Figure 5.

Dopaminergic signaling differences in WT vs. Kv1.3−/− mice. (A) Bar graph of the HPLC determination of dopamine (DA) and (B) 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) in the olfactory bulb (OB). (C–E) Western blot analysis (C) and associated quantitative densitometry (bottom) for dopaminergic signaling proteins expressed in (D) the OB and in (E) the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Mice were gavaged with saline control (S) or MPH (M) 30-min prior to tissue collection. Western blot analysis of saline- vs. MPH-treated mice demonstrated no significant changes; therefore analyses were pooled to compare immunodensity ratios across Kv1.3−/− vs. WT mice. Pixel immunodensity values were determined for each protein band and then expressed as a ratio (dashed line = no expression difference, or 1.0). WT/S, WT with saline; WT/M, WT with MPH; Kv/S, Kv1.3−/− with saline; Kv/M, Kv1.3−/− with MPH; TH, tyrosine hydroxylase; D2, DA receptor 2; and ERK, extracellular signal-related kinase. (A,B) Student’s t-test, p < 0.05, (D,E) Mann-Whitney test, p > 0.05, sample size represents the number of mice. kDa, kilodaltons. Full size SDS PAGE Western blots can be found in the Supplementary Figure S1.