Effects of maternal care on the development, emotionality, and reproductive functions in male and female rats

Variations in maternal behavior induce long-lasting effects on behavioral and neuroendocrine responses to stress. The aim of this study was to analyze developmental parameters, reproductive function, and anxiety-related behaviors of male and female rats raised by mothers that naturally display high and low levels of maternal licking behavior. Results showed that an increase in licking behavior received by the pups accelerated their eye opening and reduced fear behavior assessed in the open field test. Additionally, female offspring of high licking (HL) mothers showed decreased ovulation and lordosis intensity. In contrast, males from HL and low licking (LL) mothers did not differ in their reproductive function, suggesting a gender difference in maternal effects. Present results showed that individual differences in maternal behavior appear not only to be predictive of later emotionality and stress-responsivity in the offspring, but can also modulate the reproductive function of females. Maternal genetic factors, differences in the prenatal intrauterine milieu, or a combination of these cannot be excluded to explain the effects observed.     

Reduced density of neuropeptide Y neurons in the somatosensory cortex of old male and female rats: relation to cholinergic depletion and recovery after nerve growth factor treatment

Synthesis of neuropeptide Y in the neocortex and activity of the basalocortical cholinergic system are both reduced in the aging brain. We hypothesized that, by stimulating the activity of the basal forebrain cholinergic neurons, nerve growth factor might also be capable of restoring the synthesis of neuropeptide Y in cortical neurons. Old male and female rats were intraventricularly infused with nerve growth factor for 14 days and their brains were analyzed in order to quantify the densities of neuropeptide Y-immunoreactive neurons and of fiber varicosities stained for vesicular acetylcholine transporter protein in layers II/III, V and VI of the primary somatosensory barrel-field cortex. The areal densities of neuropeptide Y neurons and of vesicular acetylcholine transporter protein varicosities in all cortical laminae were found to be dramatically decreased in old rats when compared with young rats. However, infusions of nerve growth factor, known to exert a powerful trophic effect upon cortically projecting cholinergic neurons, have led to considerable recovery of vesicular acetylcholine transporter protein-positive terminal fields, which was paralleled by complete restoration of function in neuropeptide Y-producing neurons. With respect to the gender differences, although the density of cortical neuropeptide Y neurons was found to be significantly higher in young females than in young males and the opposite was true for vesicular acetylcholine transporter protein-positive varicosities, the general pattern of age- and treatment-related changes in these neurochemical markers was similar in both sexes. Overall, the age- and treatment-related variations in the density of cortical neuropeptide Y cells were found to correlate with those observed in the density of vesicular acetylcholine transporter protein varicosities. These results lend support to the idea that there is a causal relationship between age-related changes in cortical cholinergic and neuropeptide Y-ergic neurotransmitter systems.     

Electron-microscopic characteristics of neuroendocrine neurons in the amygdaloid body of the brain in male rats and female rats at different stages of the estral cycle

The ultrastructural features of neuroendocrine neurons in the dorsomedial nucleus (DMN) of the amygdaloid body of the brain — one of the major zones of sexual dimorphism — in 12 Wistar rats weighing 250–300 g were studied in three males and nine females at different stages of the estral cycle. On the basis of ultrastructural characteristics, analysis of the functional states of an average of 50 DMN neurons were studied in each animal. A morphofunctional classification reflecting hormone-dependent variations in neuron activity is proposed. DMN neurons were found to be in different structural-functional states, which could be classified as the states of rest, moderate activity, elevated activity, tension (maximal activity), decreased activity (types 1 and 2, depending on prior history), return to the initial state, and apoptosis. At the estrus stage, there was a predominance of neurons in the states of elevated activity (40% of all cells) and maximal activity (26%). At the metestrus stage, neurons in the state of decreased activity type 1 (with increased nuclear heterochromatin content) predominated (30% of cells), while 25% and 20% of cells were in the states of maximal activity and elevated activity respectively. In diestrus, neurons in the resting state, in moderate and elevated activity, in maximal activity, and in decreased activity type 1 were present in essentially identical proportions (18%, 21%, 18%, 20%, and 16% respectively). In males, 35% and 22% of neurons were in the states of elevated and maximal activity respectively. Neuron death was seen only in males. __________ Translated from Morfologiya, Vol. 130, No. 6, pp. 25–29, November–December, 2006.     

