title: Cellular prion protein regulates the motor behaviour performance and anxiety-induced responses in genetically modified mice.
abstract: The cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) is a sialoglycoprotein involved in neuroplasticity processes and synaptic transmission. This study investigated behavioural responses (balance in the rota-rod test at 24 rpm, motility in the open-field test, anxiety in the elevated plus-maze test) in Zurich developed wild-type adult mice (WT, controls of normal PrP(C) expression), in knockout (KO) mice (Prnp(0/0), with no PrP(C) expression), and in PrP(C) overexpressing Tg-20 mice. After 8 min in the rota-rod test, Tg-20 animals presented significantly fewer falls (1.08+/-1.56 falls) than both WT (7.27+/-4.36) and KO (7.6+/-6.15) mice (p<0.01). In the open field test, Tg-20 animals showed significantly increased motility [rearing=23.4+/-7.85, crossing=97.30+/-32.11) when compared with KO mice (rearing=5.45+/-3.69 and crossing=59.73+/-15.43) or WT mice (rearing=6.5+/-20.23 and crossing=45.18+/-20.33) (p<0.01). In the elevated plus-maze test, Tg-20 mice showed less anxiety (head projections=7.3+/-1.62) when compared with WT animals (3.38+/-0.67) (p<0.05). Moreover, KO mice spent more time in the centre of the plus maze (37.80+/-5.57 s) than did WT mice (22.57+/-3.82) (p<0.05). PrP(C) overexpressing mice evoked increased motility, less anxiety, and increased equilibrium when compared with WT control animals in the behavioural protocols used. KO animals also tended to evoke fewer anxiety-related responses in the elevated plus-maze test. These findings indicate that the levels of PrP(C) in adult life are associated with possible changes in motility, anxiety, and equilibrium.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Neuroanatomia & Neuropsicobiologia, Departamento de Farmacologia, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto da Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Av. dos Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brasil.
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lobão-Soares
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Walz
authors.forename: Carlos Gilberto
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Carlotti
authors.forename: Américo Ceiki
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Sakamoto
authors.forename: Fabrício
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Calvo
authors.forename: Ana Luiza Bernardes
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Terzian
authors.forename: Juliana Almeida
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Lauro
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wichert-Ana
authors.forename: Norberto Cysne
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Coimbra
authors.forename: Marino Muxfeldt
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Bianchin
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000378:metabolism*; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology; D018621:PrPC Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D045442:Rotarod Performance Test; D013045:Species Specificity; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D018621:PrPC Proteins