title: Antenatal Taurine Improves Intrauterine Growth-Restricted Fetal Rat Brain Development Which Is Associated with Increasing the Activity of PKA-CaMKII/c-fos Signal Pathway.
abstract: This study aimed to explore whether antenatal supplement of taurine can improve the brain development of fetal rats with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) via protein kinase A (PKA)-Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII)/c-fos pathway. A total of 30 pregnant rats were randomly divided into the following three groups: control, IUGR, and IUGR with antenatal taurine supplementation groups. The expression of PKA, CaMKII, and c-fos mRNA and proteins in fetal rat brain tissues were detected by quantitative real time (qRT)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Western blot, respectively; and the number of PKA-, CaMKII- and c-fos-positive cells was measured by immunohistochemistry. Western blot and qRT-PCR revealed that antenatal taurine supplementation significantly increased PKA, CaMKII, and c-fos protein and mRNA levels in fetal rats brain with IUGR (p < 0.05). Immunohistochemistry results showed that the numbers of PKA-, CaMKII-, and c-fos-positive cells were significantly decreased in the IUGR groups compared with the controls; while antenatal taurine could significantly increase the positive cell numbers (p < 0.05). So, we conclude that antenatal taurine improves IUGR fetal brain development which is associated with increasing the activity of PKA-CaMKII/c-fos signal pathway.
authors: Department of Neonatology and NICU of Bayi Children's Hospital, Beijing Military General Hospital affiliated to Southern Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors: Fang
authors: F
authors: Liu
authors: Department of Neonatology and NICU of Bayi Children's Hospital, Beijing Military General Hospital affiliated to Southern Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors: Ying
authors: Y
authors: Liu
authors: Department of Neonatology and NICU of Bayi Children's Hospital, Beijing Military General Hospital affiliated to Southern Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors: Jing
authors: J
authors: Liu
authors: Department of Neonatology and NICU of Bayi Children's Hospital, Beijing Military General Hospital affiliated to Southern Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors: Li-Ya
authors: LY
authors: Ma
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism; D054732:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011247:Pregnancy; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013654:Taurine / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D013654:Taurine; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; D054732:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2