Disruption of glucocorticoid receptors in the noradrenergic system leads to BDNF up-regulation and altered serotonergic transmission associated with a depressive-like phenotype in female GRDBHCre mice

•GRDBHCre mice lacking glucocorticoid receptor in noradrenergic system were studied.•The increase in BDNF and α2-adrenergic receptor levels was found in female mutants.•Mutation influences both noradrenaline and serotonin levels.•Observed changes in neurotransmitter levels in GRDBHCre mice are gender dependent.•Depressive-like phenotype of GRDBHCre mice is more responsive to SSRI.

Recently, we have demonstrated that conditional inactivation of glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) in the noradrenergic system, may evoke depressive-like behavior in female but not male mutant mice (GRDBHCre mice). The aim of the current study was to dissect how selective ablation of glucocorticoid signaling in the noradrenergic system influences the previously reported depressive-like phenotype and whether it might be linked to neurotrophic alterations or secondary changes in the serotonergic system. We demonstrated that selective depletion of GRs enhances brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression in female but not male GRDBHCre mice on both the mRNA and protein levels. The possible impact of the mutation on brain noradrenergic and serotonergic systems was addressed by investigating the tissue neurotransmitter levels under basal conditions and after acute restraint stress. The findings indicated a stress-provoked differential response in tissue noradrenaline content in the GRDBHCre female but not male mutant mice. An analogous gender-specific effect was identified in the diminished content of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, the main metabolite of serotonin, in the prefrontal cortex, which suggests down-regulation of this monoamine system in female GRDBHCre mice. The lack of GR also resulted in an up-regulation of alpha2-adrenergic receptor (α2-AR) density in the female but not male mutants in the locus coeruleus. We have also confirmed the utility of the investigated model in pharmacological studies, which demonstrates that the depressive-like phenotype of GRDBHCre female mice can be reversed by antidepressant treatment with desipramine or fluoxetine, with the latter drug evoking more pronounced effects. Overall, our study validates the use of female GRDBHCre mice as an interesting and novel genetic tool for the investigation of the cross-connected mechanisms of depression that is not only based on behavioral phenotypes.