EFFECT OF A POLYMORPHIC ALLELE IN THE BDNF GENE ON THE NEURONAL STRUCTURE

GAZAL, NAHIR GUADALUPE; ANASTASÍA, AGUSTÍN

La Falda - Córdoba

Jornada; XXI JORNADAS CIENTÍFICAS SOCIEDAD DE BIOLOGÍA DE CÓRDOBA; 2017

Sociedad de Biología de Córdoba

There is a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the BDNF gene (rs6265) which is associated with increased susceptibility to developneuropsychiatric disorders in human carriers. This SNP is present in approximately 25% of the world population, with a distribution of20% in heterozygosity and 5% in homozygosity. This SNP induces a substitution of a valine for a methionine within the prodomain ofBDNF, an abundant peptide in the central nervous system. The prodomain of BDNF variant Met elicits morphological changes in immatureand mature neurons in culture, but it remains yet unknown the effects of both prodomains Val and Met together as a model for the expressionin the heterozygote carriers. To begin to answer this question we studied the effects of polymorphic variants simultaneously on hippocampalneurons in culture at different DIVs. We measured diverse parameters in the establishment of polarity, in the development of dendrites andaxons, and in the establishment of synapses of these neurons in the presence of both peptides. These experiments will allow unmaskingwhether there is competition between the two variants of the BDNF prodomain, and the consequences that can have on neuronaldevelopment. Additionally, the results obtained could provide a molecular explanation for the increased incidence of neuropsychiatricdiseases in the human carriers of the rs6265 SNP.