Glucocorticoid receptor and NGFI-A gene expression are induced in the hippocampus after environmental enrichment in adult rats.
Environmental manipulation alters hippocampal glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression in neonatal rats, but effects in adults have not been documented. Chronic environmental enrichment (EE) increases nerve-growth factor (NGF) concentrations in the adult rat hippocampus. Here we demonstrate that EE induces GR, but not mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) gene expression in specific hippocampal subfields (CA1 and CA2). This is accompanied by increased expression of mRNA encoding the (NGF-induced) immediate early gene NGFI-A in CA2, whereas expression of NGFI-B mRNA decreased in CA1 and CA2. The nature of any relationship between NGF, the transcription factors and GR remains to be determined, but the results demonstrate that chronic environmental manipulations alter hippocampal GR gene expression in adult rats.
Olsson
T
T
Department of Medicine, Western General Hospital, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
Mohammed
A H
AH
Donaldson
L F
LF
Henriksson
B G
BG
Seckl
J R
JR
D000818:Animals; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D051766:Early Growth Response Protein 1; D015870:Gene Expression; D017781:Genes, Immediate-Early; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism*; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins; D008297:Male; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D018161:Receptors, Mineralocorticoid / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012919:Social Behavior; D012934:Social Isolation; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D016335:Zinc Fingers
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D051766:Early Growth Response Protein 1; C486110:Egr1 protein, rat; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid; D018161:Receptors, Mineralocorticoid; D014157:Transcription Factors