Low brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels are associated with active disease and poor prognosis in childhood acute leukemia.

BACKGROUND: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its receptor, tropomyosin-related receptor kinase B (TrkB) are involved in the maturation of B lymphocytes in the bone marrow (BM), promote cell differentiation in B-cell malignancies, and are associated with poor prognosis in adults with acute leukemia (AL). However, the role of BDNF in pediatric AL remains poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: We carried out a cohort observational study to evaluate BDNF levels in BM or peripheral blood (PB) samples from children with AL. METHODS: BM or PB samples were collected from 57 children and adolescents with acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL), 14 children and adolescents with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and 44 healthy individuals (HI) of the same age range. RESULTS: BDNF levels at diagnosis in AL patients were significantly lower when compared to HI. Samples from patients in complete remission from disease had higher levels of BDNF compared to those obtained from patients with malignant cells. Moreover, BDNF levels at diagnosis in patients who died were significantly lower compared to those found in survivors. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide the first evidence for a possible role of BDNF as a marker of active disease and poor prognosis in pediatric AL.

Gene expression in the CNS of lactating rats with different patterns of maternal behavior.

For most mammalian species, maternal behavior has an essential role in the development of the offspring. The frequency of licking/grooming (LG) the pups has been used as a parameter to evaluate maternal care, having mothers with high (HL) or low (LL) frequencies of LG. This study aimed to analyze the gene expression of the receptors for dopamine (Drd1a), prolactin (Prlr), serotonin (Htr1a, Htr1b), estrogen (Esr1, Esr2), and of Bdnf in the olfactory bulb (OB), hippocampus (HP), prefrontal cortex (PFC), and striatum (ST) of Wistar rats from three groups: LL (n = 8); HL (n = 8); virgin females in diestrus (D; n = 6). Maternal behavior was studied between the 1st and 7th postpartum days. Brain parts were analyzed by qRT-PCR. LL showed a decrease in the frequency of nursing, and an increase of remaining off the pups. There was an increase in gene expression of Drd1a, Prlr, Htr1a, Htr1b and Esr1 in the OB of HL, compared to LL. In the HP, Drd1a, Prlr and Htr1a were differently expressed when comparing HL, or LL, with D. The main finding is that HL had higher gene expression levels in the OB, which is a crucial structure to promote behavioral differences.