Neurological abnormalities in caveolin-1 knock out mice

• Published in: Behavioural brain research 2006-09, Vol.172 (1), p.24-32
• Main Authors: Trushina, Eugenia, Du Charme, Jordan, Parisi, Joseph, McMurray, Cynthia T.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aging - physiology; Anatomical correlates of behavior; Animals; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Blotting, Western; Brain - pathology; Brain histology; Caveolin; Caveolin 1 - genetics; Fertility - genetics; Fertility - physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gait; Growth - genetics; Growth - physiology; Knock out mouse model; Longevity - genetics; Longevity - physiology; Mice; Mice, Knockout; Motor Activity - physiology; Nerve Degeneration - pathology; Nervous System Malformations - genetics; Nervous System Malformations - pathology; Neurological phenotype; Neurons - pathology; Organ Size - physiology; Phenotype; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Survival Analysis
• ISSN: 0166-4328; 1872-7549
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2006.04.024

Caveolin-1 is the defining structural protein in caveolar vesicles, which regulate signal transduction and cholesterol trafficking in cells. In the brain, cav-1 is highly expressed in neurons and glia, but its function in those cell types is unclear. Mice deficient in cav-1 (CavKO) have been developed to test functional roles for cav-1 in various tissues. However, neurological phenotypes associated with loss of cav-1 in mice have not been evaluated. Here, we report the results of motor and behavioral testing of CavKO mice. We find that mice deficient in cav-1 have reduced brain weight and display a number of motor and behavioral abnormalities. CavKO mice develop neurological phenotypes including clasping, abnormal spinning, muscle weakness, reduced activity, and gait abnormalities. These data suggest that cav-1 is involved in maintaining cortico-striato-pallido-thalamo-pontine pathways associated with motor control.