Astrocytic IL-6 mediates locomotor activity, exploration, anxiety, learning and social behavior

作者：Erta Maria; Giralt Mercedes; Esposito Flavia Lorena; Fernandez Gayol Olaya; Hidalgo Juan^*

来源：Hormones and Behavior, 2015, 73: 64-74.

DOI：10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.06.016

• Anxiety
• Astrocyte
• Elevated plus-maze
• Exploratory behavior
• Hole-board
• IL-6
• Intrauterine survival
• Spatial learning
• Morris water-maze
• Transgenic mice

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a major cytokine in the central nervous system, secreted by different brain cells and with roles in a number of physiological functions. We herewith confirm and expand the importance of astrocytic production of and response to IL-6 by using transgenic mice deficient in astrocytic IL-6 (Ast-IL-6 MO) or in its receptor (Ast-IL-6R MO) in full C57BI/6 genetic background. A major prosurvival effect of astrocytic IL-6 at early ages was clearly demonstrated. Robust effects were also evident in the control of activity and anxiety in the hole-board and elevated plus-maze, and in spatial learning in the Morris water-maze. The results also suggest an inhibitory role of IL-6 in the mechanism controlling the consolidation of hippocampus-dependent spatial learning. Less robust effects of astrocytic IL-6 system were also observed in despair behavior in the tail suspension test, and social behavior in the dominance and resident-intruder tests. The behavioral phenotype was highly dependent on age and/or sex in some cases. The phenotype of Ast-IL-6R MO mice mimicked only partially that of Ast-IL-6KO mice, which indicates both a role of astrocytes in behavior and the participation of other cells besides astrocytes. No evidences of altered function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis were observed. These results demonstrate that astrocytic IL-6 (acting at least partially in astrocytes) regulates normal behavior in mice.

• 出版日期2015-7