| First Author | Kember RL | Year | 2010 |
| Journal | Genes Brain Behav | Volume | 9 |
| Issue | 8 | Pages | 925-32 |
| PubMed ID | 20618449 | Mgi Jnum | J:162759 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:4819814 | Doi | 10.1111/j.1601-183X.2010.00614.x |
| Citation | Kember RL, et al. (2010) A B2 SINE insertion in the Comt1 gene (Comt1(B2i)) results in an overexpressing, behavior modifying allele present in classical inbred mouse strains. Genes Brain Behav 9(8):925-32 |
| abstractText | Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is a key enzyme for dopamine catabolism and COMT is a candidate gene for human psychiatric disorders. In mouse it is located on chromosome 16 in a large genomic region of extremely low variation among the classical inbred strains, with no confirmed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) between strains C57BL/6J and DBA/2J within a 600-kB window. We found a B2 SINE in the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of Comt1 which is present in C57BL/6J (Comt1(B2i)) and other strains including 129 (multiple sublines), but is not found in DBA/2J (Comt1(+)) and many other strains including wild-derived Mus domesticus, M. musculus, M. molossinus, M.castaneus and M. spretus. Comt1(B2i) is absent in strains closely related to C57BL/6, such as C57L and C57BR, indicating that it was polymorphic in the cross that gave rise to these strains. The strain distribution of Comt1(B2i) indicates a likely origin of the allele in the parental Lathrop stock. A stringent association test, using 670 highly outbred mice (Boulder Heterogeneous Stock), indicates that this insertion allele may be responsible for a difference in behavior related to exploration. Gene expression differences at the mRNA and enzyme activity level (1.7-fold relative to wild type) indicate a mechanism for this behavioral effect. Taken together, these findings show that Comt1(B2i) (a B2 SINE insertion) results in a relatively modest difference in Comt1 expression and enzyme activity (comparable to the human Val-Met polymorphism) which has a demonstrable behavioral phenotype across a variety of outbred genetic backgrounds. |
