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KMID : 1161520010050040327
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Animal Cells and Systems
2001 Volume.5 No. 4 p.327 ~ p.331
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Effects of polychlorinated biphenyls on the expression of KAP3 gene involved in the ‘critical period’ of rat brain sexual differentiation
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Lee Chae-Kwan
Kang Han-Seung
June Bu-Il
Lee Byung-Ju
Moon Deog-Hwan
Kang Sung-Goo
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Abstract
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There is a critical developmental period during which brain sexual differentiation proceeds irreversibly under the influence of gonadal hormone. Recently, kinesin superfamily?associated protein 3 (KAP3) gene expressed during the ‘critical period’ of rat brain differentiation was identified by us (Choi and Lee, 1999). KAP3 functions as a microtubule?based motor that transports membranous organelles anterogradely in cells, including neurons (Yamazaki et al., 1996). mRNA level of KAP3 gene markedly increased before the initiation of puberty. Neonatal treatment of estrogen clearly inhibited the prepubertal increase in KAP3 mRNA level (Choi and Lee, 1999). In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), as endocrine disruptors (EDs) on the expression of KAP3 gene during the’ critical period’ of rat brain development. In our data, PCBs significantly decreased the expression of KAP3 gene in the fetal (day 17) and the neonatal (day 6 after birth in) male and female rat brains. The body weight and the breeding ability were significantly decreased in the PCBs?exposed rats compared with the control. These results showed that PCBs affect the transcriptional level of brain sexual differentiation related gene, KAP3, in the fetal and the neonatal rat brains. The maternal exposure to the PCBs may lead to toxic response in embryonic brain sexual differentiation and breeding ability after sexual maturation. This study indicates that KAP3 gene may be useful as a gene marker to analyze the molecular mechanism of toxic response in the animal brain development and sexual maturation exposed to PCBs.
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KEYWORD
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Brain sexual differentiation, Polychlorinated biphenyls, KAP3
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