Expression of neurogranin and neuromodulin is affected in the striatum of vitamin A-deprived rats.
Molecular Brain Research. 2004-04-01; 123(1-2): 7-17
DOI: 10.1016/j.molbrainres.2003.12.012
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1. Brain Res Mol Brain Res. 2004 Apr 7;123(1-2):7-17.
Expression of neurogranin and neuromodulin is affected in the striatum of vitamin
A-deprived rats.
Husson M(1), Enderlin V, Alfos S, Boucheron C, Pallet V, Higueret P.
Author information:
(1)Unité de Nutrition et Signalisation Cellulaire (EA MENRT; USC INRA) ISTAB,
Université Bordeaux 1, Avenue des Facultés, Talence Cedex 33405, France.
Our previous data showed that vitamin A deficiency (VAD) induces, in whole brain,
a reduced amount of mRNA for brain retinoic acid (RA) and triiodothyronine (T3)
nuclear receptors (i.e., RAR, RXR, and TR, respectively), which is accompanied by
reduced amounts of mRNA and protein of neurogranin (RC3, a neuronal protein
involved in synaptic plasticity) as well as selective behavioral impairment.
Given the important role of retinoids for optimal brain functioning, the effects
of vitamin A depletion and subsequent administration of RA or T3 on the mRNA
levels of RA and T3 nuclear receptors and on two target genes’ (RC3 and
neuromodulin or GAP43) mRNA and protein levels were examined in the hippocampus,
striatum, and cerebral cortex. A quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction
(PCR), in situ hybridization, and Western blot analysis demonstrated that the
striatal region is the brain site where both RA and T3 signaling pathways are
most affected by VAD. Indeed, rats fed a vitamin A-free diet for 10 weeks
exhibited decreased expression of RAR, RXR, TR, RC3, and GAP43 in the striatum.
The administration of T3 to these vitamin A-deprived rats reversed the reduction
in mRNA levels of RA and T3 nuclear receptors and in mRNA and protein levels of
target genes in this region. These data suggest that modifications that appear
preferentially in the striatum, a region highly sensitive to vitamin A
bioavailability, may contribute to neurobiological alterations and the spatial
learning impairment that occurs in vitamin A-deprived animals.
DOI: 10.1016/j.molbrainres.2003.12.012
PMID: 15046861 [Indexed for MEDLINE]