| First Author | Kumakura K | Year | 2010 |
| Journal | Neurosci Res | Volume | 66 |
| Issue | 3 | Pages | 313-20 |
| PubMed ID | 20006657 | Mgi Jnum | J:159030 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:4441089 | Doi | 10.1016/j.neures.2009.12.003 |
| Citation | Kumakura K, et al. (2010) Hyperactivity in novel environment with increased dopamine and impaired novelty preference in apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1)-deficient mice. Neurosci Res 66(3):313-20 |
| abstractText | Apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) is a mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase kinase kinase family member, which induces apoptosis in various cells through JNK and p38 MAP kinase cascades. In addition to apoptosis signaling, a number of recent in vitro studies have suggested that ASK1 may play roles in neural function. However, the behavioral significance of ASK1 has remained unclear. Here, we subjected ASK1 (-/-) mice to a battery of behavioral tests and found that they displayed temporary hyperactivity in an open-field test. Activities in the familiar field were normal, indicating that the hyperactivity observed was specific to the novel environment. ASK1 (-/-) mice also exhibited impairment of novelty preference 24h after training and superior performance on the rotarod test. Brain tissue contents of dopamine and 4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) were elevated in ASK1 (-/-) mice. Our findings thus demonstrate novel behavioral functions of ASK1, including regulation of locomotor activity, novelty preference, and motor coordination with dopaminergic transmission. |
