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Sobolewski M, Abston K, Conrad K, Marvin E, Harvey K, Susiarjo M, Cory-Slechta DA. Lineage- and Sex-Dependent Behavioral and Biochemical Transgenerational Consequences of Developmental Exposure to Lead, Prenatal Stress, and Combined Lead and Prenatal Stress in Mice. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2020; 128:27001. [PMID: 32073883 PMCID: PMC7064322 DOI: 10.1289/ehp4977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2019] [Revised: 01/02/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lead (Pb) exposure and prenatal stress (PS) during development are co-occurring risk factors with shared biological substrates. PS has been associated with transgenerational passage of altered behavioral phenotypes, whereas the transgenerational behavioral or biochemical consequences of Pb exposure, and modification of any such effects by PS, is unknown. OBJECTIVES The present study sought to determine whether Pb, PS, or combined Pb and PS exposures produced adverse transgenerational consequences on brain and behavior. METHODS Maternal Pb and PS exposures were carried out in F0 mice. Outside breeders were used at each subsequent breeding, producing four F1-F2 lineages: [F1 female-F2 female (FF), FM (male), MF, and MM]. F3 offspring were generated from each of these lineages and examined for outcomes previously found to be altered by Pb, PS, or combined Pb and PS in F1 offspring: behavioral performance [fixed-interval (FI) schedule of food reward, locomotor activity, and anxiety-like behavior], dopamine function [striatal expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (Th)], glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and plasma corticosterone, as well as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and total percent DNA methylation of Th and Bdnf genes in the frontal cortex and hippocampus. RESULTS Maternal F0 Pb exposure produced runting in F3 offspring. Considered across lineages, F3 females exhibited Pb-related alterations in behavior, striatal BDNF levels, frontal cortical Th total percentage DNA methylation levels and serum corticosterone levels, whereas F3 males showed Pb- and PS-related alterations in behavior and total percent DNA methylation of hippocampal Bdnf. However, numerous lineage-specific effects were observed, most of greater magnitude than those observed across lineages, with outcomes differing by F3 sex. DISCUSSION These findings support the possibility that exposures of previous generations to Pb or PS may influence the brain and behavior of future generations. Observed changes were sex-dependent, with F3 females showing multiple changes through Pb-exposed lineages. Lineage effects may occur through maternal responses to pregnancy, altered maternal behavior, epigenetic modifications, or a combination of mechanisms, but they have significant public health ramifications regardless of mechanism. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP4977.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marissa Sobolewski
- Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Kadijah Abston
- Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Katherine Conrad
- Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Elena Marvin
- Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Katherine Harvey
- Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Martha Susiarjo
- Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Deborah A Cory-Slechta
- Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, New York, USA
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Abstract
Depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders affecting public health. Studies over the past years suggest that the methylations of some specific genes such as BDNF, SLC6A4, and NR3C1 play an important role in the development of depression. Recently, epigenetic evidences suggest that the expression levels of DNA methyltransferases differ in several brain areas including the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, and nucleus accumbens in depression patients and animal models, but the potential link between the expression levels of DNA methylatransferases and the methylations of specific genes needs further investigation to clarify the pathogenesis of depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenghao Duan
- Department of Human Anatomy, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.,Department of Neurology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Jie Lu
- Department of Human Anatomy, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
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Schmidt M, Lax E, Zhou R, Cheishvili D, Ruder AM, Ludiro A, Lapert F, Macedo da Cruz A, Sandrini P, Calzoni T, Vaisheva F, Brandwein C, Luoni A, Massart R, Lanfumey L, Riva MA, Deuschle M, Gass P, Szyf M. Fetal glucocorticoid receptor (Nr3c1) deficiency alters the landscape of DNA methylation of murine placenta in a sex-dependent manner and is associated to anxiety-like behavior in adulthood. Transl Psychiatry 2019; 9:23. [PMID: 30655507 PMCID: PMC6336883 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-018-0348-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2018] [Accepted: 11/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Prenatal stress defines long-term phenotypes through epigenetic programming of the offspring. These effects are potentially mediated by glucocorticoid release and by sex. We hypothesized that the glucocorticoid receptor (Gr, Nr3c1) fashions the DNA methylation profile of offspring. Consistent with this hypothesis, fetal Nr3c1 heterozygosity leads to altered DNA methylation landscape in fetal placenta in a sex-specific manner. There was a significant overlap of differentially methylated genes in fetal placenta and adult frontal cortex in Nr3c1 heterozygotes. Phenotypically, Nr3c1 heterozygotes show significantly more anxiety-like behavior than wildtype. DNA methylation status of fetal placental tissue is significantly correlated with anxiety-like behavior of the same animals in adulthood. Thus, placental DNA methylation might predict behavioral phenotypes in adulthood. Our data supports the hypothesis that Nr3c1 influences DNA methylation at birth and that DNA methylation in placenta correlates with adult frontal cortex DNA methylation and anxiety-like phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaela Schmidt
- Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), Medical Faculty of Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany.
