Dorsal telencephalon-specific Nprl2- and Nprl3-knockout mice: novel mouse models for GATORopathy

The most frequent genetic cause of focal epilepsies is variations in the GAP activity toward RAGs 1 complex genes DEP domain containing 5 (DEPDC5), nitrogen permease regulator 2-like protein (NPRL2) and nitrogen permease regulator 3-like protein (NPRL3). Because these variations are frequent and associated with a broad spectrum of focal epilepsies, a unique pathology categorized as GATORopathy can be conceptualized. Animal models recapitulating the clinical features of patients are essential to decipher GATORopathy. Although several genetically modified animal models recapitulate DEPDC5-related epilepsy, no models have been reported for NPRL2- or NPRL3-related epilepsies. Here, we conditionally deleted Nprl2 and Nprl3 from the dorsal telencephalon in mice [Emx1(cre/+); Nprl2(f/f) (Nprl2-cKO) and Emx1(cre/+); Nprl3(f/f) (Nprl3-cKO)] and compared their phenotypes with Nprl2(+/−), Nprl3(+/−) and Emx1(cre/+); Depdc5(f/f) (Depdc5-cKO) mice. Nprl2-cKO and Nprl3-cKO mice recapitulated the major abnormal features of patients—spontaneous seizures, and dysmorphic enlarged neuronal cells with increased mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 signaling—similar to Depdc5-cKO mice. Chronic postnatal rapamycin administration dramatically prolonged the survival period and inhibited seizure occurrence but not enlarged neuronal cells in Nprl2-cKO and Nprl3-cKO mice. However, the benefit of rapamycin after withdrawal was less durable in Nprl2- and Nprl3-cKO mice compared with Depdc5-cKO mice. Further studies using these conditional knockout mice will be useful for understanding GATORopathy and for the identification of novel therapeutic targets.