Genetic variability to diet-induced hippocampal dysfunction in BXD recombinant inbred (RI) mouse strains

Manganese Exposure Aggravates β-Amyloid Pathology by Microglial Activation

Human epidemiological evidence and animal experimental data suggest that chronic manganese (Mn) exposure increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and amyloid plaques, a hallmark of AD brain pathology, but the underlying mechanisms were not fully understood. Using the transgenic APP/PS1/Tau triple transgenic AD (3×Tg-AD) mouse model and mouse-derived microglia and neuroblastoma cell lines, we found that chronic 5-month Mn treatment increased beta amyloid peptide (Aβ) expression and Aβ plaques in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus in these 3×Tg-AD mice. Furthermore, we found that the β- and γ-secretase cleavage activities were markedly increased, while α-secretase cleavage activity was reduced in the brain of Mn-treated AD mice; these effects increase Aβ production and thus are amyloidogenic. Equally important, Mn treatment alone did not alter β-secretase 1 (BACE1) gene expression or Aβ production in amyloidogenic mutant amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene hAPPsw-transfected N2a cells (APPsw-N2a), but in APPsw-N2a cells either co-cultured with microglia or cultured with microglia-conditioned media, Mn exposure increased BACE1 expression and amyloidogenesis. We further determined that Mn exposure promoted the activation of microglia both in 3×Tg-AD mouse brains and in cultured microglia cells, and increased the secretion of the inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Taken together, these results suggest that Mn may increase the release of IL-1β and TNF-α from microglia that in turn stimulates the expression of BACE1 gene and protein and consequently Aβ production; this novel molecular mechanism not only advances our understanding about the amyloidogenic effect of chronic Mn exposure reported for special human populations but also indicates Mn dyshomeostasis as a potential contributor to AD pathogenesis.

Born to Cry: A Genetic Dissection of Infant Vocalization

Infant vocalizations are one of the most fundamental and innate forms of behavior throughout avian and mammalian orders. They have a critical role in motivating parental care and contribute significantly to fitness and reproductive success. Dysregulation of these vocalizations has been reported to predict risk of central nervous system pathologies such as hypoxia, meningitis, or autism spectrum disorder. Here, we have used the expanded BXD family of mice, and a diallel cross between DBA/2J and C57BL/6J parental strains, to begin the process of genetically dissecting the numerous facets of infant vocalizations. We calculate heritability, estimate the role of parent-of-origin effects, and identify novel quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that control ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) on postnatal days 7, 8, and 9; a stage that closely matches human infants at birth. Heritability estimates for the number and frequency of calls are low, suggesting that these traits are under high selective pressure. In contrast, duration and amplitude of calls have higher heritabilities, indicating lower selection, or their importance for kin recognition. We find suggestive evidence that amplitude of infant calls is dependent on the maternal genotype, independent of shared genetic variants. Finally, we identify two loci on Chrs 2 and 14 influencing call frequency, and a third locus on Chr 8 influencing the amplitude of vocalizations. All three loci contain strong candidate genes that merit further analysis. Understanding the genetic control of infant vocalizations is not just important for understanding the evolution of parent–offspring interactions, but also in understanding the earliest innate behaviors, the development of parent–offspring relations, and the early identification of behavioral abnormalities.

Omega-3 fatty acids revert high-fat diet-induced neuroinflammation but not recognition memory impairment in rats

Neuroinflammation is a consequence of overeating and may predispose to the development of cognitive decline and neurological disorders. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of omega-3 supplementation on memory and neuroinflammatory markers in rats fed a high-fat diet. Male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: standard diet (SD); standard diet + omega-3 (SD + O); high fat diet (HFD); and high fat diet + omega-3 (HFD + O). Diet administration was performed for 20 weeks and omega-3 supplementation started at the 16th week. HFD significantly increased body weight, while omega-3 supplementation did not modify the total weight gain. However, animals from the HFD + O group showed a lower level of visceral fat along with an improvement in insulin sensitivity following HFD. Thus, our results demonstrate a beneficial metabolic role of omega-3 following HFD. On the other hand, HFD animals presented an impairment in object recognition memory, which was not recovered by omega-3. In addition, there was an increase in GFAP-positive cells in the cerebral cortex of the HFD group, showing that omega-3 supplementation can be effective to decrease astrogliosis. However, no differences in GFAP number of cells were found in the hippocampus. We also demonstrated a significant increase in gene expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α in cerebral cortex of the HFD group, reinforcing the anti-inflammatory role of this family of fatty acids. In summary, omega-3 supplementation was not sufficient to reverse the memory deficit caused by HFD, although it played an important role in reducing the neuroinflammatory profile. Therefore, omega-3 fatty acids may play an important role in the central nervous system, preventing the progression of neuroinflammation in obesity.

An Overview of Murine High Fat Diet as a Model for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a worldwide epidemic, which by all predictions will only increase. To help in combating the devastating array of phenotypes associated with T2DM a highly reproducible and human disease-similar mouse model is required for researchers. The current options are genetic manipulations to cause T2DM symptoms or diet induced obesity and T2DM symptoms. These methods to model human T2DM have their benefits and their detractions. As far as modeling the majority of T2DM cases, HFD establishes the proper etiological, pathological, and treatment options. A limitation of HFD is that it requires months of feeding to achieve the full spectrum of T2DM symptoms and no standard protocol has been established. This paper will attempt to rectify the last limitation and argue for a standard group of HFD protocols and standard analysis procedures.