Project description:To investigate how exposure to morphine during the prenatal and early postnatal period affects the offspring prefrontal cortex in a mouse model We performed gene expression profiling analysis using data obtained from RNA-seq of offspring prefrontal cortical brain samples at postnatal day 21
Project description:We used MS-based TMT quantitative proteomics in combination with phosphopeptide enrichment method to compare phosphoproteomic profiling in prefrontal cortex of of PS-S and CON offspring rats.
Project description:Our previous study showed that Dicer1 expression is positively correlated with the development of analgesic tolerance. To further understand the miRNA regulation by Dicer in the development of tolerance, we performed microRNA profiling using Agilent mouse miRNA arrays to identify the miRNA profiles in the prefrontal cortex from C57BL/6J (C57) mice under saline or morphine treatment.
Project description:The opioid epidemic has received considerable attention, but the impact on perinatal opioid-exposed (POE) offspring remains underexplored. This study addresses the emerging public health challenge of understanding and treating POE children. We examine two scenarios using preclinical models: offspring exposed to oxycodone (OXY) in utero (IUO) and postnatally (PNO). We hypothesized exposure to OXY during pregnancy primes offspring for neurodevelopmental deficits and severity of deficits is dependent on timing of exposure. Notable findings include reduced head size and brain weight in offspring. Molecular analyses revealed significantly lower levels of inflammasome-specific genes in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) highlighted the enrichment of genes associated with mitochondrial and synapse dysfunction in POE offspring. Western blot analysis validated IPA predictions of mitochondrial dysfunction in PFC-derived synaptosomes. Behavioral studies identified significant social deficits in POE offspring. This study presents the first comparative analysis of PNO- and IUO-offspring during early adolescence finding PNO-offspring have considerably greater deficits. The striking difference in deficit severity in PNO-offspring suggests that exposure to opioids in late pregnancy pose the greatest risk for offspring well-being.
Project description:Prenatal exposure to infectious or inflammatory insults can increase the risk of neuropsychiatric disorders with neurodevelopmental components, including schizophrenia and autism. The molecular processes underlying this pathological association are only partially understood. Here, we implemented an unbiased genome-wide transcriptional profiling of the prefrontal cortex of mice exposed to prenatal infection on GD17 compared to control subjects in order to elucidate the long term molecular signature of late prenatal infection. We used microarray analysis to investigate the long lasting gene expression changes in a well-established mouse model that is based on maternal treatment with the viral mimic poly(I:C) during pregnancy C57BL/6 mice were treated with the synthetic viral mimetic poly(I:C) (5 mg/kg, i.v.) or control (saline, i.v.) solution on gestation day 17. Offspring were subjected to cognitive and behavioral testing in adulthood, and then whole genome gene expression analysis with Affymetrix Microarray and subsequent q-PCR validation were performed on the prefrontal Cortex.
Project description:We report changes in the medial prefrontal cortical transcriptome of male and female rat offspring after induced birth with oxytocin using RNA-seq analysis.
Project description:The prefrontal cortex is greatly associated with a wide range of mental health illnesses including schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety and autism spectrum disorders. It richly expresses neuroreceptors which are the target for typical and atypical antipsychotics. However as the precise mechanism of action of antipsychotic medications are not known, proteomic studies of the effects of antipsychotic drugs on the brain are warranted. In the current study we aimed to characterise protein expression in the adult rodent prefrontal cortex (n=5 per group) following low dose treatment with the atypical antipsychotic Risperidone or saline (control) in adolescence (postnatal days 34-47). The prefrontal cortex was examined by triplicate one hour runs of label-free LC-MS/MS. The raw mass spectral data were analyzed with the MaxQuantTM software. Statistical analysis was carried out using SAS Version 9.1. Functional and pathway analysis was performed with DAVID.nih and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis respectively and the top five most implicated pathways were found to be clathrin mediated endocytosis, the tri cyclic acid cycle, remodelling of epithelial junctions, rho family GTPase signalling and mitochondrial dysfunction.This brief report summarises the proteomic data obtained from the study described, adds to the current repertoire of data available concerning the effects of atypical antipsychotic drugs on the brain and sheds light on their biological mechanisms.
Project description:First generation animals (F1) were exposed to multiple courses of synthetic glucocorticoids in utero. Animals were then bred to produce second (F2) and third (F3) generation offspring. These animals underwent behavioural assessmenets before sacrifice. In this experiment the prefrontal cortex for F1, F2, and F3 female animals, as well as F1 males (Beta and Control) have been extracted via micro-punch and RNA has been extracted.