title: Changes in gene expression in the rat hippocampus following exposure to 56Fe particles and protection by berry diets.
abstract: Exposing young rats to particles of high energy and charge, such as (56)Fe, enhances indices of oxidative stress and inflammation and disrupts behavior, including spatial learning and memory. In the present study, we examined whether gene expression in the hippocampus, an area of the brain important in memory, is affected by exposure to 1.5 Gy or 2.5 Gy of 1 GeV/n high-energy (56)Fe particles 36 hours after irradiation. We also determined if 8 weeks of pre-feeding with 2% blueberry or 2% strawberry antioxidant diets could ameliorate irradiation-induced changes in gene expression. Alterations in gene expression profile were analyzed by pathway-focused microarrays for inflammatory cytokines and genes involved in nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signal transduction pathways. We found that genes that are directly or indirectly involved in the regulation of growth and differentiation of neurons were changed following irradiation. Genes that regulate apoptosis were up-regulated whereas genes that modulate cellular proliferation were down-regulated. The brains of animals supplemented with berry diets demonstrated an up-regulation of some protective stress signal genes. Therefore, these data suggest that (56)Fe particle irradiation causes changes in gene expression in rats that are ameliorated by berry fruit diets.
authors.affiliation: USDA-ARS, Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, 711 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111, USA. barbara.shukitthale@ars.usda.gov
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shukitt-Hale
authors.forename: Francis C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: Vivian
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Katharine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Luskin
authors.forename: Amanda N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Carey
authors.forename: Kirsty
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Carrihill-Knoll
authors.forename: Bernard M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Rabin
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Joseph
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000008:administration & dosage; D029798:Blueberry Plants; D031985:Fragaria; D005638:Fruit; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000528:radiation effects*; D058085:Iron Compounds / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000633:toxicity*; D008297:Male; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D058085:Iron Compounds; D010936:Plant Extracts