Potential implications of miRNA-138 pathways in neural circuit remodeling induced by chronic stress

JOHANNA F. CATALAN; GONZALO GARCÍA-ROJO; MARÍA ALEXANDRA GARCÍA; X. XIAOJIANG; JA CIDLOWSKI; JENNY L. FIEDLER

Workshop; IV International Workshop of Neuroendochrinology; 2017

Garcia-Rojo G., Garcia MA., Xiaojiang X., M., Cidlowski JA., and Fiedler JL.

Chronic restraint stress in rat may trigger depressive-like behaviors along with morphological changes in CA1 hippocampal neurons associated with a reduction in dendritic spine density. In our laboratory it has been described that chronic stress in rats induces a rise of miR-138 expression (MIMAT0000430), whose regional expression in mature mice CNS has been reported to correlate with short-term recognition memory. In vitro studies have indicated that this miRNA reduces the spine size of hippocampal neurons by repressing APT1 mRNA translation, which in turn indirectly increases the RhoA?ROCK pathway that promotes spine shrinkage. Data suggest that antidepressant protects brain morphofunctionality under chronic stress conditions by regulating cytoskeleton dynamics and prosurvival pathways. Therefore, it is pertinent to evaluate the potential miR-138 targets related to the regulation of cytoskeleton structure and cellular survival.