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Limón-Morales O, Morales-Quintero K, Arteaga-Silva M, Molina-Jiménez T, Cerbón M, Bonilla-Jaime H. Alterations of learning and memory are accompanied by alterations in the expression of 5-HT receptors, glucocorticoid receptor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in different brain regions of an animal model of depression generated by neonatally male treatment with clomipramine in male rats. Behav Brain Res 2023; 455:114664. [PMID: 37714467 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 09/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/17/2023]
Abstract
Depressive illness has been associated with impaired cognitive processes accompanied by reduced neurotrophin levels, especially brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and dysfunctions in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. In addition, depression is characterized by a decreased functioning of the serotonergic system due to changes in the activity or expression of its receptors including, most significantly, 5-HT1A, 5-HT2A, and 5-HT3 in brain regions that regulate mood, emotions, and memory, such as the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala. In this regard, rats treated with clomipramine (CMI) in the neonatal stage show depression-like behaviors that persist into adulthood; hence, this constitutes an adequate model of depression for exploring various molecular aspects associated with the etiology of this disorder. This, study, then, was designed to analyze the long-term effects of early postnatal exposure to CMI on the expression of 5-HT1A, 5-HT2A, and 5-HT3 receptors, as well as BDNF and GR in the following brain regions: PFC, amygdala, hippocampus, and hypothalamus, which could be related to alterations in memory and learning, as evaluated using the novel object recognition (NOR) and Morris water maze (MWM). Expression of the 5-HT1A, 5-HT2A, and 5-HT3 receptors, BDNF, and the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) was assessed by RT-qPCR in the four aforementioned brain regions, all of which play important roles in the control of memory and mood. Findings show that neonatal treatment with CMI causes alterations in memory and learning, as indicated by alterations in the results of the MWM and NOR tests. Expression of the 5-HT1A receptor increased in the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus, but decreased in the PFC, while the 5-HT2A and BDNF receptors decreased their expression in the PFC, amygdala, and hippocampus. There was no change in the expression of the 5-HT3 receptor. In addition, expression of GR in the hippocampus and PFC was low, but increased in the hypothalamus. Taken together, these data show that neonatal CMI treatment produces permanent molecular changes in brain regions related to learning and memory that could contribute to explaining the behavioral alterations observed in this model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ofelia Limón-Morales
- Departamento de Biología de la Reproducción, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, C.P 09340 CDMX, Mexico; Unidad de Investigación en Reproducción Humana Instituto Nacional de Perinatología-Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CDMX, Mexico.
| | - Kenia Morales-Quintero
- Unidad de Investigación en Reproducción Humana Instituto Nacional de Perinatología-Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CDMX, Mexico
| | - Marcela Arteaga-Silva
- Departamento de Biología de la Reproducción, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, C.P 09340 CDMX, Mexico
| | - Tania Molina-Jiménez
- Facultad de Química Farmacéutica Biológica, Universidad Veracruzana, Circuito Gonzalo Aguirre Beltrán s/n, Zona Universitaria Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
| | - Marco Cerbón
- Unidad de Investigación en Reproducción Humana Instituto Nacional de Perinatología-Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CDMX, Mexico
| | - Herlinda Bonilla-Jaime
- Departamento de Biología de la Reproducción, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, C.P 09340 CDMX, Mexico
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Smith A, Hyland L, Al-Ansari H, Watts B, Silver Z, Wang L, Dahir M, Akgun A, Telfer A, Abizaid A. Metabolic, neuroendocrine and behavioral effects of social defeat in male and female mice using the chronic non-discriminatory social defeat stress model. Horm Behav 2023; 155:105412. [PMID: 37633226 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023]
Abstract
Stress-related disorders predominately affect females, yet preclinical models of chronic stress exclusively use males especially in models where social stressors are studied. Here, we implemented a 21-day novel social defeat paradigm in which a female and male C57 intruder are simultaneously placed in the cage of a territorial, resident CD-1 male mouse, and the resident proceeds to attack both intruders. Mice were given access to a regular laboratory diet, high in carbohydrates, and a palatable diet, high in fat. Chronic social defeat stress using this paradigm resulted in increased caloric intake in male and female mice, with the effects being more pronounced in females. We observed sex differences in high fat diet intake in response to stress, which was correlated with higher levels of plasma ghrelin observed in female mice but not male mice. Furthermore, females exposed to chronic stress displayed changes in growth hormone secretatogue receptor (ghsr) and neuropeptide-y (npy) expression in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus, potentially increasing ghrelin sensitivity and inducing changes in diet choice and caloric intake. Behavioral results show that females tended to spend more time interacting during the social interaction test, compared to males who displayed higher vigilance towards the stranger mouse. Overall, our results highlight unique neurometabolic alterations in female mice in response to stress that is not present in male mice and may be important for coping with chronic stress and sustaining reproductive function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Smith
