title: Expression of amino acid receptors and neural peptides in the weaver mouse brain.
abstract: In the present study, we conducted: (i) in situ hybridization in order to investigate the expression of kainate and GABA(A) receptor subunits and the pre-proenkephalin and prodynorphin peptides in the brain of weaver mouse (a genetic model of dopamine deficiency) and (ii) immunocytochemistry in order to study the somatostatin-positive cells in weaver striatum. Our results indicated: (i) increases in mRNA levels of KA2 and GluR6 kainate receptor subunits, of alpha(4) and beta(3) GABA(A) receptor subunits and of pre-proenkephalin and prodynorphin in 6-month-old weaver striatum; (ii) a decrease in alpha(1) and beta(2) GABA(A) subunit mRNAs in 6-month-old weaver globus pallidus; (iii) increases in KA2, alpha(4) and beta(3) and decreases in alpha(2) and beta(2) mRNAs in the 6-month-old weaver somatosensory cortex; and (iv) an increase in somatostatin-immunopositive cells in 3-month-old weaver striatum. We suggest that: (i) in striatum, the alterations are induced by the induction of the transcription factor DeltafosB (for GluR6, pre-proenkephalin and prodynorphin mRNAs) and the suppression of transcription factors like NGF-IB (nerve growth factor inducible B; for the KA2 mRNA), in response to dopamine depletion; (ii) in striatum and cortex, the alterations in the expression of the GABA(A) subunits indicate an increase of extrasynaptic versus a decrease of synaptic GABA(A) receptors; and (iii) in globus pallidus, the increased striatopallidal GABAergic transmission leads to a decrease in the number of GABA(A) receptors. Our results further clarify the regulatory role of dopamine in the expression of amino acid receptors and striatal neuropeptides.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, Greece.
authors.forename: Kleopatra
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fragioudaki
authors.forename: Elias D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Kouvelas
authors.forename: Rosella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cristiani
authors.forename: Panagiotis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Giompres
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bagnoli
authors.forename: Adamantia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mitsacos
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001345:Autoradiography / Q000379:methods; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000502:physiology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D017403:In Situ Hybridization / Q000379:methods; D051379:Mice; D008818:Mice, Neurologic Mutants / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017459:Receptors, Amino Acid / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D009479:Neuropeptides; D017459:Receptors, Amino Acid; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase