Cat odour exposure increases the expression of wolframin gene in the amygdaloid area of rat.
The aim of the present study was to find the genes expressed in the amygdaloid area after exposure to cat odour. Cat odour exposure was used to induce the ethologically relevant fear response in male rats. The differential expression of genes was analyzed using the cDNA Representational Difference Analysis (RDA). The differentially expressed clones were identified by sequencing and database search. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was applied to confirm the differences found by the RDA. Exposure of rats to cat odour induced avoidance of odour stimulus and suppressed the exploratory activity of animals. We found that during the cat odour exposure, several genes with various functions were activated in the amygdaloid area. Among the identified genes, we found the activation of the wolframin gene. RT-PCR confirmed quantitative elevation in the levels of wolframin transcripts in the amygdaloid area. This study supports the role of wolframin in the regulation of emotional behaviour.