A sexually dimorphic pre-stressed translational signature in CA3 pyramidal neurons of BDNF Val66Met mice.

ABSTRACT: Males and females use distinct brain circuits to cope with similar challenges. Using RNA sequencing of ribosome-bound mRNA from hippocampal CA3 neurons, we found remarkable sex differences and discovered that female mice displayed greater gene expression activation after acute stress than males. Stress-sensitive BDNF Val66Met mice of both sexes show a pre-stressed translational phenotype in which the same genes that are activated without applied stress are also induced in wild-type mice by an acute stressor. Behaviourally, only heterozygous BDNF Val66Met females exhibit spatial memory impairment, regardless of acute stress. Interestingly, this effect is not observed in ovariectomized heterozygous BDNF Val66Met females, suggesting that circulating ovarian hormones induce cognitive impairmen

SUBMITTER: Marrocco J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5634406 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature