Investigation on female and male hippocampal neurons

by Wiebke Blumenstein
Doctoral thesis
Date of Examination:2024-11-14
Date of issue:2024-11-12
Advisor:Prof. Dr. Silvio O. Rizzoli
Referee:Prof. Dr. Silvio O. Rizzoli
Referee:Prof. Dr. Inga Zerr
Persistent Address: http://dx.doi.org/10.53846/goediss-10863

 

 

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Abstract

English

There is no doubt that there are differences between the sexes. According to present knowledge, they start with the question of whether an individual inherits a second X chromosome or a Y chromosome. From this point on, sexual dimorphisms show up. Sexual dimorphisms affect the individual in many different areas, such as development, behavior as well as certain diseases. A major influencing factor are the various hormones that have different effects on male and female organisms. However, hormones are not solely responsible for sex-specific differences. This is particularly evident in independent cell cultures, such as primary hippocampal cultures, which also show sexual dimorphisms in a neutral environment. In this thesis, differences between male and female primary hippocampal cultures were shown. For this purpose, a calcium imaging, a Synaptotagmin 1 assay, a puromycin assay, a metabolic labeling, and different immunostainings were performed. In male cultures an enhanced response of the neurons to external stimulation was revealed. Furthermore, neurons in male cultures showed a more active vesicle pool, increased local translation in the synapses, and a slightly different synaptic proteome than the neurons in female hippocampal cultures. These findings can help interpret results from primary hippocampal culture studies. Such background knowledge might also raise awareness for the importance of the cells’ sex and sex-dependent biases in cell-related research.
Keywords: Primary hippocampal cultures