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A critical role of hypocretin deficiency in pregnancy
Author(s) -
Bastianini Stefano,
Berteotti Chiara,
Lo Martire Viviana,
Silvani Alessandro,
Zoccoli Giovanna
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of sleep research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.297
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1365-2869
pISSN - 0962-1105
DOI - 10.1111/jsr.12107
Subject(s) - orexin , narcolepsy , pregnancy , knockout mouse , genetically modified mouse , medicine , endocrinology , pathophysiology , transgene , biology , neuropeptide , neurology , psychiatry , receptor , gene , genetics , biochemistry
Summary Hypocretin/orexin peptides are known for their role in the control of the wake–sleep cycle and narcolepsy–cataplexy pathophysiology. Recent studies suggested that hypocretin peptides also have a role in pregnancy. We tested this hypothesis by conducting a retrospective analysis on pregnancy complications in two different mouse models of hypocretin deficiency. We recorded 85 pregnancies of mice lacking either hypocretin peptides (knockout) or hypocretin‐releasing neurons (transgenic) and their wild‐type controls. Pregnancy was associated with unexplained dam death before delivery in 3/15 pregnancies in knockout mice, and in 3/23 pregnancies in transgenic mice. No casualties occurred in wild‐type pregnant dams ( P < 0.007 versus hypocretin‐deficient mice as a whole). Hypocretin deficiency did not impact either on litter size or the number of weaned pups per litter. These data provide preliminary evidence of a critical role of hypocretin deficiency in pregnancy.