Abstract
Rationale
Therapeutic efficacy of antidepressant drugs appears to be related to their ability in producing neuroadaptive changes that restore normal brain function. Activity-regulated cytoskeletal associated protein (Arc) is an effector immediate early gene that plays a fundamental role in activity-dependent neural plasticity in corticolimbic brain regions and has been implicated in the modulation of several functions known to be profoundly perturbed in depressive states.
Objective
In the present study, we investigated transcriptional and translational changes of Arc in response to acute or chronic treatment with the novel antidepressant duloxetine.
Results
Although a limited increase of Arc messenger RNA (mRNA) levels was found in some structures after acute antidepressant administration, a marked up-regulation of its gene expression was found after chronic treatment, primarily at the level of frontal cortex. The changes observed after prolonged duloxetine administration strongly correlates with those previously reported on brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA levels Calabrese et al. (Neuropsychopharmacol 32:2351–2359, 2007). In addition, we found an anatomical-specific influence of chronic duloxetine on stress-dependent Arc modulation, which was limited to the frontal cortex.
Conclusions
We suggest that these neuroadaptive changes, among others, might contribute to the normalization of neuroplastic defects associated with mood disorders.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Berton O, Nestler EJ (2006) New approaches to antidepressant drug discovery: beyond monoamines. Nat Rev Neurosci 7:137–151
Bramham CR, Messaoudi E (2005) BDNF function in adult synaptic plasticity: the synaptic consolidation hypothesis. Prog Neurobiol 76:99–125
Bramham CR, Wells DG (2007) Dendritic mRNA: transport, translation and function. Nat Rev Neurosci 8:776–789
Bymaster FP, Lee TC, Knadler MP, Detke MJ, Iyengar S (2005) The dual transporter inhibitor duloxetine: a review of its preclinical pharmacology, pharmacokinetic profile, and clinical results in depression. Curr Pharm Des 11:1475–1493
Calabrese F, Molteni R, Maj PF, Cattaneo A, Gennarelli M, Racagni G, Riva MA (2007) Chronic duloxetine treatment induces specific changes in the expression of BDNF transcripts and in the subcellular localization of the neurotrophin protein. Neuropsychopharmacol 32:2351–2359
Castren E (2005) Is mood chemistry? Nat Rev Neurosci 6:241–246
Duman RS, Monteggia LM (2006) A neurotrophic model for stress-related mood disorders. Biol Psychiatry 59:1116–1127
Guzowski JF (2002) Insights into immediate-early gene function in hippocampal memory consolidation using antisense oligonucleotide and fluorescent imaging approaches. Hippocampus 12:86–104
Guzowski JF, McNaughton BL, Barnes CA, Worley PF (1999) Environment-specific expression of the immediate-early gene Arc in hippocampal neuronal ensembles. Nat Neurosci 2:1120–1124
Kuipers SD, Bramham CR (2006) Brain-derived neurotrophic factor mechanisms and function in adult synaptic plasticity: new insights and implications for therapy. Curr Opin Drug Discov Devel 9:580–586
Larsen MH, Olesen M, Woldbye DP, Hay-Schmidt A, Hansen HH, Ronn LC, Mikkelsen JD (2005) Regulation of activity-regulated cytoskeleton protein (Arc) mRNA after acute and chronic electroconvulsive stimulation in the rat. Brain Res 1064:161–165
Link W, Konietzko U, Kauselmann G, Krug M, Schwanke B, Frey U, Kuhl D (1995) Somatodendritic expression of an immediate early gene is regulated by synaptic activity. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 92:5734–5738
Lyford GL, Yamagata K, Kaufmann WE, Barnes CA, Sanders LK, Copeland NG, Gilbert DJ, Jenkins NA, Lanahan AA, Worley PF (1995) Arc, a growth factor and activity-regulated gene, encodes a novel cytoskeleton-associated protein that is enriched in neuronal dendrites. Neuron 14:433–445
