title: Non-motor behavioural impairments in parkin-deficient mice.
abstract: Mutations in the parkin gene are the major cause of early-onset familial Parkinson's disease (PD). We previously reported the generation and analysis of a knockout mouse carrying a deletion of exon 3 in the parkin gene. F1 hybrid pa+/- mice were backcrossed to wild-type C57Bl/6 for three more generations to establish a pa-/-(F4) mouse line. The appearance of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive neurons was normal in young and aged pa-/- (F4) animals. Loss of parkin function in mice did not enhance vulnerability of dopaminergic neurons to 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) toxicity. However, the pa-/- (F4) mice displayed impaired exploration and habituation to a new environment and exhibited thigmotaxis behaviour in the open field and Morris water maze. Abnormal anxiety-related behaviour of pa-/- (F4) mice was also observed in the light/dark exploration test paradigm. Dopamine metabolism was enhanced in the striatum of pa-/- (F4) mice, as revealed by increased homovanillic acid (HVA) content and a reduced ratio of dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC)/HVA. The alterations found in the dopaminergic system could be responsible for the behavioural impairments of pa-/- (F4) mice. Consistent with a recent observation of cognitive dysfunction in parkin-linked patients with PD, our findings provide evidence of a physiological role of parkin in non-motor behaviour, possibly representing a disease stage that precedes dopaminergic neuron loss.
authors: Department of Animal Physiology, Ruhr-University Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany. xinran.zhu@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
authors: Xin-Ran
authors: XR
authors: Zhu
authors: Lyutha
authors: L
authors: Maskri
authors: Christina
authors: C
authors: Herold
authors: Verian
authors: V
authors: Bader
authors: Christine C
authors: CC
authors: Stichel
authors: Onur
authors: O
authors: Güntürkün
authors: Hermann
authors: H
authors: Lübbert
mesh_terms: D015632:1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D015259:Dopamine Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases / Q000172:deficiency*
chemical_list: D015259:Dopamine Agents; D015632:1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases; C111567:parkin protein; D004298:Dopamine