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Role of Endogenous Glucocorticoids in Cancer in the Elderly. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19123774. [PMID: 30486460 PMCID: PMC6321146 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19123774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2018] [Revised: 11/22/2018] [Accepted: 11/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Although not a disease itself, aging represents a risk factor for many aging-related illnesses, including cancer. Numerous causes underlie the increased incidence of malignancies in the elderly, for example, genomic instability and epigenetic alterations that occur at cellular level, which also involve the immune cells. The progressive decline of the immune system functions that occurs in aging defines immunosenescence, and includes both innate and adaptive immunity; the latter undergoes major alterations. Aging and chronic stress share the abnormal hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis activation, where altered peripheral glucocorticoids (GC) levels and chronic stress have been associated with accelerated cellular aging, premature immunosenescence, and aging-related diseases. Consequently, changes in GC levels and sensitivity contribute to the signs of immunosenescence, namely fewer naïve T cells, poor immune response to new antigens, decreased cell-mediated immunity, and thymic involution. GC signaling alterations also involve epigenetic alterations in DNA methylation, with transcription modifications that may contribute to immunosenescence. Immune cell aging leads to decreased levels of immunosurveillance, thereby providing tumor cells one more route for immune system escape. Here, the contribution of GC secretion and signaling dysregulation to the increased incidence of tumorigenesis in the elderly is reviewed.
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Gillette R, Son MJ, Ton L, Gore AC, Crews D. Passing experiences on to future generations: endocrine disruptors and transgenerational inheritance of epimutations in brain and sperm. Epigenetics 2018; 13:1106-1126. [PMID: 30444163 DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2018.1543506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
All animals have body burdens of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) despite their ban decades ago. These and modern endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) such as the fungicide vinclozolin (VIN) perturb hormone signaling and lead to dysfunctions following prenatal exposures. Beyond direct exposures, transgenerational disease phenotypes can persist for multiple generations without subsequent exposure. The mechanisms of action of these EDCs differ: VIN is anti-androgenic while the PCB mixture Aroclor 1221 (A1221) is weakly estrogenic. Based on limited evidence for the inheritance of epimutations in germline, we measured DNA methylation in brain and sperm of rats. Pregnant dams were exposed from day 8-18 of gestation to low dosages of VIN, A1221, or the vehicle. To produce paternal lineages, exposed F1 males were bred with untreated females, creating the F2 and subsequently F3 generations. In adult F1 and F3 males, mature sperm was collected, and brain nuclei involved in anxiety and social behaviors (CA3 of the hippocampus; central amygdala) were selected for assays of epimutations in CpG islands using reduced representation bisulfite sequencing. In F1 sperm, VIN and PCBs induced differential methylation in 215 and 284 CpG islands, respectively, compared to vehicle. The majority of effects were associated with hypermethylation. Fewer epimutations were detected in the brain. A subset of differentially methylated regions were retained from the F1 to the F3 generation, suggesting a common mechanism of EDC and germline epigenome interaction. Thus, EDCs can cause heritable epimutations in the sperm that may embody the future phenotype of brain-behavior disorders caused by direct or transgenerational exposures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ross Gillette
- a Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology , The University of Texas at Austin , Austin , TX , USA
| | - Min Ji Son
- b Section of Integrative Biology , The University of Texas at Austin , Austin , TX , USA
| | - Lexi Ton
- b Section of Integrative Biology , The University of Texas at Austin , Austin , TX , USA
| | - Andrea C Gore
- a Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology , The University of Texas at Austin , Austin , TX , USA.,c Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy , The University of Texas at Austin , Austin , TX , USA
| | - David Crews
- a Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology , The University of Texas at Austin , Austin , TX , USA.,b Section of Integrative Biology , The University of Texas at Austin , Austin , TX , USA
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Pape JC, Carrillo-Roa T, Rothbaum BO, Nemeroff CB, Czamara D, Zannas AS, Iosifescu D, Mathew SJ, Neylan TC, Mayberg HS, Dunlop BW, Binder EB. DNA methylation levels are associated with CRF 1 receptor antagonist treatment outcome in women with post-traumatic stress disorder. Clin Epigenetics 2018; 10:136. [PMID: 30390684 PMCID: PMC6215613 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-018-0569-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2018] [Accepted: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background We have previously evaluated the efficacy of the CRF1 receptor antagonist GSK561679 in female PTSD patients. While GSK561679 was not superior to placebo overall, it was associated with a significantly stronger symptom reduction in a subset of patients with probable CRF system hyperactivity, i.e., patients with child abuse and CRHR1 SNP rs110402 GG carriers. Here, we test whether blood-based DNA methylation levels within CRHR1 and other PTSD-relevant genes would be associated with treatment outcome, either overall or in the high CRF activity subgroup. Results Therefore, we measured CRHR1 genotypes as well as baseline and post-treatment DNA methylation from the peripheral blood in the same cohort of PTSD-diagnosed women treated with GSK561679 (N = 43) or placebo (N = 45). In the same patients, we assessed DNA methylation at the PTSD-relevant genes NR3C1 and FKBP5, shown to predict or associate with PTSD treatment outcome after psychotherapy. We observed significant differences in CRHR1 methylation after GSK561679 treatment in the subgroup of patients with high CRF activity. Furthermore, NR3C1 baseline methylation significantly interacted with child abuse to predict PTSD symptom change following GSK561679 treatment. Conclusions Our results support a possible role of CRHR1 methylation levels as an epigenetic marker to track response to CRF1 antagonist treatment in biologically relevant subgroups. Moreover, pre-treatment NR3C1 methylation levels may serve as a potential marker to predict PTSD treatment outcome, independent of the type of therapy. However, to establish clinical relevance of these markers, our findings require replication and validation in larger studies. Trial registration NCT01018992. Registered 6 November 2009. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13148-018-0569-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julius C Pape
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Tania Carrillo-Roa
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Barbara O Rothbaum
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Charles B Nemeroff
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Darina Czamara
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Anthony S Zannas
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Dan Iosifescu
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.,New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.,Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA
| | - Sanjay J Mathew
- Menninger Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine & Michael E. Debakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Thomas C Neylan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.,The San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Helen S Mayberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Boadie W Dunlop
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Elisabeth B Binder
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany. .,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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Abstract
Prenatal exposure to excess steroids or steroid mimics can disrupt the normal developmental trajectory of organ systems, culminating in adult disease. The metabolic system is particularly susceptible to the deleterious effects of prenatal steroid excess. Studies in sheep demonstrate that prenatal exposure to excess native steroids or endocrine-disrupting chemicals with steroidogenic activity, such as bisphenol A, results in postnatal development of numerous cardiometabolic perturbations, including insulin resistance, increased adiposity, altered adipocyte size and distribution, and hypertension. The similarities in the phenotypic outcomes programmed by these different prenatal insults suggest that common mechanisms may be involved, and these may include hormonal imbalances (e.g., hyperandrogenism and hyperinsulinemia), oxidative stress, inflammation, lipotoxicity, and epigenetic alterations. Animal models, including the sheep, provide mechanistic insight into the metabolic repercussions associated with prenatal steroid exposure and represent valuable research tools in understanding human health and disease. Focusing on the sheep model, this review summarizes the cardiometabolic perturbations programmed by prenatal exposure to different native steroids and steroid mimics and discusses the potential mechanisms underlying the development of adverse outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodolfo C Cardoso
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Vasantha Padmanabhan
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA;
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Ducsay CA, Goyal R, Pearce WJ, Wilson S, Hu XQ, Zhang L. Gestational Hypoxia and Developmental Plasticity. Physiol Rev 2018; 98:1241-1334. [PMID: 29717932 PMCID: PMC6088145 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00043.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Hypoxia is one of the most common and severe challenges to the maintenance of homeostasis. Oxygen sensing is a property of all tissues, and the response to hypoxia is multidimensional involving complicated intracellular networks concerned with the transduction of hypoxia-induced responses. Of all the stresses to which the fetus and newborn infant are subjected, perhaps the most important and clinically relevant is that of hypoxia. Hypoxia during gestation impacts both the mother and fetal development through interactions with an individual's genetic traits acquired over multiple generations by natural selection and changes in gene expression patterns by altering the epigenetic code. Changes in the epigenome determine "genomic plasticity," i.e., the ability of genes to be differentially expressed according to environmental cues. The genomic plasticity defined by epigenomic mechanisms including DNA methylation, histone modifications, and noncoding RNAs during development is the mechanistic substrate for phenotypic programming that determines physiological response and risk for healthy or deleterious outcomes. This review explores the impact of gestational hypoxia on maternal health and fetal development, and epigenetic mechanisms of developmental plasticity with emphasis on the uteroplacental circulation, heart development, cerebral circulation, pulmonary development, and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and adipose tissue. The complex molecular and epigenetic interactions that may impact an individual's physiology and developmental programming of health and disease later in life are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles A. Ducsay
- The Lawrence D. Longo, MD Center for Perinatal Biology, Department of Basic Sciences, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California
| | - Ravi Goyal
- The Lawrence D. Longo, MD Center for Perinatal Biology, Department of Basic Sciences, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California
| | - William J. Pearce
- The Lawrence D. Longo, MD Center for Perinatal Biology, Department of Basic Sciences, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California
| | - Sean Wilson
- The Lawrence D. Longo, MD Center for Perinatal Biology, Department of Basic Sciences, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California
| | - Xiang-Qun Hu
- The Lawrence D. Longo, MD Center for Perinatal Biology, Department of Basic Sciences, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California
| | - Lubo Zhang
- The Lawrence D. Longo, MD Center for Perinatal Biology, Department of Basic Sciences, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California
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Matosin N, Halldorsdottir T, Binder EB. Understanding the Molecular Mechanisms Underpinning Gene by Environment Interactions in Psychiatric Disorders: The FKBP5 Model. Biol Psychiatry 2018; 83:821-830. [PMID: 29573791 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2018.01.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 149] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2017] [Revised: 01/18/2018] [Accepted: 01/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Epidemiologic and genetic studies suggest common environmental and genetic risk factors for a number of psychiatric disorders, including depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Genetic and environmental factors, especially adverse life events, not only have main effects on disease development but also may interact to shape risk and resilience. Such gene by adversity interactions have been described for FKBP5, an endogenous regulator of the stress-neuroendocrine system, conferring risk for a number of psychiatric disorders. In this review, we present a molecular and cellular model of the consequences of FKBP5 by early adversity interactions. We illustrate how altered genetic and epigenetic regulation of FKBP5 may contribute to disease risk by covering evidence from clinical and preclinical studies of FKBP5 dysregulation, known cell-type and tissue-type expression patterns of FKBP5 in humans and animals, and the role of FKBP5 as a stress-responsive molecular hub modulating many cellular pathways. FKBP5 presents the possibility to better understand the molecular and cellular factors contributing to a disease-relevant gene by environment interaction, with implications for the development of biomarkers and interventions for psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Matosin