| | - Elad Lax
- 0000 0004 1936 8649grid.14709.3bDepartment of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y6 Canada ,0000 0004 1936 8649grid.14709.3bSackler Program for Epigenetics and Psychobiology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y6 Canada
| | - Rudy Zhou
- 0000 0004 1936 8649grid.14709.3bDepartment of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y6 Canada
| | - David Cheishvili
- 0000 0004 1936 8649grid.14709.3bDepartment of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y6 Canada ,0000 0004 1936 8649grid.14709.3bSackler Program for Epigenetics and Psychobiology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y6 Canada
| | - Arne Mathias Ruder
- 0000 0001 2190 4373grid.7700.0Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), Medical Faculty of Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Alessia Ludiro
- 0000 0004 1757 2822grid.4708.bDepartment of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti, 9, I-20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Florian Lapert
- 0000 0001 2190 4373grid.7700.0Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), Medical Faculty of Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Anna Macedo da Cruz
- 0000 0001 2190 4373grid.7700.0Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), Medical Faculty of Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Paolo Sandrini
- 0000 0004 1757 2822grid.4708.bDepartment of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti, 9, I-20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Teresa Calzoni
- 0000 0004 1757 2822grid.4708.bDepartment of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti, 9, I-20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Farida Vaisheva
- 0000 0004 1936 8649grid.14709.3bDepartment of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y6 Canada
| | - Christiane Brandwein
- 0000 0001 2190 4373grid.7700.0Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), Medical Faculty of Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Alessia Luoni
- 0000 0004 1757 2822grid.4708.bDepartment of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti, 9, I-20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Renaud Massart
- 0000 0004 1936 8649grid.14709.3bSackler Program for Epigenetics and Psychobiology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y6 Canada ,0000 0004 0638 6979grid.417896.5Inserm, U894, Centre de Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, 75014 Paris, France
| | - Laurence Lanfumey
- 0000 0004 0638 6979grid.417896.5Inserm, U894, Centre de Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, 75014 Paris, France ,0000 0001 2188 0914grid.10992.33Université Paris Descartes, UMRS894, 75014 Paris, France
| | - Marco Andrea Riva
- 0000 0004 1757 2822grid.4708.bDepartment of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Balzaretti, 9, I-20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Michael Deuschle
- 0000 0001 2190 4373grid.7700.0Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), Medical Faculty of Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Peter Gass
- 0000 0001 2190 4373grid.7700.0Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim (ZI), Medical Faculty of Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Moshe Szyf
- 0000 0004 1936 8649grid.14709.3bDepartment of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y6 Canada ,0000 0004 1936 8649grid.14709.3bSackler Program for Epigenetics and Psychobiology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y6 Canada
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Burns SB, Szyszkowicz JK, Luheshi GN, Lutz PE, Turecki G. Plasticity of the epigenome during early-life stress. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2018; 77:115-132. [DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2017.09.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2017] [Revised: 09/08/2017] [Accepted: 09/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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Barnett Burns S, Almeida D, Turecki G. The Epigenetics of Early Life Adversity: Current Limitations and Possible Solutions. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2018; 157:343-425. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2018.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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Higham JP. Field endocrinology of nonhuman primates: past, present, and future. Horm Behav 2016; 84:145-55. [PMID: 27469069 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2015] [Revised: 07/11/2016] [Accepted: 07/12/2016] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
In the past few decades, research on nonhuman primate endocrinology has moved from the lab to the field, leading to a huge increase in both the breadth and depth of primate field studies. Here, I discuss the past, present, and future of primate field endocrinology. I review the history of the field, and go on to discuss methodological developments and the issues that they sometimes entail. Next, I consider ways in which we might conceptualize the role of hormones, and focus on the need to distinguish proximate from ultimate levels of explanation. Current potentially problematic issues in the field include: 1) an inability to obtain noninvasive measurements of Central Nervous System (CNS) rather than peripheral hormone concentrations; 2) research questions that become stuck (e.g., questions regarding sexual swelling expression mechanisms); 3) data dredging and post-hoc linking of hormones to any plausible variable, leading to a lack of clarity on their role in animal ecology and behavior. I finish by discussing several unanswered questions that might benefit from further research. These are how we might: 1) best obtain measurements for CNS hormone concentrations non-invasively; 2) measure hormone receptor expression alongside hormone concentrations; 3) consider the human endocrinology literature more thoroughly and perhaps take more multimarker approaches; 4) better consider the social environment, including audience and dyadic familiarity effects; and 5) apply our findings to conservation issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- James P Higham
- Dept. of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10003.
