Stress can cause extensive changes in hippocampal genomic expression, leading to changes in hippocampal structure and function. The dynamic changes in hippocampal gene expression caused by stress of different duration are still unknown. Using mRNA-seq, we analyzed the hippocampal transcriptome of rats subjected to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) of different durations. Compared with the control, 501, 442, and 235 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected in the hippocampus of CUMS3d, 2w, and 6w, respectively. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis was used to show the possible mechanisms underlying the dynamic harmful effects of stress on hippocampus, and the results showed the opposite expression pattern of DEGs between CUMS 3d and 6w, which suggested a functional change from adaptation to damage in the organism during the early and late stages of chronic stress.
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