A Del(5Ncf1-Fkbp6) mouse model of Williams syndrome shows coronary, aortic, and cerebral vascular abnormalities with behavioral deficits

Williams syndrome is a developmental disorder caused by a microdeletion entailing the loss of a single copy of 25-27 genes on chromosome 7q11.23. Patients suffer from cardiovascular and neuropsychological symptoms. Structural abnormalities of the cardiovascular system in Williams syndrome have been attributed to the hemizygous loss of the elastin (ELN) gene. In contrast, the neuropsychological consequences of Williams syndrome, including sensorimotor deficits, hypersociability, and cognitive impairments, have been mainly attributed to altered expression of transcription factors, like LIMK1, GTF2I, and GTF2IRD1, while the potential impact of altered cerebrovascular function has been largely overlooked. To study the relationship between Williams syndrome mutations and vascularization of both the heart and brain, we generated a mouse model carrying a relatively long microdeletion Del(5Ncf1-Fkbp6). Heterozygous Del(5Ncf1-Fkbp6) mice had elongated and tortuous aortas but, unlike Eln haploinsufficient mice, showed no signs of structural cardiac hypertrophy. Remarkably, we also observed structural abnormalities in coronary and brain vessels, including disorganized extracellular matrices. Importantly, the mutant mice faithfully replicated both cardiovascular and neuropsychological symptoms observed in patients. The phenotype was even more comprehensive than in former models, with structure-function correlations evident in aberrant auditory and motor behaviors resembling those in patients with Williams syndrome. Together, our findings suggest that not only cardiovascular but also neuropsychological symptoms in Williams syndrome may be driven in part by vascular abnormalities affecting both heart and brain.