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Effects of the Social Environment and Stress on Glucocorticoid Receptor Gene Methylation: A Systematic Review. Biol Psychiatry 2016; 79:87-96. [PMID: 25687413 PMCID: PMC4466091 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2014.11.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 412] [Impact Index Per Article: 51.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2014] [Revised: 11/26/2014] [Accepted: 11/26/2014] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The early-life social environment can induce stable changes that influence neurodevelopment and mental health. Research focused on early-life adversity revealed that early-life experiences have a persistent impact on gene expression and behavior through epigenetic mechanisms. The hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis is sensitive to changes in the early-life environment that associate with DNA methylation of a neuron-specific exon 17 promoter of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) (Nr3c1). Since initial findings were published in 2004, numerous reports have investigated GR gene methylation in relationship to early-life experience, parental stress, and psychopathology. We conducted a systematic review of this growing literature, which identified 40 articles (13 animal and 27 human studies) published since 2004. The majority of these examined the GR exon variant 1F in humans or the GR17 in rats, and 89% of human studies and 70% of animal studies of early-life adversity reported increased methylation at this exon variant. All the studies investigating exon 1F/17 methylation in conditions of parental stress (one animal study and seven human studies) also reported increased methylation. Studies examining psychosocial stress and psychopathology had less consistent results, with 67% of animal studies reporting increased exon 17 methylation and 17% of human studies reporting increased exon 1F methylation. We found great consistency among studies investigating early-life adversity and the effect of parental stress, even if the precise phenotype and measures of social environment adversity varied among studies. These results are encouraging and warrant further investigation to better understand correlates and characteristics of these associations.
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Beery AK, McEwen LM, MacIsaac JL, Francis DD, Kobor MS. Natural variation in maternal care and cross-tissue patterns of oxytocin receptor gene methylation in rats. Horm Behav 2016; 77:42-52. [PMID: 26122287 PMCID: PMC4691570 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.05.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2015] [Revised: 05/16/2015] [Accepted: 05/27/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
This article is part of a Special Issue "Parental Care". Since the first report of maternal care effects on DNA methylation in rats, epigenetic modifications of the genome in response to life experience have become the subject of intense focus across many disciplines. Oxytocin receptor expression varies in response to early experience, and both oxytocin signaling and methylation status of the oxytocin receptor gene (Oxtr) in blood have been related to disordered social behavior. It is unknown whether Oxtr DNA methylation varies in response to early life experience, and whether currently employed peripheral measures of Oxtr methylation reflect variation in the brain. We examined the effects of early life rearing experience via natural variation in maternal licking and grooming during the first week of life on behavior, physiology, gene expression, and epigenetic regulation of Oxtr across blood and brain tissues (mononucleocytes, hippocampus, striatum, and hypothalamus). Rats reared by "high" licking-grooming (HL) and "low" licking-grooming (LL) rat dams exhibited differences across study outcomes: LL offspring were more active in behavioral arenas, exhibited lower body mass in adulthood, and showed reduced corticosterone responsivity to a stressor. Oxtr DNA methylation was significantly lower at multiple CpGs in the blood of LL versus HL males, but no differences were found in the brain. Across groups, Oxtr transcript levels in the hypothalamus were associated with reduced corticosterone secretion in response to stress, congruent with the role of oxytocin signaling in this region. Methylation of specific CpGs at a high or low level was consistent across tissues, especially within the brain. However, individual variation in DNA methylation relative to these global patterns was not consistent across tissues. These results suggest that blood Oxtr DNA methylation may reflect early experience of maternal care, and that Oxtr methylation across tissues is highly concordant for specific CpGs, but that inferences across tissues are not supported for individual variation in Oxtr methylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annaliese K Beery
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience Program, Smith College, Northampton, MA, USA; Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholars Program, University of California, Berkeley and San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Lisa M McEwen
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Department of Medical Genetics, and Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Julia L MacIsaac
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Department of Medical Genetics, and Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Darlene D Francis
- Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholars Program, University of California, Berkeley and San Francisco, CA, USA; School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Michael S Kobor
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Department of Medical Genetics, and Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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9
