FKBP51 in the Oval Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis Regulates Anxiety-Like Behavior.

The cochaperone FKBP51, encoded by the gene, has been identified as central risk factor for anxiety-related disorders and stress system dysregulation. In the brain, the oval bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (ovBNST) has been implicated in stress-induced anxiety. However, the role of in the ovBNST and its impact on anxiety-like behavior have remained unknown. Here, we show in mice that in the ovBNST is reactive to acute stress and coexpressed with the stress-regulated neuropeptides and Subsequently, results obtained from viral-mediated manipulation indicate that overexpression (OE) in the ovBNST results in an anxiolytic-like tendency regarding behavior and endocrinology, whereas a knock-out (KO) exposed a clear anxiogenic phenotype, indicating that native ovBNST expression and regulation is necessary for normal anxiety-related behavior. Notably, our data suggests that a stress-induced increase of in the ovBNST may in fact have a protective role, leading to a transient decrease in anxiety and suppression of a future stress-induced hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activation. Together, our findings provide a first insight into the previously unknown relationship and effects of and the ovBNST on anxiety-like behavior and HPA axis functioning.