RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 AhR Deletion Promotes Aberrant Morphogenesis and Synaptic Activity of Adult-Generated Granule Neurons and Impairs Hippocampus-Dependent Memory
JF eneuro
JO eNeuro
FD Society for Neuroscience
SP ENEURO.0370-17.2018
DO 10.1523/ENEURO.0370-17.2018
VO 5
IS 4
A1 Juan de la Parra
A1 María I. Cuartero
A1 Alberto Pérez-Ruiz
A1 Alicia García-Culebras
A1 Ricardo Martín
A1 José Sánchez-Prieto
A1 Juan M. García-Segura
A1 Ignacio Lizasoain
A1 María A. Moro
YR 2018
UL http://www.eneuro.org/content/5/4/ENEURO.0370-17.2018.abstract
AB Newborn granule cells are continuously produced in the subgranular zone of dentate gyrus throughout life. Once these cells mature, they integrate into pre-existing circuits modulating hippocampus-dependent memory. Subsequently, mechanisms controlling generation and maturation of newborn cells are essential for proper hippocampal function. Therefore, we have studied the role of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a ligand-activated bHLH-PAS transcription factor, in hippocampus-dependent memory and granule neuronal morphology and function using genetic loss-of-function approaches based on constitutive and inducible-nestin AhR–/– mice. The results presented here show that the impaired hippocampus-dependent memory in AhR absence is not due to its effects on neurogenesis but to aberrant dendritic arborization and an increased spine density, albeit with a lower number of mature mushrooms spines in newborn granule cells, a finding that is associated with an immature electrophysiological phenotype. Together, our data strongly suggest that AhR plays a pivotal role in the regulation of hippocampal function, by controlling hippocampal granule neuron morphology and synaptic maturation.