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Khojah SM, Payne AP, McGuinness D, Shiels PG. Segmental Aging Underlies the Development of a Parkinson Phenotype in the AS/AGU Rat. Cells 2016; 5:E38. [PMID: 27763519 PMCID: PMC5187522 DOI: 10.3390/cells5040038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2016] [Revised: 09/30/2016] [Accepted: 10/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a paucity of information on the molecular biology of aging processes in the brain. We have used biomarkers of aging (SA β-Gal, p16Ink4a, Sirt5, Sirt6, and Sirt7) to demonstrate the presence of an accelerated aging phenotype across different brain regions in the AS/AGU rat, a spontaneous Parkinsonian mutant of PKCγ derived from a parental AS strain. P16INK4a expression was significantly higher in AS/AGU animals compared to age-matched AS controls (p < 0.001) and displayed segmental expression across various brain regions. The age-related expression of sirtuins similarly showed differences between strains and between brain regions. Our data clearly show segmental aging processes within the rat brain, and that these are accelerated in the AS/AGU mutant. The accelerated aging, Parkinsonian phenotype, and disruption to dopamine signalling in the basal ganglia in AS/AGU rats, suggests that this rat strain represents a useful model for studies of development and progression of Parkinson's disease in the context of biological aging and may offer unique mechanistic insights into the biology of aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sohair M Khojah
- School of Life Sciences, Pharmacology Research Theme, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK.
| | - Anthony P Payne
- School of Life Sciences, Pharmacology Research Theme, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK.
| | - Dagmara McGuinness
- Wolfson Wohl Cancer Research Centre, Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK.
| | - Paul G Shiels
- Wolfson Wohl Cancer Research Centre, Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK.
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Abnormal circling behavior in rat mutants and its relevance to model specific brain dysfunctions. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2010; 34:31-49. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2009.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2009] [Accepted: 07/06/2009] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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Al-Fayez M, Russell D, Wayne Davies R, Shiels PG, Baker PJ, Payne AP. Deficits in the mid-brain raphe nuclei and striatum of the AS/AGU rat, a protein kinase C-γ mutant. Eur J Neurosci 2005; 22:2792-8. [PMID: 16324113 DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2005.04502.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The AS/AGU rat carries a recessive mutation (agu) in the gene coding for the gamma isoform of protein kinase C. The rat is characterized by disordered locomotion and progressive dysfunction of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic (DA) system. This dysfunction begins with a failure to release DA within the striatum and culminates in cell loss within the substantia nigra pars compacta. The present study examines another midbrain aminergic system with input to the basal ganglia, the serotonergic (5-HT) raphe-striatal system originating in the dorsal raphe nucleus. By 3 months after birth, there is a very substantial reduction in the extracellular levels of 5-HT in the dorsal caudate-putamen of the mutants compared with controls (c. 70%). This is accompanied by a proportional increase in the levels of the 5-HT metabolite 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA). At a later age, there are reductions in whole tissue 5-HT (and increases in 5-HIAA) in both the striatum and the region containing the dorsal raphe nucleus, as well as numbers of 5-HT-immunoreactive cells in the dorsal raphe nucleus. The median raphe appears to be unaffected. The results are seen in terms of an initial dysfunction in transmitter release leading to cell death, perhaps through the formation of free radicals or neurotoxins.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Al-Fayez
- Department of Anatomy, King Saud University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
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4
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Dunnett SB. Chapter V Motor function(s) of the nigrostriatal dopamine system: Studies of lesions and behavior. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2005. [DOI: 10.1016/s0924-8196(05)80009-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
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Flores G, Flores J, Mena R, Valencia J. Mutant Taiep rats exhibit an increase in D1 binding in basal ganglia. Brain Res 2002; 956:24-9. [PMID: 12426042 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-8993(02)03434-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Previous reports have shown that the Taiep rat develop a progressive neurological syndrome characterized by tremor, ataxia, immobility episodes, audiogenic seizures and hind limb paralysis. Here we have investigated whether differences in levels of dopamine D1-like and D2-like receptors could be correlated with the progression of this neurological syndrome. Comparative autoradiographic study of Taiep and Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats at level of basal ganglia and limbic subregion were undertaken in 3- and 9-month-old rats. The Taiep rats exhibited a higher level of D1 receptors in the basal ganglia subregions compared to SD. However, there were no differences in the level of D1 receptors in the limbic subregions between these two strains. As compared to the SD rats, the Taiep rats did not appear to change levels of D2-like receptors. These data suggest that the differences in D1 receptors in these two strains rats may in part contribute to develop the dopamine related symptoms seen in the mutant rat, such as tremor, which is the earliest sign of the Taiep rat syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gonzalo Flores
- Lab de Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Fisiología, Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, 14 Sur 6301, San Manuel, CP 72570, Puebla, Mexico.
