Neurobehavioral basis of the impaired nurturing in mice lacking the immediate early gene FosB

Brain Research
Kumi O KurodaTadafumi Kato

Abstract

The transcription factor FosB is induced in neurons of the medial preoptic area (MPOA) during parenting, through activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). FosB mutant (-/-) postpartum mice and virgin mice that are exposed to pups show defective nurturing behavior. The FosB (-/-) MPOA fails to fully up-regulate SPRY1 and Rad, the feedback regulators of ERK and calcium signaling, respectively. Here we studied FosB function by examining the gene expression profiles and the behavioral characteristics of FosB (-/-) mice. We found that FosB (-/|-) mice exhibited not only decreased parenting but also decreased infanticide compared with (+/) littermates. We then performed gene expression analysis in the MPOA of FosB (-/-) mice compared with the wild-type littermates. We found up-regulation of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), C4, and Ela1 mRNA in the MPOA of FosB (-/-) mice; all of these gene products were implicated in general neuropathological conditions. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that up-regulation of GFAP was not restricted to MPOA but extended throughout the forebrain, including the cerebral cortex and striatum. Such pervasive GFAP up-regulation suggested that FosB (-/-) mice might have other b...Continue Reading

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Aug 21, 2007·Molecular and Cellular Neurosciences·Kumi O KurodaTadafumi Kato

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Citations

Nov 6, 2009·Neuropsychopharmacology : Official Publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology·Kumi O KurodaNiall P Murphy
Nov 21, 2008·Behavioural Pharmacology·Stephen R HodgsonShoshana Eitan
Jun 13, 2012·Hormones and Behavior·Danielle S StolzenbergEmilie F Rissman
Jun 21, 2015·Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews·Craig H KinsleyDanielle S Stolzenberg
Jul 26, 2014·Journal of Neuroendocrinology·A DobolyiD S Stolzenberg
Jan 22, 2015·Developmental Psychobiology·Marcela Alsina-LlanesDaniel E Olazábal
Feb 23, 2011·Progress in Neuro-psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry·Kumi O KurodaMichael Numan

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