Tsc2 mutation rather than Tsc1 mutation dominantly causes a social deficit in a mouse model of tuberous sclerosis complex

BACKGROUND: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is an autosomal dominant disorder that is associated with neurological symptoms, including autism spectrum disorder. Tuberous sclerosis complex is caused by pathogenic germline mutations of either the TSC1 or TSC2 gene, but somatic mutations were identified in both genes, and the combined effects of TSC1 and TSC2 mutations have been unknown. METHODS: The present study investigated social behaviors by the social interaction test and three-chambered sociability tests, effects of rapamycin treatment, and gene expression profiles with a gene expression microarray in Tsc1 and Tsc2 double heterozygous mutant (TscD(+/−)) mice. RESULTS: TscD(+/−) mice exhibited impairments in social behaviors, and the severity of impairments was similar to Tsc2(+/−) mice rather than Tsc1(+/−) mice. Impairments in social behaviors were rescued by rapamycin treatment in all mutant mice. Gene expression profiles in the brain were greatly altered in TscD(+/−) mice more than in Tsc1(+/−) and Tsc2(+/−) mice. The gene expression changes compared with wild type (WT) mice were similar between TscD(+/−) and Tsc2(+/−) mice, and the overlapping genes whose expression was altered in mutant mice compared with WT mice were enriched in the neoplasm- and inflammation-related canonical pathways. The “signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, interferon regulatory factor 1, interferon regulatory factor 4, interleukin-2R α chain, and interferon-γ” signaling pathway, which is initiated from signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 and PDZ and LIM domain protein 2, was associated with impairments in social behaviors in all mutant mice. LIMITATIONS: It is unclear whether the signaling pathway also plays a critical role in autism spectrum disorders not caused by Tsc1 and Tsc2 mutations. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that TSC1 and TSC2 double mutations cause autistic behaviors similarly to TSC2 mutations, although significant changes in gene expression were attributable to the double mutations. These findings contribute to the knowledge of genotype–phenotype correlations in TSC and suggest that mutations in both the TSC1 and TSC2 genes act in concert to cause neurological symptoms, including autism spectrum disorder. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40246-023-00450-2.