Strict in vivo specificity of the erythroid enhancer.

BCL11A, a repressor of human fetal (γ-)globin expression, is required for immune and hematopoietic stem cell functions and brain development. Regulatory sequences within the gene, which are subject to genetic variation affecting fetal globin expression, display hallmarks of an erythroid enhancer in cell lines and transgenic mice. As such, this enhancer is a novel, attractive target for therapeutic gene editing.

Early hyperactivity and precocious maturation of corticostriatal circuits in Shank3B(-/-) mice.

Some autistic individuals exhibit abnormal development of the caudate nucleus and associative cortical areas, suggesting potential dysfunction of cortico-basal ganglia (BG) circuits. Using optogenetic and electrophysiological approaches in mice, we identified a narrow postnatal period that is characterized by extensive glutamatergic synaptogenesis in striatal spiny projection neurons (SPNs) and a concomitant increase in corticostriatal circuit activity. SPNs during early development have high intrinsic excitability and respond strongly to cortical afferents despite sparse excitatory inputs.