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Shahraki A, Stone TW. Long-term potentiation and adenosine sensitivity are unchanged in the AS/AGU protein kinase Cgamma-deficient rat. Neurosci Lett 2002; 327:165-8. [PMID: 12113903 DOI: 10.1016/s0304-3940(02)00419-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The AS/AGU rat is a spontaneously occurring mutation which exhibits locomotor abnormalities, reduced tyrosine hydroxylase levels in substantia nigra and lower extracellular levels of dopamine, making it a valuable model for some human locomotor disorders, and spontaneous chronic degeneration. The molecular defect is an absence of protein kinase Cgamma (PKCgamma), an enzyme suggested to play a role in synaptic plasticity. We have therefore examined long-term potentiation (LTP) in hippocampal slices from the mutant animals compared with the normal control strain of Albino Swiss rat. In the CA1 region, LTP was of the same magnitude in mutant and control animals, and the presynaptic inhibitory effects of adenosine were unchanged in naïve slices or following LTP. Paired-pulse inhibition and facilitation were normal. It is concluded that the absence of PKCgamma in this strain does not modify synaptic plasticity or presynaptic sensitivity to adenosine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Shahraki
- Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Division of Neuroscience and Biomedical Systems, West Medical Building, University of Glasgow, G12 8QQ, Glasgow, UK
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Campbell JM, Gilmore DP, Russell D, Growney CA, Favor G, Kennedy AK, Davies RW, Payne AP, Stone TW. Pharmacological analysis of extracellular dopamine and metabolites in the striatum of conscious as/agu rats, mutants with locomotor disorder. Neuroscience 2001; 100:45-52. [PMID: 10996457 DOI: 10.1016/s0306-4522(00)00251-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The as/agu rat is a spontaneously occurring mutation which exhibits locomotor abnormalities, reduced tyrosine hydroxylase levels in the substantia nigra and lower extracellular levels of dopamine. The animal could represent a model of some human locomotor disorders. High-potassium medium evoked a 460% rise of dopamine levels in control rats but double this in mutants. Amphetamine increased extracellular dopamine by 710% in controls and 1480% in mutants. Clorgyline produced a small increase of dopamine levels in controls but an 1170% increase in mutants. The uptake inhibitor nomifensine increased dopamine levels by 910% in controls but only 270% in mutants. After treatment with benserazide plus L-DOPA, an acute injection of L-DOPA evoked a release of dopamine which was twice as large in the as/agu rats compared with controls. The results show reduced extracellular dopamine in as/agu rats when the locomotor disorder is apparent, but there has been little loss of tyrosine hydroxylase. The responses to drugs are qualitatively different from those obtained using 6-hydroxydopamine.Overall, the effects of compounds affecting aminergic neurons suggest that one possible mechanism for the neuronal abnormality in as/agu rats is a defective regulation of dopamine release from striatal terminals.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Campbell
- Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, G12 8QQ, Glasgow, UK
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Payne AP, Campbell JM, Russell D, Favor G, Sutcliffe RG, Bennett NK, Davies RW, Stone TW. The AS/AGU rat: a spontaneous model of disruption and degeneration in the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system. J Anat 2000; 196 ( Pt 4):629-33. [PMID: 10923993 PMCID: PMC1468103 DOI: 10.1046/j.1469-7580.2000.19640629.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The AS/AGU rat provides an alternative to experimentally produced laboratory models of basal ganglia disorders. This mutant is characterised by disturbances of movement including clumsy gait, whole body tremor, rigidity and difficulty in initiating movement. From an early age, there is a profound depletion of extracellular dopamine in the dorsal caudate-putamen as measured via in vivo microdialysis; levels are only 10-20% of those found in the parent Albino Swiss (AS) strain. Subsequently a depletion of whole tissue dopamine levels occurs and, later still, loss of dopaminergic cells in the substantia nigra pars compacta. The dysfunction in movement and the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system are clearly linked, since movement can be ameliorated by L-DOPA administration. Furthermore, there are depletions in glucose utilisation in several regions of the basal ganglia circuitry, including the substantia nigra pars compacta, the subthalamic nucleus and the ventrolateral thalamus. The AS/AGU rat represents a unique opportunity to investigate the intrinsic factors controlling the integrity of dopaminergic systems and the recent successful positional cloning of the agu gene will allow the molecular mechanisms underlying this interesting phenotype to be analysed.
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Affiliation(s)
- A P Payne
- Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Glasgow University, UK.
