1
|
Sun D, Weng J, Dong Y, Jiang Y. Three-dimensional genome organization in the central nervous system, implications for neuropsychological disorders. J Genet Genomics 2021; 48:1045-1056. [PMID: 34426099 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgg.2021.06.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Revised: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Chromosomes in eukaryotic cell nuclei are highly compacted and finely organized into hierarchical three-dimensional (3D) configuration. In recent years, scientists have gained deeper understandings of 3D genome structures and revealed novel evidence linking 3D genome organization to various important cell events on the molecular level. Most importantly, alteration of 3D genome architecture has emerged as an intriguing higher order mechanism that connects disease-related genetic variants in multiple heterogenous and polygenic neuropsychological disorders, delivering novel insights into the etiology. In this review, we provide a brief overview of the hierarchical structures of 3D genome and two proposed regulatory models, loop extrusion and phase separation. We then focus on recent Hi-C data in the central nervous system and discuss 3D genome alterations during normal brain development and in mature neurons. Most importantly, we make a comprehensive review on current knowledge and discuss the role of 3D genome in multiple neuropsychological disorders, including schizophrenia, repeat expansion disorders, 22q11 deletion syndrome, and others.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daijing Sun
- Institutes of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Jie Weng
- Institutes of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Yuhao Dong
- Institutes of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Yan Jiang
- Institutes of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Yang H, Li J, Ji A, Hu L, Zhang X, Liu L, Qing L, Yan M, Nie S. Methylation of the MAOA promoter is associated with schizophrenia. ANNALS OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE 2020; 8:864. [PMID: 32793708 DOI: 10.21037/atm-20-4481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Background Earlier studies have shown that patients with schizophrenia have abnormalities in DNA methylation. Monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) has been extensively studied due to its biological role in neurological function. However, the relationship between the DNA methylation of the MAOA gene and schizophrenia is unclear. This study aims to elucidate the relationship between the methylation of the MAOA gene promoter and schizophrenia. Methods There were 151 individuals with schizophrenia (104 males and 47 females), which were diagnosed according to DSM-V, the DNA of peripheral blood of all samples was extracted and chemically modified with bisulfite. The promoter region of MAOA gene was sequenced by Methylation Target Technical Method (MethylTargetTM), and 247 controls (204 males and 43 females) included in the study. MAOA gene promoter methylation was compared between the case and control groups. Meanwhile, we measured DNA methylation in two regions of MAOA (MAOA-2 and MAOA-3). Results In the male schizophrenia group (BM) and the male control group (DM), MAOA-2 and MAOA-3 methylation were positively associated with schizophrenia. In the female schizophrenia group (BF) and the female control group (DF), MAOA-2 methylation was associated with schizophrenia. Conclusions Although the role of gene methylation in the development of schizophrenia is still unclear, our findings suggest that DNA methylation of MAOA may contribute to the onset of schizophrenia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hao Yang
- Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China.,Department of Forensic Medicine, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Jiajue Li
- Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China.,Department of Forensic Medicine, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Aicen Ji
- Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China.,Department of Forensic Medicine, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Liping Hu
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Xiufeng Zhang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Linlin Liu
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Lili Qing
- Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China.,Department of Forensic Medicine, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Ming Yan
- Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China.,Department of Forensic Medicine, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Shengjie Nie
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Novel MED12 variant in a multiplex Fragile X syndrome family: dual molecular etiology of two X-linked intellectual disabilities with autism in the same family. Mol Biol Rep 2019; 46:4185-4193. [PMID: 31098807 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-019-04869-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2019] [Accepted: 05/09/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Studies of X-linked pedigrees were the first to identify genes implicated in intellectual disability (ID) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, some pedigrees present a huge clinical variability between the affected members. This intrafamilial heterogeneity may be due to cooccurrence of two disorders. In the present study, we describe a multiplex X-linked pedigree in which three siblings have ID, ASD and dysmorphic features but with variable severity. Through Fragile X syndrome test, we identified the full FMR1 mutation in only two males. Whole exome sequencing allowed us to identify a novel hemizygous variant (p.Gln2080_Gln2083del) in MED12 gene in two males. So, the first patient has FXS, the second has both FMR1 and MED12 mutations while the third has only the MED12 variant. MED12 mutations are implicated in several forms of X-linked ID. Family segregation and genotype-phenotype-correlation were in favor of a cooccurrence of two forms of X-linked ID. Our work provides further evidence of the involvement of MED12 in XLID. Moreover, through these results, it is noteworthy to raise awareness that intrafamilial heterogeneity in FXS multiplex families could result from the cooccurrence of multiple clinical entities involving at least two separate genetic loci. This should be taken into consideration for genetic testing and counselling in patients/families with atypical disease symptoms.
