Modulation of BDNF and TrkB expression in rat hippocampus in response to acute neurotoxicity by diethyldithiocarbamate

In this study, we examined the expression profile of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its receptor TrkB in adult rat hippocampus following acute administration of diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC), a neurotoxic compound which was previously shown to induce microglia activation and cell death. Semiquantitative RT-PCR analysis detected significant variations of BDNF mRNA levels in whole hippocampus homogenates, with a peak at 24 h after DDTC injection. Increased BDNF protein expression was demonstrated by immunohistochemistry in various hippocampal subfields. The most relevant increase was observed in the hilus of the dentate gyrus where BDNF levels at 120 h were found to be almost four times those of basal levels. Full-length TrkB (TrkB.FL) encoding mRNA was also shown to undergo an earlier increase in the hippocampus of DDTC-treated rats. TrkB immunostaining with an antibody binding both full-length and truncated (TrkB.T) isoforms was found to increase at 120 h in the hippocampal CA2 and CA3 regions. These results demonstrate that DDTC modulates the expression of BDNF and its receptor in the adult rat hippocampus and suggest a possible involvement of this neurotrophin in the protective response to DDTC-induced neuronal damage.