Prolonged protein deprivation differentially affects calretinin- and parvalbumin-containing interneurons in the hippocampal dentate gyrus of adult rats

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2013

Authors

Jose Hipolito Reis (Author) Other; Pedro Alberto Pereira (Author) FMUP; Jose Paulo Andrade (Author) FMUP; Armando Cardoso (Author) FMUP

Journal

Title: Neuroscience Letters

Vol. 555

Pages: 154-158

ISSN: 0304-3940

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 10 Citations

Scopus - 11 Citations

Scientific classification

FOS: Medical and Health sciences > Basic medicine

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-006-JRF

DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2013.09.036

Abstract (EN): Protein deprivation is a detrimental nutritional state that induces several deleterious changes in the rat hippocampal formation. In this study, we compared the effects of protein deprivation in the number of parvalbumin (PV)-immunoreactive and calretinin (CR)-immunoreactive interneurons of the dentate gyrus, which are involved in the control of calcium homeostasis and fine tuning of the hippocampal circuits. Two month-old rats were randomly assigned to control and low-protein diet groups. The rats of the latter group were fed with a low-protein diet (8% casein) for 6 months. All animals were perfused at 8 months of age. The number of neurons expressing CR in the molecular layer and in the hilus of dentate gyrus was reduced in protein-deprived rats. Conversely, protein deprivation increased the number of PV-containing interneurons in the dentate granule cell layer and hilus. These results support the view that protein deprivation may disturb calcium homeostasis, leading to neuronal death including GABAergic interneurons expressing CR. In the other hand, the up-regulation of PV cells may reflect a protective mechanism to counteract the calcium overload and protect the remaining neurons of the dentate gyrus.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 5