Conditional Scn1a-A1783V Mice Model Dravet Syndrome

The conditional Scn1a-A1783V mice [B6(Cg)-Scn1atm1.1Dsf/J, The Jackson Laboratory, stock no. 026133] were bred to mice expressing Cre recombinase under the control of the CMV promoter [B6.CTg(CMV-Cre)1Cgn/J, The Jackson Laboratory, stock no. 006054]. Breeding pairs consisted of heterozygous male Scn1a-A1783V and homozygous female CMV-Cre mice. See https://www.jax.org/strain/026133 for details about allele modification and genotyping. Offspring carrying one mutated allele (genotype hereinafter referred to as Scn1a^WT/A1783V and the mice referred to as DS mice throughout the text) express the A1783V mutation in the Scn1a gene in all body tissues, mimicking what happens in DS. Animals were housed four to six per cage with free access to food and water, weighed weekly, and maintained in a temperature and light controlled (12/12 h light/dark cycle) environment. The studies were performed by comparing heterozygous transgenic Scn1a^WT/A1783V to age-matched negative littermates Scn1a^WT/WT (referred to as WT mice throughout the text). Breeding and experimental protocols were approved by the Ethical Committee of the University of Navarra (in accord with the Spanish Royal Decree 53/2013). These animals have been previously characterized (Ricobaraza et al., 2019 (link)). Five age-matched (7 weeks) animals were used for each group.