TY - JOUR
T1 - Suppressed expression of cystathionine β-synthase and smaller cerebellum in Wistar Kyoto rats
AU - Nagasawa, Mao
AU - Ikeda, Hiromi
AU - Kawase, Takahiro
AU - Iwamoto, Ayaka
AU - Yasuo, Shinobu
AU - Furuse, Mitsuiro
N1 - Funding Information:
The present work has been supported by a grant for a Research Fellowship for Young Scientists awarded by the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (No. 13J04145 ).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
PY - 2015/10/22
Y1 - 2015/10/22
N2 - We previously reported that Wistar Kyoto rats, an animal model of depression, have a characteristically abnormal serine metabolism in the brain, i.e., lower serine and cystathionine, which is a metabolite of serine, concentrations in the brain. To explore the mechanism underlying this abnormality, the expression of cystathionine β-synthase and serine racemase, which are the enzymes involved in the serine metabolism, was investigated in the cerebellum and hippocampus of Wistar and Wistar Kyoto rats. Wistar Kyoto rats exhibited a significantly lower mRNA expression of cystathionine β-synthase in the cerebellum in comparison with Wistar rats, while expression levels in the hippocampus did not differ between strains. Previous study indicated that the reduction of cystathionine β-synthase in the brain induced cerebellar aplasia in mice. Therefore, the cerebellar size was compared between Wistar rats and Wistar Kyoto rats. Wistar Kyoto rats displayed a lower ratio of cerebellum weight to whole-brain weight compared with Wistar rats of the same generation or similar body weight, suggesting that Wistar Kyoto rats exhibit smaller cerebellum. These results suggest that the lower mRNA expression of cystathionine β-synthase in the cerebellum and the smaller size of cerebellum may be related to the depression-like behavior in Wistar Kyoto rats.
AB - We previously reported that Wistar Kyoto rats, an animal model of depression, have a characteristically abnormal serine metabolism in the brain, i.e., lower serine and cystathionine, which is a metabolite of serine, concentrations in the brain. To explore the mechanism underlying this abnormality, the expression of cystathionine β-synthase and serine racemase, which are the enzymes involved in the serine metabolism, was investigated in the cerebellum and hippocampus of Wistar and Wistar Kyoto rats. Wistar Kyoto rats exhibited a significantly lower mRNA expression of cystathionine β-synthase in the cerebellum in comparison with Wistar rats, while expression levels in the hippocampus did not differ between strains. Previous study indicated that the reduction of cystathionine β-synthase in the brain induced cerebellar aplasia in mice. Therefore, the cerebellar size was compared between Wistar rats and Wistar Kyoto rats. Wistar Kyoto rats displayed a lower ratio of cerebellum weight to whole-brain weight compared with Wistar rats of the same generation or similar body weight, suggesting that Wistar Kyoto rats exhibit smaller cerebellum. These results suggest that the lower mRNA expression of cystathionine β-synthase in the cerebellum and the smaller size of cerebellum may be related to the depression-like behavior in Wistar Kyoto rats.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.brainres.2015.07.043
DO - 10.1016/j.brainres.2015.07.043
M3 - Article
C2 - 26241765
AN - SCOPUS:84964502165
SN - 0006-8993
VL - 1624
SP - 208
EP - 213
JO - Brain Research
JF - Brain Research
ER -