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Corticosterone regulates expression of BDNF and trkB but not NT‐3 and trkC mRNA in the rat hippocampus
Author(s) -
Schaaf Marcel J.M.,
Hoetelmans Rob W.M.,
de Kloet E. Ronald,
Vreugdenhil Erno
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of neuroscience research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.72
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1097-4547
pISSN - 0360-4012
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-4547(19970515)48:4<334::aid-jnr5>3.0.co;2-c
Subject(s) - tropomyosin receptor kinase b , dentate gyrus , corticosterone , endocrinology , medicine , hippocampal formation , tropomyosin receptor kinase c , hippocampus , mineralocorticoid receptor , neurotrophic factors , brain derived neurotrophic factor , neurotrophin , biology , neurotrophin 3 , receptor , aldosterone , growth factor , platelet derived growth factor receptor , hormone
Corticosterone has profound effects on growth, differentiation, and synaptic transmission of hippocampal neurons by activation of mineralocorticoid receptors (MRs) and glucocorticoid receptors (GRs). In the present study we tested if neurotrophins can be implicated in these effects. For this purpose we injected 30, 300, and 1,000 μg corticosterone s.c. (per kg body weight) in adrenalectomized rats and measured the mRNA levels of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), tyrosine receptor kinase (trk)B, neurotrophin (NT)‐3, and trkC in hippocampal cell fields at 6 hr after steroid administration by in situ hybridization. NT‐3 and trkC mRNA did not show significant changes in any hippocampal region after the various doses of conticosterone. BDNF mRNA decreased after corticosterone administration dose dependently, resulting in a maximal suppression of 35, 20, and 50% in dentate gyrus, CA3, CA1, respectively. Interestingly, trkB responded to corticosterone in an inverted U‐shaped fashion in CA3 and dentate gyrus: the low dose of corticosterone increased trkB mRNA expression in both regions by approximately 30%, while the effect of the two higher doses was not different from the vehicle injected controls. In conclusion, we found differential effects of low and high doses of corticosterone on BDNF and trkB expression in hippocampus, which suggests involvement of a coordinated MR‐ and GR‐mediated action. J. Neurosci. Res. 48:334–341, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.