Gomafu lncRNA knockout mice exhibit mild hyperactivity with enhanced responsiveness to the psychostimulant methamphetamine

Joanna Y. Ip, Masamitsu Sone, Chieko Nashiki, Qun Pan, Kiyoyuki Kitaichi, Kaori Yanaka, Takaya Abe, Keizo Takao, Tsuyoshi Miyakawa, Benjamin J. Blencowe, Shinichi Nakagawa

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

47 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The long noncoding RNA Gomafu/MIAT/Rncr2 is thought to function in retinal cell specification, stem cell differentiation and the control of alternative splicing. To further investigate physiological functions of Gomafu, we created mouse knockout (KO) model that completely lacks the Gomafu gene. The KO mice did not exhibit any developmental deficits. However, behavioral tests revealed that the KO mice are hyperactive. This hyperactive behavior was enhanced when the KO mice were treated with the psychostimulant methamphetamine, which was associated with an increase in dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens. RNA sequencing analyses identified a small number of genes affected by the deficiency of Gomafu, a subset of which are known to have important neurobiological functions. These observations suggest that Gomafu modifies mouse behavior thorough a mild modulation of gene expression and/or alternative splicing of target genes.

Original languageEnglish
Article number27204
JournalScientific reports
Volume6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 02-06-2016
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Gomafu lncRNA knockout mice exhibit mild hyperactivity with enhanced responsiveness to the psychostimulant methamphetamine'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this