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany; School of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Thorhildur Halldorsdottir
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Elisabeth B Binder
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
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57
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Boureau L, Constantinof A, Moisiadis VG, Matthews SG, Szyf M. The DNA methylation landscape of enhancers in the guinea pig hippocampus. Epigenomics 2018; 10:349-365. [PMID: 29616589 DOI: 10.2217/epi-2017-0064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM To determine the state of methylation of DNA molecules in the guinea pig hippocampus that are associated with either poised or active enhancers. METHODS We used sequential chromatin immunoprecipitation-bisulfite-sequencing with an antibody to H3K4me1 to map the state of methylation of DNA that is found within enhancers. Actively transcribing transcription start sites were mapped by chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing with an antibody to RNApolII-PS5. Total DNA methylation was mapped using reduced representation bisulfite sequencing. RESULTS DNA that overlaps with H3K4me1 binding regions in the genome is heavily methylated. However, DNA molecules that are found in H3K4me1 chromatin are hypomethylated, while DNA found in enhancers that are associated with active transcription is further demethylated. Differential methylation in enhancers is spotted in single CGs, bimodal and corresponds to transcription factor binding sites. CONCLUSION Our study delineates the DNA methylation status of H3K4 me1-bound regions in the hippocampus in active and inactive genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Boureau
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Sackler Program for Epigenetics & Psychobiology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3G 1Y6, Canada
| | - Andrea Constantinof
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Vasilis G Moisiadis
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Stephen G Matthews
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada.,Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1E2, Canada.,Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2C4, Canada
| | - Moshe Szyf
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Sackler Program for Epigenetics & Psychobiology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3G 1Y6, Canada
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58
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Kular L, Kular S. Epigenetics applied to psychiatry: Clinical opportunities and future challenges. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2018; 72:195-211. [PMID: 29292553 DOI: 10.1111/pcn.12634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2017] [Revised: 12/12/2017] [Accepted: 12/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Psychiatric disorders are clinically heterogeneous and debilitating chronic diseases resulting from a complex interplay between gene variants and environmental factors. Epigenetic processes, such as DNA methylation and histone posttranslational modifications, instruct the cell/tissue to correctly interpret external signals and adjust its functions accordingly. Given that epigenetic modifications are sensitive to environment, stable, and reversible, epigenetic studies in psychiatry could represent a promising approach to better understanding and treating disease. In the present review, we aim to discuss the clinical opportunities and challenges arising from the epigenetic research in psychiatry. Using selected examples, we first recapitulate key findings supporting the role of adverse life events, alone or in combination with genetic risk, in epigenetic programming of neuropsychiatric systems. Epigenetic studies further report encouraging findings about the use of methylation changes as diagnostic markers of disease phenotype and predictive tools of progression and response to treatment. Then we discuss the potential of using targeted epigenetic pharmacotherapy, combined with psychosocial interventions, for future personalized medicine for patients. Finally, we review the methodological limitations that could hinder interpretation of epigenetic data in psychiatry. They mainly arise from heterogeneity at the individual and tissue level and require future strategies in order to reinforce the biological relevance of epigenetic data and its translational use in psychiatry. Overall, we suggest that epigenetics could provide new insights into a more comprehensive interpretation of mental illness and might eventually improve the nosology, treatment, and prevention of psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara Kular
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sonia Kular
- Adult Psychiatry Unit of Laval Secteur Est, Laval, France
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59
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Kawahori K, Hashimoto K, Yuan X, Tsujimoto K, Hanzawa N, Hamaguchi M, Kase S, Fujita K, Tagawa K, Okazawa H, Nakajima Y, Shibusawa N, Yamada M, Ogawa Y. Mild Maternal Hypothyroxinemia During Pregnancy Induces Persistent DNA Hypermethylation in the Hippocampal Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Gene in Mouse Offspring. Thyroid 2018; 28:395-406. [PMID: 29415629 DOI: 10.1089/thy.2017.0331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Thyroid hormones are essential for normal development of the central nervous system (CNS). Experimental rodents have shown that even a subtle thyroid hormone insufficiency in circulating maternal thyroid hormones during pregnancy may adversely affect neurodevelopment in offspring, resulting in irreversible cognitive deficits. This may be due to the persistent reduced expression of the hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene Bdnf, which plays a crucial role in CNS development. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. METHODS Thiamazole (MMI; 0.025% [w/v]) was administered to dams from two weeks prior to conception until delivery, which succeeded in inducing mild maternal hypothyroxinemia during pregnancy. Serum thyroid hormone and thyrotropin levels of the offspring derived from dams with mild maternal hypothyroxinemia (M offspring) and the control offspring (C offspring) were measured. At 70 days after birth, several behavior tests were performed on the offspring. Gene expression and DNA methylation status were also evaluated in the promoter region of Bdnf exon IV, which is largely responsible for neural activity-dependent Bdnf gene expression, in the hippocampus of the offspring at day 28 and day 70. RESULTS No significant differences in serum thyroid hormone or thyrotropin levels were found between M and C offspring at day 28 and day 70. M offspring showed an impaired learning capacity in the behavior tests. Hippocampal steady-state Bdnf exon IV expression was significantly weaker in M offspring than it was in C offspring at day 28. At day 70, hippocampal Bdnf exon IV expression at the basal level was comparable between M and C offspring. However, it was significantly weaker in M offspring than in C offspring after the behavior tests. Persistent DNA hypermethylation was also found in the promoter region of Bdnf exon IV in the hippocampus of M offspring compared to that of C offspring, which may cause the attenuation of Bdnf exon IV expression in M offspring. CONCLUSIONS Mild maternal hypothyroxinemia induces persistent DNA hypermethylation in Bdnf exon IV in offspring as epigenetic memory, which may result in long-term cognitive disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenichi Kawahori
- 1 Department of Molecular Endocrinology and Metabolism, Tokyo Medical and Dental University , Tokyo, Japan
| | - Koshi Hashimoto
- 2 Department of Preemptive Medicine and Metabolism, Tokyo Medical and Dental University , Tokyo, Japan
| | - Xunmei Yuan
- 3 Department of Molecular and Cellular Metabolism, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University , Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazutaka Tsujimoto
- 1 Department of Molecular Endocrinology and Metabolism, Tokyo Medical and Dental University , Tokyo, Japan
| | - Nozomi Hanzawa
- 1 Department of Molecular Endocrinology and Metabolism, Tokyo Medical and Dental University , Tokyo, Japan
| | - Miho Hamaguchi
- 3 Department of Molecular and Cellular Metabolism, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University , Tokyo, Japan
| | - Saori Kase
- 1 Department of Molecular Endocrinology and Metabolism, Tokyo Medical and Dental University , Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kyota Fujita
- 4 Department of Neuropathology, Medical Research Institute and Center for Brain Integration Research, Tokyo Medical and Dental University , Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazuhiko Tagawa
- 4 Department of Neuropathology, Medical Research Institute and Center for Brain Integration Research, Tokyo Medical and Dental University , Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Okazawa
- 4 Department of Neuropathology, Medical Research Institute and Center for Brain Integration Research, Tokyo Medical and Dental University , Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yasuyo Nakajima
- 5 Department of Medicine and Molecular Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine , Gunma, Japan
| | - Nobuyuki Shibusawa
- 5 Department of Medicine and Molecular Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine , Gunma, Japan
| | - Masanobu Yamada
- 5 Department of Medicine and Molecular Science, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine , Gunma, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Ogawa
- 3 Department of Molecular and Cellular Metabolism, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University , Tokyo, Japan
- 6 Department of Medicine and Bioregulatory Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University , Fukuoka, Japan
- 7 Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development , CREST, Tokyo, Japan
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Dick A, Provencal N. Central Neuroepigenetic Regulation of the Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Adrenal Axis. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2018; 158:105-127. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2018.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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Gray JD, Kogan JF, Marrocco J, McEwen BS. Genomic and epigenomic mechanisms of glucocorticoids in the brain. Nat Rev Endocrinol 2017; 13:661-673. [PMID: 28862266 DOI: 10.1038/nrendo.2017.97] [Citation(s) in RCA: 141] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Following the discovery of glucocorticoid receptors in the hippocampus and other brain regions, research has focused on understanding the effects of glucocorticoids in the brain and their role in regulating emotion and cognition. Glucocorticoids are essential for adaptation to stressors (allostasis) and in maladaptation resulting from allostatic load and overload. Allostatic overload, which can occur during chronic stress, can reshape the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis through epigenetic modification of genes in the hippocampus, hypothalamus and other stress-responsive brain regions. Glucocorticoids exert their effects on the brain through genomic mechanisms that involve both glucocorticoid receptors and mineralocorticoid receptors directly binding to DNA, as well as by non-genomic mechanisms. Furthermore, glucocorticoids synergize both genomically and non-genomically with neurotransmitters, neurotrophic factors, sex hormones and other stress mediators to shape an organism's present and future responses to a stressful environment. Here, we discuss the mechanisms of glucocorticoid action in the brain and review how glucocorticoids interact with stress mediators in the context of allostasis, allostatic load and stress-induced neuroplasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason D Gray
- Harold and Margaret Milliken Hatch Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065. USA
| | - Joshua F Kogan
- Harold and Margaret Milliken Hatch Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065. USA
| | - Jordan Marrocco
- Harold and Margaret Milliken Hatch Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065. USA
| | - Bruce S McEwen
- Harold and Margaret Milliken Hatch Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065. USA
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Bal N, Kumar A, Nugegoda D. Assessing multigenerational effects of prednisolone to the freshwater snail, Physa acuta (Gastropoda: Physidae). JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2017; 339:281-291. [PMID: 28658637 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2017.06.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2017] [Revised: 06/10/2017] [Accepted: 06/12/2017] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Prednisolone (PDS), a potent synthetic glucocorticoid is widely prescribed for its exceptional anti-inflammatory properties. Several studies have detected the environmental presence of PDS in water bodies which has led to an ecological concern for its toxicity to non-target aquatic biota. The present study investigated the effects of exposure to PDS on different life-cycle stages and generations of the freshwater snail, Physa acuta. This continuous exposure over a period of multiple generations resulted in generational impairments at measured endpoints. LOEC values (p<0.001) for PDS exposure ranged from 32 to 4μg/L in exposed F0-F2 generations. Global DNA methylation (% 5-methyl cytosine) of adult progeny was found to be affected at higher test concentrations in comparison to the parent snails. Partially formed to completely missed growth components of shell structure and shell thinning in abnormally underdeveloped PDS exposed snails of F1 and F2 generation, was also observed in this multigenerational exposure experiment. The multigenerational study confirmed P. acuta as a promising bioindicator since critical effects of the long term glucocorticoid exposure opens up the way for further investigations on transgenerational toxicity in environmental toxicology and risk assessment and to monitor glucocorticoid pollution in aqueous ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Navdeep Bal
- School of Science, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, VIC, 3001, Australia; CSIRO Land and Water, PMB 2, Glen Osmond, SA, 5064, Australia.