- Department of Neuroscience and Stress, Trauma and Resilience Work Group (STAR), Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lindsay Hyland
- Department of Neuroscience and Stress, Trauma and Resilience Work Group (STAR), Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Hiyam Al-Ansari
- Department of Neuroscience and Stress, Trauma and Resilience Work Group (STAR), Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Bethany Watts
- Department of Neuroscience and Stress, Trauma and Resilience Work Group (STAR), Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Zachary Silver
- Department of Neuroscience and Stress, Trauma and Resilience Work Group (STAR), Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Longfei Wang
- Department of Neuroscience and Stress, Trauma and Resilience Work Group (STAR), Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Miski Dahir
- Department of Neuroscience and Stress, Trauma and Resilience Work Group (STAR), Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Aleyna Akgun
- Department of Neuroscience and Stress, Trauma and Resilience Work Group (STAR), Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Andre Telfer
- Department of Neuroscience and Stress, Trauma and Resilience Work Group (STAR), Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Alfonso Abizaid
- Department of Neuroscience and Stress, Trauma and Resilience Work Group (STAR), Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
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Santariová M, Zadinová K, Vostrá-Vydrová H, Kolářová MF, Kurhan S, Chaloupková H. Effect of Environmental Concentration of Carbamazepine on the Behaviour and Gene Expression of Laboratory Rats. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2097. [PMID: 37443892 DOI: 10.3390/ani13132097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Carbamazepine (CBZ), an effective drug for epilepsy and other neurological diseases, and its metabolites are one of the most frequently detected substances in the aquatic environment. Although these are doses of very low concentrations, chronic exposure to them can affect the physiological processes of living organisms. This experiment may clarify if carbamazepine, under an environmental and a therapeutic concentration, can affect the behaviour of higher vertebrates, especially mammals, and gene expressions of Ugt1a6 and Ugt1a7 in the brain compared to the control group without exposure to CBZ. Three groups of thirteen rats were randomly formed, and each group was treated either with carbamazepine 12 mg/kg (therapeutic), carbamazepine 0.1 mg/kg (environmental), or by 10% DMSO solution (control). The memory, anxiety, and social behaviour of the rats were assessed by the test Elevated Plus Maze, the novel object recognition test, and the social chamber paradigm. After testing, they were euthanised and brain tissue samples were collected and analysed for mRNA expression of Ugt1a6 and Ugt1a7 genes. The tests did not show significant differences in the behaviour of the rats between the groups. However, there were significant changes at the gene expression level of Ugt1a7.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milena Santariová
- Department of Ethology and Companion Animal Science, Czech University of Life Science Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Kateřina Zadinová
- Department of Animal Science, Czech University of Life Science Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Hana Vostrá-Vydrová
- Department of Ethology and Companion Animal Science, Czech University of Life Science Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Martina Frühauf Kolářová
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, Czech University of Life Science Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Sebnem Kurhan
- Department of Food Science, Czech University of Life Science Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Helena Chaloupková
- Department of Ethology and Companion Animal Science, Czech University of Life Science Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic
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Lewczuk A, Boratyńska-Jasińska A, Zabłocka B. Validation of the Reference Genes for Expression Analysis in the Hippocampus after Transient Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in Gerbil Brain. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24032756. [PMID: 36769080 PMCID: PMC9917415 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24032756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2022] [Revised: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Transient brain ischemia in gerbils is a common model to study the mechanisms of neuronal changes in the hippocampus. In cornu ammonnis 2-3, dentate gyrus (CA2-3,DG) regions of the hippocampus, neurons are resistant to 5-min ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) insult, while cornu ammonnis 1 (CA1) is found to be I/R-vulnerable. The quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) is widely used to study the expression of genes involved in these phenomena. It requires stable and reliable genes for normalization, which is crucial for comparable and reproducible analyses of expression changes of the genes of interest. The aim of this study was to determine the best housekeeping gene for the I/R gerbil model in two parts of the hippocampus in controls and at 3, 48, and 72 h after recanalization. We selected and tested six reference genes frequently used in central nervous system studies: Gapdh, Actb, 18S rRNA, Hprt1, Hmbs, Ywhaz, and additionally Bud23, using RefFinder, a comprehensive tool based on four commonly used algorithms: delta cycle threshold (Ct), BestKeeper, NormFinder, and geNorm, while Hprt1 and Hmbs were the most stable ones in CA2-3,DG. Hmbs was the most stable in the whole hippocampal formation. This indicates that the general use of Hmbs, especially in combination with Gapdh, a highly expressed reference gene, seems to be suitable for qRT-PCR normalization in all hippocampal regions in this model.
