Species: mouse
Mutation name:
type: None
fertility: None
Comment: Akamatsu et al. (2005) found that Hud-null mice were born at the expected mendelian ratio. While there was a transient delay in neurite extension in mutant embryos, Hud-null pups were indistinguishable from their wildtype littermates for the first several postnatal weeks. Adult animals, however, developed an abnormal hind-limb clasping reflex and showed poor rotarod performance. Analysis of neurosphere formation revealed that the number and self-renewal capacity of neural stem/progenitor cells were increased in Hud-deficient mice. The cerebral wall of mutant embryos had a reduced number of differentiating quiescent cells, and there was an increase in slowly-dividing stem cells in the subventricular zone of mutant adults. Akamatsu et al. (2005) concluded that HUD is required at multiple points during neuronal development, including negative regulation of proliferative activity and neuronal cell-fate acquisition of neural stem/progenitor cells.