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Gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction is commonly reported by people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; autism) but the cause is unknown. Mutations in genes encoding synaptic proteins including Neuroligin-3 are associated with autism. Mice lacking Neuroligin-3 (Nlgn3 -/- ) have altered brain function, but whether the enteric nervous system (ENS) is altered remains unknown. We assessed for changes in GI structure and function in Nlgn3 -/- mice. We found no significant morphological differences in villus height or crypt depth in the jejunum or colon between wildtype (WT) and Nlgn3 -/- mice. To determine whether deletion of Nlgn3 affects enteric neurons, we stained for neural markers in the myenteric plexus. Nlgn3 -/- mice had similar numbers of neurons expressing the pan-neuronal marker Hu in the jejunum, proximal mid, and distal colon regions. We also found no differences in the number of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS+) or calretinin (CalR+) motor neurons and interneurons between WT and Nlgn3 -/- mice. We used ex vivo video imaging analysis to assess colonic motility under baseline conditions and observed faster colonic migrating motor complexes (CMMCs) and an increased colonic diameter in Nlgn3 -/- mice, although CMMC frequency was unchanged. At baseline, CMMCs were faster in Nlgn3 -/- mice compared to WT. Although the numbers of neuronal subsets are conserved in Nlgn3 -/- mice, these findings suggest that Neuroligin-3 modulates inhibitory neural pathways in the ENS and may contribute to mechanisms underlying GI disorders in autism. Autism Res 2020, 13: 691-701. © 2019 The Authors. Autism Research published by International Society for Autism Research published byWiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: People with autism commonly experience gut problems. Many gene mutations associated with autism affect neuronal activity. We studied mice in which the autism-associated Neuroligin-3 gene is deleted to determine whether this impacts gut neuronal numbers or motility. We found that although mutant mice had similar gut structure and numbers of neurons in all gut regions examined, they had distended colons and faster colonic muscle contractions. Further work is needed to understand how Neuroligin-3 affects neuron connectivity in the gastrointestinal tract., (© 2019 The Authors. Autism Research published by International Society for Autism Research published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background/aims: Patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy exhibit significant, ongoing impairments in gastrointestinal (GI) function likely resulting from dysregulated nitric oxide production. Compounds increasing neuronal nitric oxide synthase expression and/or activity could improve GI dysfunction and enhance quality of life for dystrophic patients. We used video imaging and spatiotemporal mapping to identify GI dysfunction in mdx dystrophic mice and determine whether dietary intervention to enhance nitric oxide could alleviate aberrant colonic activity in muscular dystrophy., Methods: Four-week-old male C57BL/10 and mdx mice received a specialized diet either with no supplementation (control) or supplemented (1 g/kg/day) with L-alanine, L-arginine, or L-citrulline for 8 weeks. At the conclusion of treatment, mice were sacrificed by cervical dislocation and colon motility examined by spatiotemporal (ST) mapping ex vivo., Results: ST mapping identified increased contraction number in the mid and distal colon of mdx mice on control and L-alanine supplemented diets relative to C57BL/10 mice ( P < 0.05). Administration of either L-arginine or L-citrulline attenuated contraction number in distal colons of mdx mice relative to C57BL/10 mice., Conclusions: GI dysfunction in Duchenne muscular dystrophy has been sadly neglected as an issue affecting quality of life. ST mapping identified regional GI dysfunction in the mdx dystrophic mouse. Dietary interventions to increase nitric oxide signaling in the GI tract reduced the number of colonic contractions and alleviated colonic constriction at rest. These findings in mdx mice reveal that L-arginine can improve colonic motility and has potential therapeutic relevance for alleviating GI discomfort, improving clinical care, and enhancing quality of life in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.