determination of mammalian gene function. Mouse mutagenesis will be a key element of studies of gene function. Phenotype-driven approaches using the chemical mutagen ethylnitrosourea (ENU) represent a potentially efficient route for the generation of large numbers of mutant mice that can be screened for novel phenotypes. The advantage of this approach is that, in assessing gene function, no a priori assumptions are made about the genes involved in any pathway. Phenotype-driven mutagenesis is thus an effective method for the identification of novel genes and pathways. We have undertaken a genome-wide, phenotype-driven screen for dominant mutations in the mouse. We generated and screened over 26,000 mice, and recovered some 500 new mouse mutants. Our work, along with the programme reported in the accompanying paper, has led to a substantial increase in the mouse mutant resource and represents a first step towards systematic studies of gene function in mammalian genetics.

PERSPECTIVES were cultured in different glucose concentrations. The amplitude of circadian oscillations in gene expression correlated to glucose concentrations only in wild-type cells, but not in the absence of AMPK. In mouse liver, the accumulation and nuclear localization of AMPK, as well as the phosphorylation of known AMPK target proteins, oscillated in a circadian manner. Thus, perturbation of nutrient availability-and consequently, of AMPK activity-alters output of the circadian clock. Although AMPK is an attractive candidate for coupling metabolic and circadian cycles, additional regulators are likely involved. Thus, the ratio of oxidized nicotinamide ade-nine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP +) to its reduced form (NADPH)-which, like the AMP/ATP ratio, constitutes a diagnostic signature of a cell's metabolic state-has been proposed to affect circadian gene expression through diverse mechanisms. At least in vitro, the binding of the heterodimeric core clock transcription factors CLOCK-BMAL1 and NPAS2-BMAL1 to their cognate DNA sequences (so-called E-boxes) is enhanced by NADPH and impaired by NADP + (6). The transcriptional regulatory protein peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (P PA R γ) coactivator 1α (PGC-1α), a well-known mediator of glucose and lipid metabolism, has been proposed to be another important player in connecting metabolism to circadian gene expression. This transcriptional coacti-vator associates with nuclear receptors of the ROR family and thereby modulates the transcription of the clock genes Bmal1 and Rev-erbα. Finally, the NAD +-dependent protein deacetylase sirtuin 1 infl uences the stability and activity of the core clock components PER2 and BMAL1, respectively (7, 8). Why are metabolic processes under tight circadian control? A simple explanation arises from the necessity to separate incompatible enzymatic processes within the same cell. Because complete spatial separation of anabolic and catabolic processes is frequently impossible, these have to be gated to different time windows. This necessity is well illustrated by the temporal sequestration of oxida-tive and reductive phases in yeast by an ultra-dian respiratory clock. For example, DNA is replicated exclusively in the reductive phase, when the concentration of genotoxic reactive oxygen species generated by mitochondrial respiration is minimal (9). In a yeast mutant in which the reductive phase is too short to allow for the completion of DNA synthesis, the mutation rate increases dramatically (10). In mammals, the master pacemaker in the SCN is phase-entrained primarily by light-dark cycles and thus cannot readily adapt to altered feeding rhythms. Hence, when food availability changes, nutrient-dependent synchronization cues must dominate the more direct signals from the SCN to maintain proper homeostasis of metabolism in peripheral tissues (1). This could explain the multitude of metabolic phase entrainment cues that synchronize the circadian core clock machinery in metabolically active peripheral organs. A major challen...

BACKGROUND Obesity is one of the leading causes of preventable death worldwide. Circadian rhythms are known to control both sleep timing and energy homeostasis, and disruptions in circadian rhythms have been linked with metabolic dysfunction and obesity-associated disease. In previous research, social jetlag, a measure of chronic circadian disruption caused by the discrepancy between our internal versus social clocks, was associated with elevated self-reported body mass index, possibly indicative of a more generalized association with obesity and metabolic dysfunction. METHODS We studied participants from the population-representative Dunedin Longitudinal Study (N = 1037) to determine whether social jetlag was associated with clinically assessed measurements of metabolic phenotypes and disease indicators for obesity-related disease, specifically, indicators of inflammation and diabetes. RESULTS Our analysis was restricted to N = 815 non-shift workers in our cohort. Among these participants, we found that social jetlag was associated with numerous clinically assessed measures of metabolic dysfunction and obesity. We distinguished between obese individuals who were metabolically healthy versus unhealthy, and found higher social jetlag levels in metabolically unhealthy obese individuals. Among metabolically unhealthy obese individuals, social jetlag was additionally associated with elevated glycated hemoglobin and an indicator of inflammation. CONCLUSIONS The findings are consistent with the possibility that ‘living against our internal clock’ may contribute to metabolic dysfunction and its consequences. Further research aimed at understanding that the physiology and social features of social jetlag may inform obesity prevention and have ramifications for policies and practices that contribute to increased social jetlag, such as work schedules and daylight savings time.