title: Differential effects of acute and chronic exercise on plasticity-related genes in the rat hippocampus revealed by microarray.
abstract: Studies were performed to determine the effects of acute and chronic voluntary periods of exercise on the expression of hippocampal genes. RNAs from rodents exposed to a running wheel for 3, 7 and 28 days were examined using a microarray with 1176 cDNAs expressed primarily in the brain. The expression of selected genes was quantified by Taqman RT-PCR or RNase protection assay. The largest up-regulation was observed in genes involved with synaptic trafficking (synapsin I, synaptotagmin and syntaxin); signal transduction pathways (Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, CaM-KII; mitogen-activated/extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase, MAP-K/ERK I and II; protein kinase C, PKC-delta) or transcription regulators (cyclic AMP response element binding protein, CREB). Genes associated with the glutamatergic system were up-regulated (N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor, NMDAR-2A and NMDAR-2B and excitatory amino acid carrier 1, EAAC1), while genes related to the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) system were down-regulated (GABAA receptor, glutamate decarboxylase GAD65). Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was the only trophic factor whose gene was consistently up-regulated at all timepoints. These results, together with the fact that most of the genes up-regulated have a recognized interaction with BDNF, suggest a central role for BDNF on the effects of exercise on brain plasticity. The temporal profile of gene expression seems to delineate a mechanism by which specific molecular pathways are activated after exercise performance. For example, the CaM-K signal system seems to be active during acute and chronic periods of exercise, while the MAP-K/ERK system seems more important during long-term exercise.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurosurgery, UCLA Brain Injury Research Center and Department of Physiological Science, UCLA, 621 Charles E. Young Drive Los Angeles California 90095, USA.
authors.forename: Raffaella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Molteni
authors.forename: Zhe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ying
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gómez-Pinilla
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000235:genetics*; D005809:Genes, Regulator / Q000235:genetics; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism*; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000235:genetics*; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D010805:Physical Conditioning, Animal; D021381:Protein Transport / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000235:genetics; D013572:Synaptic Vesicles / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins