Cloning and Serotonergic Regulation of RING Finger Protein38 (rnf38) in the Brain of Medaka (Oryzias latipes)

Publication date: Available online 12 March 2015 Source:Neuroscience Author(s): Shogo Moriya , Nazmina Bahadur Khel , Ishwar S. Parhar Serotonin (5-HT) is a key regulator of mood and sexual behaviours. 5-HT reuptake inhibitors have been used as antidepressants. RING finger proteins have been associated with 5-HT regulation but their role remains largely unknown. Some RING finger proteins are involved in the serotonergic system, therefore, we speculate that the gene expression of rnf38 might be regulated by the serotonergic system. In the present study, we aimed to identify the full length sequence of medaka (Oryzias latipes) RING finger protein38 (rnf38) mRNA and investigate its association with the serotonergic system using an antidepressant, citalopram (CIT). We identified the full length rnf38 cDNA, which consisted of 2726 nucleotides spanning 12 exons and the deduced protein sequence consisted of 518 amino acid residues including a RING finger domain, a KIT motif and a coiled-coil domain. Medaka exposed to 10-7 M of CIT showed anxiety-like behaviour. The expressions of 5-HT related genes, pet1, solute carrier family 6, member 4A (slc6a4) and tryptophan hydroxylase (tph2) were significantly low (P< 0.05) in the hindbrain. On the other hand, rnf38 gene was significantly high (P< 0.05) in the telencephalon and the hypothalamus. This shows that 5-HT synthesis and transport in the hindbrain is supressed by CIT, which induces rnf38 gene expression in the fo...
Source: Neuroscience - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research