title: Deletion of the miR-379/miR-410 gene cluster at the imprinted Dlk1-Dio3 locus enhances anxiety-related behaviour.
abstract: The brain-specific miR-379/miR-410 gene cluster at the imprinted Dlk1-Dio3 domain is implicated in several aspects of brain development and function, particularly in fine-tuning the dendritic outgrowth and spine remodelling of hippocampal neurons. Whether it might influence behaviour and memory-related processes has not yet been explored at the whole organism level. We previously reported that constitutive deletion of the miR-379/miR-410 gene cluster affects metabolic adaptation in neonatal mice. Here, we examined the role of this cluster in adult brain functions by subjecting mice with the constitutive deletion to a battery of behavioural and cognitive tests. We found that the lack of miR-379/miR-410 expression is associated with abnormal emotional responses, as demonstrated by increased anxiety-related behaviour in unfamiliar environments. In contrast, spontaneous exploration, general locomotion, mood levels and sociability remained unaltered. Surprisingly, miR-379/miR-410-deficient mice also showed normal learning and spatial (or contextual) memory abilities in hippocampus-dependent tasks involving neuronal plasticity. Taken together, the imprinted miR-379/miR-410 gene cluster thus emerges as a novel regulator of the two main post-natal physiological processes previously associated with imprinted, protein-coding genes: behaviour and energy homeostasis.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire Eucaryote, Université de Toulouse, UPS and CNRS, LBME, F-31000 Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Virginie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Marty
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire Eucaryote, Université de Toulouse, UPS and CNRS, LBME, F-31000 Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Labialle
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire Eucaryote, Université de Toulouse, UPS and CNRS, LBME, F-31000 Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Marie-Line
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bortolin-Cavaillé
authors.affiliation: INRA, Nutrition and Integrative Neurobiology, Bordeaux, France, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France.
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ferreira De Medeiros
authors.affiliation: INRA, Nutrition and Integrative Neurobiology, Bordeaux, France, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France.
authors.forename: Marie-Pierre
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Moisan
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Université de Toulouse, UPS and Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, CNRS, UMR 5169, 118 route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse cedex 9, France.
authors.forename: Cédrick
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Florian
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire Eucaryote, Université de Toulouse, UPS and CNRS, LBME, F-31000 Toulouse, France, cavaille@ibcg.biotoul.fr.
authors.forename: Jérôme
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cavaillé
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D005260:Female; D018392:Genomic Imprinting; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D007453:Iodide Peroxidase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005810:Multigene Family; D017384:Sequence Deletion
chemical_list: D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; C512925:Dlk1 protein, mouse; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D035683:MicroRNAs; C117274:iodothyronine deiodinase type III; D007453:Iodide Peroxidase