Given the essential role of Kal7 in multiple cocaine-elicited behaviors as well as the interactions of Kalirin with cyclin dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) and the NR2B subunit of the NMDA receptor [12,17,18,30], proteins important for these behaviors, we chose to examine more closely the effects of cocaine on the expression of different Kalirin isoforms in the striatum and, more specifically, in the ventral striatum or nucleus accumbens. In order to identify the striatal cell types expressing Kal7, we took advantage of mice expressing GFP under control of the D1-dopamine receptor promoter.
