Expression data from mouse ventral midbrain

The circadian nature of mood and its dysfunction in affective disorders is well recognized, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are still unclear. We showed that the circadian nuclear receptor REV-ERBa, which is associated with bipolar disorder, impacts midbrain dopamine production and mood-related behavior in mice. Genetic deletion of the Rev-erba gene or pharmacological inhibition of REV-ERBa activity in the ventral midbrain induced mania-like behavior in association with a central hyperdopaminergic state. We used microarrays to identify differentially expressed genes in the ventral midbrains of wild-type (WT) and Rev-erba knock-out (RKO) mice. Male RKO and WT mice (10-15 weeks of age) were maintained in a C57BL/6J background. Mice were housed in temperature-controlled (22-23ºC) quarters under a 12-h light-dark (LD) photoperiod (lights on at 8:00 a.m.). After entrainment for >10 days under LD conditions, mice were kept in constant darkness (DD) for 2 days starting at lights-off time. On the third day, mice were sacrificed at indicated time points by cervical dislocation.