title: Active immunization against vasoactive intestinal polypeptide decreases neuronal recruitment and inhibits reproduction in zebra finches.
abstract: Neurogenesis and neuronal recruitment occur in adult brains of many vertebrates, and the hypothesis is that these phenomena contribute to the brain plasticity that enables organisms to adjust to environmental changes. In mammals, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) is known to have many neuroprotective properties, but in the avian brain, although widely distributed, its role in neuronal recruitment is not yet understood. In the present study we actively immunized adult zebra finches against VIP conjugated to KLH and compared neuronal recruitment in their brains, with brains of control birds, which were immunized against KLH. We looked at two forebrain regions: the nidopallium caudale (NC), which plays a role in vocal communication, and the hippocampus (HC), which is involved in the processing of spatial information. Our data demonstrate that active immunization against VIP reduces neuronal recruitment, inhibits reproduction, and induces molting, with no change in plasma prolactin levels. Thus, our observations suggest that VIP has a direct positive role in neuronal recruitment and reproduction in birds. J. Comp. Neurol. 524:2516-2528, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural and Life Sciences, The Open University of Israel, Ra'anana, 43107, Israel.
authors.forename: Yulia
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Vistoropsky
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural and Life Sciences, The Open University of Israel, Ra'anana, 43107, Israel.
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Heiblum
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Research & Immunology, The George Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 61391, Israel.
authors.forename: Nechama-Ina
authors.initials: NI
authors.lastname: Smorodinsky
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural and Life Sciences, The Open University of Israel, Ra'anana, 43107, Israel.
authors.forename: Anat
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barnea
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens; D005260:Female; D046369:Finches; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D014611:Vaccination / Q000379:methods*; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide
keywords: MicroBrightField; RRID: AB_323427; RRID: SciRes_000114; RRID:AB_2314656; Stereo Investigator; VIP; anti-BrdU; anti-HuC/HuD; birds; brain; neuronal recruitment; prolactin; reproduction