Effect of Hippocampal Overexpression of Dopamine Neurotrophic Factor (CDNF) on Behavior of Mice with Genetic Predisposition to Depressive-Like Behavior

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Yana P. Kaminskaya¹, Tatiana V. Ilchibaeva¹, Nikita V. Khotskin¹, Vladimir S. Naumenko¹, and Anton S. Tsybko^1,a*

¹Federal Research Center Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received April 8, 2023; Revised June 8, 2023; Accepted June 9, 2023

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Cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF) is a promising agent for Parkinson’s disease treatment. However, its role in regulation of non-motor behavior including various psychopathologies remains unclear. In this regard, the aim of the present work was to study effect of CDNF overexpression in hippocampus on behavior of the ASC mice (Antidepressant Sensitive Cataleptics) with genetic predisposition to depressive-like behavior. CDNF overexpression in the mouse hippocampal neurons was induced using an adeno-associated viral vector. Four weeks after stereotaxic injection of the AAV-CDNF construct into the dorsal hippocampus home cage activity, exploratory, anxious and depressive-like types of behavior, as well as spatial and associative learning were assessed. We found significant improvements in the dynamics of spatial learning in the Morris water maze in the CDNF-overexpressing animals. At the same time, no effect of CDNF was found on other types of behavior under study. Behavior of the experimental animals under home cage conditions did not differ from that in the control group, except for the decrease in the total amount of food eaten and slight increase in the number of sleep episodes during the light phase of the day. In the present study we also attempted to determine molecular basis for the above-mentioned changes through assessment of the gene expression pattern. We did not find significant changes in the mRNA level of key kinases genes involved in neuroplasticity and neuronal survival, as well as genes encoding receptors for the main neurotransmitter systems. However, the CDNF-overexpressing animals showed increased level of the spliced Xbp indicating activation of the Ire1α/Xbp-1 pathway traditionally associated with ER stress. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that CDNF was co-localized with the ER marker calreticulin. Thus, the effects of endogenous CDNF on behavior that we have found could be mediated by a specific molecular cascade, which emphasizes its difference from the classical neurotrophic factors.

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KEY WORDS: neurotrophic factors, cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor CDNF, depressive-like behavior, learning, ER stress, unfolded protein response UPR

DOI: 10.1134/S0006297923080035

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