title: Comparative gene expression analysis of the amygdala in autistic rat models produced by pre- and post-natal exposures to valproic acid.
abstract: Gene expression profiles in the amygdala of juvenile rats were compared between the two autistic rat models for mechanistic insights into impaired social behavior and enhanced anxiety in autism. The rats exposed to VPA by intraperitoneal administration to their dams at embryonic day (E) 12 were used as a model for autism (E2IP), and those by subcutaneous administration at postnatal day (P) 14 (P14SC) were used as a model for regressive autism; both of the models show impaired social behavior and enhanced anxiety as symptoms. Gene expression profiles in the amygdala of the rats (E12IP and P14SC) were analyzed by microarray and compared to each other. Only two genes, Neu2 and Mt2a, showed significant changes in the same direction in both of the rat models, and there were little similarities in the overall gene expression profiles between them. It was considered that gene expression changes per se in the amygdala might be an important cause for impaired social behavior and enhanced anxiety, rather than expression changes of particular genes.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neuropharmacology, Division of Pharmacology, National Institute of Health Sciences, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsuko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oguchi-Katayama
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Monma
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sekino
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Moriguchi
authors.forename: Kaoru
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sato
mesh_terms: D000679:Amygdala; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001007:Anxiety / Q000235:genetics; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D018811:Maternal Exposure; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D008668:Metallothionein / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D009439:Neuraminidase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012919:Social Behavior; D059467:Transcriptome / Q000235:genetics*; D014635:Valproic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: C491053:MT2A protein, human; D014635:Valproic Acid; D008668:Metallothionein; C528920:Neu2 protein, rat; D009439:Neuraminidase