There is no correlation between glucocorticoid receptor mRNA expression and protein binding in the brains of house sparrows (Passer domesticus)

Medina, Carlos O.; Lattin, Christine R.; McVey, Mitch; Romero, L. Michael

doi:10.1016/j.ygcen.2013.07.008

Cited by 21 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…One potential caveat is that we measured GR and MR mRNA levels but we did not determine GR and MR protein expression. Some recent studies suggest that mRNA and protein expression measures do not always correlate (e.g refs 28 and 29), although most studies show that they are coupled30313233343536. The observed changes in GR and MR mRNA expression in our study are in accordance with the mediation of the physiological acute stress response, but it would be interesting to directly measure whether GR and MR mRNA and protein levels are coupled in the Japanese quail.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 62%

Transgenerational transmission of a stress-coping phenotype programmed by early-life stress in the Japanese quail

Zimmer

Larriva

Boogert

et al. 2017

Sci Rep

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An interesting aspect of developmental programming is the existence of transgenerational effects that influence offspring characteristics and performance later in life. These transgenerational effects have been hypothesized to allow individuals to cope better with predictable environmental fluctuations and thus facilitate adaptation to changing environments. Here, we test for the first time how early-life stress drives developmental programming and transgenerational effects of maternal exposure to early-life stress on several phenotypic traits in their offspring in a functionally relevant context using a fully factorial design. We manipulated pre- and/or post-natal stress in both Japanese quail mothers and offspring and examined the consequences for several stress-related traits in the offspring generation. We show that pre-natal stress experienced by the mother did not simply affect offspring phenotype but resulted in the inheritance of the same stress-coping traits in the offspring across all phenotypic levels that we investigated, shaping neuroendocrine, physiological and behavioural traits. This may serve mothers to better prepare their offspring to cope with later environments where the same stressors are experienced.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 62%

Transgenerational transmission of a stress-coping phenotype programmed by early-life stress in the Japanese quail

Zimmer

Larriva

Boogert

et al. 2017

Sci Rep

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“…For example, expression of the commonly used housekeeping genes 18S ribosomal RNA (18S), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), and β-actin (ACTB), has been observed to vary with photoperiod or singing in songbird neural tissue (Bentley et al, 2013b; Lombardino et al, 2006; Perfito et al, 2012; Wada et al, 2006). In a recent study, Medina et al (2013) quantified mRNA expression of target genes in brain tissue of house sparrows ( Passer domesticus ) and normalized expression to two common reference genes: TATA-box binding protein (TBP) and GAPDH. They reported that when target gene expression was normalized to TBP, the resulting values were not correlated with values obtained when normalizing to GAPDH.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of reference genes for quantitative real-time PCR in the brain, pituitary, and gonads of songbirds

Zinzow-Kramer

Horton

Maney

2014

Hormones and Behavior

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Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) is becoming a popular tool for the quantification of gene expression in the brain and endocrine tissues of songbirds. Accurate analysis of qPCR data relies on the selection of appropriate reference genes for normalization, yet few papers on songbirds contain evidence of reference gene validation. Here, we evaluated the expression of ten potential reference genes (18S, ACTB, GAPDH, HMBS, HPRT, PPIA, RPL4, RPL32, TFRC, and UBC) in brain, pituitary, ovary, and testis in two species of songbird: zebra finch and white-throated sparrow. We used two algorithms, geNorm and NormFinder, to assess the stability of these reference genes in our samples. We found that the suitability of some of the most popular reference genes for target gene normalization in mammals, such as 18S, depended highly on tissue type. Thus, they are not the best choices for brain and gonad in these songbirds. In contrast, we identified alternative genes, such as HPRT, RPL4 and PPIA, that were highly stable in brain, pituitary, and gonad in these species. Our results suggest that the validation of reference genes in mammals does not necessarily extrapolate to other taxonomic groups. For researchers wishing to identify and evaluate suitable reference genes for qPCR songbirds, our results should serve as a starting point and should help increase the power and utility of songbird models in behavioral neuroendocrinology.

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“…This study examined GR and MR mRNA expression in laboratory mice, and found decreased MR expression two and four days post‐wounding (Tiganescu et al, ). However, because GR and MR mRNA expression and protein expression may not be correlated (Medina et al, ), and because the CORT response can be altered by domestication for laboratory conditions (Kunzl and Sachser, ; Gulevich et al, ), it is unclear whether GR and MR concentrations in the skin of a wild animal might change in response to wounding.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wounding alters blood chemistry parameters and skin mineralocorticoid receptors in house sparrows (Passer domesticus)

2015

Self Cite

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Because skin is an important physical barrier against pathogens, the ability to quickly and effectively heal wounds directly impacts an animal's health. The hormone corticosterone (CORT) has many complex effects on immune function and can slow wound healing. It has been suggested that CORT's role during wound healing may be to act as a "brake" on inflammation and cell proliferation. This project aimed to clarify the role of CORT in the healing process by quantifying concentrations of its two intracellular receptors, glucocorticoid receptors (GR) and mineralocorticoid receptors (MR), in the skin of wounded (n = 9) or unwounded (n = 8) house sparrows (Passer domesticus) using radioligand binding assays. We also quantified GR and MR in liver, spleen and pectoralis muscle, as well as several blood chemistry parameters, hypothesizing that wounding would alter whole-body energy use. One day post-wounding, wounded birds had higher blood glucose and lower aspartate aminotransferase (a marker indicating muscle damage or catabolism) compared to controls, which may be related to animals' changing metabolic needs in response to lymphocyte and macrophage recruitment at the wound site. Birds had significantly decreased MR, but not GR, in the skin of wounded legs compared to the skin of unwounded legs. There was also a trend towards lower MR in wounded skin compared to unwounded birds. Receptors in the three other tissues did not differ between groups. This study suggests that decreasing the skin's sensitivity to CORT immediately after wounding may be a necessary part of the normal healing process in wild birds.

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There is no correlation between glucocorticoid receptor mRNA expression and protein binding in the brains of house sparrows (Passer domesticus)

Cited by 21 publications

References 51 publications

Transgenerational transmission of a stress-coping phenotype programmed by early-life stress in the Japanese quail

Transgenerational transmission of a stress-coping phenotype programmed by early-life stress in the Japanese quail

Evaluation of reference genes for quantitative real-time PCR in the brain, pituitary, and gonads of songbirds

Wounding alters blood chemistry parameters and skin mineralocorticoid receptors in house sparrows (Passer domesticus)

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