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Changes in GAD 67 mRNA expression evidenced by in situ hybridization in the brain of R6/2 transgenic mice
Author(s) -
GourfinkelAn I.,
Parain K.,
Hartmann A.,
Mangiarini L.,
Brice A.,
Bates G.,
Hirsch E. C.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1046/j.1471-4159.2003.01916.x
Subject(s) - striatum , globus pallidus , substantia nigra , glutamate decarboxylase , in situ hybridization , biology , huntington's disease , genetically modified mouse , cerebellum , endocrinology , transgene , gabaergic , basal ganglia , medicine , neuroscience , central nervous system , gene expression , gene , inhibitory postsynaptic potential , dopaminergic , genetics , disease , dopamine , biochemistry , enzyme
Huntington's disease is an autosomal dominant disorder with degeneration of medium size striatal neurones. As the disease evolves, other neuronal populations are also progressively affected. A transgenic mouse model of the disease (R6/2) that expresses exon 1 of the human Huntington gene with approximately 150 CAG repeats has been developed, but GABA concentrations are reported to be normal in the striatum of these animals. In the present study, we analysed the status of GABAergic systems by means of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) 67 mRNA in situ hybridization in the brain of R6/2 transgenic mice and wild‐type littermates. We show that GAD 67 expression is normal in the striatum, cerebellum and septum but decreased in the frontal cortex, parietal cortex, globus pallidus, entopeduncular nucleus and substantia nigra pars reticulata of R6/2 mice. These data, which may, in part, account for the behavioural changes seen in these animals, indicate that at 12.5 weeks of age the pathological features seen in the mice differ from those seen in humans with Huntington's disease.