Substantial experimental evidence indicates a major role for the circadian system in mood disorders. Additionally, proinflammatory cytokines have been proposed to be involved in the pathogenesis of depression. However, the molecular elements determining the functional interplay between these two systems in depression have not been described as yet. Here we investigate whether long-term light deprivation in the constant darkness (DD) paradigm affects depression-like behavior in mice and concomitantly modulates the levels of proinflammatory cytokines. We find that after 4 weeks of DD, mice display depression-like behavior, which is paralleled by reduced hippocampal cell proliferation. This chronobiologically induced depressive state is associated with elevated levels of plasma IL-6 (interleukin-6) and IL-6 and Il1-R1 (interleukin 1 receptor, type I) protein levels in the hippocampus and also alters hippocampal protein levels of the clock genes per2 and npas2. Using pharmacological blockers of the NF-κB pathway, we provide evidence that the effects of DD on depression-like behavior, on hippocampal cell proliferation, on altered expressional levels of brain and plasma IL-6, and on the modulation of clock gene expression are mediated through NF-κB signaling. Moreover, NF-κB activity is enhanced in hippocampal tissue of DD mice. Mice with a deletion of IL-6, one of the target genes of NF-κB, are resistant to DD-induced depression-like behavior, which suggests a pivotal role for this cytokine in the constant darkness mouse model of depression. We here first describe some of the molecular elements bridging chronobiological and inflammatory processes in the constant darkness mouse model of depression.

The marine mollusk Aplysia californica (Aplysia) is a powerful model for learning and memory due to its minimalistic nervous system. Key proteins, identified to be regulated by the neurotransmitter serotonin in Aplysia, have been successfully translated to mammalian models of learning and memory. Based upon a recently published large-scale analysis of Aplysia proteomic data, the current study investigated the regulation of protein levels 24 and 48 h after treatment with serotonin in Aplysia ganglia using a 2-D gel electrophoresis approach. Protein spots were quantified and protein-level changes of selected proteins were verified by Western blotting. Among those were Rab GDP dissociation inhibitor alpha (RabGDIα), synaptotagmin-1 and deleted in azoospermia-associated protein (DAZAP-1) in cerebral ganglia, calreticulin, RabGDIα, DAZAP-1, heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein F (hnRNPF), RACK-1 and actin-depolymerizing factor (ADF) in pleural ganglia and DAZAP-1, hnRNPF and ADF in pedal ganglia. Protein identity of the majority of spots was confirmed by a gel-based mass spectrometrical method (FT-MS). Taken together, protein-level changes induced by the learning-related neurotransmitter serotonin in Aplysia ganglia are described and a role for the abovementioned proteins in synaptic plasticity is proposed.

Introduction. Studies of synaptic plasticity using the marine mollusk Aplysia californica as model system have been successfully used to identify proteins involved in learning and memory. The importance of molecular elements regulated by the learning- related neurotransmitter serotonin in Aplysia can then be explored in rodent models and finally tested for their relevance for human physiology and pathology.Materials and methods. Herein, 2-DE gel-based electrophoresis has been used to investigate protein level changes after treatment with serotonin in Aplysia abdominal ganglia.Results. Twenty-one proteins have been found to be regulated by serotonin, and protein level changes of actin depolymerizing factor (ADF), deleted in azoospermia associated protein (DAZAP-1), and Flotillin-1 have been verified by Western blotting.Discussion. Flotillin-1, a member of the flotillin/reggie family of scaffolding proteins, has been previously found to be involved in neuritic branching and synapse formation in hippocampal neurons in vitro. However, its importance for hippocampal- dependent learning and memory in the mouse has not been examined. Here, elevated levels of Flotillin-1 in hippocampal tissue of mice trained in the Morris water maze confirmed the relevance of Flotillin-1 for memory-related processes in a mammalian system. Thus, a translational approach—from invertebrates to rodents—led to the identification of Flotillin-1 as evolutionary-conserved memory-related protein.