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Maternal behavior regulates long‐term hippocampal expression of BAX and apoptosis in the offspring
Author(s) -
Weaver Ian C. G.,
Grant Rebecca J.,
Meaney Michael J.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1046/j.1471-4159.2002.01054.x
Subject(s) - offspring , tunel assay , hippocampal formation , apoptosis , biology , dentate gyrus , programmed cell death , endocrinology , medicine , dna fragmentation , hippocampus , andrology , genetics , pregnancy
Naturally occurring variations in maternal care influence hippocampal development in the rat. In the present study we found that variations in maternal licking/grooming (LG) during the first week of life are associated with altered hippocampal expression of BAX (group‐1 tumor necrosis factor family mediated cell death effector) in 90‐day‐old male offspring. BAX‐like immunoreactivity on western blots is significantly increased in the adult offspring of low‐level LG mothers. There is no effect of maternal care on levels of either B‐cell lymphoma‐2 (BCL‐2) (group‐II mitochondria mediated cell death suppressor) or BAD (group‐III endoplasmic reticulum mediated cell death effector). The most striking biochemical event in apoptosis is DNA fragmentation. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transerferase (Tdt)‐mediated dUTP‐biotin nick‐end labeling (TUNEL) and 4′,6′‐diamidino‐2‐phenylindole hydrochloride (DAPI) staining showed that the number of TUNEL‐positive cells in both the dentate gyrus and CA1 region of the hippocampus is significantly increased in the adult offspring of low‐level LG mothers. In conclusion, we propose that hippocampal neurons in the offspring of low‐level LG mothers may be more vulnerable to loss through apoptosis.