Atlas of Wnt and R-spondin gene expression in the developing male mouse lower urogenital tract

Prostate development is influenced by β-catenin signaling, but it is unclear which β-catenin activators are involved, where they are synthesized, and whether their mRNA abundance is influenced by androgens. We identified WNT/β-catenin-responsive β-galactosidase activity in the lower urogenital tract (LUT) of transgenic reporter mice, but β-galactosidase activity differed among the four mouse strains we examined. We used in situ hybridization to compare patterns of Wnts, r-spondins (Rspos, co-activators of β-catenin signaling), β-catenin-responsive mRNAs, and an androgen receptor-responsive mRNA in wild type fetal male, fetal female, and neonatal male LUT. Most Wnt and Rspo mRNAs were present in LUT during prostate development. Sexually dimorphic expression patterns were observed for WNT/β-catenin-responsive genes, and for Wnt2b, Wnt4, Wnt7a, Wnt9b, Wnt10b, Wnt11, Wnt16, and Rspo3 mRNAs. These results reveal sexual differences in WNT/β-catenin signaling in fetal LUT, supporting the idea that this pathway may be directly or indirectly responsive to androgens during prostate ductal development.     

低蛋白饲料对雄性大鼠胫骨上段和腰椎的骨计量学研究

目的比较低蛋白饲料对大鼠胫骨上段和腰椎松质骨的影响。方法12只3月龄SD雄性大鼠,随机分成正常对照组、低蛋白组LPD(Pr8%)。实验90d时取胫骨上段和第五腰椎行不脱钙骨制片,骨组织形态计量学测量。结果与对照组比,LPD组胫骨上段骨小梁面积百分率(%Tb.Ar)减少(P<0.01),骨结构变差,骨转换率下降;而腰椎松质骨各项指标的变化均无统计学意义。结论低蛋白饲料诱导大鼠胫骨上段骨丢失,而对腰椎骨丢失无明显影响。     

垂体同源盒家族因子3基因在大鼠脊髓发育和生存维持过程中的表达变化

目的:探讨垂体同源盒家族因子3(Pitx3)基因在SD大鼠脊髓不同年龄阶段的表达变化以及细胞定位。方法:采用半定量RT-PCR和Western Blot检测不同年龄组大鼠脊髓中Pitx3 mRNA及蛋白水平表达变化;采用免疫荧光和免疫组化染色显示Pitx3在脊髓中的细胞定位。结果:(1)RT-PCR和Western Blot检测显示Pitx3基因在各年龄组脊髓各段均有表达;大鼠脊髓发育过程中Pitx3 mRNA及其蛋白水平出生前逐渐升高,在出生后(P0 d)达高锋,以后维持在一定的生理水平,且出生以后随年龄的增长表达呈下调趋势;(2)免疫荧光双标证实Pitx3蛋白在P0 d大鼠脊髓主要定位于脊髓灰质,与神经元的标记物NeuN存在共定位;免疫组化检测显示Pitx3蛋白集中分布于各年龄组脊髓灰质腹角运动神经元胞质中,少量分布于背角和侧角神经元胞质中。结论:在大鼠脊髓发育和生存维持过程中,Pitx3在基因和蛋白水平呈现明显的时相变化;提示Pitx3基因的表达在脊髓腹角运动神经元的发育和生存维持中可能发挥一定的调控作用。     

Patterns of expression of the immediate-early gene egr-1 in the accessory olfactory bulb of female mice exposed to pheromonal constituents of male urine

Male mice excrete large quantities of major urinary proteins that have been proposed to have an important pheromonal role either alone or by way of their bound ligands. We have found that these major urinary proteins are not only likely to mediate the pregnancy blocking effects of male urine, but that they also convey the strain recognition signal of the male pheromone. Recent molecular biological investigations have characterized two classes of pheromonal receptor in the vomeronasal organ that appear to project separately to anterior and posterior regions of the accessory olfactory bulb. However, it is not known whether these separate pathways handle fundamentally different types of pheromonal information. We have attempted to investigate this question using the expression of the immediate-early gene egr-1 as a marker for activity of neurons in the accessory olfactory bulb of female mice in response to putative pheromonal constituents. Exposure to 2,3 dihydro-exo-brevicomin and 2-sec-butyl-4,5-dihydro-thiazole, the main ligands bound to the major urinary proteins, elicited expression of egr-1 in clusters of presumed mitral neurons at the medial and lateral margins of the posterior accessory olfactory bulb. Whole male urine and a preparation of major urinary proteins that had been stripped of their ligands induced egr-1 expression in mitral cells of the anterior half of the accessory olfactory bulb in addition to the posterior clusters.

