Mice homozygous for this targeted mutation (D4R-/-) are viable and fertile. With exon 2 of the mutant locus deleted, the truncated transcript is predicted to produce a 131 amino acid mutant polypeptide. Homozygous mice may exhibit locomotor supersensitivity to ethanol, cocaine, and methamphetamine, as well as alterations in dopamine synthesis and function, glutamate levels and metabolism, behavioral responses to novelty, and spontaneous locomotor activity in both novel and familiar environments. These D4R-mutant mice may be useful in studying dopamine/neurotransmitter function, drug addiction, Parkinson's disease, and schizophrenia or other psychoses.
In an attempt to offer alleles on well-characterized or multiple genetic backgrounds, alleles are frequently moved to a genetic background different from that on which an allele was first characterized. It should be noted that the phenotype could vary from that originally described. We will modify the strain description if necessary as published results become available.
