DBZ (DISC1-binding zinc finger protein)-deficient mice display abnormalities in basket cells in the somatosensory cortices.

Disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 (DISC1)-binding zinc finger protein (DBZ) is a DISC1-interacting molecule and the interaction between DBZ and DISC1 is involved in neurite outgrowth in vitro. DBZ is highly expressed in brain, especially in the cortex. However, the physiological roles of DBZ in vivo have not been clarified. Here, we show that development of basket cells, a morphologically defined class of parvalbumin (PV)-containing interneurons, is disturbed in DBZ knockout (KO) mice. DBZ mRNA was highly expressed in the ventral area of the subventricular zone of the medial ganglionic eminence, where PV-containing cortical interneurons were generated, at embryonic 14.5 days (E14.5). Although the expression level for PV and the number of PV-containing interneurons were not altered in the cortices of DBZ KO mice, basket cells were less branched and had shorter processes in the somatosensory cortices of DBZ KO mice compared with those in the cortices of WT mice. Furthermore, in the somatosensory cortices of DBZ KO mice, the level of mRNAs for the gamma-aminobutyric acid-synthesizing enzymes GAD67 was decreased. These findings show that DBZ is involved in the morphogenesis of basket cells.