Altered expression of genes Npas4 and Nr1d1 in adult female mice with history of early-life stress

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Yuliya Ryabushkina¹, Vasiliy Reshetnikov², Natalya Bondar^3
1ICG SB RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia, ryabushkina@bionet.nsc.ru
²ICG SB RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia, vasiliyreshetnikov@bionet.nsc.ru
³ICG SB RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia, nbondar@bionet.nsc.ru

Stressful events early in life alter neuronal plasticity of the brain regions that regulate social behavior. Previous works have shown that brief and prolonged separation of pups from their mothers leads to enhanced social behavior in adult female mice. In this study, we performed Egr1, Npas4, Arc, and Homer1 gene expression level analysis in the prefrontal cortex and dorsal hippocampus of adult female mice after exposure to early life stress. Also was evaluated expression level of stress-related genes glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors (Nr3c1 and Nr3c2) as well as Nr1d1, which encodes a transcription factor REVERBО±, which regulates sociability and anxiety-related behavior. C57Bl/6 mice were exposed to maternal separation (MS, 3 h once a day) or handling (HD, 15 min once a day) on postnatal days 2 through 14. As adults, female mice behavior was analyzed by behavioral tests, on the day after last testing gene expression level analysis was performed. We found evaluation of Npas4 expression in prefrontal cortex and Nr1d1 both in prefrontal cortex and dorsal hippocampus of adult female mice of MS group, not in HD group. The expression of stress-related genes Nr3c1 and Nr3c2 was unchanged in both groups. This upregulation of Npas4 and Nr1d1 genes in female mice with stressful events early in life and enhanced social behavior may be an adaptation mechanism reversing possible aberrations caused by early-life stress.