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Bolten M. Transgenerational Transmission of Stress Pathology. ZEITSCHRIFT FUR PSYCHOLOGIE-JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2015. [DOI: 10.1027/2151-2604/a000219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Abstract. The impact of the environment early in life on long-term outcomes is well known. Stressful experiences during pre- and postnatal development can modulate the genetic programming of specific brain circuits underlying emotional and cognitive aspects of behavioral adaptation to stressful experiences later in life. Furthermore, there is documented evidence for gene-environment interactions in the context of early-life stress. Identical gene variants can be associated with different phenotypes depending on environmental factors. DNA methylation, an enzymatically-catalyzed modification of the DNA, is the mechanism through which phenotypes are regulated. The dynamics and plasticity of epigenetic mechanisms can have short-term, long-term, or transgenerational consequences. In epigenetic research, rodent models have targeted several behavioral and emotional phenotypes. These models have contributed significantly to our understanding of the environmental regulation of the developmental brain in early life. This review will highlight studies with rats and mice on epigenetic processes in fetal programming of stress-related mental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margarete Bolten
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinic, University of Basel, Switzerland
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Nugent NR, Goldberg A, Uddin M. Topical Review: The Emerging Field of Epigenetics: Informing Models of Pediatric Trauma and Physical Health. J Pediatr Psychol 2015; 41:55-64. [PMID: 25825520 DOI: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsv018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2014] [Accepted: 02/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Trauma experienced during childhood and adolescence has been linked to a number of chronic medical concerns. We highlight major findings from the pediatric trauma literature to provide a model for understanding this association. METHODS Studies examining the effects of trauma were systematically reviewed and synthesized into a model proposing a central role for epigenetics in the ways that childhood experiences can affect health. RESULTS Early hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis response may impact initial trauma experience, with downstream effects on posttrauma adjustment reflected in posttrauma neurobiology, psychological health, and physical health. CONCLUSIONS Prospective research with children and adolescents exposed to trauma is needed to better characterize the genetic and epigenetic influences on the course of HPA and immune processes as related to posttrauma psychological and physical health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole R Nugent
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University, Bradley Hasbro Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital,
| | - Amy Goldberg
- Department of Pediatrics, Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University, Lawrence A. Aubin Sr. Child Protection Center, Hasbro Children's Hospital and
| | - Monica Uddin
- Department of Psychology and Carl W. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
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Lewis CR, Olive MF. Early-life stress interactions with the epigenome: potential mechanisms driving vulnerability toward psychiatric illness. Behav Pharmacol 2014; 25:341-51. [PMID: 25003947 PMCID: PMC4119485 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Throughout the 20th century a body of literature concerning the long-lasting effects of the early environment was produced. Adverse experiences in early life, or early-life stress (ELS), is associated with a higher risk of developing various psychiatric illnesses. The mechanisms driving the complex interplay between ELS and adult phenotype has baffled many investigators for decades. Over the last decade, the new field of neuroepigenetics has emerged as one possible mechanism by which ELS can have far-reaching effects on adult phenotype, behavior, and risk for psychiatric illness. Here we review two commonly investigated epigenetic mechanisms, histone modifications and DNA methylation, and the emerging field of neuroepigenetics as they relate to ELS. We discuss the current animal literature demonstrating ELS-induced epigenetic modulation of gene expression that results in altered adult phenotypes. We also briefly discuss other areas in which neuroepigenetics has emerged as a potential mechanism underlying environmental and genetic interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Candace Renee Lewis
- Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 930 S McAllister Ave, Tempe, AZ 85281, , Phone: (602) 680 – 8786
| | - Michael Foster Olive
- Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 930 S McAllister Ave, Tempe, AZ 85281, , Phone: (480) 727-9557
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12
