Destroying c-Jun:ATF2 heterodimers with dominant negative mutants of c-Jun and ATF2 or knockdown by small RNA interference reduced caspase-3 promoter activity and mRNA level. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation showed increased binding of c-Jun:ATF2 heterodimers to the caspase-3 promoter in response to activity deprivation in vivo. Site-directed mutagenesis of the caspase-3 promoter revealed that caspase-3 transcriptional activation depends primarily on an ATF site -233 to -225 nucleotides upstream of the start site. Taken together, these

data demonstrate that caspase-3 is a target gene of c-Jun:ATF2 heterodimers during apoptosis induced by activity deprivation in CGNs. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays critical role in neuronal development, 17-AAG function, survival and plasticity of mature neurons. The present experiments investigated whether ACP-196 order BDNF ameliorates the damaging effect of prenatal ethanol and stress exposure on behavior in offspring. Prenatal exposure of ethanol and stress combined during gestation inverted sexual partner preference of male offspring, increased social contacts with juvenile male mouse and stereotypic burying activity in the marble-burying test suggesting predisposition to homosexuality and to obsessive-compulsive disorder. Centrally administered BDNF (300 ng i.c.v.)

restored sexual female preference of male adult offspring and decreased marble-burying activity. Ameliorative effect was shown in 7-10 days after BDNF administration. The results provide the first evidence that BDNF improves epigenetic impairment of behavior and may have profound implications in the treatment of neurologic disorders induced by early environmental challenges. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ireland

Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“In http://www.selleck.co.jp/products/Adrucil(Fluorouracil).html adults, oxytocin (OXT) has various central functions including social behavior and reproduction. Many of these functions are steroid dependent and are also influenced by naturally occurring phytoestrogens, isoflavones (IFs). The aim of this study was, therefore, to clarify the effects of IFs on OXT neurons in the brain. In particular, the influence of IFs on the central OXT system of infant animal needs to be examined, because IFs are increasingly consumed for weaning as well as dietary supplements. We have morphologically analyzed the central OXT neurons in neonatal mice using slice cultures treated with IFs, daidzein (Ddz) and genistein (Gen). In the supraoptic nucleus (SON) of male mice, Gen decreased the size of OXT neurons, but not of female nor in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN) of neither gender. In female PVN. Ddz and 17 beta-estradiol (E-2) increased the frequencies of varicosity on neurites in small OXT neurons (<21 mu m diameter of cell body).