Brief Communication abstract
Nature Neuroscience 11, 1001 - 1003 (2008)
Published online: 17 August 2008 | doi:10.1038/nn.2176
Serotonergic transcriptional programming determines maternal behavior and offspring survival
Jessica K Lerch-Haner1, Dargan Frierson2, LaTasha K Crawford3, Sheryl G Beck3 & Evan S Deneris1
Central serotonergic signaling influences many physiological processes, but a requirement for reproductive success has not been demonstrated. Using mouse dams with a specific disruption in serotonin neuron development, we found that serotonergic function is required for the nurturing and survival of offspring. Full rescue of survival depended on the mother's expression level of the upstream serotonergic transcriptional cascade. Thus, intrinsic transcriptional programming of maternal serotonergic activity determines the quality of nurturing and whether or not the organism survives.
- Department of Neurosciences, Case Western Reserve University, School of Medicine, 2109 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA.
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of North Carolina Wilmington, 601 South College Road, Wilmington, North Carolina 28403, USA.
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 3615 Civic Center Blvd., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
Correspondence to: Evan S Deneris1 e-mail: esd@case.edu
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