| | - Anu Kumar
- CSIRO Land and Water, PMB 2, Glen Osmond, SA, 5064, Australia.
| | - Dayanthi Nugegoda
- School of Science, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, VIC, 3001, Australia.
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63
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Massart R, Suderman M, Mongrain V, Szyf M. DNA methylation and transcription onset in the brain. Epigenomics 2017; 9:797-809. [DOI: 10.2217/epi-2016-0184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Aim: The goal of this study was to test the state of methylation of transcription start positions in DNA that are actively involved in transcription. Materials & methods: We used sequential ChIP-bisulfite-sequencing with an antibody to RNpolII-PS5 to map the state of methylation of actively transcribing transcription start sites (TSS). Results: TSS that RNApolII-PS5 physically bind to, are ubiquitously unmethylated. TSS that appear to be both heavily methylated and transcriptionally active are truly a mixture of unmethylated TSS with bound RNApolII-PS5 in some nuclei and unbound methylated TSS in other nuclei. Conclusion: TSS DNA methylation is universally inconsistent with transcription onset and could therefore serve as a digital count of the fraction of nuclei with methylation-silenced TSS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renaud Massart
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Inserm U955 Interventional NeuroPsychology Team, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University
| | - Matthew Suderman
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- McGill Centre for Bioinformatics, McGill University, 3649 Promenade Sir William Osler, Montreal, Quebec H3G 0B1, Canada
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, School of Social & Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Valerie Mongrain
- Department of Neuroscience, Université de Montréal & Research Center, Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, 5400 Gouin West blvd., Montreal, Quebec H4J1C5, Canada
| | - Moshe Szyf
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Sackler Program for Epigenetics & Psychobiology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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64
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Abstract
Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene expression that occur without alterations in the DNA sequence. Several studies have shown that environmental chemicals can alter epigenetic modifications, including histone modifications and DNA methylation. Environmental chemicals may show toxic effects via epigenetic mechanism-regulated changes in gene expression. Previously, we reported that zinc treatment rapidly decreased Lys(4)-trimethylated and Lys(9)-acetylated histone H3 in the metallothionein (MT) promoter, and also decreased total histone H3. The chromatin structure in the MT promoter may be locally disrupted by zinc-induced nucleosome removal. We also showed that chromium (VI) inhibited MT gene transcription by modifying the transcription potential of the co-activator p300. MT is a small cysteine-rich protein that is active in zinc homeostasis, cadmium detoxification, and protection against reactive oxygen species. Epigenetic changes might influence the cytoprotective function of the MT gene. In this review, I briefly summarize the results of previous studies and discuss the mechanisms and toxicological significance of metal-mediated epigenetic modifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomoki Kimura
- Department of Life Science, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Setsunan University
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65
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Epigenetic programming by stress and glucocorticoids along the human lifespan. Mol Psychiatry 2017; 22:640-646. [PMID: 28289275 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2017.35] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2016] [Revised: 01/08/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Psychosocial stress triggers a set of behavioral, neural, hormonal, and molecular responses that can be a driving force for survival when adaptive and time-limited, but may also contribute to a host of disease states if dysregulated or chronic. The beneficial or detrimental effects of stress are largely mediated by the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, a highly conserved neurohormonal cascade that culminates in systemic secretion of glucocorticoids. Glucocorticoids activate the glucocorticoid receptor, a ubiquitous nuclear receptor that not only causes widespread changes in transcriptional programs, but also induces lasting epigenetic modifications in many target tissues. While the epigenome remains sensitive to stressors throughout life, we propose two key principles that may govern the epigenetics of stress and glucocorticoids along the lifespan: first, the presence of distinct life periods, during which the epigenome shows heightened plasticity to stress exposure, such as in early development and at advanced age; and, second, the potential of stress-induced epigenetic changes to accumulate throughout life both in select chromatin regions and at the genome-wide level. These principles have important clinical and translational implications, and they show striking parallels with the existence of sensitive developmental periods and the cumulative impact of stressful experiences on the development of stress-related phenotypes. We hope that this conceptual mechanistic framework will stimulate fruitful research that aims at unraveling the molecular pathways through which our life stories sculpt genomic function to contribute to complex behavioral and somatic phenotypes.
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66
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Genes, Gender, Environment, and Novel Functions of Estrogen Receptor Beta in the Susceptibility to Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Brain Sci 2017; 7:brainsci7030024. [PMID: 28241485 PMCID: PMC5366823 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci7030024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2016] [Revised: 02/14/2017] [Accepted: 02/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Many neurological disorders affect men and women differently regarding prevalence, progression, and severity. It is clear that many of these disorders may originate from defective signaling during fetal or perinatal brain development, which may affect males and females differently. Such sex-specific differences may originate from chromosomal or sex-hormone specific effects. This short review will focus on the estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) signaling during perinatal brain development and put it in the context of sex-specific differences in neurodevelopmental disorders. We will discuss ERβ’s recent discovery in directing DNA de-methylation to specific sites, of which one such site may bear consequences for the susceptibility to the neurological reading disorder dyslexia. We will also discuss how dysregulations in sex-hormone signaling, like those evoked by endocrine disruptive chemicals, may affect this and other neurodevelopmental disorders in a sex-specific manner through ERβ.
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67
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Bonifer C, Cockerill PN. Chromatin priming of genes in development: Concepts, mechanisms and consequences. Exp Hematol 2017; 49:1-8. [PMID: 28185904 DOI: 10.1016/j.exphem.2017.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2016] [Revised: 01/19/2017] [Accepted: 01/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
During ontogeny, cells progress through multiple alternate differentiation states by activating distinct gene regulatory networks. In this review, we highlight the important role of chromatin priming in facilitating gene activation during lineage specification and in maintaining an epigenetic memory of previous gene activation. We show that chromatin priming is part of a hugely diverse repertoire of regulatory mechanisms that genes use to ensure that they are expressed at the correct time, in the correct cell type, and at the correct level, but also that they react to signals. We also emphasize how increasing our knowledge of these principles could inform our understanding of developmental failure and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Constanze Bonifer
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
| | - Peter N Cockerill
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
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68
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Halldorsdottir T, Binder EB. Gene × Environment Interactions: From Molecular Mechanisms to Behavior. Annu Rev Psychol 2017; 68:215-241. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-psych-010416-044053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 155] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Thorhildur Halldorsdottir
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany;
| | - Elisabeth B. Binder
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany;
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322
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69
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Walker DM, Gore AC. Epigenetic impacts of endocrine disruptors in the brain. Front Neuroendocrinol 2017; 44:1-26. [PMID: 27663243 PMCID: PMC5429819 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2016.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2016] [Revised: 08/05/2016] [Accepted: 09/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The acquisition of reproductive competence is organized and activated by steroid hormones acting upon the hypothalamus during critical windows of development. This review describes the potential role of epigenetic processes, particularly DNA methylation, in the regulation of sexual differentiation of the hypothalamus by hormones. We examine disruption of these processes by endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in an age-, sex-, and region-specific manner, focusing on how perinatal EDCs act through epigenetic mechanisms to reprogram DNA methylation and sex steroid hormone receptor expression throughout life. These receptors are necessary for brain sexual differentiation and their altered expression may underlie disrupted reproductive physiology and behavior. Finally, we review the literature on histone modifications and non-coding RNA involvement in brain sexual differentiation and their perturbation by EDCs. By putting these data into a sex and developmental context we conclude that perinatal EDC exposure alters the developmental trajectory of reproductive neuroendocrine systems in a sex-specific manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deena M Walker
- Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1065, New York, NY 10029, USA.
| | - Andrea C Gore
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA; Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, and The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA; Institute for Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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70
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Massart R, Suderman MJ, Nemoda Z, Sutti S, Ruggiero AM, Dettmer AM, Suomi SJ, Szyf M. The Signature of Maternal Social Rank in Placenta Deoxyribonucleic Acid Methylation Profiles in Rhesus Monkeys. Child Dev 2016; 88:900-918. [PMID: 27739069 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The effects of social status on human health can be modeled in captive cohorts of nonhuman primates. This study shows that maternal social rank is associated with broad changes in DNA methylation in placentae of rhesus monkeys (N = 10). Differentially methylated genes between social ranks are enriched in signaling pathways playing major roles in placenta physiology. Moreover, the authors found significant overlaps with genes whose expression was previously associated with social rank in adult rhesus monkeys (Tung et al., 2012) and whose methylation was associated with perinatal stress in newborn humans and rhesus monkeys (Nieratschker et al., 2014). These results are consistent with the hypothesis that system-wide epigenetic changes in multiple tissues are involved in long-term adaptations to the social environment.
