Maternal stress alters BDNF signaling expression in hippocampus and reduces anxious-like phenotype in prepubertal offspring rat

MELISA C MONTELEONE; BROCCO, MARCELA A.; PALLARES,ME; SILVINA DIAZ; PASTOR, VERÓNICA; ANTONELLI, MARTA C.

Congreso; Reunión Anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Investigaciones en Neurociencias; 2019

Prenatal stress (PS) affect offspring brain plasticity increasing risk to develop stress-related disorders. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) regulates neural development; it alteration is linked with the incidence of neuropsychiatric disorders. Here, we assesses PS consequences on the expression of BDNF signaling in the hippocampus, and if such changes are linked with anxious-like phenotype. The expression of candidate genes related to DNA methylation pathway and global DNA methylation levels were further evaluated. Wistarrats received restraint stress during the third week of gestation or left undisturbed (control group, C). Anxiety-like behavior was tested by EPM and dark/light box starting at postnatal day 25. After behavioral test ended, hippocampi were processed for Rt-PCR or DNA dot blot assays. PS offspring show reduced anxiety-like behavior and increased mRNA levels of bdnf exon ivand crhr1. Sex differences were found on PS induced changes for bdnf receptors mRNA levels: trk2b expression were decreased in male, while ngfr and truncated-trk2b were increased in female pups. In males, PS increased mRNA levels of chromatin remodeler genes and reduced global methylated DNA content. Our results show that PS altered hippocampal gene expression and modulate offspring anxious phenotype. In males, such changes could be mediated by epigenetic changes. On-going studies are performed to explain the functional relationship between these outcomes.