Myelination deficiency in rats with genetically determined dopamine metabolism disorder
- Authors: Kulikova E.D.1, Traktirov D.S.1, Karpenko M.N.1
-
Affiliations:
- Institute for Experimental Medicine
- Issue: Vol 24, No 2 (2024)
- Pages: 101-108
- Section: Original research
- Published: 29.10.2024
- URL: https://journals.eco-vector.com/MAJ/article/view/630270
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.17816/MAJ630270
- ID: 630270
Cite item
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is one of the most common neuropsychiatric disorders affecting children. The exact causes of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are still not fully understood. Myelination deficiency in nerve fibers could be one of the possible factors in the pathogenesis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Dopamine transporter knockout (DAT-KO) rats provide a good translational model for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder because they mimic behavioral symptoms of the disease: hyperactivity, cognitive impairment and compulsive behavior. This paper aims to determine abnormalities in the myelination process in the spinal cord of DAT-KO rats. Our findings can lead to a better understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
AIM: To determine the mRNA expression levels of myelination-related genes in the spinal cord of dopamine transporter knockout (DAT-KO) rats during their natural development.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was performed on 72 rat pups (DAT-KO, DAT-HET, DAT-WT) from 12 litters. Rat pups were born from the pairs of intercrossed DAT-HET x DAT-HET adult rats. Pups were decapitated on 7th, 14th and 21st day of their postnatal development. After that, mRNA levels of the main myelination-related genes were measured in the cervical and lumbar segments of the spinal cord using real-time PCR.
RESULTS: The mRNA levels of the mag, olig2 and plp1 genes were significantly different in the cervical and lumbar spinal cords of DAT-KO rats compared to DAT-WT animals. A significant increase in the level of mag gene mRNA in DAT-HET and DAT-KO animals was observed on 14th and 21st days of postnatal development. Also, in these animals, the olig2 mRNA levels were increased on the 21st day of postnatal development. The plp1 mRNA level was increased on the 14th day, and reduced on the 21st day of postnatal development in DAT-KO animals.
CONCLUSIONS: Myelination deficiency in nerve fibers in the spinal cord of DAT-KO rats is one of the effects of gene knockout. It is also of the possible causes of behavioral changes — hyperactivity, cognitive impairment and compulsive behavior.
Full Text

About the authors
Ekaterina D. Kulikova
Institute for Experimental Medicine
Email: kulikovaekaterina77@gmail.com
ORCID iD: 0009-0002-3218-1494
Laboratory Assistant, Pavlov Department of Physiology
Russian Federation, Saint PetersburgDmitry S. Traktirov
Institute for Experimental Medicine
Author for correspondence.
Email: ds.traktirov@gmail.com
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-0424-6545
Junior Researcher, Pavlov Department of Physiology
Russian Federation, Saint PetersburgMarina N. Karpenko
Institute for Experimental Medicine
Email: mnkarpenko@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-1082-0059
SPIN-code: 6098-2715
Dr. Sci. (Biology), Head of Laboratory of Neurochemistry, Pavlov Department of Physiology
Russian Federation, Saint PetersburgReferences
- Adinolfi A, Zelli S, Leo D, et al. Behavioral characterization of DAT-KO rats and evidence of asocial-like phenotypes in DAT-HET rats: The potential involvement of norepinephrine system. Behav Brain Res. 2019;359:516–527. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.11.028
- Bongarzone ER, Howard SG, Schonmann V, Campagnoni AT. Identification of the dopamine D3 receptor in oligodendrocyte precursors: potential role in regulating differentiation and myelin formation. J Neurosci. 1998;18(14):5344–5353. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.18-14-05344.1998
- Howard S, Landry C, Fisher R, et al. Postnatal localization and morphogenesis of cells expressing the dopaminergic D2 receptor gene in rat brain: expression in non-neuronal cells. J Comp Neurol. 1998;391(1):87–98. doi: 10.1002/(sici)1096-9861(19980202)391:1<87::aid-cne8>3.0.co;2-n
- Choi MH, Na JE, Yoon YR, et al. Role of dopamine D2 receptor in stress-induced myelin loss. Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):11654. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-10173-9
- Aberg K, Saetre P, Jareborg N, Jazin E. Human QKI, a potential regulator of mRNA expression of human oligodendrocyte-related genes involved in schizophrenia. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2006;103(19):7482–7487. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0601213103
- Fan X, Bruno KJ, Hess EJ. Rodent models of ADHD. Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2012;9:273–300. doi: 10.1007/7854_2011_121
- Pestereva NS, Traktirov DS, Nazarov IR, et al. Influence of the DAT gene knockout on early rats development [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 29th International Annual ISBS “Stress and Behavior” Neuroscience and Biological Psychiatry Conference. 18–19 May 2023. P. 23.
- Jones EG, Schreyer DJ, Wise SP. Growth and maturation of the rat corticospinal tract. Prog Brain Res. 1982;57:361–379. doi: 10.1016/S0079-6123(08)64137-0
- Cinque S, Zoratto F, Poleggi A, et al. Behavioral phenotyping of dopamine transporter knockout rats: compulsive traits, motor stereotypies, and anhedonia. Front Psychiatry. 2018;9:43. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00043
- McKerracher L, David S, Jackson DL, et al. Identification of myelin-associated glycoprotein as a major myelin-derived inhibitor of neurite growth. Neuron. 1994;13(4):805–811. doi: 10.1016/0896-6273(94)90247-x
- McKerracher L, Rosen KM. MAG, myelin and overcoming growth inhibition in the CNS. Front Mol Neurosci. 2015;8:51. doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2015.00051
- Lu J, Lian G, Zhou H, et al. OLIG2 over-expression impairs proliferation of human Down syndrome neural progenitors. Hum Mol Genet. 2012;21(10):2330–2340. doi: 10.1093/hmg/dds052
- Marshall CA, Novitch BG, Goldman JE. Olig2 directs astrocyte and oligodendrocyte formation in postnatal subventricular zone cells. J Neurosci. 2005;25(32):7289–7298. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1924-05.2005
- Mayer JA, Larsen EC, Kondo Y, Duncan ID. Characterization of a PLP-overexpressing transgenic rat, a model for the connatal form of Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease. Neurobiol Dis. 2011;44(2):231–238. doi: 10.1016/j.nbd.2011.07.007
- Leo D, Sukhanov I, Zoratto F, et al. Pronounced hyperactivity, cognitive dysfunctions, and BDNF dysregulation in dopamine transporter knockout rats. J Neurosci. 2018;38(8):1959–1972. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1931-17.2018
- Narayan S, Kass KE, Thomas EA. Chronic haloperidol treatment results in a decrease in the expression of myelin/oligodendrocyte-related genes in the mouse brain. J Neurosci Res. 2007;85(4):757–765. doi: 10.1002/jnr.21161
- Savchenko A, Müller C, Lubec J, et al. The lack of dopamine transporter is associated with conditional associative learning impairments and striatal proteomic changes. Front Psychiatry. 2022;13:799433. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.799433
Supplementary files
