Knock-out of the critical nitric oxide synthase regulator DDAH1 in mice impacts amphetamine sensitivity and dopamine metabolism
Research output: Contribution to journal › Research article › Contributed › peer-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 language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1097-1112 |
Number of pages | 16 |
Journal | Journal of neural transmission |
Volume | 130 |
Issue number | 9 |
Publication status | Published - Sept 2023 |
Peer-reviewed | Yes |
External IDs
PubMedCentral | PMC10460711 |
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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