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The role of DNA methylation in stress-related psychiatric disorders. Neuropharmacology 2014; 80:115-32. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2014.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 219] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2013] [Revised: 12/19/2013] [Accepted: 01/09/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Na KS, Chang HS, Won E, Han KM, Choi S, Tae WS, Yoon HK, Kim YK, Joe SH, Jung IK, Lee MS, Ham BJ. Association between glucocorticoid receptor methylation and hippocampal subfields in major depressive disorder. PLoS One 2014; 9:e85425. [PMID: 24465557 PMCID: PMC3897456 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0085425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2013] [Accepted: 11/26/2013] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Background DNA methylation in the promoter region of the glucocorticoid receptor gene (NR3C1) is closely associated with childhood adversity and suicide. However, few studies have examined NR3C1 methylation in relation to major depressive disorder (MDD) and hippocampal subfield volumes. We investigated the possible association between NR3C1 methylation and structural brain alterations in MDD in comparison with healthy controls. Methods We compared the degree of NR3C1 promoter methylation in the peripheral blood of non-psychotic outpatients with MDD and that of healthy controls. Correlations among NR3C1 promoter methylation, structural abnormalities in hippocampal subfield volumes and whole-brain cortical thickness, and clinical variables were also analyzed. Results In total, 117 participants (45 with MDD and 72 healthy controls) were recruited. Patients with MDD had significantly lower methylation than healthy controls at 2 CpG sites. In MDD, methylations had positive correlations with the bilateral cornu ammonis (CA) 2–3 and CA4-dentate gyrus (DG) subfields. However, in healthy controls, methylations had positive correlation with the subiculum and presubiculum. There were no differences in total and subfield volumes of the hippocampus between patients with MDD and healthy controls. Compared with healthy controls, patients with MDD had a significantly thinner cortex in the left rostromiddle frontal, right lateral orbitofrontal, and right pars triangularis areas. Conclusions Lower methylation in the NR3C1 promoter, which might have compensatory effects relating to CA2-3 and CA4-DG, is a distinct epigenetic characteristic in non-psychotic outpatients with MDD. Future studies with a longitudinal design and a comprehensive neurobiological approach are warranted in order to elucidate the effects of NR3C1 methylation.
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MESH Headings
- Adolescent
- Adult
- Aged
- CA2 Region, Hippocampal/metabolism
- CA2 Region, Hippocampal/physiopathology
- CA3 Region, Hippocampal/metabolism
- CA3 Region, Hippocampal/physiopathology
- Case-Control Studies
- DNA Methylation
- Dentate Gyrus/metabolism
- Dentate Gyrus/physiopathology
- Depressive Disorder, Major/genetics
- Depressive Disorder, Major/metabolism
- Depressive Disorder, Major/physiopathology
- Epigenesis, Genetic
- Female
- Humans
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Promoter Regions, Genetic
- Receptors, Glucocorticoid/genetics
- Receptors, Glucocorticoid/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyoung-Sae Na
- Department of Psychiatry, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Incheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Hun Soo Chang
- Department of Medical Bioscience, Graduate school, Soonchunhyang University, Bucheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Eunsoo Won
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyu-Man Han
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sunyoung Choi
- Brain and Cognitive engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Woo Suk Tae
- Neuroscience Research Institute, College of Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Ho-Kyoung Yoon
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong-Ku Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sook-Haeng Joe
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - In-Kwa Jung
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Min-Soo Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Byung-Joo Ham
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- * E-mail:
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Begum G, Davies A, Stevens A, Oliver M, Jaquiery A, Challis J, Harding J, Bloomfield F, White A. Maternal undernutrition programs tissue-specific epigenetic changes in the glucocorticoid receptor in adult offspring. Endocrinology 2013; 154:4560-9. [PMID: 24064364 DOI: 10.1210/en.2013-1693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Epidemiological data indicate that an adverse maternal environment during pregnancy predisposes offspring to metabolic syndrome with increased obesity, and type 2 diabetes. The mechanisms are still unclear although epigenetic modifications are implicated and the hypothalamus is a likely target. We hypothesized that maternal undernutrition (UN) around conception in sheep would lead to epigenetic changes in hypothalamic neurons regulating energy balance in the offspring, up to 5 years after the maternal insult. We found striking evidence of decreased glucocorticoid receptor (GR) promoter methylation, decreased histone lysine 27 trimethylation, and increased histone H3 lysine 9 acetylation in hypothalami from male and female adult offspring of UN mothers. These findings are entirely compatible with the increased GR mRNA and protein observed in the hypothalami. The increased GR predicted the decreased hypothalamic proopiomelanocortin expression and increased obesity that we observed in the 5-year-old adult males. The epigenetic and expression changes in GR were specific to the hypothalamus. Hippocampal GR mRNA and protein were decreased in UN offspring, whereas pituitary GR was altered in a sex-specific manner. In peripheral polymorphonuclear leukocytes there were no changes in GR methylation or protein, indicating that this epigenetic analysis did not predict changes in the brain. Overall, these results suggest that moderate changes in maternal nutrition, around the time of conception, signal life-long and tissue-specific epigenetic alterations in a key gene regulating energy balance in the hypothalamus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ghazala Begum
- Faculties of Life Sciences and Medical and Human Sciences, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, University of Manchester, 3.016 AV Hill Building, Manchester M13 9PT United Kingdom.
