Knock-out of the critical nitric oxide synthase regulator DDAH1 in mice impacts amphetamine sensitivity and dopamine metabolism

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

The enzyme dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 1 (DDAH1) plays a pivotal role in the regulation of nitric oxide levels by degrading the main endogenous nitric oxide synthase inhibitor asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA). Growing evidence highlight the potential implication of DDAH/ADMA axis in the etiopathogenesis of several neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. In this study, we sought to investigate the role of DDAH1 in behavioral endophenotypes with neuropsychiatric relevance. To achieve this, a global DDAH1 knock-out (DDAH1-ko) mouse strain was employed. Behavioral testing and brain region-specific neurotransmitter profiling have been conducted to assess the effect of both genotype and sex. DDAH1-ko mice exhibited increased exploratory behavior toward novel objects, altered amphetamine response kinetics and decreased dopamine metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) level in the piriform cortex and striatum. Females of both genotypes showed the most robust amphetamine response. These results support the potential implication of the DDAH/ADMA pathway in central nervous system processes shaping the behavioral outcome. Yet, further experiments are required to complement the picture and define the specific brain-regions and mechanisms involved.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1097-1112
Number of pages16
JournalJournal of neural transmission
Volume130
Issue number9
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2023
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMedCentral PMC10460711
Scopus 85148095306
ORCID /0000-0002-3188-8431/work/147674731

Keywords

Keywords

  • Animals, Female, Mice, Amidohydrolases/genetics, Amphetamine/pharmacology, Dopamine, Enzyme Inhibitors/pharmacology, Genotype, Mice, Knockout, Nitric Oxide/metabolism, Nitric Oxide Synthase/genetics