IQUIFIB   02644
INSTITUTO DE QUIMICA Y FISICOQUIMICA BIOLOGICAS "PROF. ALEJANDRO C. PALADINI"
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
artículos
Título:
Ontogenetic Expression of Dopamine-Related Transcription Factors and Tyrosine Hydroxylase in Prenatally Stressed Rats
Autor/es:
KATUNAR MR, SAEZ T, BRUSCO A, ANTONELLI MC
Revista:
NEUROTOXICITY RESEARCH
Editorial:
Springer
Referencias:
Año: 2009
ISSN:
1029-8428
Resumen:
The development of the central nervous system can be permanently affected by insults received during the perinatal period, predisposing the organism to long term behavioral and neurochemical abnormalities. Rats exposed to different types of stress during the last week of gestation produce offspring that show several alterations, many of which have been attributed to changes in DA neurotransmission that could serve as the neurochemical basis for the development of neuropsychiatric disorders. Employing an immunocytochemical approach, we studied the expression levels of two transcription factors Nurr1 and Pitx3 which are expressed at critical moments of dopamine (DA) neurons differentiation as well as the expression of the rate limiting enzyme in dopamine synthesis, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in mesencephalic areas of the brains of prenatally stressed (PS) offspring at different postnatal ages. Main results show that stress exerted to the gestant mother produces permanent effect in the ontogenetic expression of key factors related to the dopamine metabolism mainly in the ventral tegmental area of the mesencephalon. The immunocytochemical expression of the transcription factor Nurr 1 shows an increase at postnatal days (PNDs) 7, 28 and 60 whereas Pitx3 shows a decrease at PND 28 and an increase at 60 PND. The rate limiting step in dopamine synthesis, the enzyme TH shows a decrease at PND 7 to reach control levels at PND 28 and 60. The increase of TFs might be up-regulating TH in order to restore dopamine levels that were previously seen to be normal before puberty. The area selectivity of the increase of the TFs towards VTA and the mesolimbic pathway indicates that an insult received during the prenatal period will exert mainly motivational, emotional and reward behavior impairments in the adult life.