Interleukin-18 deficiency reduces neuropeptide gene expressions in the mouse amygdala related with behavioral change

Yamamoto, Yuta; Tanahashi, Toshihito; Katsuura, Sakurako; Kurokawa, Ken; Nishida, Kensei; Kuwano, Yuki; Kawai, Tomoko; Teshima-Kondo, Shigetada; Chikahisa, Sachiko; Tsuruo, Yoshihiro; Sei, Hiroyoshi; Rokutan, Kazuhito

doi:10.1016/j.jneuroim.2010.07.024

« Previous Next »Journal of Neuroimmunology
Volume 229, Issue 1 , Pages 129-139, 15 December 2010

Interleukin-18 deficiency reduces neuropeptide gene expressions in the mouse amygdala related with behavioral change

Yuta Yamamoto
- Departments of Stress Science, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
Toshihito Tanahashi
- Departments of Stress Science, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
- Corresponding author. Department of Stress Science, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, 3-18-15 Kuramoto-cho, Tokushima 770-8503 Japan. Tel.: +81 88 633 9004; fax: +81 88 633 9008.
Sakurako Katsuura
- Departments of Stress Science, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
Ken Kurokawa
- Departments of Stress Science, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
Kensei Nishida
- Departments of Stress Science, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
Yuki Kuwano
- Departments of Stress Science, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
Tomoko Kawai
- Departments of Stress Science, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
Shigetada Teshima-Kondo
- Departments of Stress Science, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
Sachiko Chikahisa
- Departments of Integrative Physiology, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
Yoshihiro Tsuruo
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Wakayama Medical University School of Medicine, Wakayama 641-8509, Japan
Hiroyoshi Sei
- Departments of Integrative Physiology, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
Kazuhito Rokutan
- Departments of Stress Science, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan

Received 27 April 2010; received in revised form 25 July 2010; accepted 27 July 2010. published online 01 September 2010.

Abstract

In this study, we examined the effects of IL-18 deficiency on behaviors and gene expression profiles in 6 brain regions. IL-18^−/− mice reduced depressive-like behavior and changed gene expressions predominantly in the amygdala compared with wild-type mice. Pathway analysis of the differentially expressed genes ranked behavior as the top-scored biological function. Of note, the absence of IL-18 decreased Avp, Hcrt, Oxt, and Pmch mRNA levels and the number of arginine vasopressin- and oxytocin-positive cells in the amygdala, but not in the hypothalamus. Our results suggest that IL-18-dependent vasopressinergic and oxytocinergic circuitry in the amygdala may regulate depressive-like behaviors in mice.

Keywords: IL-18, Behavior, Microarray, IPA analysis, Vasopressin, Oxytocin