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Huang Q, Xu J, Ge Y, Shi Y, Wang F, Zhu M. NR4A1 inhibits the epithelial–mesenchymal transition of hepatic stellate cells: Involvement of TGF-β–Smad2/3/4–ZEB signaling. Open Life Sci 2022; 17:447-454. [PMID: 35600274 PMCID: PMC9070444 DOI: 10.1515/biol-2022-0047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to examine whether nuclear receptor 4a1 (NR4A1) is involved in inhibiting hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation and liver fibrosis through the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). HSC-T6 cells were divided into the control group, the acetaldehyde (200 μM, an EMT activator) group, and the NR4A1 activation group (Cytosporone B; 1 μM). The expression levels of the epithelial marker E-cadherin, the mesenchymal markers fibronectin (FN), vimentin, smooth muscle alpha-actin (α-SMA), and fibroblast-specific protein 1 (FSP-1), and the components of the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β pathway were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. Compared with the control group, E-cadherin in the acetaldehyde group was downregulated, whereas FN, FSP-1, vimentin, α-SMA, and COL1A1/COL1A2 were upregulated (P < 0.05). Compared with the acetaldehyde group, NR4A1 agonist upregulated E-cadherin and downregulated FN, FSP-1, vimentin, α-SMA, and COL1A1/COL1A2 (P < 0.05). After acetaldehyde stimulation, TGF-β, Smad2/3/4, and zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox (ZEB) were upregulated, while Smad7 mRNA levels were downregulated (all P < 0.05). Compared with acetaldehyde alone, NR4A1 agonist increased Smad7 mRNA levels and reduced TGF-β, Smad2/3/4, and ZEB mRNA levels (all P < 0.05). NR4A1 activation suppresses acetaldehyde-induced EMT, as shown by epithelial and mesenchymal marker expression. The inhibition of the TGF-β–Smad2/3/4–ZEB signaling during HSC activation might be involved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Huang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Hangzhou Xixi Hospital, Zhejiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine , Hangzhou , 310023 , China
| | - Jingying Xu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Hangzhou Xixi Hospital, Zhejiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine , Hangzhou , 310023 , China
| | - Yanyan Ge
- Department of Internal Medicine, Hangzhou Third People’s Hospital, Zhejiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine , Hangzhou , 310009 , China
| | - Yue Shi
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Hangzhou Xixi Hospital, Zhejiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine , Hangzhou , 310023 , China
| | - Fei Wang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Hangzhou Xixi Hospital, Zhejiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine , Hangzhou , 310023 , China
| | - Mingli Zhu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Hangzhou Xixi Hospital, Zhejiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine , Hangzhou , 310023 , China
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Liu L, Ji Z, Zhao K, Zhao Y, Zhang Y, Huang S. Validation of housekeeping genes as internal controls for gene expression studies on biofilm formation in Bacillus velezensis. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2022; 106:2079-2089. [PMID: 35171340 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-022-11831-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Bacillus velezensis is an important bacterium widely applied in agriculture and industry, and biofilms play critical roles in its environmental tolerance. The appropriate choice of reference genes is essential for key gene expression studies. Multiple internal control genes were selected and validated from the 21 housekeeping genes of B. velezensis by expression stability evaluation during biofilm formation and were used to study the expression of key genes involved in the process. The results showed that pyk, gyrA, recA, and gyrB were stably expressed, and the expression of pyk was the most stable during biofilm formation. A pair of two genes, pyk and gyrA, provided high-quality data when used as internal controls, and the combination of three genes, pyk, gyrA, and recA, was even better. The expression levels of pyk, gyrA, and recA approximated those of five key genes, abrB, epsD, kinC, sinR, and tasA, in biofilm formation, meeting the requirements of ideal internal control genes. The expression patterns of 5 key genes were studied with 16S, pyk, the pair of 2 genes, pyk and gyrA, and the combination of 3 genes, pyk, gyrA, and recA, as internal controls during the biofilm formation process. The results proved that pyk was a suitable internal control, as were the pair of 2 genes, pyk and gyrA, and the combination of 3 genes, pyk, gyrA, and recA. This study provided genes and gene combinations which were validated as suitable internal controls for gene expression studies, especially those on the mechanism of biofilm formation in B. velezensis or even other Bacillus spp. KEY POINTS: • Reference genes is necessary for gene expression study in biofilm formation of Bacillus velezensis • Pyk and 2 gene combinations were selected and validated from 21 common used genes • Expression of key genes in biofilm formation was normalized with the selected internal controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lianmeng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, 311400, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Zhiming Ji
- College of Biological and Food Engineering, Huaihua University, Huaihua, 418000, China
| | - Kehan Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, 311400, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yuan Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, 311400, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yilin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, 311400, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shiwen Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, 311400, Hangzhou, China. .,College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, 530003, Nanning, China.
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