Alterations of Amino Acids and Monoamine Metabolism in Male Fmr1 Knockout Mice: A Putative Animal Model of the Human Fragile X Mental Retardation Syndrome

The Fragile X syndrome, a common form of mental retardation in humans, is caused by silencing the fragile X mental retardation (FMR1) geneleading to the absence of the encoded fragile X mental retardation protein 1 (FMRP). We describe morphological and behavioral abnormalities for both affected huma...

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Main Authors: Michael Gruss, Katharina Braun
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2001-01-01
Series:Neural Plasticity
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/NP.2001.285
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author Michael Gruss
Katharina Braun
author_facet Michael Gruss
Katharina Braun
author_sort Michael Gruss
collection DOAJ
description The Fragile X syndrome, a common form of mental retardation in humans, is caused by silencing the fragile X mental retardation (FMR1) geneleading to the absence of the encoded fragile X mental retardation protein 1 (FMRP). We describe morphological and behavioral abnormalities for both affected humans and Fmr1 knockout mice, a putative animal model for the human Fragile X syndrome. The aim of the present study was to identify possible neurochemical abnormalities in Fmr1 knockout mice, with particular focus on neurotransmission. Significant region-specific differences: of basal neurotransmitter and metabolite levels were found between wildtype and Fmr1 knockout animals, predominantly in juveniles (post-natal days 28 to 31). Adults (postnatal days 209 to 221) showed only few abnormalities as compared with the wildtype. In juvenile knockout mice, aspartate and taurine were especially increased in cortical regions, striatum, hippocampus, cerebellum, and brainstem. In addition, juveniles showed an altered balance between excitatory and inhibitory amino acids in the caudal cortex, hippocampus, and brainstem. We detected very few differences in monoamine turnover in both age stages. The results presented here provide the first evidence that lack of FMRP expression in FMRP knockout mice is accompanied by age-dependent, region-specific alterations in neurotransmission.
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spelling doaj-art-7e2bf01f93aa44bab2ac58b79cf71a272025-02-03T01:25:59ZengWileyNeural Plasticity2090-59041687-54432001-01-018428529810.1155/NP.2001.285Alterations of Amino Acids and Monoamine Metabolism in Male Fmr1 Knockout Mice: A Putative Animal Model of the Human Fragile X Mental Retardation SyndromeMichael Gruss0Katharina Braun1Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Institute for Biology and Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Project Group Juvenile Learning, Brenneckestr. 6, Magdeburg 39118, GermanyOtto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Institute for Biology and Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Project Group Juvenile Learning, Brenneckestr. 6, Magdeburg 39118, GermanyThe Fragile X syndrome, a common form of mental retardation in humans, is caused by silencing the fragile X mental retardation (FMR1) geneleading to the absence of the encoded fragile X mental retardation protein 1 (FMRP). We describe morphological and behavioral abnormalities for both affected humans and Fmr1 knockout mice, a putative animal model for the human Fragile X syndrome. The aim of the present study was to identify possible neurochemical abnormalities in Fmr1 knockout mice, with particular focus on neurotransmission. Significant region-specific differences: of basal neurotransmitter and metabolite levels were found between wildtype and Fmr1 knockout animals, predominantly in juveniles (post-natal days 28 to 31). Adults (postnatal days 209 to 221) showed only few abnormalities as compared with the wildtype. In juvenile knockout mice, aspartate and taurine were especially increased in cortical regions, striatum, hippocampus, cerebellum, and brainstem. In addition, juveniles showed an altered balance between excitatory and inhibitory amino acids in the caudal cortex, hippocampus, and brainstem. We detected very few differences in monoamine turnover in both age stages. The results presented here provide the first evidence that lack of FMRP expression in FMRP knockout mice is accompanied by age-dependent, region-specific alterations in neurotransmission.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/NP.2001.285
spellingShingle Michael Gruss
Katharina Braun
Alterations of Amino Acids and Monoamine Metabolism in Male Fmr1 Knockout Mice: A Putative Animal Model of the Human Fragile X Mental Retardation Syndrome
Neural Plasticity
title Alterations of Amino Acids and Monoamine Metabolism in Male Fmr1 Knockout Mice: A Putative Animal Model of the Human Fragile X Mental Retardation Syndrome
title_full Alterations of Amino Acids and Monoamine Metabolism in Male Fmr1 Knockout Mice: A Putative Animal Model of the Human Fragile X Mental Retardation Syndrome
title_fullStr Alterations of Amino Acids and Monoamine Metabolism in Male Fmr1 Knockout Mice: A Putative Animal Model of the Human Fragile X Mental Retardation Syndrome
title_full_unstemmed Alterations of Amino Acids and Monoamine Metabolism in Male Fmr1 Knockout Mice: A Putative Animal Model of the Human Fragile X Mental Retardation Syndrome
title_short Alterations of Amino Acids and Monoamine Metabolism in Male Fmr1 Knockout Mice: A Putative Animal Model of the Human Fragile X Mental Retardation Syndrome
title_sort alterations of amino acids and monoamine metabolism in male fmr1 knockout mice a putative animal model of the human fragile x mental retardation syndrome
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/NP.2001.285
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