Project description:In this study we hypothesize that early life stress perturbs the normal function of microglial in the developing hippocampus and that this effect is responsible for the ability of early life tress to disrupt normal synaptic maturation, myelination, and axonal growth in the developing hippocampus. To test this hypothesis we used the mouse immune panel from NanoString in order to identify immune-related genes whose expression is modified by BDS, a mouse model of early life stress, in microglia isolated from the hippocampus of 28-day old male pups. This project is part of a manuscript that is currently under preparation (Delpech J.C. et al. Early life stress perturbs the maturation of microglia in the developing hippocampus, Brain, Behavior and Immunity, 2016)
Project description:The goal of this project was to identify genes whose expression is modified by age in microglia isolated from the hippocampus of 14 and 28-day old control mice (i.e. normally developing mice). To accomplish this we used two independent cohorts of control mice and identified a list of 76 genes that were significantly regulated by age (p< 0.05) in both cohorts. Data for cohort 1 were extracted from gene expression of P14 and P28 control mice available in the BDS-P14-male series (GSE81036) and BDS-P28-male series (GSE81037). Data for cohort 2 are available in this series. These data are summarized also in Table S3 in Delpech J.C. et al. Early life stress perturbs the maturation of microglial cells in the developing hippocampus, Brain, Behavior and Immunity, 2016 (in preparation).
Project description:In this study we hypothesize that early life stress perturbs the normal function of microglia in the developing hippocampus and that this effect is responsible for the ability of early life tress to disrupt normal synaptic maturation, myelination, and axonal growth in the developing hippocampus. To test this hypothesis we used the mouse immune panel from NanoString in order to identify immune-related genes whose expression is modified by BDS, a mouse model of early life stress, in microglia isolated from the hippocampus of 14-day old male pups. This project is part of a manuscript that is currently under preparation (Delpech J.C. et al. Early life stress perturbs the maturation of microglia in the developing hippocampus, Brain, Behavior and Immunity, 2016)
Project description:The goal of this project was to assess the effects of two paradigms of early life stress on microglial gene expression in the developing hippocampus of 17-day old mice. Sixty thousands microglia were isolated from the hippocampus of 17-day old mice pups exposed to control (CTL), limited bedding (LB) or unpredictable postnatal stress (UPS) conditions and were processed to assess gene expression using the mouse Glia panel (Nanostring, Cat # XT-Mm Glial profiling CSO).
Project description:<p>Omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids; n-3 PUFAs) are essential for the functional maturation of the brain. Westernization of dietary habits in both developed and developing countries is accompanied by a progressive reduction in dietary intake of n-3 PUFAs. Low maternal intake of n-3 PUFAs has been linked to neurodevelopmental diseases in epidemiological studies, but the mechanisms by which a n-3 PUFA dietary imbalance affects CNS development are poorly understood. Active microglial engulfment of synaptic elements is an important process for normal brain development and altered synapse refinement is a hallmark of several neurodevelopmental disorders. Here, we identify a molecular mechanism for detrimental effects of low maternal n-3 PUFA intake on hippocampal development. Our results show that maternal dietary n-3 PUFA deficiency increases microglial phagocytosis of synaptic elements in the developing hippocampus, partly through the activation of 12/15- lipoxygenase (LOX)/12-HETE signaling, which alters neuronal morphology and affects cognition in the postnatal offspring. While women of child bearing age are at higher risk of dietary n-3 PUFA deficiency, these findings provide new insights into the mechanisms linking maternal nutrition to neurodevelopmental disorders.</p>
Project description:We identified the microglial population in the chick anterior hypothalamus (AH) and showed that early-life thermal stress (on day 3 post-hatch) influences the inflammatory process in the AH, altering microglial transcriptomic signature in response to LPS treatment (on day 10 post-hatch).
Project description:Sleep supports lifelong brain health and cognition. Sleep loss in early life can drive lasting changes in adult behavior, indicating sleep plays a distinct but poorly understood role supporting brain development. We systematically examined the molecular and behavioral adaptations and synaptic consequences of acute sleep deprivation (SD) in developing and adult mice. Developing mice lack robust adaptations to SD, exacerbating cognitive deficits. Synapse proteome and phosphoproteome analysis revealed profound vulnerability to SD in developing mice, including immediate impacts on synaptogenesis and key aspects of brain development. With maturation, a unified biochemical effect of sleep on synapses emerges, together with robust adaptations and resilience to SD. Our findings show sleep plays a distinct role in early life supporting synapse development, transitioning to homeostatic functions with maturation.
