Knockout mice reveal a role for protein tyrosine phosphatase H1 in cognition

BACKGROUND: The present study has investigated the protein tyrosine phosphatase H1 (PTPH1) expression pattern in mouse brain and its impact on CNS functions. METHODS: We have previously described a PTPH1-KO mouse, generated by replacing the PTP catalytic and the PDZ domain with a LacZ neomycin cassette. PTPH1 expression pattern was evaluated by LacZ staining in the brain and PTPH1-KO and WT mice (n = 10 per gender per genotype) were also behaviorally tested for CNS functions. RESULTS: In CNS, PTPH1 is expressed during development and in adulthood and mainly localized in hippocampus, thalamus, cortex and cerebellum neurons. The behavioral tests performed on the PTPH1-KO mice showed an impact on working memory in male mice and an impaired learning performance at rotarod in females. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate for the first time a neuronal expression of PTPH1 and its functionality at the level of cognition.