Age-related Effects of Heroin on Gene Expression in the Hippocampus and Striatum of Cynomolgus Monkeys
Mi Ran Choi, Yeung Bae Jin, Sol Hee Bang, Chang‐Nim Im, Youngjeon Lee, Hanna Kim, Kyu‐Tae Chang, Sang‐Rae Lee, Dai‐Jin Kim
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate differentially expressed genes and their functions in the hippocampus and striatum after heroin administration in cynomolgus macaques of different ages. METHODS: Cynomolgus monkeys were divided by age as follows: 1 year (A1, n = 2); 3 to 4 years (A2, n = 2); 6 to 8 years (A3, n = 2); and older than 11 years (A4, n = 2). After heroin was injected intramuscularly into the monkeys (0.6 mg/kg), we performed large-scale transcriptome profiling in the hippocampus (H) and striatum (S) using RNA sequencing technology. Some genes were validated with real-time quantitative PCR. RESULTS: ) in the striatum were differentially expressed among control and heroin-treated animals. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that even a single heroin exposure can cause differential gene expression in the hippocampus and striatum of nonhuman primates at different ages.