Collapse
|
4
|
Svane KC, Asis EK, Omelchenko A, Kunnath AJ, Brzustowicz LM, Silverstein SM, Firestein BL. d-Serine administration affects nitric oxide synthase 1 adaptor protein and DISC1 expression in sex-specific manner. Mol Cell Neurosci 2018; 89:20-32. [PMID: 29601869 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2018.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2017] [Revised: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 03/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Antipsychotic medications are inefficient at treating symptoms of schizophrenia (SCZ), and N-methyl d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) agonists are potential therapeutic alternatives. As such, these agonists may act on different pathways and proteins altered in the brains of patients with SCZ than do antipsychotic medications. Here, we investigate the effects of administration of the antipsychotic haloperidol and NMDAR agonist d-serine on function and expression of three proteins that play significant roles in SCZ: nitric oxide synthase 1 adaptor protein (NOS1AP), dopamine D2 (D2) receptor, and disrupted in schizophrenia 1 (DISC1). We administered haloperidol or d-serine to male and female Sprague Dawley rats via intraperitoneal injection for 12 days and subsequently examined cortical expression of NOS1AP, D2 receptor, and DISC1. We found sex-specific effects of haloperidol and d-serine treatment on the expression of these proteins. Haloperidol significantly reduced expression of D2 receptor in male, but not female, rats. Conversely, d-serine reduced expression of NOS1AP in male rats and did not affect D2 receptor expression. d-serine treatment also reduced expression of DISC1 in male rats and increased DISC1 expression in female rats. As NOS1AP is overexpressed in the cortex of patients with SCZ and negatively regulates NMDAR signaling, we subsequently examined whether treatment with antipsychotics or NMDAR agonists can reverse the detrimental effects of NOS1AP overexpression in vitro as previously reported by our group. NOS1AP overexpression promotes reduced dendrite branching in vitro, and as such, we treated cortical neurons overexpressing NOS1AP with different antipsychotics (haloperidol, clozapine, fluphenazine) or d-serine for 24 h and determined the effects of these drugs on NOS1AP expression and dendrite branching. While antipsychotics did not affect NOS1AP protein expression or dendrite branching in vitro, d-serine reduced NOS1AP expression and rescued NOS1AP-mediated reductions in dendrite branching. Taken together, our data suggest that d-serine influences the function and expression of NOS1AP, D2 receptor, and DISC1 in a sex-specific manner and reverses the effects of NOS1AP overexpression on dendrite morphology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten C Svane
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 604 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 675 Hoes Lane West, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Ericka-Kate Asis
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 604 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Anton Omelchenko
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 604 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 675 Hoes Lane West, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Ansley J Kunnath
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 604 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Linda M Brzustowicz
- Department of Genetics, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 145 Bevier Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Steven M Silverstein
- Division of Schizophrenia Research, Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care, 671 Hoes Lane West, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Bonnie L Firestein
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 604 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Zhang X, Yang J, Li Y, Ma X, Li R. Sex chromosome abnormalities and psychiatric diseases. Oncotarget 2018; 8:3969-3979. [PMID: 27992373 PMCID: PMC5354807 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.13962] [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: 10/12/2016] [Accepted: 12/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Excesses of sex chromosome abnormalities in patients with psychiatric diseases have recently been observed. It remains unclear whether sex chromosome abnormalities are related to sex differences in some psychiatric diseases. While studies showed evidence of susceptibility loci over many sex chromosomal regions related to various mental diseases, others demonstrated that the sex chromosome aneuploidies may be the key to exploring the pathogenesis of psychiatric disease. In this review, we will outline the current evidence on the interaction of sex chromosome abnormalities with schizophrenia, autism, ADHD and mood disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xinzhu Zhang
- Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Jian Yang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yuhong Li
- Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Xin Ma
- Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Rena Li
- Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital, Beijing, China.,Center for Hormone Advanced Science and Education, Roskamp Institute, Sarasota, FL, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Kim NH, Livi CB, Yew PR, Boyer TG. Mediator subunit Med12 contributes to the maintenance of neural stem cell identity. BMC DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY 2016; 16:17. [PMID: 27188461 PMCID: PMC4869265 DOI: 10.1186/s12861-016-0114-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2016] [Accepted: 05/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The RNA polymerase II transcriptional Mediator subunit Med12 is broadly implicated in vertebrate brain development, and genetic variation in human MED12 is associated with X-linked intellectual disability and neuropsychiatric disorders. Although prior studies have begun to elaborate the functional contribution of Med12 within key neurodevelopmental pathways, a more complete description of Med12 function in the developing nervous system, including the specific biological networks and cellular processes under its regulatory influence, remains to be established. Herein, we sought to clarify the global contribution of Med12 to neural stem cell (NSC) biology through unbiased transcriptome profiling of mouse embryonic stem (ES) cell-derived NSCs following RNAi-mediated Med12 depletion. RESULTS A total of 240 genes (177 up, 73 down) were differentially expressed in Med12-knockdown versus control mouse NS-5 (mNS-5) NSCs. Gene set enrichment analysis revealed Med12 to be prominently linked with "cell-to-cell interaction" and "cell cycle" networks, and subsequent functional studies confirmed these associations. Targeted depletion of Med12 led to enhanced NSC adhesion and upregulation of cell adhesion genes, including Syndecan 2 (Sdc2). Concomitant depletion of both Sdc2 and Med12 reversed enhanced cell adhesion triggered by Med12 knockdown alone, confirming that Med12 negatively regulates NSC cell adhesion by suppressing the expression of cell adhesion molecules. Med12-mediated suppression of NSC adhesion is a dynamically regulated process in vitro, enforced in self-renewing NSCs and alleviated during the course of neuronal differentiation. Accordingly, Med12 depletion enhanced adhesion and prolonged survival of mNS-5 NSCs induced to differentiate on gelatin, effects that were bypassed completely by growth on laminin. On the other hand, Med12 depletion in mNS-5 NSCs led to reduced expression of G1/S phase cell cycle regulators and a concordant G1/S phase cell cycle block without evidence of apoptosis, resulting in a severe proliferation defect. CONCLUSIONS Med12 contributes to the maintenance of NSC identity through a functionally bipartite role in suppression and activation of gene expression programs dedicated to cell adhesion and G1/S phase cell cycle progression, respectively. Med12 may thus contribute to the regulatory apparatus that controls the balance between NSC self-renewal and differentiation, with important implications for MED12-linked neurodevelopmental disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nam Hee Kim
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229-3900, USA
| | - Carolina B Livi
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229-3900, USA
- Agilent Technologies, Portland, OR, 97224-7154, USA
| | - P Renee Yew
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229-3900, USA
| | - Thomas G Boyer
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229-3900, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Goldstein JM, Cherkerzian S, Tsuang MT, Petryshen TL. Sex differences in the genetic risk for schizophrenia: history of the evidence for sex-specific and sex-dependent effects. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2013; 162B:698-710. [PMID: 24132902 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2013] [Accepted: 03/14/2013] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Although there is a long history to examinations of sex differences in the familial (and specifically, genetic) transmission of schizophrenia, there have been few investigators who have systematically and rigorously studied this issue. This is true even in light of population and clinical studies identifying significant sex differences in incidence, expression, neuroanatomic and functional brain abnormalities, and course of schizophrenia. This review highlights the history of work in this arena from studies of family transmission patterns, linkage and twin studies to the current molecular genetic strategies of large genome-wide association studies. Taken as a whole, the evidence supports the presence of genetic risks of which some are sex-specific (i.e., presence in one sex and not the other) or sex-dependent (i.e., quantitative differences in risk between the sexes). Thus, a concerted effort to systematically investigate these questions is warranted and, as we argue here, necessary in order to fully understand the etiology of schizophrenia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jill M Goldstein
- Brigham & Women's Hospital Departments of Psychiatry and Medicine, Division of Women's Health, Connors Center for Women's Health & Gender Biology, Boston, Massachusetts; Departments of Psychiatry and Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Division of Psychiatric Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Abstract
