[Abstract Title]. - Society for Neuroscience

show a higher prevalence in females than in males. The highly complicated BDNF gene structure
offers many opportunities to regulate the expression of the gene products. New insights into the
site, gender, and exon-specific regulation of BDNF may add to our knowledge about
pathogenesis of psychopathologies. In the non-preganglionic Edinger-Westphal nucleus (npEW),
a nucleus also involved in stress and stress-related mood disorders, BDNF mRNA expression
was found to be decreased in male suicide victims but increased in female ones. The CRF
peptide family member urocortin 1 (Ucn1) is predominantly expressed in the npEW. Recently
we have shown that Ucn1 neurons contain BDNF and beta estrogen receptors, suggesting
gender-specific differences in the npEW. Based on these observations we hypothesized that
BDNF mRNA and protein contents of the npEW change upon stress and differ between male and
female rats; in addition the BDNF gene is differentially regulated by the different types of
stressors in the npEW. To confirm our hypotheses, we examined acutely and chronically stressed
male and female rats vs. controls. In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry revealed the
presence of BDNF mRNA and protein in the Ucn1 neurons while RT-PCR demonstrated an
increase in BDNF mRNA expression after chronic stress in males and after acute and chronic
stress in females. Quantitative RT-PCR showed that exon 3, 4, 7, 8, are not expressed in the
npEW, in contrast, acute stress induced expression of exons 6 and 9 in both males and females,
while expression of exons 1 and 2 were induced in males only. BDNF protein was increased by
acute stress in females but unaffected in males. We therefore propose that BDNF plays a role in
the response of npEW Ucn1 neurons to stress, in a stressor- and gender-specific fashion. Further
research on the significance of these findings could help to understand how the well known
gender differences in stress-related brain diseases occur.
Disclosures: B. Gaszner , None; N. Derks, None; M. Mareike, None; E.W. Roubos, None; T.
Kozicz, None.
Poster
283. Stress-Regulated Pathways II
Time: Sunday, November 16, 2008, 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Program#/Poster#: 283.5/PP1
Topic: E.06.f. Stress modulated pathways
Support: BK21 program
Title: Identification of glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors on spinally- and
medullary- projecting neurons in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus
Authors: S. SHIN, T. HAN, S. LEE, *P. RYU;
Dept. Vet. Pharmacol., Col. Vet. Med, Seoul Natl. Univ., Seoul, Republic of Korea