title: Strain-specific regulation of striatal phenotype in Drd2-eGFP BAC transgenic mice.
abstract: Mice carrying bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) transgenes have become important tools for neuroscientists, providing a powerful means of dissecting complex neural circuits in the brain. Recently, it was reported that one popular line of these mice--mice possessing a BAC transgene with a D(2) dopamine receptor (Drd2) promoter construct coupled to an enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) reporter--had abnormal striatal gene expression, physiology, and motor behavior. Unlike most of the work using BAC mice, this interesting study relied upon mice backcrossed on the outbred Swiss Webster (SW) strain that were homozygous for the Drd2-eGFP BAC transgene. The experiments reported here were conducted to determine whether mouse strain or zygosity was a factor in the reported abnormalities. As reported, SW mice were very sensitive to transgene expression. However, in more commonly used inbred strains of mice (C57BL/6, FVB/N) that were hemizygous for the transgene, the Drd2-eGFP BAC transgene did not alter striatal gene expression, physiology, or motor behavior. Thus, the use of inbred strains of mice that are hemizygous for the Drd2 BAC transgene provides a reliable tool for studying basal ganglia function.
authors: Department of Physiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, USA.
authors: C Savio
authors: CS
authors: Chan
authors: Jayms D
authors: JD
authors: Peterson
authors: Tracy S
authors: TS
authors: Gertler
authors: Kelly E
authors: KE
authors: Glajch
authors: Ruth E
authors: RE
authors: Quintana
authors: Qiaoling
authors: Q
authors: Cui
authors: Luke E
authors: LE
authors: Sebel
authors: Joshua L
authors: JL
authors: Plotkin
authors: Weixing
authors: W
authors: Shen
authors: Myriam
authors: M
authors: Heiman
authors: Nathaniel
authors: N
authors: Heintz
authors: Paul
authors: P
authors: Greengard
authors: D James
authors: DJ
authors: Surmeier
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D021461:Animals, Outbred Strains; D001480:Basal Ganglia Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D022202:Chromosomes, Artificial, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000235:genetics*; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D057898:Hemizygote; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D008822:Mice, Transgenic / Q000235:genetics*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000235:genetics; D010641:Phenotype; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000235:genetics*; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2; C485184:enhanced green fluorescent protein; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins