17β-Estradiol Activates the Wnt/β-catenin Pathway in the Dorsal Hippocampus of Ovariectomized Female Mice

Mentor 1

Karyn Frick

Location

Union Wisconsin Room

Start Date

29-4-2016 1:30 PM

End Date

29-4-2016 3:30 PM

Description

Females are more susceptible to age-related cognitive decline than males due to the loss of circulating estrogens after menopause. Understanding how estrogens regulate memory could provide beneficial information towards creating new treatments for memory disorders. Within the hippocampus, a brain region implicated in episodic and spatial memory, estrogen mediates a number of molecular pathways and has been shown through a variety of behavioral tasks to enhance memory in rodents. However, the molecular mechanisms by which estrogen mediates memory are not well understood. The Wnt/β-catenin pathway is one possible molecular mechanism mediated by estrogen. This pathway is known to regulate development and synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus. To study whether estrogen activates Wnt/β-catenin signaling, we ovariectomized female mice and infused either vehicle or 17β-Estradiol (E2) directly into the dorsal hippocampus. The animals were then sacrificed and the dorsal hippocampus was dissected either 5 minutes or 4 hours post-infusion. The biochemical technique of western blotting allowed us to quantify changes in target proteins of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. E2 increased Wnt-related proteins, suggesting a role for estrogens in modulating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Future studies will characterize the necessity of Wnt/β-catenin signaling for E2-induced memory enhancement.

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Apr 29th, 1:30 PM Apr 29th, 3:30 PM

17β-Estradiol Activates the Wnt/β-catenin Pathway in the Dorsal Hippocampus of Ovariectomized Female Mice

Union Wisconsin Room

Females are more susceptible to age-related cognitive decline than males due to the loss of circulating estrogens after menopause. Understanding how estrogens regulate memory could provide beneficial information towards creating new treatments for memory disorders. Within the hippocampus, a brain region implicated in episodic and spatial memory, estrogen mediates a number of molecular pathways and has been shown through a variety of behavioral tasks to enhance memory in rodents. However, the molecular mechanisms by which estrogen mediates memory are not well understood. The Wnt/β-catenin pathway is one possible molecular mechanism mediated by estrogen. This pathway is known to regulate development and synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus. To study whether estrogen activates Wnt/β-catenin signaling, we ovariectomized female mice and infused either vehicle or 17β-Estradiol (E2) directly into the dorsal hippocampus. The animals were then sacrificed and the dorsal hippocampus was dissected either 5 minutes or 4 hours post-infusion. The biochemical technique of western blotting allowed us to quantify changes in target proteins of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. E2 increased Wnt-related proteins, suggesting a role for estrogens in modulating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Future studies will characterize the necessity of Wnt/β-catenin signaling for E2-induced memory enhancement.