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Richter A, Ebert U, Nobrega JN, Vallbacka JJ, Fedrowitz M, Löscher W. Immunohistochemical and neurochemical studies on nigral and striatal functions in the circling (ci) rat, a genetic animal model with spontaneous rotational behavior. Neuroscience 1999; 89:461-71. [PMID: 10077328 DOI: 10.1016/s0306-4522(98)00321-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Asymmetrical spontaneous turning behavior or circling phenomena are often related to components of the dopaminergic system, particularly to an imbalance of nigrostriatal function. When a rotational preference is observed, it is typically in a direction away from the brain hemisphere with higher striatal dopaminergic transmission. We have recently described a rat mutant (ci) with spontaneous circling behavior and other signs of functional brain asymmetry. Neurochemical determinations showed that mutants of both genders have significantly lower concentrations of dopamine and dopamine metabolites in the striatum ipsilateral to the preferred direction of rotation. In the present study, we used immunohistochemical, neurochemical, and autoradiographic techniques to characterize the dopaminergic abnormalities of the ci rat mutant in more detail. Age-matched non-affected controls of the same strain were used for comparison. Immunohistochemical labeling of dopaminergic neurons and fibers in substantia nigra pars compacta, ventral tegmental area, and striatum did not indicate any significant neurodegeneration or asymmetry that could explain the lateralization in dopamine levels in striatum of ci rats. Neurochemical determinations substantiated that ci rats of both genders have a significant imbalance in striatal dopamine metabolism, but a similar significant lateralization was also seen in non-affected female controls. Comparison of dopamine, serotonin, noradrenaline and several monoamine metabolite levels in substantia nigra, striatum, nucleus accumbens and frontal cortex of ci rats and controls did not disclose any marked difference between affected and non-affected animals which was consistently found in both genders. Quantitative autoradiographic determination of binding densities of dopamine transporter and D1 and D2 receptors in several parts of the striatum and substantia nigra indicated that ci rats have a significantly higher binding density of dopamine transporter and receptors than controls. Taken together, ci mutant rats of both genders exhibit an asymmetry in striatal dopamine and metabolite levels and an enhanced dopamine transporter and receptor binding, but the link of these differences in dopaminergic parameters with the rotational behavior of the animals is not clear yet. The lack of any significant dopaminergic cell loss in the substantia nigra and the locomotor hyperactivity observed in the mutants clearly suggest that the ci rat is not suited as a model of Parkinsonism but rather constitutes a model of a hyperkinetic motor syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Richter
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmacy, School of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, Germany
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Payne AP, Sutcliffe RG, Campbell JM, Favor G, Russell D, Bennett NK, Clarke DJ, Branton R, Davies RW, Simpson E, Tsang C, Baxendale RH. Disordered locomotion in the AS/AGU mutant rat and the effects of L-dopa or fetal midbrain grafts. Mov Disord 1998; 13:832-4. [PMID: 9756155 DOI: 10.1002/mds.870130514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- A P Payne
- The Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Glasgow University, Scotland
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Campbell JM, Gilmore DP, Russell D, Growney CA, Favor G, Weir J, Stone TW, Payne AP. Extracellular levels of dopamine and its metabolite 3,4-dihydroxy-phenylacetic acid measured by microdialysis in the corpus striatum of conscious AS/AGU mutant rats. Neuroscience 1998; 85:323-5. [PMID: 9622232 DOI: 10.1016/s0306-4522(98)00053-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The AS/AGU rat is a mutant derived from the Albino Swiss (AS) strain. It is characterized by an ungainly, staggering gait, hind limb rigidity, whole body tremor and, in older animals, difficulty in initiating movement. As and AS/AGU males aged three, six and nine months (n=6 per group) were used to estimate the levels of dopamine and its metabolites in the extracellular fluid of the caudate-putamen. The results indicate a profound loss of dopamine in the extracellular fluid at all age points examined, together with an increase in the concentration of the metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid. It is suggested that these changes reflect a defect of dopaminergic neuron function which may underlie the motor disorder seen in these animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Campbell
- Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Division of Neuroscience and Biomedical Systems, University of Glasgow, UK
