Ghrelin induced transcription of Bdnf promoters in hippocampal slices.

Mar del Plata

Congreso; Reunión anual SAIC.SAI.SAFE. 2016; 2016

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Clínica

Ghrelin (Gr) is a peptide involved in the modulation of several biological processes. In a previous work we have shown that Ghr administration in rats, either intracerebroventricularly or directly into brain areas such as the hippocampus (hp), amygdala or dorsal raphe nucleus, enhances memory retention in tests such as step-down and object recognition in a dose-dependent. In addition we have also demonstrated (electrophysiological studies) that intra-hippocampal Gr administration decreases the threshold to induce long term potentiation (LTP), a process underlying memory formation) and also that gr increases glutamate release and the expression of the NMDA receptor NR2B subunit.A neurotrophin BDNF (Brain-derived neurotrophic factor), the most abundant in the nervous system and in Hp, is an important regulator of synaptic plasticity, dendritic arborization and memory.Taking into account the effects of Gr and those described for BDNF, we propose to investigate A) if Gr-induced memory facilitation correlates with modifications in BDNF expression in young and old mice. Hp slices were incubated in absence and in presence of Gr and the BDNF mRNA from the activation of promoters I, II, IV and VI were evaluated; B) the effect of Gr on the density and morphology of dendritic spines (ED): Gr was added to hp cell culture. Results show that Gr increased levels of BDNF mRNA by almost 5 fold compared to untreated animals: the transcriptional activity of specific promoters increased selectively: I and II in young mice and I and IV in old animals.