Epigenetic regulation induced by prenatal stress in rat hippocampus

MELISA C. MONTELEONE, EZEQUIELA ADROVER, MARTA ANTONELLI, ALBERTO C. FRASCH Y MARCELA BROCCO

Cordoba

Congreso; XXVI Congreso Anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Investigaciones en Neurociencias.; 2011

Sociedad Argentina de Investigaciones en Neurociencias

Experiences during early development like prenatal stress alter gene transcription throughout the lifespan. These experience-induced changes could occur through epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation, histone modifications and microRNAs-regulation. Epigenetic mechanisms regulate synaptic plasticity and its deregulation has been related to mood disorders. Our aim is to study prenatal stress-induced epigenetic changes in gene expression in the model gene gpm6a that encodes the neuronal glycoprotein M6a. Real Time-PCR measures of gpm6a mRNA levels in 60-days-offspring hippocampus from stressed and control rats showed an increase in renatally stressed animals compared with control ones. Preliminary results from direct sequencing of bisulphite-converted genomic DNA of the same samples showed a differential gpm6a methylation status between prenatal stressed and control animals. We also evaluated the microRNA 133a as a regulator for gpm6a mRNA expression in microRNA-treated primary culture of hippocampal neurons. Real Time-PCR showed a 40% decrease in the mRNA levels in treated cells, indicating that mir133 might regulate gpm6a expression. Altogether these results suggest that diverse epigenetic mechanisms may control gpm6a expression.