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71
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Amenya HZ, Tohyama C, Ohsako S. Dioxin induces Ahr-dependent robust DNA demethylation of the Cyp1a1 promoter via Tdg in the mouse liver. Sci Rep 2016; 6:34989. [PMID: 27713569 PMCID: PMC5054525 DOI: 10.1038/srep34989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2016] [Accepted: 09/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (Ahr) is a highly conserved nuclear receptor that plays an important role in the manifestation of toxicity induced by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. As a xenobiotic sensor, Ahr is involved in chemical biotransformation through activation of drug metabolizing enzymes. The activated Ahr cooperates with coactivator complexes to induce epigenetic modifications at target genes. Thus, it is conceivable that 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), a potent Ahr ligand, may elicit robust epigenetic changes in vivo at the Ahr target gene cytochrome P450 1a1 (Cyp1a1). A single dose of TCDD administered to adult mice induced Ahr-dependent CpG hypomethylation, changes in histone modifications, and thymine DNA glycosylase (Tdg) recruitment at the Cyp1a1 promoter in the liver within 24 hrs. These epigenetic changes persisted until 40 days post-TCDD treatment and there was Cyp1a1 mRNA hyperinduction upon repeat administration of TCDD at this time-point. Our demethylation assay using siRNA knockdown and an in vitro methylated plasmid showed that Ahr, Tdg, and the ten-eleven translocation methyldioxygenases Tet2 and Tet3 are required for the TCDD-induced DNA demethylation. These results provide novel evidence of Ahr-driven active DNA demethylation and epigenetic memory. The epigenetic alterations influence response to subsequent chemical exposure and imply an adaptive mechanism to xenobiotic stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hesbon Z Amenya
- Laboratory of Environmental Health Sciences, Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, Graduate School and Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Chiharu Tohyama
- Laboratory of Environmental Health Sciences, Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, Graduate School and Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,Experimental Biology Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8575, Japan
| | - Seiichiroh Ohsako
- Laboratory of Environmental Health Sciences, Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, Graduate School and Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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72
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Cook JD, Davis BJ, Goewey JA, Berry TD, Walker CL. Identification of a Sensitive Period for Developmental Programming That Increases Risk for Uterine Leiomyoma in Eker Rats. Reprod Sci 2016; 14:121-36. [PMID: 17636224 DOI: 10.1177/1933719106298401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Epidemiological and experimental animal studies have shown that exposure to xenoestrogens during reproductive tract development reprograms target tissues, leading to increased disease risk later in adult life. To understand what defines the critical risk period for this effect, termed developmental programming, the authors assess the sensitivity of the female reproductive tract to developmental programming during various stages of neonatal development. Eker rats, which are predisposed to develop uterine leiomyoma because of a germ-line defect in the tuberous sclerosis complex 2 (Tsc-2) tumor suppressor gene, were exposed to the xenoestrogen diethylstilbestrol (DES) on either postnatal days 3 to 5, 10 to 12, or 17 to 19, 3 important periods of reproductive tract development and differentiation. Developmental programming was observed in both carrier (Tsc-2(Ek/+)) and wild-type (Tsc-2(+/+)) rats exposed to DES at days 3 to 5 and days 10 to 12 but not in rats exposed at days 17 to 19. Developmental programming resulted in increased tumor suppressor gene penetrance in Tsc-2(Ek/+) females relative to vehicle controls. In contrast, DES exposure at days 17 to 19 did not significantly increase the incidence of uterine leiomyoma in carrier females, indicating that the window of susceptibility had closed by this time. Gene expression analysis to determine what defined the susceptible (days 3-5 and days 10-12) versus resistant (days 17-19) periods revealed that in adult myometrium, expression of the estrogen-responsive genes calbindin D(9)K and progesterone receptor had been reprogrammed in females exposed to DES at days 3 to 5 and days 10 to 12 but not in those exposed at days 17 to 19. Reprogramming in response to DES exposure resulted in a hyperresponsiveness to ovarian hormones and could be prevented by ovariectomy prior to sexual maturity. Furthermore, in the neonatal uterus, DES was equally effective at inducing transcription of estrogen-responsive genes during both sensitive and resistant periods, indicating that resistance to developmental programming was not due to an inability of the estrogen receptor to transactivate gene expression. Interestingly, the resistant period coincided with the time at which reproductive tract tissues are exposed to endogenous estrogen, suggesting that target tissues are most vulnerable to developmental programming during the period in which they would normally be maintained in an estrogen-naïve state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer DeAnn Cook
- Science Park-Research Division, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Smithville, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas Houston Health Science Center, Houston
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73
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Hepatocyte-like cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells. Hepatol Int 2016; 11:54-69. [PMID: 27530815 DOI: 10.1007/s12072-016-9757-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2016] [Accepted: 07/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The discovery that coordinated expression of a limited number of genes can reprogram differentiated somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) has opened novel possibilities for developing cell-based models of diseases and regenerative medicine utilizing cell reprogramming or cell transplantation. Directed differentiation of iPSCs can potentially generate differentiated cells belonging to any germ layer, including cells with hepatocyte-like morphology and function. Such cells, termed iHeps, can be derived by sequential cell signaling using available information on embryological development or by forced expression of hepatocyte-enriched transcription factors. In addition to the translational aspects of iHeps, the experimental findings have provided insights into the mechanisms of cell plasticity that permit one cell type to transition to another. However, iHeps generated by current methods do not fully exhibit all characteristics of mature hepatocytes, highlighting the need for additional research in this area. Here we summarize the current approaches and achievements in this field and discuss some existing hurdles and emerging approaches for improving iPSC differentiation, as well as maintaining such cells in culture for increasing their utility in disease modeling and drug development.
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74
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Antenatal endogenous and exogenous glucocorticoids and their impact on immune ontogeny and long-term immunity. Semin Immunopathol 2016; 38:739-763. [DOI: 10.1007/s00281-016-0575-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2016] [Accepted: 05/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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75
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Gassen NC, Chrousos GP, Binder EB, Zannas AS. Life stress, glucocorticoid signaling, and the aging epigenome: Implications for aging-related diseases. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 74:356-365. [PMID: 27343999 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2016] [Revised: 05/24/2016] [Accepted: 06/06/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Life stress has been associated with accelerated cellular aging and increased risk for developing aging-related diseases; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. A highly relevant process that may underlie this association is epigenetic regulation. In this review, we build upon existing evidence to propose a model whereby exposure to life stress, in part via its effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary axis and the glucocorticoid signaling system, may alter the epigenetic landscape across the lifespan and, consequently, influence genomic regulation and function in ways that are conducive to the development of aging-related diseases. This model is supported by recent studies showing that life stressors and stress-related phenotypes can accelerate epigenetic aging, a measure that is based on DNA methylation prediction of chronological age and has been associated with several aging-related disease phenotypes. We discuss the implications of this model for the prevention and treatment of aging-related diseases, as well as the challenges and limitations of this line of research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nils C Gassen
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - George P Chrousos
- First Department of Pediatrics, University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece
| | - Elisabeth B Binder
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University Medical School, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Anthony S Zannas
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
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76
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Gay MS, Dasgupta C, Li Y, Kanna A, Zhang L. Dexamethasone Induces Cardiomyocyte Terminal Differentiation via Epigenetic Repression of Cyclin D2 Gene. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2016; 358:190-8. [PMID: 27302109 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.116.234104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2016] [Accepted: 06/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Dexamethasone treatment of newborn rats inhibited cardiomyocyte proliferation and stimulated premature terminal differentiation of cardiomyocytes in the developing heart. Yet mechanisms remain undetermined. The present study tested the hypothesis that the direct effect of glucocorticoid receptor-mediated epigenetic repression of cyclin D2 gene in the cardiomyocyte plays a key role in the dexamethasone-mediated effects in the developing heart. Cardiomyocytes were isolated from 2-day-old rats. Cells were stained with a cardiomyocyte marker α-actinin and a proliferation marker Ki67. Cyclin D2 expression was evaluated by Western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Promoter methylation of CcnD2 was determined by methylated DNA immunoprecipitation (MeDIP). Overexpression of Cyclin D2 was conducted by transfection of FlexiCcnD2 (+CcnD2) construct. Treatment of cardiomyocytes isolated from newborn rats with dexamethasone for 48 hours significantly inhibited cardiomyocyte proliferation with increased binucleation and decreased cyclin D2 protein abundance. These effects were blocked with Ru486 (mifepristone). In addition, the dexamethasone treatment significantly increased cyclin D2 gene promoter methylation in newborn rat cardiomyocytes. 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine inhibited dexamethasone-mediated promoter methylation, recovered dexamethasone-induced cyclin D2 gene repression, and blocked the dexamethasone-elicited effects on cardiomyocyte proliferation and binucleation. In addition, the overexpression of cyclin D2 restored the dexamethasone-mediated inhibition of proliferation and increase in binucleation in newborn rat cardiomyocytes. The results demonstrate that dexamethasone acting on glucocorticoid receptors has a direct effect and inhibits proliferation and stimulates premature terminal differentiation of cardiomyocytes in the developing heart via epigenetic repression of cyclin D2 gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maresha S Gay
- Center for Perinatal Biology, Division of Pharmacology, Department of Basic Sciences, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California
| | - Chiranjib Dasgupta
- Center for Perinatal Biology, Division of Pharmacology, Department of Basic Sciences, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California
| | - Yong Li
- Center for Perinatal Biology, Division of Pharmacology, Department of Basic Sciences, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California
| | - Angela Kanna
- Center for Perinatal Biology, Division of Pharmacology, Department of Basic Sciences, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California
| | - Lubo Zhang
- Center for Perinatal Biology, Division of Pharmacology, Department of Basic Sciences, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, California
