The effect of Repeated Cross Fostering (RCF) on transcriptomic profiles of mouse Ventral Tegmental Areas across different sexes and strains

Early life experiences affecting the attachment bond formation can result in maladaptive behaviors acting on developmental trajectories and programming adult brain functions in a sex-dependent manner. Repeated Cross Fostering (RCF) manipulation in mice is able to interfere with attachment bond formation in mice. Using males and females from two different inbred strains of mouse, known to respond very differently to the RCF, we analyzed the effect of RCF on the ventral tegmental area (VTA)-transcriptome in a sex-specific manner. Through next-generation mRNA-Seq, we profiled VTA transcriptomes in RCF and control adult male and female mice from both backgrounds. Brain Ventral Tegmental Area mRNA profiles of adult RCF and control mice from 2 different backgrounds (C57 and DBA) and from both sexes (male and female) overall resulting in 8 experimental groups. We performed comparisons between RCF and control mice in 4 different conditions (C57 male, C57 female, DBA male and DBA female)影响依恋联结形成的早期生命经历，可引发适应不良行为，作用于个体发育轨迹，并以性别依赖的方式调控成年大脑功能。小鼠的反复交叉寄养（Repeated Cross Fostering, RCF）造模操作，能够干扰小鼠的依恋联结形成。本研究选用两种对RCF响应差异显著的近交系小鼠的雌雄个体，以性别特异性的方式分析了RCF对腹侧被盖区（ventral tegmental area, VTA）转录组的影响。通过下一代mRNA测序（next-generation mRNA-Seq），我们对两种遗传背景下RCF组与对照组的成年雌雄小鼠的VTA转录组进行了测序分析。本研究纳入来自两种不同近交系背景（C57与DBA）、两种性别的成年RCF组与对照组小鼠，其脑组织腹侧被盖区的mRNA表达谱共构成8个实验组。我们针对4种实验条件（C57雄性、C57雌性、DBA雄性与DBA雌性）下的RCF组与对照组小鼠开展了差异比较分析。