This would suggest that the anterior and posterior halves of the accessory olfactory bulb are processing different aspects of the male pheromone signal with the anterior region, which responds preferentially to major urinary proteins, being principally concerned with the strain recognition component.     

Perinatal exposure to tributyltin affects feeding behavior and expression of hypothalamic neuropeptide Y in the paraventricular nucleus of adult mice

Organotins such as tributyltin chloride (TBT), are highly diffused environmental pollutants, which act as metabolism disrupting chemicals, i.e. may interfere with fat tissue differentiation, as well as with neuroendocrine circuits, thus impairing the control of energetic balance. We have previously demonstrated that adult exposure to TBT altered the expression of neuropeptides in the hypothalamus. In this study, we orally administered daily a solution containing oil, or TBT (0.25, 2.5, or 25 μg/kg body weight/day) to pregnant females from gestational day 8 until birth, and to their pups from day 0 until post‐natal day 21. Our results showed that TBT exposure of female mice during gestation and of pups during lactation permanently altered the feeding efficiency of pups of both sexes and subcutaneous fat distribution in adult males. In addition, the neuropeptide Y system was affected at the level of the paraventricular nucleus, with a decrease in immunoreactivity in both sexes (significant in females for all TBT doses and in males only for intermediate TBT doses), while no effect was observed in other hypothalamic areas (arcuate, ventromedial and dorsomedial nuclei). Metabolic syndrome, as well as obesity and diabetes, which are significant health issues, are considered multifactorial diseases and may be caused by exposure to metabolic disruptors, both in adults and during perinatal life. In addition, our work indicates that TBT doses defined as the tolerably daily intake had a profound and sex‐specific long‐term effect.     

Analysis of gene expression in PTHrP−/− mammary buds supports a role for BMP signaling and MMP2 in the initiation of ductal morphogenesis

Parathyroid hormone–related protein (PTHrP) acts on the mammary mesenchyme and is required for proper embryonic mammary development. In order to understand PTHrP's effects on mesenchymal cells, we profiled gene expression in WT and PTHrP^?/? mammary buds, and in WT and K14‐PTHrP ventral skin at E15.5. By cross‐referencing the differences in gene expression between these groups, we identified 35 genes potentially regulated by PTHrP in the mammary mesenchyme, including 6 genes known to be involved in BMP signaling. One of these genes was MMP2. We demonstrated that PTHrP and BMP4 regulate MMP2 gene expression and MMP2 activity in mesenchymal cells. Using mammary bud cultures, we demonstrated that MMP2 acts downstream of PTHrP to stimulate ductal outgrowth. Future studies on the functional role of other genes on this list should expand our knowledge of how PTHrP signaling triggers the onset of ductal outgrowth from the embryonic mammary buds. Developmental Dynamics 238:2713–2724, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

The pattern of expression of a 13-kDa protein (CS-32 antigen) in the retina and its target nuclei in developing and mature rats

A polyclonal antibody (designated CS-32) immunopurifies a 13-kDa protein from the superior colliculus (SC) of neonatal rat. There is a strikingly inverse temporal relationship in expression of the 13-kDa protein in the developing retina and its principal target nuclei, SC and the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus. The 13-kDa is a cell-surface protein expressed exclusively by neurones and is clearly associated with synapses.     

新疆维吾尔族、汉族阿尔茨海默病LRP基因766C/T多态性关联分析

目的 探讨新疆地区维吾尔族、汉族低密度脂蛋白受体相关蛋白基因(low density lipoproteinreceptor-related protein gene,LRP)766C/T多态性与阿尔茨海默病(Alzheimer's disease AD)的关系.方法 对新疆地区维吾尔族、汉族≥50岁8284名人群进行AD流行病学调查,参照ADRDA-NINCDS的标准,选取AD患者209例与正常对照220名,应用聚合酶链反应-限制性片段长度多态技术检测LRP基因766C/T多态性,采用病例-对照的关联分析方法进行基因型和等位基因频率分析.结果 (1)新疆维吾尔族、汉族之间LRP基因的基因型和等位基因分布频率差异有统计学意义(P<0.05).(2)汉族病例组与对照组间基因型和等位基因频率分布差异有统计学意义(P<0.05).(3)在年龄≥65岁的病例组与对照组间基因型和等位基因频率分布差异有统计学意义(P<0.05),且此年龄组携带C等位基因的个体发生AD的危险性显著增加(OR=1.98,P<0.05).(4)在女性病例组中C/C基因型分布频率和C等位基因频率显著高于对照组(P<0.05),女性携带C等位基因的个体发生AD的危险性显著增加(OR=2.927,P<0.05).结论 新疆维吾尔族和汉族之间LRP,基因766C/T多态性存在差异,并发现在汉族、年龄≥65岁及女性人群中LRP基因766C/T多态性与AD的发病风险存在关联.     

