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，作用于发育轨迹，并以性别依赖的方式调控成年脑功能的发育编程。小鼠的重复交叉抚育（Repeated Cross Fostering, RCF）操作能够干预小鼠的依恋联结形成。我们选取已知对RCF表现出截然不同反应的两种小鼠近交系的雌雄个体，以性别特异性方式分析了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）技术，我们对来自两种遗传背景、经RCF处理及对照的成年雌雄小鼠的VTA转录组进行了测序分析。本研究的样本涵盖两种遗传背景（C57、DBA）的雌雄成年小鼠，分别设置RCF组与对照组，最终共计形成8个实验组。我们针对4种不同实验条件（C57雄性、C57雌性、DBA雄性及DBA雌性）下的RCF组与对照组小鼠开展了比较分析。