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Szyf M. DNA Methylation, Behavior and Early Life Adversity. J Genet Genomics 2013; 40:331-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jgg.2013.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2013] [Revised: 06/16/2013] [Accepted: 06/19/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Ledón-Rettig CC. Ecological epigenetics: an introduction to the symposium. Integr Comp Biol 2013; 53:307-18. [PMID: 23696554 DOI: 10.1093/icb/ict053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Phenotypic variation arises from interactions between environmental and genetic variation, and the emergence of such variation is, in part, mediated by epigenetic mechanisms: factors that modify gene expression but do not change the gene sequence, per se. The role of epigenetic variation and inheritance in natural populations, however, remains poorly understood. The budding field of Ecological Epigenetics seeks to extend our knowledge of epigenetic mechanisms and processes to natural populations, and recent conceptual and technical advances have made progress toward this goal more feasible. In light of these breakthroughs, now is a particularly opportune time to develop a framework that will guide and facilitate exceptional studies in Ecological Epigenetics. Toward this goal, the Ecological Epigenetics symposium brought together researchers with diverse strengths in theory, developmental genetics, ecology, and evolution, and the proceedings from their talks are presented in this issue. By characterizing environmentally dependent epigenetic variation in natural populations, we will enhance our understanding of developmental, ecological, and evolutionary phenomena. In particular, ecological epigenetics has the potential to explain how populations endure (or fail to endure) profound and rapid environmental change. Here, my goal is to introduce some of the common goals and challenges shared by those pursuing this critical field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cris C Ledón-Rettig
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA.
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Kundakovic M, Lim S, Gudsnuk K, Champagne FA. Sex-specific and strain-dependent effects of early life adversity on behavioral and epigenetic outcomes. Front Psychiatry 2013; 4:78. [PMID: 23914177 PMCID: PMC3730082 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2013.00078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2013] [Accepted: 07/17/2013] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Early life adversity can have a significant long-term impact with implications for the emergence of psychopathology. Disruption to mother-infant interactions is a form of early life adversity that may, in particular, have profound programing effects on the developing brain. However, despite converging evidence from human and animal studies, the precise mechanistic pathways underlying adversity-associated neurobehavioral changes have yet to be elucidated. One approach to the study of mechanism is exploration of epigenetic changes associated with early life experience. In the current study, we examined the effects of postnatal maternal separation (MS) in mice and assessed the behavioral, brain gene expression, and epigenetic effects of this manipulation in offspring. Importantly, we included two different mouse strains (C57BL/6J and Balb/cJ) and both male and female offspring to determine strain- and/or sex-associated differential response to MS. We found both strain-specific and sex-dependent effects of MS in early adolescent offspring on measures of open-field exploration, sucrose preference, and social behavior. Analyses of cortical and hippocampal mRNA levels of the glucocorticoid receptor (Nr3c1) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) genes revealed decreased hippocampal Bdnf expression in maternally separated C57BL/6J females and increased cortical Bdnf expression in maternally separated male and female Balb/cJ offspring. Analyses of Nr3c1and Bdnf (IV and IX) CpG methylation indicated increased hippocampal Nr3c1 methylation in maternally separated C57BL/6J males and increased hippocampal Bdnf IX methylation in male and female maternally separated Balb/c mice. Overall, though effect sizes were modest, these findings suggest a complex interaction between early life adversity, genetic background, and sex in the determination of neurobehavioral and epigenetic outcomes that may account for differential vulnerability to later-life disorder.
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