The gene expression programs that establish and maintain specific cell states in humans are controlled by thousands of transcription factors, cofactors, and chromatin regulators. Misregulation of these gene expression programs can cause a broad range of diseases. Here, we review recent advances in our understanding of transcriptional regulation and discuss how these have provided new insights into transcriptional misregulation in disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tong Ihn Lee
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Richard A. Young
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Coffey CM, Solleveld PA, Fang J, Roberts AK, Hong SK, Dawid IB, Laverriere CE, Glasgow E. Novel oxytocin gene expression in the hindbrain is induced by alcohol exposure: transgenic zebrafish enable visualization of sensitive neurons. PLoS One 2013; 8:e53991. [PMID: 23342055 PMCID: PMC3544674 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0053991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2011] [Accepted: 12/07/2012] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) are a collection of disorders resulting from fetal ethanol exposure, which causes a wide range of physical, neurological and behavioral deficits including heightened susceptibility for alcoholism and addictive disorders. While a number of mechanisms have been proposed for how ethanol exposure disrupts brain development, with selective groups of neurons undergoing reduced proliferation, dysfunction and death, the induction of a new neurotransmitter phenotype by ethanol exposure has not yet been reported. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS The effects of embryonic and larval ethanol exposure on brain development were visually monitored using transgenic zebrafish expressing cell-specific green fluorescent protein (GFP) marker genes. Specific subsets of GFP-expressing neurons were highly sensitive to ethanol exposure, but only during defined developmental windows. In the med12 mutant, which affects the Mediator co-activator complex component Med12, exposure to lower concentrations of ethanol was sufficient to reduce GFP expression in transgenic embryos. In transgenic embryos and larva containing GFP driven by an oxytocin-like (oxtl) promoter, ethanol exposure dramatically up-regulated GFP expression in a small group of hindbrain neurons, while having no effect on expression in the neuroendocrine preoptic area. CONCLUSIONS Alcohol exposure during limited embryonic periods impedes the development of specific, identifiable groups of neurons, and the med12 mutation sensitizes these neurons to the deleterious effects of ethanol. In contrast, ethanol exposure induces oxtl expression in the hindbrain, a finding with profound implications for understanding alcoholism and other addictive disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Caitrín M. Coffey
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America
| | - Patricia A. Solleveld
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America
| | - Joyce Fang
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America
| | - Antonia K. Roberts
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America
| | - Sung-Kook Hong
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Program in Genomics of Differentiation, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- Molecular Genetics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Igor B. Dawid
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Program in Genomics of Differentiation, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Caroline E. Laverriere
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America
| | - Eric Glasgow
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Mediator and human disease. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2011; 22:776-87. [PMID: 21840410 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2011.07.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2011] [Revised: 07/25/2011] [Accepted: 07/28/2011] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Since the identification of a metazoan counterpart to yeast Mediator nearly 15 years ago, a convergent body of biochemical and molecular genetic studies have confirmed their structural and functional relationship as an integrative hub through which regulatory information conveyed by signal activated transcription factors is transduced to RNA polymerase II. Nonetheless, metazoan Mediator complexes have been shaped during evolution by substantive diversification and expansion in both the number and sequence of their constituent subunits, with important implications for the development of multicellular organisms. The appearance of unique interaction surfaces within metazoan Mediator complexes for transcription factors of diverse species-specific origins extended the role of Mediator to include an essential function in coupling developmentally coded signals with precise gene expression output sufficient to specify cell fate and function. The biological significance of Mediator in human development, suggested by genetic studies in lower metazoans, is emphatically illustrated by an expanding list of human pathologies linked to genetic variation or aberrant expression of its individual subunits. Here, we review our current body of knowledge concerning associations between individual Mediator subunits and specific pathological disorders. When established, molecular etiologies underlying genotype-phenotype correlations are addressed, and we anticipate that future progress in this critical area will help identify therapeutic targets across a range of human pathologies.
