Differential expression of genes in the subgranular zone and granular cell layer of the hippocampus after running

Despite numerous studies, the mechanisms underlying the effects of exercise on brain function are not yet fully understood. Adult hippocampal neurogenesis is one of the most well-known effects of exercise on the brain, but its physiological roles during exercise are still ambiguous, mostly due to the difference in the structure and composition of each part of the hippocampus.

In this study, we analyzed exercise-induced changes in gene expression in the subgranular zone (SGZ) and granular cell layer (GCL) of the hippocampus.

Surprisingly, only about 10% of changes were common to both areas. Tollip expression, which is altered in the SGZ and in Engrailed-2 mutant mice following exercise, did not change in the GCL. Tollip levels were not changed in the whole hippocampus after two weeks of treadmill exercise, but immunofluorescence analysis showed that Tollip and Ki-67 co-localize in the hippocampal dentate gyrus . Through siRNA knockdown experiments, we found that levels of DCX and cellular survival rates were decreased in Tollip-deficient Neuro2A cells.

Taken together, these results suggest a role for Tollip in mediating the beneficial effects of exercise, probably affecting cellular health in the SGZ of the hippocampus.