Research Group in Neuroglial Plasticity, Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 90035-003, Brazil; National Institute of Science and Technology on Neuroimmunomodulation, INCT-NIM/CNPq. Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil; Department of Neurology, Neuroscience and Behavior, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP 14049-900, Brazil.
Neuroscience. 2018 May 21;379:405-414. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2018.03.035. Epub 2018 Mar 29.
The posterodorsal medial amygdala (MePD) is a sex steroid-sensitive and sexually dimorphic subcortical area that dynamically modulates social behaviors in rats. As different microRNA (miRNA) can act as post-transcriptional regulators of synaptic processing, we addressed changes that occur in miRNA expression in the MePD of males and females along the estrous cycle. The expression of miR25-3p, miR132-3p, miR138-5p, miR181a-5p, miR195-5p, and miR199a-5p, involved in neuronal cytoskeleton remodeling and synaptic plasticity, were evaluated by RT-qPCR. We found that the expression of miR138-5p was higher in males than in females along the different phases of the estrous cycle. Males also showed higher levels of miR-181a when compared to females in diestrus and estrus. On the other hand, when compared to females in proestrus, males presented lower levels of miR132-3p and miR199a-5p. The expression of miR25-3p was higher in diestrus females than in proestrus females. In addition, diestrus females showed higher values of miR25-3p, miR181a-5p, and miR195-5p when compared to estrus females. These miRNA expression profiles indicate a variable and fine-tuned protein regulation in the adult MePD. It is likely that these miRNA can be involved in structural and functional synaptic features and plasticity characteristic of males and cycling females and for the MePD regulation of mammalian reproduction.
后背侧内侧杏仁核（MePD）是一个对性激素敏感且性别二态的皮质下区域，它在大鼠中动态调节社会行为。由于不同的 microRNA（miRNA）可以作为突触加工的转录后调节因子，我们研究了雄性和雌性大鼠在发情周期中 MePD 中 miRNA 表达的变化。通过 RT-qPCR 评估了 miR25-3p、miR132-3p、miR138-5p、miR181a-5p、miR195-5p 和 miR199a-5p 的表达，这些 miRNA 参与神经元细胞骨架重塑和突触可塑性。我们发现，miR138-5p 在发情周期的不同阶段雄性大鼠中的表达高于雌性大鼠。在发情前期和发情期，雄性大鼠的 miR-181a 水平也高于雌性大鼠。另一方面，与发情前期的雌性大鼠相比，雄性大鼠的 miR132-3p 和 miR199a-5p 水平较低。发情前期的雌性大鼠中 miR25-3p 的表达高于发情前期的雌性大鼠。此外，发情前期的雌性大鼠中 miR25-3p、miR181a-5p 和 miR195-5p 的表达值高于发情期的雌性大鼠。这些 miRNA 表达谱表明，成年 MePD 中的蛋白质调节具有可变性和精细调节。这些 miRNA 可能参与了雄性和周期性雌性哺乳动物繁殖的 MePD 调节的突触特征和可塑性的结构和功能。
