Intra-subject correlation of brain and blood gene patterns in a mouse model of depression

Gene expression profiling of blood cells in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) has been used to identify potential biomarkers and to address the pathophysiology of MDD. However, whether alteration in gene expression in blood cells are reflected in the brain of the same individual is unclear. Here, we used an animal model of depression to investigate intra-subject correlation of gene expression patterns between the whole blood (WB) and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Ovariectomized mice exposed to the chronic mild stress were used as an animal model of depression. Female mice were subjected to chronic ultra-mild stress, a bilateral ovariectomy, or both. Sham-operated mice without stress were used as the control. Medial prefrontal cortex and whole blood were obtained from the same individual (n = 6 in each group), and analyzed using an Agilent SurePrint G3 Mouse GE 8×60K Microarray (Design ID: 028005)