Project description:Oligodendrocytes undergo extensive changes as they differentiate from progenitors into myelinating cells. To better understand the; molecular mechanisms underlying this transformation, we performed a comparative analysis using gene expression profiling of A2B5+; oligodendrocyte progenitors and O4+ oligodendrocytes. Cells were sort-purified ex vivo from postnatal rat brain using flow cytometry. Using Affymetrix microarrays, 1707 transcripts were identified with a more than twofold increase in expression inO4+oligodendrocytes. Many genes required for oligodendrocyte differentiation were upregulated in O4+ oligodendrocytes, including numerous genes encoding; myelin proteins. Transcriptional changes included genes required for cell adhesion, actin cytoskeleton regulation, and fatty acid and; cholesterol biosynthesis. At the O4+ stage, there was an increase in expression of a novel proline-rich transmembrane protein (Prmp). Localized to the plasma membrane, Prmp displays adhesive properties that may be important for linking the extracellular matrix to the; actin cytoskeleton. Together, our results highlight the usefulness of this discovery-driven experimental strategy to identify genes relevant; to oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination. Experiment Overall Design: Whole brain dissociates were prepared from one litter of 10 male postnatal day 7 rat pups for each of the 5 A2B5 bioligcal replicates and the 4 O4+ bioligical replicates. Total RNA was extracted from single A2B5+ and single O4+ cells sorted directly from postnatal day7 rat whole brain dissociates using flow cytometry.
Project description:To more concretely elucidate the long-term effects of chronic SSRI exposure during adulthood, the long-term consequences of chronic fluoxetine (12 mg/kg) versus vehicle treatment during adulthood (postnatal day (PND) 67-88) on gene expression in the hippocampus were investigated. The study showed that adult chronic fluoxetine exposure causes on the long-term changes in the expression of genes related to, amongst others, myelination
Project description:to understand the consequences of chronic exposure to fluoxetine during postnatal life on global transcriptional changes withing the rat hippocamps
