Hypocretin receptor expression in canine and murine narcolepsy models and in hypocretin-ligand deficient human narcolepsy.

ABSTRACT:

Study objective

To determine whether hypocretin receptor gene (hcrtR1 and hcrtR2) expression is affected after long-term hypocretin ligand loss in humans and animal models of narcolepsy.

Design

Animal and human study. We measured hcrtR1 and hcrtR2 expression in the frontal cortex and pons using the RT-PCR method in murine models (8-week-old and 27-week-old orexin/ataxin-3 transgenic (TG) hypocretin cell ablated mice and wild-type mice from the same litter, 10 mice for each group), in canine models (8 genetically narcoleptic Dobermans with null mutations in the hcrtR2, 9 control Dobermans, 3 sporadic ligand-deficient narcoleptics, and 4 small breed controls), and in humans (5 narcolepsy-cataplexy patients with hypocretin deficiency (average age 77.0 years) and 5 control subje

SUBMITTER: Mishima K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2542958 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature