Diversity in the radiation-induced transcriptomic temporal response of mouse brain tissue regions

TL;DR

This study investigates how prenatal radiation exposure affects gene expression in different mouse brain regions over time, revealing region-specific and dose-dependent transcriptomic responses linked to cognitive functions.

Contribution

It provides a comparative analysis of radiation-induced transcriptomic changes across brain regions and time points, highlighting pathways related to cognition and behavioral outcomes.

Findings

Gene expression varies by tissue, dose, and time

Distinct pathways are affected in different brain regions

Radiation influences pathways associated with cognition

Abstract

A number of studies have indicated a potential association between prenatal exposure to radiation and late mental disabilities. This is believed to be due to long-term developmental changes and functional impairment of the central nervous system following radiation exposure during gestation. This study conducted a bioinformatics analysis on transcriptomic profiles from mouse brain tissue prenatally exposed to increasing doses of X-radiation. Gene expression levels were assessed in different brain regions (cortex, hippocampus, cerebellum) and collected at different time points (at 1 and 6 months after birth) for C57BL mice exposed at embryonic day E11 to varying doses of radiation (0, 0.1 and 1 Gy). This study aimed to elucidate the differences in response to radiation between different brain regions at different intervals after birth (1 and 6 months). The data was visualised using a two-dimensional Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP) projection, and the influence of the factors was investigated using analysis of variance (ANOVA). It was observed that gene expression was influenced by each factor (tissue, time, and dose), although to varying degrees. The gene expression trend within doses was compared for each tissue, as well as the significant pathways between tissues at different time intervals. Furthermore, in addition to radiation-responsive pathways, Cytoscape's functional and network analyses revealed changes in various pathways related to cognition, which is consistent with previously published data [1] [2] [3], indicating late behavioural changes in animals prenatally exposed to radiation.