Single Exposure to Social Defeat Increases Corticotropin-releasing Factor and Glucocorticoid Receptor Mrna Expression in Rat Hippocampus.
From: Department of Medicine and Public Health, Section of Pharmacology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
Brain research
- Publish Date: Jan 2006
- ISSN: 0006-8993
- Volume: 1067
- Issue: 1
- Pages: 25-35
- Medium: Print
- Language: English
- Citation (JAMA): Marini Francesca, Pozzato Chiara, Andreetta Valentino, et al. Single Exposure to Social Defeat Increases Corticotropin-releasing Factor and Glucocorticoid Receptor Mrna Expression in Rat Hippocampus.. Brain Res. Jan 2006;1067:25-35
Abstract
Stressful life events are able to induce long-term modifications in physiological and neuroendocrine parameters that are related to the onset of several psychiatric disorders. To gain information on molecular modifications involved in long-term changes triggered by stress, we evaluated gene expression in the hippocampus of rats exposed to a single social defeat session. In the social defeat model, the experimental animal is defeated by a dominant male. The defeat induced an increase in body temperature, in distress vocalisations, in serum corticosterone levels and in anxiety-related behaviour measured with an open field test applied 6 h after the exposure to the dominant rat. In the open field test, anxiety-related behaviours were not detectable anymore 30 h after the exposure to the dominant rat and mRNA levels were evaluated at this time-point. The mRNA levels of genes modulated by stress (corticotropin-releasing factor; corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 1; corticotropin-releasing factor binding protein; mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors; Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase-like kinase; Krox20; Bcl-2) and control genes (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase; beta-actin and cyclophilin A) were measured with real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Corticotropin-releasing factor and glucocorticoid receptor mRNA levels were significantly modulated by the stress procedure, both genes showing an increase in rats exposed to a social defeat. No expression level differences were detected for the other genes. In conclusion, we report that 30 h after an acute social stress, a modification in mRNA levels can be detected in rat hippocampus, thus suggesting potential candidate genes involved in mediating long-term responses.
Mesh Headings (Keywords): Animals, Anxiety, DNA Primers, Dominance-Subordination, Gene Amplification, Gene Expression Regulation, Hippocampus, RNA, Messenger, Rats, Receptors, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone, Receptors, Glucocorticoid, Social Behavior, Stress, Psychological, Ultrasonics, Vocalization, Animal
Check for Full Text / PubMed Unique Identifier (PMID): 16360122
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