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77
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Sousa N. The dynamics of the stress neuromatrix. Mol Psychiatry 2016; 21:302-12. [PMID: 26754952 PMCID: PMC4759204 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2015.196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2015] [Revised: 10/04/2015] [Accepted: 10/21/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Stressful stimuli in healthy subjects trigger activation of a consistent and reproducible set of brain regions; yet, the notion that there is a single and constant stress neuromatrix is not sustainable. Indeed, after chronic stress exposure there is activation of many brain regions outside that network. This suggests that there is a distinction between the acute and the chronic stress neuromatrix. Herein, a new working model is proposed to understand the shift between these networks. The understanding of the factors that modulate these networks and their interplay will allow for a more comprehensive and holistic perspective of how the brain shifts 'back and forth' from a healthy to a stressed pattern and, ultimately, how the latter can be a trigger for several neurological and psychiatric conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Sousa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Campus Gualtar, Braga, Portugal,ICVS/3B's–PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal,Clinical Academic Center–Braga, Braga, Portugal,Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, Braga 4710-057, Portugal. E-mail:
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78
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Khulan B, Liu L, Rose CM, Boyle AK, Manning JR, Drake AJ. Glucocorticoids accelerate maturation of the heme pathway in fetal liver through effects on transcription and DNA methylation. Epigenetics 2016; 11:103-9. [PMID: 26889791 PMCID: PMC4846099 DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2016.1144006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Glucocorticoids are widely used in threatened preterm labor to promote maturation in many organ systems in preterm babies and have significant beneficial effects on morbidity and mortality. We performed transcriptional profiling in fetal liver in a rat model of prenatal glucocorticoid exposure and identified marked gene expression changes in heme biosynthesis, utilization, and degradation pathways in late gestation. These changes in gene expression associated with alterations in DNA methylation and with a reduction in hepatic heme concentration. There were no persistent differences in gene expression, DNA methylation, or heme concentrations at 4 weeks of age, suggesting that these are transient effects. Our findings are consistent with glucocorticoid-induced accelerated maturation of the haematopoietic system and support the hypothesis that glucocorticoids can drive changes in gene expression in association with alterations in DNA methylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Batbayar Khulan
- a University/BHF Center for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, Queen's Medical Research Institute , 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh , UK
| | - Lincoln Liu
- a University/BHF Center for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, Queen's Medical Research Institute , 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh , UK
| | - Catherine M Rose
- a University/BHF Center for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, Queen's Medical Research Institute , 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh , UK
| | - Ashley K Boyle
- a University/BHF Center for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, Queen's Medical Research Institute , 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh , UK
| | - Jonathan R Manning
- a University/BHF Center for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, Queen's Medical Research Institute , 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh , UK
| | - Amanda J Drake
- a University/BHF Center for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, Queen's Medical Research Institute , 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh , UK
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79
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Liu Y, Duong W, Krawczyk C, Bretschneider N, Borbély G, Varshney M, Zinser C, Schär P, Rüegg J. Oestrogen receptor β regulates epigenetic patterns at specific genomic loci through interaction with thymine DNA glycosylase. Epigenetics Chromatin 2016; 9:7. [PMID: 26889208 PMCID: PMC4756533 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-016-0055-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2015] [Accepted: 01/27/2016] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background DNA methylation is one way to encode epigenetic information and plays a crucial role in regulating gene expression during embryonic development. DNA methylation marks are established by the DNA methyltransferases and, recently, a mechanism for active DNA demethylation has emerged involving the ten-eleven translocator proteins and thymine DNA glycosylase (TDG). However, so far it is not clear how these enzymes are recruited to, and regulate DNA methylation at, specific genomic loci. A number of studies imply that sequence-specific transcription factors are involved in targeting DNA methylation and demethylation processes. Oestrogen receptor beta (ERβ) is a ligand-inducible transcription factor regulating gene expression in response to the female sex hormone oestrogen. Previously, we found that ERβ deficiency results in changes in DNA methylation patterns at two gene promoters, implicating an involvement of ERβ in DNA methylation. In this study, we set out to explore this involvement on a genome-wide level, and to investigate the underlying mechanisms of this function. Results Using reduced representation bisulfite sequencing, we compared genome-wide DNA methylation in mouse embryonic fibroblasts derived from wildtype and ERβ knock-out mice, and identified around 8000 differentially methylated positions (DMPs). Validation and further characterisation of selected DMPs showed that differences in methylation correlated with changes in expression of the nearest gene. Additionally, re-introduction of ERβ into the knock-out cells could reverse hypermethylation and reactivate expression of some of the genes. We also show that ERβ is recruited to regions around hypermethylated DMPs. Finally, we demonstrate here that ERβ interacts with TDG and that TDG binds ERβ-dependently to hypermethylated DMPs. Conclusion We provide evidence that ERβ plays a role in regulating DNA methylation at specific genomic loci, likely as the result of its interaction with TDG at these regions. Our findings imply a novel function of ERβ, beyond direct transcriptional control, in regulating DNA methylation at target genes. Further, they shed light on the question how DNA methylation is regulated at specific genomic loci by supporting a concept in which sequence-specific transcription factors can target factors that regulate DNA methylation patterns. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13072-016-0055-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorised users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Liu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Key Laboratory of Metabolism and Molecular Medicine, Ministry of Education, Fudan University Shanghai Medical College, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - William Duong
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Mattenstrasse 28, 4058 Basel, Switzerland.,Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Pharma AG, Werk Klybeck, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Claudia Krawczyk
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Mattenstrasse 28, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Gábor Borbély
- Swedish Toxicology Science Research Center (Swetox), Forskargatan 20, 151 36 Södertälje, Sweden
| | - Mukesh Varshney
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet at Novum, 141 83 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Christian Zinser
- Swedish Toxicology Science Research Center (Swetox), Forskargatan 20, 151 36 Södertälje, Sweden
| | - Primo Schär
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Mattenstrasse 28, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Joëlle Rüegg
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Mattenstrasse 28, 4058 Basel, Switzerland.,Swedish Toxicology Science Research Center (Swetox), Forskargatan 20, 151 36 Södertälje, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Karolinska Institutet, CMM L8:00, 171 76 Stockholm, Sweden
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80
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Gene-Stress-Epigenetic Regulation of FKBP5: Clinical and Translational Implications. Neuropsychopharmacology 2016; 41:261-74. [PMID: 26250598 PMCID: PMC4677131 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2015.235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 352] [Impact Index Per Article: 44.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2015] [Revised: 07/06/2015] [Accepted: 07/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Stress responses and related outcomes vary markedly across individuals. Elucidating the molecular underpinnings of this variability is of great relevance for developing individualized prevention strategies and treatments for stress-related disorders. An important modulator of stress responses is the FK506-binding protein 51 (FKBP5/FKBP51). FKBP5 acts as a co-chaperone that modulates not only glucocorticoid receptor activity in response to stressors but also a multitude of other cellular processes in both the brain and periphery. Notably, the FKBP5 gene is regulated via complex interactions among environmental stressors, FKBP5 genetic variants, and epigenetic modifications of glucocorticoid-responsive genomic sites. These interactions can result in FKBP5 disinhibition that has been shown to contribute to a number of aberrant phenotypes in both rodents and humans. Consequently, FKBP5 blockade may hold promise as treatment intervention for stress-related disorders, and recently developed selective FKBP5 blockers show encouraging results in vitro and in rodent models. Although risk for stress-related disorders is conferred by multiple environmental and genetic factors, the findings related to FKBP5 illustrate how a deeper understanding of the molecular and systemic mechanisms underlying specific gene-environment interactions may provide insights into the pathogenesis of stress-related disorders.
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81
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Demura M, Saijoh K. The Role of DNA Methylation in Hypertension. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2016; 956:583-598. [PMID: 27888489 DOI: 10.1007/5584_2016_80] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
DNA methylation is the covalent modification of DNA that affects its function, without altering DNA sequences. Three important roles of DNA methylation include intrauterine programming, acquired predisposition, and transgenerational inheritance. A wide variety of factors can affect DNA methylation. Intrauterine programming involves drastic changes in DNA methylation patterns during cellular development and differentiation, which have a long-lasting effect on the predisposition of offspring. Influences from the mother, including maternal nutritional status, modify intrauterine epigenetic programming. In contrast to the rapid and drastic changes in utero, postnatal factors in daily life can also continue to slowly and dynamically change DNA methylation patterns in both somatic and germ cells. Epigenetic changes occurring in germ cell DNA exert a transgenerational impact on the phenotype of future generations, thus providing a means for ancestral transmission of environmental experiences. Despite adaptive ability, mismatch effect of transgenerational inheritance could be potentially harmful to health if environment has changed, and the acquired acclimatization is no longer beneficial. Increasing evidence from both human and animal studies indicates that DNA methylation exerts a causal impact on the development of hypertension. Therefore, an adverse outcome of maternal malnutrition could be the development of hypertension in offspring, whereby nutritional factors or disease conditions could induce phenotypes susceptible to hypertension through alteration of DNA methylation patterns. These factors are likely to alter DNA methylation patterns in all tissues including germ cells, and despite no direct evidence of an association between transgenerational epigenetic inheritance and hypertension, it is likely to play a role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masashi Demura
- Department of Hygiene, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, 920-8640, Japan.
