Chronic restraint stress alters the expression and distribution of phosphorylated tau and MAP2 in cortex and hippocampus of rat brain.
Microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) play a critical role in maintaining normal cytoskeletal architecture and functions. In the present study, we aim to explore the effects of the emotional stressor, chronic restraint stress, on the expression levels and localization of tau and MAP2. We found that after chronic restraint stress, soluble hyperphosphorylated tau was greatly increased, whereas MAP2 was decreased. Moreover, immunohistochemistry analysis demonstrated that phosphorylated tau and MAP2 displayed the similar subcellular distribution pattern after chronic restraint stress. Robust hyperphosphorylated tau immunolabeling was observed both in cortex and hippocampus of stressed animals and mainly located to perikaryal/dendritic elements. After stress, the MAP2 was mainly distributed in the perikaryal compartments, discontinuous dendrites and neuropil. Moreover, the distribution pattern of MAP2 in hippocampus significantly changed. Immunofluorescence double labeling indicated that hyperphosphorylated tau increased in the regions where there displayed an decrease of MAP2. These results suggest that the involvement of repeated restraint stress may not only induce phosphorylation state of tau and distribution of phosphorylated tau, but also alter the content and neuronal distribution of MAP2. Tau and MAP2 are most important MAPs for neuronal cells, the subcellular distribution change of them might be link to functional change of neurons after emotional stress.
State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Department of Neurobiology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, 138 Yixueyuan Road, Shanghai 200032, PR China.
Jie
J
Yan
Xiao-Bo
XB
Sun
Hong-Quan
HQ
Wang
Hong
H
Zhao
Xiao-Yan
XY
Zhao
Yu-Xia
YX
Xu
Jing-Chun
JC
Guo
Cui-Qing
CQ
Zhu
D000818:Animals; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D010766:Phosphorylation / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012149:Restraint, Physical / Q000379:methods; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D016875:tau Proteins