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cDNA Microarray Analysis of Gene Expression in the Cerebral Cortex and Hippocampus of BALB/c Mice Subjected to Chronic Mild Stress

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Abstract

Depressive disorders are devastating metal illness that can lead to deterioration in the social and occupational functioning of affected individuals. The etiology and pathophysiology of depression remain unknown. Present study was performed to better understand the underlying causes of depression. An experimental animal depression was induced in male BALB/c mice subjected to a chronic mild stress (CMS) procedure involving different stressor for consecutive 4 weeks. A cDNA microarray was employed to study the effects of CMS on the gene expression in cerebral cortex and hippocampus. 4-week CMS caused a significant reduction of 2% sucrose consumption. Morris water maze procedure showed impairment in cognitive function in stressed mice. Results of microarray showed that there were 102 and 60 genes were markedly affected by CMS treatment in cerebral cortex and hippocampus regions, respectively, including DNA damage/repair-related enzymes, anti-oxidant enzyme, and cyclin and cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK). These findings suggest that multiple biochemical effects play an important role the etiology of depression.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Key Research Funding Scheme of China (2009ZX09303) and the Youth Foundation from Institute of Basic Medical Sciences of PUMC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College (PUMC), No. 5 Dong Dan San Tiao, Beijing, 100005, China

    Yanyong Liu, Nan Yang & Pingping Zuo

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  1. Yanyong Liu
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  2. Nan Yang
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  3. Pingping Zuo
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Correspondence to Pingping Zuo.

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Yanyong Liu and Nan Yang contributed equally to this study.

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Liu, Y., Yang, N. & Zuo, P. cDNA Microarray Analysis of Gene Expression in the Cerebral Cortex and Hippocampus of BALB/c Mice Subjected to Chronic Mild Stress. Cell Mol Neurobiol 30, 1035–1047 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10571-010-9534-8

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