Genetic alteration of anxiety and stress-like behavior in mice lacking CaMKIV

• Main Authors: Kaang Bong-Kiun, Lee Yong-Seok, Ko Shanelle W, Shum Fanny WF, Zhuo Min
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publishing 2005-08-01
• Series: Molecular Pain
• Subjects: anxiety; CaMKIV; knockout mice; microarray; stress-induced analgesia
• Online Access: http://www.molecularpain.com/content/1/1/22
• ISSN: 1744-8069

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Calcium-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IV (CaMKIV) phosphorylates the major transcription factor cyclic AMP-response element binding protein (CREB), which plays a role in emotional behavior. Here, CaMKIV knockout mice (<it>CaMKIV</it>^-/-) were tested in a battery of stress and anxiety-related behavioral tests, to determine if CaMKIV plays a role in emotional behavior. <it>CaMKIV</it>^-/-exhibited a decrease in anxiety-like behavior in both the elevated plus maze and dark-light emergence tests when compared to wild-type mice. Both the acoustic startle response and prepulse inhibition of startle were decreased with the deletion of CaMKIV. In addition, <it>CaMKIV</it>^-/-mice displayed a lack of stress-induced analgesia following restraint or cold swim stress. Our results demonstrate a key role for CaMKIV in anxiety and stress-related behavior.</p>