Dysfunction of Prkcaa Links Social Behavior Defects with Disturbed Circadian Rhythm in Zebrafish

Abstract

Protein kinase Cα (PKCα/PRKCA) is a crucial regulator of circadian rhythm and is associated with human mental illnesses such as autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia. However, the roles of PRKCA in modulating animal social behavior and the underlying mechanisms remain to be explored. Here we report the generation and characterization of prkcaa-deficient zebrafish (Danio rerio). The results of behavioral tests indicate that a deficiency in Prkcaa led to anxiety-like behavior and impaired social preference in zebrafish. RNA-sequencing analyses revealed the significant effects of the prkcaa mutation on the expression of the morning-preferring circadian genes. The representatives are the immediate early genes, including egr2a, egr4, fosaa, fosab and npas4a. The downregulation of these genes at night was attenuated by Prkcaa dysfunction. Consistently, the mutants demonstrated reversed day–night locomotor rhythm, which are more active at night than in the morning. Our data show the roles of PRKCA in regulating animal social interactions and link the social behavior defects with a disturbed circadian rhythm.

Keywords

• zebrafish
• <i>prkcaa</i>
• social behavior
• circadian rhythm
• gene expression