Recent animal and human studies connected the Morc family CW-type zinc finger 1 (Morc1) gene with early life stress and depression. Moreover, the Morc superfamily is related to epigenetic regulation in diverse nuclear processes. So far, the Morc1 gene was mainly studied in spermatogenesis, whereas its distribution and function in the brain are still unknown. In a first attempt to characterize Morc1 in the brain, we performed a Western Blot analysis as well as a real-time PCR analysis during different stages of development. Additionally, we detected Morc1 mRNA using real-time PCR in different mood-regulating brain areas in adult rats. We found that MORC1 protein as well as Morc1 mRNA is already expressed in the brain at embryonic day 14 and is stably expressed until adulthood. Furthermore, Morc1 mRNA is present in many important brain areas of mood regulation like the medial prefrontal cortex, the nucleus accumbens, the hippocampus, the hypothalamus, and the amygdala. The ample distribution in the brain and its molecular structure as a zinc finger protein indicate that Morc1 might act as a transcription factor. This function and its expression in mood-regulating areas already in the early brain development turn Morc1 into a possible candidate gene for mediating early life stress and depression.

最近的动物和人类研究将Morc 家族 CW 型锌指 1 ( Morc1 ) 基因与早期生活压力和抑郁联系起来。此外，Morc超家族与不同核过程中的表观遗传调控有关。迄今为止，Morc1基因主要在精子发生中进行研究，而其在大脑中的分布和功能尚不清楚。在首次尝试表征大脑中的Morc1时，我们在不同发育阶段进行了蛋白质印迹分析和实时 PCR 分析。此外，我们检测到Morc1在成年大鼠的不同情绪调节脑区中使用实时 PCR 的 mRNA。我们发现 MORC1 蛋白和 Morc1 mRNA 已经在胚胎第 14 天在大脑中表达，并且稳定表达直到成年。此外，Morc1 mRNA 存在于许多重要的情绪调节大脑区域，如内侧前额叶皮层、伏隔核、海马、下丘脑和杏仁核。在大脑中的广泛分布及其作为锌指蛋白的分子结构表明，Morc1可能充当转录因子。这种功能及其在大脑早期发育过程中已经在情绪调节区域中的表达将Morc1变成了一种可能的候选基因，用于调节早期生活压力和抑郁症。