Regulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor messenger RNA levels in avian hypothalamic slice cultures

M. R. Viant, J. R. Millam*, M. E. Delany, D. M. Fry

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Mechanisms regulating the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a member of the neurotrophin family, have been extensively studied in the rat cerebral cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum. In contrast, little is known regarding the regulation of this growth factor in the hypothalamus. Here we present an analysis of the regulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor messenger RNA levels in chick embryo hypothalamic slice cultures following exposure to potassium chloride, glutamate agonists and sex steroids. Following a week in chemically-defined media the tissue was depolarized by exposure to 50 mM potassium chloride for 6 h, resulting in a significant 4.2-fold increase in the level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor messenger RNA. This result is consistent with studies of other brain regions. Similar 6-h acute exposures of the hypothalamic cultures to 25 μM N-methyl-D-aspartic acid, 25 μM kainic acid and 25 μM α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-isoxazole-4-propionic acid also significantly increased messenger RNA levels 2.5-, 2.1- and 1.4-fold, respectively. It was previously reported that brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels within the rat cerebral cortex, olfactory bulb and hippocampus are altered by exposure to 17β-estradiol. Here we show that in hypothalamic slice cultures neither acute nor chronic treatments with 10 and 100 nM 17β-estradiol and 10 nM testosterone significantly altered the steady-state level of this growth factor. These findings show that neuronal activity, induced by glutamate agonists and potassium chloride, can regulate brain-derived neurotrophic factor messenger RNA levels within embryonic hypothalamic slice cultures. This regulation could play a critical role in the modulation of programmed cell death and synaptic maturation during development of the hypothalamus. (C) 2000 IBRO.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)373-380
Number of pages8
JournalNeuroscience
Volume99
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 11 Sept 2000

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The authors thank Dr Finn Hallböök (Uppsala University, Sweden) for supplying us with the BDNF and GAPDH DNA plasmids and Dr Carol Jones for cloning these plasmids. We are also very grateful to Dr Michael Denison for use of his PhosphorImager and UV spectrometer, to Dr Barry Wilson, Pam Nieberg and Brigid McCrea for assistance with the organotypic slice culturing, and to Alex Krupkin for help with the radioactivity work. Finally, we are indebted to Christina Craig-Veit for general laboratory assistance. This work was generously supported by an Environmental Protection Agency grant (R825294-01) to DMF and JRM.

Keywords

  • BDNF
  • Chick embryo
  • Estradiol
  • Gene regulation
  • Glutamate agonist
  • Hypothalamus

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Neuroscience

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