| | - Kiyofumi Saijoh
- Department of Hygiene, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, 920-8640, Japan
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82
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Zannas AS, Arloth J, Carrillo-Roa T, Iurato S, Röh S, Ressler KJ, Nemeroff CB, Smith AK, Bradley B, Heim C, Menke A, Lange JF, Brückl T, Ising M, Wray NR, Erhardt A, Binder EB, Mehta D. Lifetime stress accelerates epigenetic aging in an urban, African American cohort: relevance of glucocorticoid signaling. Genome Biol 2015; 16:266. [PMID: 26673150 PMCID: PMC4699359 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-015-0828-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 290] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2015] [Accepted: 11/10/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Chronic psychological stress is associated with accelerated aging and increased risk for aging-related diseases, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are unclear. Results We examined the effect of lifetime stressors on a DNA methylation-based age predictor, epigenetic clock. After controlling for blood cell-type composition and lifestyle parameters, cumulative lifetime stress, but not childhood maltreatment or current stress alone, predicted accelerated epigenetic aging in an urban, African American cohort (n = 392). This effect was primarily driven by personal life stressors, was more pronounced with advancing age, and was blunted in individuals with higher childhood abuse exposure. Hypothesizing that these epigenetic effects could be mediated by glucocorticoid signaling, we found that a high number (n = 85) of epigenetic clock CpG sites were located within glucocorticoid response elements. We further examined the functional effects of glucocorticoids on epigenetic clock CpGs in an independent sample with genome-wide DNA methylation (n = 124) and gene expression data (n = 297) before and after exposure to the glucocorticoid receptor agonist dexamethasone. Dexamethasone induced dynamic changes in methylation in 31.2 % (110/353) of these CpGs and transcription in 81.7 % (139/170) of genes neighboring epigenetic clock CpGs. Disease enrichment analysis of these dexamethasone-regulated genes showed enriched association for aging-related diseases, including coronary artery disease, arteriosclerosis, and leukemias. Conclusions Cumulative lifetime stress may accelerate epigenetic aging, an effect that could be driven by glucocorticoid-induced epigenetic changes. These findings contribute to our understanding of mechanisms linking chronic stress with accelerated aging and heightened disease risk. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13059-015-0828-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony S Zannas
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany. .,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
| | - Janine Arloth
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany.,Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Tania Carrillo-Roa
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Stella Iurato
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Simone Röh
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Kerry J Ressler
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University Medical School, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA.,Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Charles B Nemeroff
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Center on Aging, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Alicia K Smith
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University Medical School, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Bekh Bradley
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University Medical School, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Decatur, GA, USA
| | - Christine Heim
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Andreas Menke
- Current Address: Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany.,Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Jennifer F Lange
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Tanja Brückl
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Marcus Ising
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Naomi R Wray
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Brain Institute, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia
| | - Angelika Erhardt
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Elisabeth B Binder
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany. .,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University Medical School, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Divya Mehta
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Brain Institute, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia
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83
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Liu H, Liu X, Zhang S, Lv J, Li S, Shang S, Jia S, Wei Y, Wang F, Su J, Wu Q, Zhang Y. Systematic identification and annotation of human methylation marks based on bisulfite sequencing methylomes reveals distinct roles of cell type-specific hypomethylation in the regulation of cell identity genes. Nucleic Acids Res 2015; 44:75-94. [PMID: 26635396 PMCID: PMC4705665 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkv1332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2015] [Accepted: 11/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA methylation is a key epigenetic mark that is critical for gene regulation in multicellular eukaryotes. Although various human cell types may have the same genome, these cells have different methylomes. The systematic identification and characterization of methylation marks across cell types are crucial to understand the complex regulatory network for cell fate determination. In this study, we proposed an entropy-based framework termed SMART to integrate the whole genome bisulfite sequencing methylomes across 42 human tissues/cells and identified 757 887 genome segments. Nearly 75% of the segments showed uniform methylation across all cell types. From the remaining 25% of the segments, we identified cell type-specific hypo/hypermethylation marks that were specifically hypo/hypermethylated in a minority of cell types using a statistical approach and presented an atlas of the human methylation marks. Further analysis revealed that the cell type-specific hypomethylation marks were enriched through H3K27ac and transcription factor binding sites in cell type-specific manner. In particular, we observed that the cell type-specific hypomethylation marks are associated with the cell type-specific super-enhancers that drive the expression of cell identity genes. This framework provides a complementary, functional annotation of the human genome and helps to elucidate the critical features and functions of cell type-specific hypomethylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongbo Liu
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China
| | - Xiaojuan Liu
- Department of Rehabilitation, the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Shumei Zhang
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China
| | - Jie Lv
- School of Life Science and Technology, State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Song Li
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China
| | - Shipeng Shang
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China
| | - Shanshan Jia
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China
| | - Yanjun Wei
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China
| | - Fang Wang
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China
| | - Jianzhong Su
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China
| | - Qiong Wu
- School of Life Science and Technology, State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Yan Zhang
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China
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84
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Zannas AS, Chrousos GP. Glucocorticoid signaling drives epigenetic and transcription factors to induce key regulators of human parturition. Sci Signal 2015; 8:fs19. [PMID: 26508787 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.aad3022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Glucocorticoids are thought to play an important role in parturition. Two recent articles by Di Stefano et al. in the Archives and Wang et al. in this issue of Science Signaling reveal novel mechanisms by which glucocorticoid signaling can drive the epigenetic and transcriptional machinery to induce molecules involved in parturition, including the neuropeptide corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), the enzyme cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and the autacoid hormone prostaglandin E2. These findings contribute to our understanding of how glucocorticoids may regulate human parturition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony S Zannas
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - George P Chrousos
- First Department of Pediatrics, University of Athens Medical School, Athens 115 28, Greece.
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85
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Yao L, Berman BP, Farnham PJ. Demystifying the secret mission of enhancers: linking distal regulatory elements to target genes. Crit Rev Biochem Mol Biol 2015; 50:550-73. [PMID: 26446758 PMCID: PMC4666684 DOI: 10.3109/10409238.2015.1087961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Enhancers are short regulatory sequences bound by sequence-specific transcription factors and play a major role in the spatiotemporal specificity of gene expression patterns in development and disease. While it is now possible to identify enhancer regions genomewide in both cultured cells and primary tissues using epigenomic approaches, it has been more challenging to develop methods to understand the function of individual enhancers because enhancers are located far from the gene(s) that they regulate. However, it is essential to identify target genes of enhancers not only so that we can understand the role of enhancers in disease but also because this information will assist in the development of future therapeutic options. After reviewing models of enhancer function, we discuss recent methods for identifying target genes of enhancers. First, we describe chromatin structure-based approaches for directly mapping interactions between enhancers and promoters. Second, we describe the use of correlation-based approaches to link enhancer state with the activity of nearby promoters and/or gene expression. Third, we describe how to test the function of specific enhancers experimentally by perturbing enhancer–target relationships using high-throughput reporter assays and genome editing. Finally, we conclude by discussing as yet unanswered questions concerning how enhancers function, how target genes can be identified, and how to distinguish direct from indirect changes in gene expression mediated by individual enhancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijing Yao
- a Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California , Los Angeles , CA , USA and
| | - Benjamin P Berman
- b Department of Biomedical Sciences , Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Research Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center , Los Angeles , CA , USA
| | - Peggy J Farnham
- a Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California , Los Angeles , CA , USA and
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86
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Provençal N, Booij L, Tremblay RE. The developmental origins of chronic physical aggression: biological pathways triggered by early life adversity. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 218:123-33. [PMID: 25568459 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.111401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Longitudinal epidemiological studies with birth cohorts have shown that physical aggression in humans does not appear suddenly in adolescence as commonly thought. In fact, physically aggressive behaviour is observed as early as 12 months after birth, its frequency peaks around 2-4 years of age and decreases in frequency until early adulthood. However, a minority of children (3-7%) maintain a high frequency of physical aggression from childhood to adolescence and develop serious social adjustment problems during adulthood. Genetic factors and early social experiences, as well as their interaction, have been shown to play an important role in the development of chronic aggressive behaviour. However, the biological mechanisms underlying these associations are just beginning to be uncovered. Recent evidence suggests that epigenetic mechanisms are responsive to adverse environments and could be involved in the development of chronic aggression. Using both gene candidate and genomic approaches, recent studies have identified epigenetic marks, such as DNA methylation alterations in genes involved in the stress response and the serotonin and immune systems to be partly responsible for the long-lasting effects of early adversity. Further longitudinal studies with biological, environmental and behavioural assessments from birth onwards are needed to elucidate the sequence of events that leads to these long-lasting epigenetic marks associated with early adversity and aggression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadine Provençal
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
| | - Linda Booij
- Ste-Justine Hospital Research Center, Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada Department of Psychology and Psychiatry, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada Department of Psychiatry, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - Richard E Tremblay
- Ste-Justine Hospital Research Center, Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada Department of Psychology and Pediatrics, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H2V 2S9, Canada School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Population Sciences, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland Institute of Genetic, Neurobiological, and Social Foundations of Child Development, Tomsk State University, Tomsk 634050, Russian Federation
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87
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Klengel T, Binder EB. Epigenetics of Stress-Related Psychiatric Disorders and Gene × Environment Interactions. Neuron 2015; 86:1343-57. [PMID: 26087162 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2015.05.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 215] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
A deeper understanding of the pathomechanisms leading to stress-related psychiatric disorders is important for the development of more efficient preventive and therapeutic strategies. Epidemiological studies indicate a combined contribution of genetic and environmental factors in the risk for disease. The environment, particularly early life severe stress or trauma, can lead to lifelong molecular changes in the form of epigenetic modifications that can set the organism off on trajectories to health or disease. Epigenetic modifications are capable of shaping and storing the molecular response of a cell to its environment as a function of genetic predisposition. This provides a potential mechanism for gene-environment interactions. Here, we review epigenetic mechanisms associated with the response to stress and trauma exposure and the development of stress-related psychiatric disorders. We also look at how they may contribute to our understanding of the combined effects of genetic and environmental factors in shaping disease risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Torsten Klengel
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Elisabeth B Binder
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
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88
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Abstract
One of the major challenges of cocaine addiction is the high rate of relapse to drug use after periods of withdrawal. During the first few weeks of withdrawal, cue-induced cocaine craving intensifies, or "incubates," and persists over extended periods of time. Although several brain regions and molecular mechanisms were found to be involved in this process, the underlying epigenetic mechanisms are still unknown. Herein, we used a rat model of incubation of cocaine craving, in which rats were trained to self-administer cocaine (0.75 mg/kg, 6 h/d, 10 d), and cue-induced cocaine-seeking was examined in an extinction test after 1 or 30 d of withdrawal. We show that the withdrawal periods, as well as cue-induced cocaine seeking, are associated with broad, time-dependent enhancement of DNA methylation alterations in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). These gene methylation alterations were partly negatively correlated with gene expression changes. Furthermore, intra-NAc injections of a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor (RG108, 100 μm) abolished cue-induced cocaine seeking on day 30, an effect that persisted 1 month, whereas the methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine (500 μm) had an opposite effect on cocaine seeking. We then targeted two proteins whose genes were demethylated by RG108-estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1) and cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5). Treatment with an intra-NAc injection of the ESR1 agonist propyl pyrazole triol (10 nm) or the CDK5 inhibitor roscovitine (28 μm) on day 30 of withdrawal significantly decreased cue-induced cocaine seeking. These results demonstrate a role for NAc DNA methylation, and downstream targets of DNA demethylation, in incubation of cocaine craving.
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89
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Fowden AL, Forhead AJ. Glucocorticoids as regulatory signals during intrauterine development. Exp Physiol 2015; 100:1477-87. [PMID: 26040783 DOI: 10.1113/ep085212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2015] [Accepted: 05/22/2015] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
NEW FINDINGS What is the topic of this review? This review discusses the role of the glucocorticoids as regulatory signals during intrauterine development. It examines the functional significance of these hormones as maturational, environmental and programming signals in determining offspring phenotype. What advances does it highlight? It focuses on the extensive nature of the regulatory actions of these hormones. It highlights the emerging data that these actions are mediated, in part, by the placenta, other endocrine systems and epigenetic modifications of the genome. Glucocorticoids are important regulatory signals during intrauterine development. They act as maturational, environmental and programming signals that modify the developing phenotype to optimize offspring viability and fitness. They affect development of a wide range of fetal tissues by inducing changes in cellular expression of structural, transport and signalling proteins, which have widespread functional consequences at the whole organ and systems levels. Glucocorticoids, therefore, activate many of the physiological systems that have little function in utero but are vital at birth to replace the respiratory, nutritive and excretory functions previously carried out by the placenta. However, by switching tissues from accretion to differentiation, early glucocorticoid overexposure in response to adverse conditions can programme fetal development with longer term physiological consequences for the adult offspring, which can extend to the next generation. The developmental effects of the glucocorticoids can be direct on fetal tissues with glucocorticoid receptors or mediated by changes in placental function or other endocrine systems. At the molecular level, glucocorticoids can act directly on gene transcription via their receptors or indirectly by epigenetic modifications of the genome. In this review, we examine the role and functional significance of glucocorticoids as regulatory signals during intrauterine development and discuss the mechanisms by which they act in utero to alter the developing epigenome and ensuing phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail L Fowden
- Centre for Trophoblast Research and Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EG, UK
| | - Alison J Forhead
- Centre for Trophoblast Research and Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EG, UK
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90
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Jellyman JK, Valenzuela OA, Fowden AL. HORSE SPECIES SYMPOSIUM: Glucocorticoid programming of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and metabolic function: Animal studies from mouse to horse1,2. J Anim Sci 2015; 93:3245-60. [DOI: 10.2527/jas.2014-8612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- J. K. Jellyman
- Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA 90502
| | - O. A. Valenzuela
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK
| | - A. L. Fowden
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK
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91
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Szyf M. Prospects for the development of epigenetic drugs for CNS conditions. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2015; 14:461-74. [DOI: 10.1038/nrd4580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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92
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Inferring regulatory element landscapes and transcription factor networks from cancer methylomes. Genome Biol 2015; 16:105. [PMID: 25994056 PMCID: PMC4460959 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-015-0668-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 140] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2015] [Accepted: 05/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies indicate that DNA methylation can be used to identify transcriptional enhancers, but no systematic approach has been developed for genome-wide identification and analysis of enhancers based on DNA methylation. We describe ELMER (Enhancer Linking by Methylation/Expression Relationships), an R-based tool that uses DNA methylation to identify enhancers and correlates enhancer state with expression of nearby genes to identify transcriptional targets. Transcription factor motif analysis of enhancers is coupled with expression analysis of transcription factors to infer upstream regulators. Using ELMER, we investigated more than 2,000 tumor samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas. We identified networks regulated by known cancer drivers such as GATA3 and FOXA1 (breast cancer), SOX17 and FOXA2 (endometrial cancer), and NFE2L2, SOX2, and TP63 (squamous cell lung cancer). We also identified novel networks with prognostic associations, including RUNX1 in kidney cancer. We propose ELMER as a powerful new paradigm for understanding the cis-regulatory interface between cancer-associated transcription factors and their functional target genes.
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93
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Dynamic regulation of the angiotensinogen gene by DNA methylation, which is influenced by various stimuli experienced in daily life. Hypertens Res 2015; 38:519-27. [PMID: 25809578 DOI: 10.1038/hr.2015.42] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2014] [Revised: 01/28/2015] [Accepted: 02/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Angiotensinogen (AGT) has a central role in maintaining blood pressure and fluid balance. DNA methylation is an epigenomic modification maintaining a steady pattern in somatic cells. Herein we summarize the link between AGT regulation and DNA methylation. DNA methylation negatively regulates AGT expression and dynamically changes in response to continuous AGT promoter stimulation. High-salt intake and excess circulating aldosterone cause DNA demethylation around the CCAAT enhancer-binding protein-binding sites, thereby converting the phenotype of AGT expression from an inactive to an active state in visceral adipose tissue. Salt-dependent hypertension may be partially affected by increased adipose AGT expression. Because angiotensin II is a well-established aldosterone-releasing hormone, stimulation of adipose AGT by aldosterone creates a positive feedback loop. This effect is pathologically associated with obesity-related hypertension, although it would be physiologically favorable for humans to efficiently retain their body fluid. The clear difference in DNA demethylation patterns between aldosterone and cortisol indicates a difference in the respective target DNA-binding sites between mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors in the AGT promoter. Stimulation-induced interactions between transcription factors and target DNA-binding sites trigger DNA demethylation. Dynamic changes in DNA methylation occur in relaxed chromatin regions both where transcription factors actively interact and where transcription is initiated. In contrast to rapid histone modifications, DNA demethylation and remethylation will progress relatively slowly over days or years. A wide variety of stimuli in daily life will continue to slowly and dynamically change DNA methylation patterns throughout life. Wise choices of beneficial stimuli will improve health.