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Lam AG, Campbell JM, Bennett NK, Payne AP, Davies RW, Sutcliffe RG, McCulloch J. Local cerebral glucose utilization in the AS/AGU rat: a mutant with movement disorders. Eur J Neurosci 1998; 10:1963-7. [PMID: 9753083 DOI: 10.1046/j.1460-9568.1998.00206.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The AS/AGU mutant rat is characterized by a wide staggering gait and a movement disorder of the hindlimbs. Local cerebral glucose utilization in the brain was investigated using the [14C]2-deoxyglucose autoradiographic technique to map any functional alterations in the mutant AS/AGU (agu/agu) compared with Albino Swiss controls (+/+). Locomotor tests were also performed to confirm the phenotypic assignment of the animals. Statistically significant reductions in glucose utilization were apparent in 12 of the 44 regions examined in the AS/AGU animals. The regions showing the most significant differences (P < 0.01) from the control AS strain were the substantia nigra pars compacta (-23%) and medial geniculate body (-17%). Statistically significant decreases (P < 0.05 and P < 0.02) in glucose utilization ranging from -15 to -26% were also displayed in the superior colliculus superficial layer, auditory cortex, ventroposterior nucleus of the thalamus, molecular layer of the hippocampus, dentate gyrus, medial amygdaloid nucleus, median raphe nucleus, subthalamic nucleus, medial preoptic area of the hypothalamus and anterior hypothalamus. In no region studied was the mean value of glucose use in the AS/AGU rat greater than in the control animals. The results of this study complement previous behavioural and neurochemical characterization studies of this mutant, confirm that the disorder involves functional disturbances of the basal ganglia, and demonstrate the involvement of the limbic system and some sensory systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- A G Lam
- Wellcome Surgical Institute & Hugh Fraser Neuroscience Laboratories, Glasgow University, UK
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Campbell JM, Payne AP, Gilmore DP, Russell D, McGadey J, Clarke DJ, Branton R, Davies RW, Sutcliffe RG. Age changes in dopamine levels in the corpus striatum of Albino Swiss (AS) and AS/AGU mutant rats. Neurosci Lett 1997; 239:54-6. [PMID: 9547171 DOI: 10.1016/s0304-3940(97)00871-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The AS/AGU rat is characterised by an ungainly, staggering gait, hind-limb rigidity, whole body tremor and (in older animals) difficulty in initiating movement. Brains of AS and AS/AGU males aged between 3 and 12 months (n = 10 per group) were sectioned transversely on a cryostat (-20 degrees C) to produce two successive cut faces (corresponding approximately to Bregma +1.2 and -0.5 mm) and 1 mm diameter x 1 mm deep micropunches were taken from four areas of the caudate-putamen. Levels of dopamine in all four areas (measured by HPLC-ECD followed by protein estimation) peaked at around 6 months and then declined in AS and AS/AGU rats. In the dorsal and lateral caudate-putamen, dopamine levels were significantly reduced in AS/AGU rats compared to AS controls from 6 months onwards. This provides further evidence that the AS/AGU mutant has impairment of its striatal dopaminergic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Campbell
- Division of Neuroscience, Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Glasgow University, UK
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Campbell JM, Payne AP, Gilmore DP, Byrne JE, Russell D, McGadey J, Clarke DJ, Davies RW, Sutcliffe RG. Neostriatal dopamine depletion and locomotor abnormalities due to the Albino Swiss rat agu mutation. Neurosci Lett 1996; 213:173-6. [PMID: 8873142 DOI: 10.1016/0304-3940(96)12852-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The sub-strain of Albino Swiss rat (AS/AGU) is a spontaneous mutation characterised by an ungainly, staggering gait, hindlimb rigidity, whole body tremor and (when symptoms are fully developed) difficulty in initiating movement; it exhibits a progressive decrease in dopaminergic cells within the substantia nigra. A breeding programme involving Albino Swiss (AS) and AS/AGU parent rats was used to produce the F1 offspring of AS x AS/AGU matings and, subsequently, F1 x AS/AGU back crosses. When adult, the movement of all animals was assessed blind by observers on three occasions, each animal being identifiable by a subcutaneous transponder implanted before weaning. All AS/AGU and half the F1 x AS/AGU back cross animals had abnormal gait, while all AS, F1 and the remaining F1 x AS/AGU backcross animals showed normal gait, implying that the mutation is recessive. Brains of males aged 12-15 months (n = 10 per group) were sectioned transversely on a cryostat (-20 degrees C) to produce a cut face just caudal to the anterior commissure (approximately Bregma -0.5 mm) and 1 mm diameter x 1 mm deep micropunches were taken from three areas of the caudate-putamen. Levels of dopamine were measured in all samples by high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (HPLC-ECD) followed by protein estimation. Levels of dopamine in the dorsal and middle caudate-putamen varied according to a simple inheritance pattern, being high in males from AS, F1 and F1 x AS/AGU back crosses without locomotor impairment, but lower in AS/AGU and F1 x AS/AGU back crosses with disordered gait. Dopamine levels in the ventral caudate-putamen did not show such a clear variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Campbell
- Laboratory of Human Anatomy, Glasgow University, UK
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Shiels P, Durán Alonso MB, Davidson AO, Heeley RP, Dominiczak AF, Payne AP, Davies RW, Sutcliffe RG. Optimized protocols for typing 75 microsatellite loci in AS, PVG, F344, and BN rats. Mamm Genome 1995; 6:214-5. [PMID: 7749233 DOI: 10.1007/bf00293018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- P Shiels
- Laboratory of Biotechnology, Glasgow University, UK
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