Chronic exposure to stressful environment is a key risk factor contributing to the development of depression. However, the mechanisms involved in this process are still unclear. Brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) has long been investigated for its positive role in regulation of mood, although the role of its precursor, proBDNF, in regulation of mood is not known. In this study, using an unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) paradigm we found that the protein levels of proBDNF were increased in the neocortex and hippocampus of stressed mice and this UCMS-induced upregulation of proBDNF was abolished by chronic administration of fluoxetine. We then established a rat model of UCMS and found that the expression of proBDNF/p75 NTR /sortilin was upregulated, whereas the expression of mature BDNF and TrkB was downregulated in both neocortex and hippocampus of chronically stressed rats. Finally, we found that the injection of anti-proBDNF antibody via intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) and intraperitoneal (i.p.) approaches into the UCMS rats significantly reversed the stress-induced depression-like behavior and restored the exploratory activity and spine growth. Although intramuscular injection of AAV-proBDNF did not exacerbate the UCMS-elicited rat mood-related behavioral or pathological abnormalities, i.c.v. injection of AAV-proBDNF increased the depression-like behavior in naive rats. Our findings suggest that proBDNF plays a role in the development of chronic stress-induced mood disturbances in rodents. Central (i.c.v.) or peripheral (i.p.) inhibition of proBDNF by injecting specific antiproBDNF antibodies may provide a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of stress-related mood disorders.

Microglia are one of the main cell types activated by brain injury. In the present study, we have investigated how domains of the extracellular matrix molecule tenascin-R (TN-R) modulate microglia function. We found that epidermal growth factor-like repeats inhibited adhesion and migration of microglia via a protein kinase A-dependent mechanism. In contrast, fibronectin 6 -8 repeats promoted adhesion and migration of the primary microglia via a protein kinase C-dependent mechanism. Both domains of TN-R induced an up-regulation in the secretion of cytokines, such as chemokine-induced cytokine 3 and tumor neurosis factor ␣. Interestingly, epidermal growth factor-like repeats and fibronectin 6 -8 induced a dramatic up-regulation in the secretion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor/transforming growth factor-␤ and nerve growth factor/transforming growth factor-␤, respectively, and conditioned medium from activated microglia was able to promote neurite outgrowth of N1E-115 cells and primary cortical neurons. These results suggest that TN-R plays a role in neuroprotection through distinct domains coordinating to modulate microglia function.Microglia are recognized as one of main players in the response to brain and spinal cord injury because these cells are rapidly activated in response to even minor pathological changes in the central nervous system (1, 2). This action leads to a secondary injury in which neurons and glial cells die in the hours, days, or even weeks following the initial injury. After central nervous system injury, the first therapeutic goal is to preserve as many cells as possible because functional recovery cannot be established if the nerve cells are going to die. Thus, any approach to neural regeneration that takes into account the actions of microglia is essential, e.g. suppressing or eliminating the migration of the activated microglia to the injury site. It had been found that TN-R 1 was anti-adhesive for activated microglia in vitro and down-regulated in the lesioned nucleus after peripheral nerve axotomy (3). However, the molecular mechanism of TN-R involved in microglia migration remains unclear.TN-R is expressed predominantly by oligodendrocytes during the onset and early phases of myelin formation and remains expressed by oligodendrocytes in the adult as well as some interneurons in the spinal cord, retina, cerebellum, and hippocampus (4 -7). TN-R comprise a cysteine-rich amino-terminal part that is involved in multimerization, a region consisting of epidermal growth factor-like repeats (EGFL), a region consisting of fibronectin type-like (FN) homologous repeats, and a fibrinogenlike domain (FG) at the carboxyl-terminus. Two major TN-R molecules of apparent molecular masses of 160 and 180 kDa have been isolated. Interestingly, TN-R co-localizes with other glialderived molecules, such as myelin-associated glycoprotein and a phosphacan-related molecule, at high density in central nervous system myelinated axons (8). TN-R is a multifunctional molecule that promotes neurite outgrowth when pr...