Collapse
|
11
|
Goldstein JM, Cherkerzian S, Seidman LJ, Petryshen TL, Fitzmaurice G, Tsuang MT, Buka SL. Sex-specific rates of transmission of psychosis in the New England high-risk family study. Schizophr Res 2011; 128:150-5. [PMID: 21334180 PMCID: PMC3085650 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2011.01.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2010] [Revised: 01/20/2011] [Accepted: 01/23/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Recent molecular genetic studies have demonstrated X-chromosome abnormalities in the transmission of psychosis, a finding that may contribute to understanding sex differences in the disorder. Using our family high risk paradigm, we tested the hypothesis that there are sex-specific patterns of transmission of psychosis and whether there is specificity comparing nonaffective- with affective-type psychoses. We identified 159 parents with psychoses (schizophrenia psychosis spectrum disorders (SPS, n=59) and affective (AP, n=100)) and 114 comparable, healthy control parents. 203 high risk (HR) and 147 control offspring were diagnostically assessed (185 females; 165 males). We compared the proportion of male:female offspring with psychoses by affected parent sex and the consistency for SPS compared to AP parents, and tested (using exact logistic regression) whether the male:female ratio for affected offspring differed significantly between affected mothers and affected fathers. Risk of psychosis in offspring was a function of the sex of the parent and offspring. Among ill mothers, 18.8% of their male offspring developed psychosis compared with 9.5% of their daughters. In contrast, among ill fathers, 3.1% of their male offspring developed psychosis compared with 15.2% of their daughters. The male:female ratio for affected offspring differed significantly (p < 0.05) between affected mothers and fathers. Similar patterns held for SPS and AP. Results demonstrated sex-specific transmission of psychosis regardless of psychosis-type and suggest X-linked inheritance. This has important implications for molecular genetic studies of psychoses underscoring the impact of one's gender on gene-brain-behavior phenotypes of SCZ.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jill M Goldstein
- Brigham and Women's Hospital Departments of Psychiatry and Medicine, Division of Women's Health, Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology, Boston, MA 02120, USA.
