%0 Journal Article
%T Glucocorticoid Receptor Expression Pattern in Very Low Birth Weight Infants Changes Drastically within the First Week of Life.
%A Yamamoto A
%A Motokura K
%A Iwanaga K
%A Niwa F
%A Takita J
%A Kawai M
%J Horm Res Paediatr
%V 96
%N 3
%D Sep 2023 28
%M 36170805
%F 4.275
%R 10.1159/000526915
%X <B>BACKGROUND: </B>We herein examined changes in expression levels of the glucocorticoid receptor subtypes GRα and GRβ in very low birth weight (VLBW) and term infants to clarify time-dependent changes in glucocorticoid sensitivity after birth.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>Whole blood samples were collected at birth and on postnatal days 4-7, and the mRNA expression levels of GRα and GRβ were measured using RT-qPCR. The relative gene expression levels of GRα and GRβ as the target genes normalized to actin beta as the endogenous control were calculated by the comparative cycle threshold method.<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>The GRα/GRβ expression ratio at birth was significantly lower in 32 VLBW cesarean section (CS) infants than in term planned CS infants (median [IQR], 1.5 [1.1-1.8]- and 1.1 [0.7-1.6]-fold change, p < 0.05). Furthermore, the GRα/GRβ expression ratio increased from day 0 to days 4-7 (1.0 [0.6-1.4]- and 1.7 [0.6-1.4]-fold change, p < 0.01) in 43 VLBW infants.<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>The present results suggest that glucocorticoid sensitivity in VLBW infants increases after birth and this rapid change may play a role in surviving critical postnatal events.