Mitochondrial dysfunction is an early feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Accumulated damaged mitochondria, which are associated with impaired mitophagy, contribute to neurodegeneration in AD. We show levels of Disrupted‐in‐schizophrenia‐1 (DISC1), which is genetically associated with psychiatric disorders and AD, decrease in the brains of AD patients and transgenic model mice and in Aβ‐treated cultured cells. Disrupted‐in‐schizophrenia‐1 contains a canonical LC3‐interacting region (LIR) motif (210FSFI213), through which DISC1 directly binds to LC3‐I/II. Overexpression of DISC1 enhances mitophagy through its binding to LC3, whereas knocking‐down of DISC1 blocks Aβ‐induced mitophagy. We further observe overexpression of DISC1, but not its mutant (muFSFI) which abolishes the interaction of DISC1 with LC3, rescues Aβ‐induced mitochondrial dysfunction, loss of spines, suppressed long‐term potentiation (LTP). Overexpression of DISC1 via adeno‐associated virus (serotype 8, AAV8) in the hippocampus of 8‐month‐old APP/PS1 transgenic mice for 4 months rescues cognitive deficits, synaptic loss, and Aβ plaque accumulation, in a way dependent on the interaction of DISC1 with LC3. These results indicate that DISC1 is a novel mitophagy receptor, which protects synaptic plasticity from Aβ accumulation‐induced toxicity through promoting mitophagy.

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The role of sodium channel voltage-gated beta 2 (SCN2B) in brain aging is largely unknown. The present study was therefore designed to determine the role of SCN2B in brain aging by using the senescence-accelerated mice prone 8 (SAMP8), a brain senescence-accelerated animal model, together with the SCN2B transgenic mice. The results showed that SAMP8 exhibited impaired learning and memory functions, assessed by the Morris water maze test, as early as 8 months of age. The messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expressions of SCN2B were also upregulated in the prefrontal cortex at this age. Treatment with traditional Chinese anti-aging medicine Xueshuangtong (Panax notoginseng saponins, PNS) significantly reversed the SCN2B expressions in the prefrontal cortex, resulting in improved learning and memory. Moreover, SCN2B knockdown transgenic mice were generated and bred to determine the roles of SCN2B in brain senescence. A reduction in the SCN2B level by 60.68% resulted in improvement in the hippocampus-dependent spatial recognition memory and long-term potential (LTP) slope of field excitatory postsynaptic potential (fEPSP), followed by an upregulation of COX5A mRNA levels and downregulation of fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) mRNA expression. Together, the present findings indicated that SCN2B could play an important role in the aging-related cognitive deterioration, which is associated with the regulations of COX5A and FGF-2. These findings could provide the potential strategy of candidate target to develop antisenescence drugs for the treatment of brain aging.

Neuroplasticity of the spinal cord following electroacupuncture (EA) has been demonstrated although little is known about the possible underlying mechanism. This study evaluated the effect of EA on expression of neurotrophins in the lamina II of the spinal cord, in cats subjected to dorsal rhizotomy. Cats received bilateral removal of L1-L5 and L7-S2 dorsal root ganglia (DRG, L6 DRG spared) and unilateral EA. They were sacrificed 7 days after surgery, and the L6 spinal segment removed and processed by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization histochemistry, to demonstrate the expression of neurotrophins. Significantly greater numbers of nerve growth factor (NGF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) positive neurons, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) immunoreactive varicosities and NT-3 positive neurons and glial cells were observed in lamina II on the acupunctured (left) side, compared to the non-acupunctured, contralateral side. Greater number of neurons expressing NGF mRNA was also observed on the acupunctured side. No signal for mRNA to BDNF and NT-3 was detected. The above findings demonstrate that EA can increase the expression of endogenous NGF at both the mRNA and protein level, and BDNF and NT-3 at the protein level. It is postulated that EA may promote the plasticity of the spinal cord by inducing increased expression of neurotrophins.