Spontaneous sleep in mice with targeted disruptions of neuronal or inducible nitric oxide synthase genes.
Nitric oxide (NO) affects almost every physiological process, including the regulation of sleep. There is strong evidence that NO plays an important role in rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) regulation. To further investigate the role of NO in sleep, we characterized spontaneous sleep in mice with targeted disruptions (knockout; KO) in the neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) or inducible (i)NOS genes. REMS in nNOS KO mice was substantially lower than that of their control mice. In contrast, the iNOS KO mice had significantly more REMS than their controls. Inducible NOS KO mice also had less non-REMS (NREMS) during the dark period. Results suggest that nNOS and iNOS play opposite roles in REMS regulation.
Department of VCAPP, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-6520, USA.
Lichao
L
Chen
Jeannine A
JA
Majde
James M
JM
Krueger
D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods; D004576:Electromyography / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D010507:Periodicity; D012890:Sleep / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D012895:Sleep, REM / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D013234:Stem Cells; D013997:Time Factors
D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; C496321:Nos1 protein, mouse; C496317:Nos2 protein, mouse