mRNA distribution of the thalidomide binding protein cereblon in adult mouse brain.

Cereblon is implicated in mild mental retardation and proved to bind to a teratogenic hypnotic, thalidomide. Here, we determined cereblon mRNA distributions in adult mouse brain. Almost all neurons expressed cereblon mRNA with various intensities whereas the signals in astrocytes and oligodendrocytes were modest or negligible. Intense mRNA signals were found in the hippocampus and cerebellum, especially in hippocampal pyramidal cells and Purkinje cells. Higher levels of cereblon mRNA were also detected in serotonergic and noradrenergic neurons in raphe nuclei and locus ceruleus, respectively. These observations indicate novel biological roles of cereblon in neuronal physiology and thalidomide pharmacology.