丙烯酰胺暴露对幼鼠胼胝体PLP和MBP表达的影响

目的:检测断乳期幼鼠胼胝体髓鞘蛋白PLP和MBP的表达,探讨丙烯酰胺(acrylamide,ACR)染毒对幼鼠胼胝体部髓鞘发育的影响。方法:断乳期幼鼠随机分为对照组(0 mg/kg)、低(18 mg/kg)和高(36 mg/kg)剂量组,每组12只,从出生后第22~42 d进行灌胃染毒。观测幼鼠步态的变化,用免疫组化方法和免疫荧光双标记法检测幼鼠胼胝体髓鞘蛋白脂蛋白(myelin PLP,PLP)和髓鞘碱性蛋白(myelin basic protein,MBP)的表达。结果:ACR染毒后幼鼠的步态评分均增加,差异有统计学意义(P0.01),免疫组织化学检测结果显示,与对照组相比较,ACR高剂量组幼鼠大脑PLP和MBP表达减少,差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。免疫荧光双标技术检测结果与免疫组织化学检测结果一致,即ACR染毒后胼胝体PLP和MBP均表达减少。结论:ACR染毒可能会通过减少PLP和MBP的表达,抑制胼胝体髓鞘的形成而影响神经系统发育。     

Analysis of gene and protein expression of cytochrome P450 and stress-associated molecules in rat liver after spaceflight

As the incidence and length of spaceflight increases, the need to administer pharmacological agents to crew members may become greater. The final goal is to predict the therapeutic or toxic effects of drugs, especially those with a low therapeutic index, during spaceflight. The liver is central to systemic metabolism, therefore, various drugs rely on hepatic metabolism by cytochrome P450 (CYP). The function of individual CYP enzymes is diverse because they are subject to different regulatory mechanisms and substrate specificity. Because spaceflight may be a stressor and influence each CYP expression individually, the purpose of the present study was to measure the expression of 11 CYP genes and protein distribution in the liver of rats after spaceflight, using real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry, respectively. The gene and protein expression of stress-related proteins such as cold-inducible RNA binding protein (Cirp), heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), HSP90 and the p53 tumor suppressor gene, were also determined. CYP4A1 and Cirp gene expression was significantly increased whereas HSP90 and p53 gene expression was significantly decreased in the flight group than in the ground control. Combined with histology, it is concluded that the effects of spaceflight on the liver may be similar to mild cold stress or fasting.     

X连锁凋亡抑制蛋白和线粒体第二激活因子在锰诱导大鼠生精细胞凋亡蛋白酶表达中的调节作用

目的:研究氯化锰导致的大鼠生精细胞半胱氨酸天冬氨酸蛋白酶-9(caspase-9)及凋亡蛋白酶活化因子-1(Apaf-1)表达中X连锁凋亡抑制蛋白(XIAP)和线粒体第二激活因子(Smac)的调节机制,探讨锰导致的雄性不育机制。方法:雄性SD大鼠随机分为对照组、低剂量(15 mg/kg MnCl_2)和高剂量(30 mg/kg MnCl_2)组,腹腔注射MnCl_2 4周和6周,免疫组织化学检测生精细胞caspase-9、Apaf-1、XIAP和Smac表达。结果:与对照组相比较,各组生精细胞caspase-9、Apaf-1和Smac表达均显著升高,XIAP表达降低。同时间的高剂量组与低剂量组比较,同剂量的6周组与4周组比较,生精细胞caspase-9、Apaf-1和Smac表达均显著升高,XIAP表达降低。各组caspase-9与Apaf-1表达呈正相关,XIAP与Smac表达呈负相关。结论:锰可促进生精细胞caspase-9、Apaf-1和Smac表达,抑制XIAP表达,导致细胞凋亡,产生雄性生殖毒性效应。