Given the critical role of dopamine-and adenosine 3Ј,5Ј-monophosphate-regulated phosphoprotein of 32 kDa in the regulation of dopaminergic function, DARPP-32-null mutant mice congenic on the inbred C57BL/6 strain for 10 generations were examined phenotypically for their ethogram of responsivity to the selective D 2 -like receptor agonist RU 24213 (N-npropyl-N-phenylethyl-p-3-hydroxyphenylethylamine) and the selective D 2 -like receptor antagonist YM 09151-2 (cis-N-[1-benzyl-2-methyl-pyrrolidin-3-yl]-5-chloro-2-methoxy-4-methylaminobenzamide), using procedures that resolve all topographies of behavior in the natural repertoire. After vehicle challenge, levels of sniffing and rearing seated were reduced in DARPP-32 mutants; the injection procedure seems to constitute a "stressor" that reveals phenotypic effects of DARPP-32 deletion not apparent under natural conditions. Topographical effects of 0.3 to 10.0 mg/kg RU 24213, primarily induction of sniffing and ponderous locomotion with accompanying reductions in rearing, grooming, sifting and chewing, were not altered to any material extent in DARPP-32-null mice. However, topographical effects of 0.005 to 0.625 mg/kg YM 09151-2, namely, reduction in sniffing, locomotion, rearing, grooming, and chewing but not sifting, were essentially absent in DARPP-32 mutants. Thus, the D 2 -like receptor agonist-mediated ethogram was essentially conserved, whereas major elements of the corresponding D 2 -like receptor antagonist-mediated ethogram were essentially absent in DARPP-32-null mice. This suggests some relationship between 1) extent of tonic dopaminergic activation of DARPP-32 mechanisms and 2) compensatory mechanisms consequent to the developmental absence of DARPP-32, which may emerge to act differentially on individual elements of the DARPP-32 system. Critically, the present data indicate that phenotypic effects of a given gene deletion using an agonist acting on the system disrupted cannot be generalized to a corresponding antagonist, and vice versa. subtypes in the regulation of mammalian behavior remains uncertain because of delay in the identification of a full range of selective agonists and antagonists by medicinal chemistry relative to the rate of identification of these receptor subtypes by molecular biology (Waddington et al., 1995;Di Chiara, 2002;Sidhu et al., 2003). The construction of mutants with targeted gene deletion ("knockout") of each individual dopamine receptor subtype has provided an important approach to addressing this issue (Sibley, 1999;Waddington et al., 2001). However, elucidation of the