The Effects of Dexamethasone on Estrogen Cell Signaling Pathways in the mHippoE-14 Cell Line & Female Rats

Abstract

Previous research in our lab has demonstrated alterations in molecular markers of hippocampal structure and function in response to stress, including DUSP6 expression, as well as ERK and JNK phosphorylation (Nicholson 2019, Craig 2021, Pacosz 2021). To further characterize JNK phosphorylation, ERK phosphorylation, and DUSP6 expression we ran two experiments, one in the mHippoE-14 cell line, and one in cycling female rats in metestrus. A significant downregulation of p54 JNK phosphorylation was found in the mHippoE-14 cell line in response to the combination of 17β-estradiol (E2) pretreatment and dexamethasone treatment, although no significant effects were found in the cycling female rats. Altogether, the data from this thesis suggests that circulating levels of E2 in metestrus are not sufficient to reverse or attenuate glucocorticoid induced effects on DUSP6 expression, ERK phosphorylation, and JNK phosphorylation.