Changes in the Transcription Profile of the Hippocampus in Response to Administration of the Tuftsin Analog Selank

We describe here our studies of the effects of single doses and courses of the synthetic tuftsin analog Selank (a peptide with the sequence Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro) at a dose of 200 μg/kg on the transcription profile of rat hippocampal cells using a cDNA microarray method. Single doses of Selank produced more than two-fold changes in the mRNA levels of 36 genes, while courses were followed by changes in 20 genes. Most of these genes encoded proteins associated with the plasma membrane (including transmembrane proteins), suggesting that Selank is able to regulate ion homeostasis of hippocampal cells, thus modulating the levels of various ion-dependent processes at the molecular genetic level, these including learning and memory formation processes.