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Neurotransmitter receptor analysis in transgenic mouse models
Caroline L Benn1, Laurie A Farrell, Jang-Ho J Cha
1Mass General Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease and Department of Neurolofy, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, USA.
Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|June 18, 2004
Summary
Huntington's disease (HD) alters neurotransmitter receptors. This study details methods like receptor binding and in situ hybridization (ISH) to quantitatively assess these changes in HD mouse models.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pathology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Huntington's disease (HD) is characterized by altered neurotransmitter receptors in humans.
- Transgenic HD mouse models effectively replicate these neurotransmitter receptor alterations.
- Understanding these changes is crucial for HD pathogenesis research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe quantitative techniques for assessing neurotransmitter receptor alterations in HD.
- To detail methods for receptor-binding autoradiography and in situ hybridization (ISH).
- To provide a framework for region-specific analysis of receptor changes.
Main Methods:
- Receptor-binding autoradiography to assess protein levels.
- In situ hybridization (ISH) using oligonucleotide probes to measure mRNA.
- In situ hybridization (ISH) using ribonucleotide probes to measure mRNA.
Main Results:
- Both receptor binding and ISH provide quantitative, region-specific data.
- These techniques allow for detailed assessment of neurotransmitter receptor changes.
- The methods are applicable to transgenic HD mouse models.
Conclusions:
- Receptor binding and ISH are valuable tools for studying HD.
- Quantitative assessment of neurotransmitter receptors is key to understanding HD pathogenesis.
- These techniques facilitate detailed analysis of molecular and protein alterations in HD models.