Ons S, Martí O, Armario A (2004) Stress-induced activation of the immediate early gene Arc (activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein) is restricted to telencephalic areas in the rat brain: relationship to c-fos mRNA. J Neurochem 89:1111–1118
Paxinos C, Watson G (1996) The rat brain in stereotaxic coordinates. Academic, New York
Pei Q, Zetterstrom TS, Sprakes M, Tordera R, Sharp T (2003) Antidepressant drug treatment induces Arc gene expression in the rat brain. Neurosci 121:975–982
Pittenger C, Duman RS (2008) Stress, depression, and neuroplasticity: a convergence of mechanisms. Neuropsychopharmacology 33:88–109
Ramírez-Amaya V, Vazdarjanova A, Mikhael D, Rosi S, Worley PF, Barnes CA (2005) Spatial exploration-induced Arc mRNA and protein expression: evidence for selective, network-specific reactivation. J Neurosci 25:1761–1768
Rao VR, Pintchovski SA, Chin J, Peebles CL, Mitra S, Finkbeiner S (2006) AMPA receptors regulate transcription of the plasticity-related immediate-early gene Arc. Nat Neurosci 9:887–895
Riva MA, Molteni R, Lovati E, Fumagalli F, Rusnati M, Racagni G (1996) Cyclic AMP-dependent regulation of fibroblast growth factor-2 messenger RNA levels in rat cortical astrocytes: comparison with fibroblast growth factor-1 and ciliary neurotrophic factor. Mol Pharmacol 49:699–706
Schildkraut JJ (1965) The catecholamine hypothesis of affective disorders: a review of supporting evidence. Am J Psychiatry 122:509–522
Shepherd JD, Rumbaugh G, Wu J, Chowdhury S, Plath N, Kuhl D, Huganir RL, Worley PF (2006) Arc/Arg3.1 mediates homeostatic synaptic scaling of AMPA receptors. Neuron 52:475–484
Steward O, Worley PF (2001) A cellular mechanism for targeting newly synthesized mRNAs to synaptic sites on dendrites. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 98:7062–7068
Steward O, Wallace CS, Lyford GL, Worley PF (1998) Synaptic activation causes the mRNA for the IEG Arc to localize selectively near activated postsynaptic sites on dendrites. Neuron 21:741–751
Tagawa Y, Kanold PO, Majdan M, Shatz CJ (2005) Multiple periods of functional ocular dominance plasticity in mouse visual cortex. Nat Neurosci 8:380–388
Temple MD, Worley PF, Steward O (2003) Visualizing changes in circuit activity resulting from denervation and reinnervation using immediate early gene expression. J Neurosci 23:2779–2788
Trnecková L, Rotllant D, Klenerová V, Hynie S, Armario A (2007) Dynamics of immediate early gene and neuropeptide gene response to prolonged immobilization stress: evidence against a critical role of the termination of exposure to the stressor. J Neurochem 100:905–914
Tzingounis AV, Nicoll RA (2006) Arc/Arg3.1: linking gene expression to synaptic plasticity and memory. Neuron 52:403–407
Ying SW, Futter M, Rosenblum K, Webber MJ, Hunt SP, Bliss TV, Bramham CR (2002) Brain-derived neurotrophic factor induces long-term potentiation in intact adult hippocampus: requirement for ERK activation coupled to CREB and upregulation of Arc synthesis. J Neurosci 22:1532–1540
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Dr. P.F. Maj and F. Bolis for contributing to a part of this study. This research has been supported by funding to M.A.R. from the Italian Ministry of University (PRIN n.2005059982) and Research, the Ministry of Health, and by an unrestricted grant from Eli Lilly Italia S.p.A.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Molteni, R., Calabrese, F., Mancini, M. et al. Basal and stress-induced modulation of activity-regulated cytoskeletal associated protein (Arc) in the rat brain following duloxetine treatment. Psychopharmacology 201, 285–292 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-008-1276-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-008-1276-7