| | - Sara Cherkerzian
- Brigham & Women’s Hospital Departments of Psychiatry and Medicine, Division of Women’s Health, Connors Center for Women’s Health & Gender Biology, Boston, MA, USA,Departments of Psychiatry and Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Larry J Seidman
- Department of Psychiatry, Division of Psychiatric Neuroscience, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA,Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Division of Public Psychiatry, Massachusetts Mental Health Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Tracey L Petryshen
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Center for Human Genetics Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Garrett Fitzmaurice
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School at McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Ming T Tsuang
- Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Division of Public Psychiatry, Massachusetts Mental Health Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,University of California at San Diego, Department of Psychiatry, Center for Behavior Genomics, San Diego, CA, USA,Harvard Institute of Psychiatric Epidemiology and Genetics, Harvard School of Public Heath, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Stephen L Buka
- Brown University, Department of Community Health, Providence, RI, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Lowery LA, De Rienzo G, Gutzman JH, Sive H. Characterization and classification of zebrafish brain morphology mutants. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2009; 292:94-106. [PMID: 19051268 DOI: 10.1002/ar.20768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The mechanisms by which the vertebrate brain achieves its three-dimensional structure are clearly complex, requiring the functions of many genes. Using the zebrafish as a model, we have begun to define genes required for brain morphogenesis, including brain ventricle formation, by studying 16 mutants previously identified as having embryonic brain morphology defects. We report the phenotypic characterization of these mutants at several timepoints, using brain ventricle dye injection, imaging, and immunohistochemistry with neuronal markers. Most of these mutants display early phenotypes, affecting initial brain shaping, whereas others show later phenotypes, affecting brain ventricle expansion. In the early phenotype group, we further define four phenotypic classes and corresponding functions required for brain morphogenesis. Although we did not use known genotypes for this classification, basing it solely on phenotypes, many mutants with defects in functionally related genes clustered in a single class. In particular, Class 1 mutants show midline separation defects, corresponding to epithelial junction defects; Class 2 mutants show reduced brain ventricle size; Class 3 mutants show midbrain-hindbrain abnormalities, corresponding to basement membrane defects; and Class 4 mutants show absence of ventricle lumen inflation, corresponding to defective ion pumping. Later brain ventricle expansion requires the extracellular matrix, cardiovascular circulation, and transcription/splicing-dependent events. We suggest that these mutants define processes likely to be used during brain morphogenesis throughout the vertebrates. Anat Rec, 2009. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Anne Lowery
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Nine Cambridge Center, Cambridge Massachusetts 02142, USA
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
13
|
Lowery LA, Sive H. Totally tubular: the mystery behind function and origin of the brain ventricular system. Bioessays 2009; 31:446-58. [PMID: 19274662 DOI: 10.1002/bies.200800207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
A unique feature of the vertebrate brain is the ventricular system, a series of connected cavities which are filled with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and surrounded by neuroepithelium. While CSF is critical for both adult brain function and embryonic brain development, neither development nor function of the brain ventricular system is fully understood. In this review, we discuss the mystery of why vertebrate brains have ventricles, and whence they originate. The brain ventricular system develops from the lumen of the neural tube, as the neuroepithelium undergoes morphogenesis. The molecular mechanisms underlying this ontogeny are described. We discuss possible functions of both adult and embryonic brain ventricles, as well as major brain defects that are associated with CSF and brain ventricular abnormalities. We conclude that vertebrates have taken advantage of their neural tube to form the essential brain ventricular system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Anne Lowery
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Nine Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
14
|
Abstract
Schizophrenia poses an evolutionary-genetic paradox because it exhibits strongly negative fitness effects and high heritability, yet it persists at a prevalence of approximately 1% across all human cultures. Recent theory has proposed a resolution: that genetic liability to schizophrenia has evolved as a secondary consequence of selection for human cognitive traits. This hypothesis predicts that genes increasing the risk of this disorder have been subject to positive selection in the evolutionary history of humans and other primates. We evaluated this prediction using tests for recent selective sweeps in human populations and maximum-likelihood tests for selection during primate evolution. Significant evidence for positive selection was evident using one or both methods for 28 of 76 genes demonstrated to mediate liability to schizophrenia, including DISC1, DTNBP1 and NRG1, which exhibit especially strong and well-replicated functional and genetic links to this disorder. Strong evidence of non-neutral, accelerated evolution was found for DISC1, particularly for exon 2, the only coding region within the schizophrenia-associated haplotype. Additionally, genes associated with schizophrenia exhibited a statistically significant enrichment in their signals of positive selection in HapMap and PAML analyses of evolution along the human lineage, when compared with a control set of genes involved in neuronal activities. The selective forces underlying adaptive evolution of these genes remain largely unknown, but these findings provide convergent evidence consistent with the hypothesis that schizophrenia represents, in part, a maladaptive by-product of adaptive changes during human evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bernard Crespi
- Department of Biosciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|