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94
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Ehara T, Kamei Y, Yuan X, Takahashi M, Kanai S, Tamura E, Tsujimoto K, Tamiya T, Nakagawa Y, Shimano H, Takai-Igarashi T, Hatada I, Suganami T, Hashimoto K, Ogawa Y. Ligand-activated PPARα-dependent DNA demethylation regulates the fatty acid β-oxidation genes in the postnatal liver. Diabetes 2015; 64:775-84. [PMID: 25311726 DOI: 10.2337/db14-0158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
The metabolic function of the liver changes sequentially during early life in mammals to adapt to the marked changes in nutritional environment. Accordingly, hepatic fatty acid β-oxidation is activated after birth to produce energy from breast milk lipids. However, how it is induced during the neonatal period is poorly understood. Here we show DNA demethylation and increased mRNA expression of the fatty acid β-oxidation genes in the postnatal mouse liver. The DNA demethylation does not occur in the fetal mouse liver under the physiologic condition, suggesting that it is specific to the neonatal period. Analysis of mice deficient in the nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) and maternal administration of a PPARα ligand during the gestation and lactation periods reveal that the DNA demethylation is PPARα dependent. We also find that DNA methylation of the fatty acid β-oxidation genes are reduced in the adult human liver relative to the fetal liver. This study represents the first demonstration that the ligand-activated PPARα-dependent DNA demethylation regulates the hepatic fatty acid β-oxidation genes during the neonatal period, thereby highlighting the role of a lipid-sensing nuclear receptor in the gene- and life-stage-specific DNA demethylation of a particular metabolic pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuya Ehara
- Department of Molecular Endocrinology and Metabolism, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan Nutrition Research Department, Nutritional Science Institute, Morinaga Milk Industry Co. Ltd., Zama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Yasutomi Kamei
- Department of Organ Network and Metabolism, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Xunmei Yuan
- Department of Organ Network and Metabolism, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mayumi Takahashi
- Department of Organ Network and Metabolism, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Sayaka Kanai
- Department of Organ Network and Metabolism, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Erina Tamura
- Department of Molecular Endocrinology and Metabolism, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazutaka Tsujimoto
- Department of Molecular Endocrinology and Metabolism, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takashi Tamiya
- Department of Molecular Endocrinology and Metabolism, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoshimi Nakagawa
- Department of Internal Medicine (Metabolism and Endocrinology), Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Shimano
- Department of Internal Medicine (Metabolism and Endocrinology), Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Takako Takai-Igarashi
- Department of Health Record Informatics, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
| | - Izuho Hatada
- Genome Science, Institute for Molecular and Cellular Regulation, Gunma University, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
| | - Takayoshi Suganami
- Department of Organ Network and Metabolism, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan Japan Science and Technology Agency, PRESTO, Goban-cho Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Koshi Hashimoto
- Department of Preemptive Medicine and Metabolism, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Ogawa
- Department of Molecular Endocrinology and Metabolism, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
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95
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Provencal N, Binder EB. The neurobiological effects of stress as contributors to psychiatric disorders: focus on epigenetics. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2015; 30:31-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2014.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2014] [Accepted: 08/22/2014] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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96
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Drake AJ, O'Shaughnessy PJ, Bhattacharya S, Monteiro A, Kerrigan D, Goetz S, Raab A, Rhind SM, Sinclair KD, Meharg AA, Feldmann J, Fowler PA. In utero exposure to cigarette chemicals induces sex-specific disruption of one-carbon metabolism and DNA methylation in the human fetal liver. BMC Med 2015; 13:18. [PMID: 25630355 PMCID: PMC4310040 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-014-0251-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2014] [Accepted: 12/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Maternal smoking is one of the most important modifiable risk factors for low birthweight, which is strongly associated with increased cardiometabolic disease risk in adulthood. Maternal smoking reduces the levels of the methyl donor vitamin B12 and is associated with altered DNA methylation at birth. Altered DNA methylation may be an important mechanism underlying increased disease susceptibility; however, the extent to which this can be induced in the developing fetus is unknown. METHODS In this retrospective study, we measured concentrations of cobalt, vitamin B12, and mRNA transcripts encoding key enzymes in the 1-carbon cycle in 55 fetal human livers obtained from 11 to 21 weeks of gestation elective terminations and matched for gestation and maternal smoking. DNA methylation was measured at critical regions known to be susceptible to the in utero environment. Homocysteine concentrations were analyzed in plasma from 60 fetuses. RESULTS In addition to identifying baseline sex differences, we found that maternal smoking was associated with sex-specific alterations of fetal liver vitamin B12, plasma homocysteine and expression of enzymes in the 1-carbon cycle in fetal liver. In the majority of the measured parameters which showed a sex difference, maternal smoking reduced the magnitude of that difference. Maternal smoking also altered DNA methylation at the imprinted gene IGF2 and the glucocorticoid receptor (GR/NR3C1). CONCLUSIONS Our unique data strengthen studies linking in utero exposures to altered DNA methylation by showing, for the first time, that such changes are present in fetal life and in a key metabolic target tissue, human fetal liver. Furthermore, these data propose a novel mechanism by which such changes are induced, namely through alterations in methyl donor availability and changes in 1-carbon metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda J Drake
- Endocrinology Unit, University/BHF Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, Queen's Medical Research Institute, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK.
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97
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Rodriguez RM, Suarez-Alvarez B, Mosén-Ansorena D, García-Peydró M, Fuentes P, García-León MJ, Gonzalez-Lahera A, Macias-Camara N, Toribio ML, Aransay AM, Lopez-Larrea C. Regulation of the transcriptional program by DNA methylation during human αβ T-cell development. Nucleic Acids Res 2014; 43:760-74. [PMID: 25539926 PMCID: PMC4333391 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gku1340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Thymocyte differentiation is a complex process involving well-defined sequential developmental stages that ultimately result in the generation of mature T-cells. In this study, we analyzed DNA methylation and gene expression profiles at successive human thymus developmental stages. Gain and loss of methylation occurred during thymocyte differentiation, but DNA demethylation was much more frequent than de novo methylation and more strongly correlated with gene expression. These changes took place in CpG-poor regions and were closely associated with T-cell differentiation and TCR function. Up to 88 genes that encode transcriptional regulators, some of whose functions in T-cell development are as yet unknown, were differentially methylated during differentiation. Interestingly, no reversion of accumulated DNA methylation changes was observed as differentiation progressed, except in a very small subset of key genes (RAG1, RAG2, CD8A, PTCRA, etc.), indicating that methylation changes are mostly unique and irreversible events. Our study explores the contribution of DNA methylation to T-cell lymphopoiesis and provides a fine-scale map of differentially methylated regions associated with gene expression changes. These can lay the molecular foundations for a better interpretation of the regulatory networks driving human thymopoiesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramon M Rodriguez
- Department of Immunology, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, 33006 Oviedo, Spain
| | - Beatriz Suarez-Alvarez
- Cellular Biology in Renal Diseases Laboratory, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - David Mosén-Ansorena
- Genome Analysis Platform, CIC bioGUNE & CIBERehd, Technological Park of Bizkaia - Building 801A, 48160 Derio, Spain
| | - Marina García-Peydró
- Centro de Biología Molecular 'Severo Ochoa', Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Patricia Fuentes
- Centro de Biología Molecular 'Severo Ochoa', Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - María J García-León
- Centro de Biología Molecular 'Severo Ochoa', Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Aintzane Gonzalez-Lahera
- Genome Analysis Platform, CIC bioGUNE & CIBERehd, Technological Park of Bizkaia - Building 801A, 48160 Derio, Spain
| | - Nuria Macias-Camara
- Genome Analysis Platform, CIC bioGUNE & CIBERehd, Technological Park of Bizkaia - Building 801A, 48160 Derio, Spain
| | - María L Toribio
- Centro de Biología Molecular 'Severo Ochoa', Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana M Aransay
- Genome Analysis Platform, CIC bioGUNE & CIBERehd, Technological Park of Bizkaia - Building 801A, 48160 Derio, Spain
| | - Carlos Lopez-Larrea
- Department of Immunology, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, 33006 Oviedo, Spain Fundación Renal 'Íñigo Álvarez de Toledo', 28003 Madrid, Spain
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98
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The emerging nexus of active DNA demethylation and mitochondrial oxidative metabolism in post-mitotic neurons. Int J Mol Sci 2014; 15:22604-25. [PMID: 25490140 PMCID: PMC4284726 DOI: 10.3390/ijms151222604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2014] [Revised: 11/12/2014] [Accepted: 11/28/2014] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The variable patterns of DNA methylation in mammals have been linked to a number of physiological processes, including normal embryonic development and disease pathogenesis. Active removal of DNA methylation, which potentially regulates neuronal gene expression both globally and gene specifically, has been recently implicated in neuronal plasticity, learning and memory processes. Model pathways of active DNA demethylation involve ten-eleven translocation (TET) methylcytosine dioxygenases that are dependent on oxidative metabolites. In addition, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidizing agents generate oxidative modifications of DNA bases that can be removed by base excision repair proteins. These potentially link the two processes of active DNA demethylation and mitochondrial oxidative metabolism in post-mitotic neurons. We review the current biochemical understanding of the DNA demethylation process and discuss its potential interaction with oxidative metabolism. We then summarise the emerging roles of both processes and their interaction in neural plasticity and memory formation and the pathophysiology of neurodegeneration. Finally, possible therapeutic approaches for neurodegenerative diseases are proposed, including reprogramming therapy by global DNA demethylation and mitohormesis therapy for locus-specific DNA demethylation in post-mitotic neurons.
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99
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Glucocorticoids promote structural and functional maturation of foetal cardiomyocytes: a role for PGC-1α. Cell Death Differ 2014; 22:1106-16. [PMID: 25361084 PMCID: PMC4572859 DOI: 10.1038/cdd.2014.181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2014] [Revised: 09/08/2014] [Accepted: 09/22/2014] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Glucocorticoid levels rise dramatically in late gestation to mature foetal organs in readiness for postnatal life. Immature heart function may compromise survival. Cardiomyocyte glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is required for the structural and functional maturation of the foetal heart in vivo, yet the molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. Here we asked if GR activation in foetal cardiomyocytes in vitro elicits similar maturational changes. We show that physiologically relevant glucocorticoid levels improve contractility of primary-mouse-foetal cardiomyocytes, promote Z-disc assembly and the appearance of mature myofibrils, and increase mitochondrial activity. Genes induced in vitro mimic those induced in vivo and include PGC-1α, a critical regulator of cardiac mitochondrial capacity. SiRNA-mediated abrogation of the glucocorticoid induction of PGC-1α in vitro abolished the effect of glucocorticoid on myofibril structure and mitochondrial oxygen consumption. Using RNA sequencing we identified a number of transcriptional regulators, including PGC-1α, induced as primary targets of GR in foetal cardiomyocytes. These data demonstrate that PGC-1α is a key mediator of glucocorticoid-induced maturation of foetal cardiomyocyte structure and identify other candidate transcriptional regulators that may play critical roles in the transition of the foetal to neonatal heart.
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100
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Provençal N, Binder EB. The effects of early life stress on the epigenome: From the womb to adulthood and even before. Exp Neurol 2014; 268:10-20. [PMID: 25218020 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2014.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 145] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2014] [Revised: 08/26/2014] [Accepted: 09/02/2014] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to early life stress (ELS), such as childhood abuse and neglect is a well established major risk factor for developing psychiatric and behavioral disorders later in life. Both prenatal and postnatal stressors have been shown to have a long-lasting impact on adult pathological states where the type and timing of the stressor are important factors to consider. There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that epigenetic mechanisms play a major role in the biological embedding of ELS. A number of studies now indicate that the epigenome is responsive to external environmental exposures, including the social environment, both during intra-uterine development and after birth. In this review, we summarize the evidence of long-lasting effects of ELS on mental health and behavior and highlight common and distinct epigenetic effects of stress exposure at different stages during development. These stages include postnatal stress, prenatal stress, i.e. in utero and stress occurring pre-conception, i.e. effects of stress exposure transmitted to the next generation. We also delineate the evidence for the possible molecular mechanisms involved in epigenetic programming by ELS and how these maybe distinct, according to the timing of the stress exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadine Provençal
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany
| | - Elisabeth B Binder
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich 80804, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
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